A city of: pirámides, baroque churches and skyscrapers, with renowned tv/film productions and museums. Home of shamanes, digital nomads, and Mexican politicos; related to icons such as Frida Kahlo, Luis Barragán and El Santo. The capital of the most powerful Mesoamerican empire; the first global trade center during the colonial times; with a bustling contemporary art and design scene — la Ciudad de Mexico has a lot to offer.

Mexico City is known for its: lost pyramids, street food, baroque churches, plus colorful streets, modern architecture and . Its chaotic but charming, rustic yet exclusive, antique and contemporary at the same time. Within the art world it plays a huge role in the handcrafts and academia spheres; and outside of it, it’s important in the latin entertainment, culinary and archeology worlds. Many iconic artist, writers, architects, actors and movie directors have emerged from this city. Think of: Frida Kahlo, Miguel Covarrubias, Sorjuana Ines De La Cruz, Octavio Paz, Luis Barragán, Michel Rojkind, María Félix, Eugenio Derbez, Alfonso Cuarón or Alejandro González Iñarritu. There’s a lot to check out but if you only have a limited amount of time I would make sure to: visit 1 museum, eat tacos on the street, drink a mezcal in la Roma Norte, relax inside a baroque church, walk up and down El Paseo de la Reforma, buy crafts around Coyoacán, see a Mexican movie/play and take a picture in front of the Angel de La Independencía and/or Zocalo. If you have more time you should try to: watch a lucha libre match, cruise up and down the canales de Xóchimilco, shop around Polanco or La Lagunilla, talk to a shaman outside El Templo Mayor and go horse riding around el Ajusco.

Here are some recommendations of places to visit. Mexico City has 4 unesco sites: the historic center, the canales of Xóchimilco, the house/studio of Luis Barragán and the UNAM, and really close you have another site, the pyramids of Teotihuacán. The city has 7 ‘Michelin restaurants’ so try to make a reservation in one of them, but the best food you will find it in the sidewalks. My top 5 museums are: Museo de Antropología for antiquities; El MUNAL for colonial art; the MUAC for contemporary art; La Casa Azul for Frida Kahlo works/life; and the Museo Soumaya for a little bit of everything. My favorite art galleries are: OMR, Kurimanzutto, GAM, Travesías Cuatro and Galeria Casa Lamm. For luxury shopping go to Avenida Presidente Masaryk or the department store Palacio de Hierro; for crafts the Mercado Artesanal de Coyoacán; for the typical brands go to any of the many malls of the city (Centro Santa Fe and Plaza Satélite are my favorite ones) and for cheaper goods La Lagunilla. Also take a chance to walk up and down Av. Álvaro Obregón, the epicenter of the bohemian Roma Norte neighborhood. Some venues to check out are Palacio de Bellas Artes for classical music, Auditorio Nacional for concerts, the Teatro Telcel for big theater productions and La Cineteca Nacional for movies.

Here are 9 daily tours to explore Mexico City: