Mexico City layover guide

Getting around from the crew hotel

From the airport, the Metrobus Line 4 electric service links Terminals 1 and 2 with San Lazaro, the historic centre and the Reforma end at Amajac for 30 MXN - buy the rechargeable MI card (about 15 MXN) from the machine, since cash is not accepted aboard. The Metro's Line 5 also stops at Terminal Aerea for a flat 5 MXN, but with bags or at rush hour it is a false economy. Uber and DiDi are the crew standard: 120-200 MXN to Reforma or Roma depending on traffic, ordered from the official pickup points - skip street taxis entirely.

In town, the Metrobus dedicated-lane buses on Insurgentes and Reforma beat car traffic at peak hours (6 MXN with the same MI card), the Metro is astonishingly cheap at 5 MXN if you avoid crush hours, and Ubers between neighbourhoods rarely exceed 60-100 MXN. Roma and Condesa are made for walking and the Ecobici bike-share works with a day pass. Sunday morning, Reforma itself closes to cars and fills with bikes and runners - the single best time to see the avenue.

• Metrobus Line 4 from both terminals: 30 MXN to the centro and Reforma
• MI rechargeable card (~15 MXN) covers Metrobus and Metro alike
• Uber/DiDi everywhere, 60-200 MXN; street taxis are the one skip
• Metro 5 MXN flat - unbeatable value outside rush hour

The 24-hour plan

Morning in the centro: start at the Zocalo, one of the largest squares on earth, with the cathedral on one side and the excavated Templo Mayor - the Aztec great temple, casually mid-city - on the other (entry around 100 MXN). Walk two blocks for Diego Rivera's murals, free inside the Secretaria de Educacion Publica or the Palacio Nacional, then coffee under the Casa de los Azulejos tiles. Lunch is a menu del dia comida corrida - soup, rice, a guisado main and agua fresca for 90-130 MXN - or the first taco crawl of the day.

Afternoon: Chapultepec Park and the National Museum of Anthropology, the best museum in the Americas (about 100 MXN; the Aztec sun stone alone justifies the trip - closed Mondays). As evening falls, land in Roma-Condesa for the golden hours: mezcal or a michelada on a terrace, then the serious business of tacos al pastor carved from the trompo at a neighbourhood taqueria - El Vilsito in Narvarte is the crew-famous late option - finishing with churros and hot chocolate at El Moro, open into the small hours.

Eat well on a per diem

Street and market tier first: tacos al pastor run 15-25 MXN each (three make a meal), tamales and quesadillas from morning stands cost less, and market comedores - Mercado de San Juan or any neighbourhood mercado - serve heaping comida corrida lunches for 90-130 MXN. The unwritten rule for stall-picking is universal: queue length equals quality, and high turnover equals safety. Drink bottled or filtered water only, and go gently on raw garnishes for the first day while your stomach acclimatises.

Mid-tier is where Mexico City shines for a per diem: superb sit-down restaurants in Roma and Condesa - modern Mexican, excellent seafood - land at 250-450 MXN with drinks, half of what equivalent cooking costs in the US or Europe. Coffee culture is serious (Cafe Avellaneda in Coyoacan, plenty around Roma), fresh juice stands are everywhere at breakfast, and mezcal at a proper mezcaleria (120-180 MXN a pour) beats any hotel bar. El Moro's churros with thick chocolate, about 80 MXN, are the non-negotiable dessert.

• Tacos al pastor: 15-25 MXN each at any trompo taqueria
• Comida corrida set lunch: 90-130 MXN, soup to agua fresca
• El Moro churros con chocolate: ~80 MXN, open very late
• Roma/Condesa sit-down dinner: 250-450 MXN for genuinely great cooking
• Bottled water only - including for the hotel-room toothbrush if you are cautious

If you have 48 hours

Day two, choose ancient or bohemian. Ancient: Teotihuacan, the vast pyramid city an hour north - buses leave Autobuses del Norte terminal every 20 minutes (about 60-70 MXN each way) or tours collect from hotels; go early, wear a hat, and remember the altitude when the Avenue of the Dead starts climbing. Bohemian: Coyoacan's plazas, the Frida Kahlo Museum (book online days ahead - walk-up entry rarely happens), and tostadas in the Mercado de Coyoacan, an easy half-day by Uber.

Alternatives with equal claim: Saturday's bazaar in San Angel, the canals of Xochimilco with a shared trajinera boat and mariachis (best in a group, split the hourly boat rate), or Lucha Libre at Arena Mexico on Tuesday and Friday nights - masked wrestling, flying bodies and 100-500 MXN tickets that deliver the most entertaining evening on the network. Art crews: the Palacio de Bellas Artes murals and the Museo Soumaya's mirrored curves photograph as well as they exhibit.

Crew-specific notes

Altitude is the stealth factor: 2,240 metres compounds jet lag, dehydrates you faster than you notice, and turns two margaritas into four - drink water relentlessly and expect runs and stair-climbs to feel harder. Stomach strategy: acclimatise for a day before going full street-stall, favour busy stands and cooked salsas, and carry the usual remedies; most crew problems come from enthusiasm, not from Mexico. Ride etiquette: Uber and DiDi are cheap and tracked - use them at night without exception, and avoid hailing cabs off the street. During the rainy season (May-September) the daily downpour arrives with impressive punctuality around late afternoon; plan indoor stops for that window. Day of the Dead (late October-early November) transforms the city and books out hotels - a roster prize if you can bid for it.