The few days that I was in Mexico City, I had a lot to see and I wanted to miss literally nothing. In all, I had 6 days with me (Mon-Sat, Sunday was my flight back home to Ecuador). Of these 6 Days I would be spending 2 days in Acapulco City( a holiday without being on a beach is NOT a holiday for me).And so, the best way I thought to use my 4 days efficiently here would be:
2 days: Visit all the touristy spots via the City tour buses a.k.a Hop On Hop Off buses.There are mainly 4 lines Red(Circuto Centro), Yellow(Circuto Polanco), Green(Circuto Sur) and Purple(Circuto Basilica)of which the two main ones are - Green and Red line. And thus 1 whole day for each line.We took the Turibus city tours and enjoyed the 2 days. The tickets are very reasonable(appx USD10 per person), thus saving money along with the time.
1 day: Visit those places which seemed interesting during the city tour but because of lack of time, I was unable to explore and see properly. In addition, use this day to visit few of the places in the other two lines(these are small lines with maximum 1 or 2 interesting places to visit in each.
1 day: Visit the Teotihuacan pyramids and to do the world famous hot air balloon ride. The place is around 50 km away from the city and thus almost the whole day goes in going, exploring and coming back. If you have more days at your hand, you can spend more time exploring all famous places of the city and maybe even see the Yellow and Purple line in greater depth. Besides the tour buses, I recommend you to pick up one of the local guides on the city from a book store as there are more places of interest that are not covered on the tours.
This suggestion was in fact given to me by an elderly women from Australia(settled in Canada for a long time), who was visiting the city accompanied by her husband who was invited as a guest lecturer in one of the city colleges. She was kind enough to show us on the map; some great places that she had been to in the past few days and highly recommended them.
Below I have listed for you the names of the places I visited along with a brief description about the place, followed by my comments/suggestions/recommendations on each. These are in the order of my favorites with 1 being the top on my list. Hope these are useful for planning your itinerary when here.
1. Teotihuacan Hot Air Balloon tour: Without doubt, this has to be the numero uno attraction in Mexico City for me. Situated around 50 km away from Mexico city, the holy city of Teotihuacan was built between the 1st and the 7th century A.D. and is by far the most popular tourist destination in the whole of Mexico. Our itinerary was that we would reach early morning for the Hot air Balloon ride and see the sun rise, post which we would then go and explore the famous Pyramids of Teotihuacan. Mind you, when I say that you have to reach early morning, I mean REALLY early. We left our apartment at 4 am(Pheww), as we had been told that it would take us about an hour to reach and then once we reached, it would again take some time to get on board the balloon(since there would be a number of people waiting for their turn), and all of this had to be done before 6 am when the first rays of the sun became visible.
One piece of advice: You might want to research well before booking tickets online. I say so because since we had heard that the rides are very popular, we decided to book our tour in advance and bought the tickets for 3000 pesos per person i.e. appx USD 190. When we reached the destination, after talking to few people we realized that everyone had paid far lesser than us, i.e. literally 50% less. And so, call up at least two or three tour companies and book your tickets preferably on phone with money to be paid on the spot.
But all the confusion, disappointment, anger etc disappeared as soon as our balloon started rising from the ground. The rise into the blue sky, which had started getting illuminated by the bright rays of the sun; was definitely an experience of a lifetime.
Very soon, the whole sky seemed to be full of dots of different colors(the other hot air balloons of various tour companies) and each seemed to be gliding smoothly as if this is where it actually belonged.If you have a good balloon driver(or is it a head rider, or maybe the guide :/ ) like we did, the balloon will be steered right above the pyramids and you can have a close up view of the magnificent ancient pyramids. The ride lasts for about an hour and is definitely worth every penny spent on it. At the end of the ride, there is a van waiting which will take you back to the base camp where you will be served breakfast and champagne in celebration of you completing the certification of a Hot Air Balloon Ride.
2. Teotihuacan Pyramids: Next place on my list are the two world famous Pyramids of The Sun and The Moon at Teotihuacan city. Teotihuacan means " the place where the gods were born" reflecting the belief that the gods created the universe here.
The Pyramid of The Sun was constructed first and also happens to be the third largest pyramid in the world. This Pyramid can be climbed right up till the top by climbing the very steep staircases.
Many great pictures can be clicked, considering the whole Teotihuacan city can be seen from such a height.The other Pyramid i.e. The Pyramid of the Moon is tall but not as tall as the Pyramid of The Sun. Also, this Pyramid cannot be climbed right till the top since a part has been closed for public access. Very mystical, very intriguing, very MAGICAL.
Thus a definite must visit place ranking very high in my list.
3. Freida Kahlo Museum: This museum which is also known as the Blue House( since all the walls are Blue), was the parental house of Frida Kahlo.She was born in this house in 1907 and also died in this very house in 1954.
The house was then in 1958 converted into a museum by Frida's husband, Diego Rivera to showcase all Frida's paintings, art and in short, for her life and memories to be relived by anyone visiting the house.Each room of the house has many interesting stories connected to it, and I suggest the best way to know about the details would be by taking the Video guide while buying the tickets. The tour will easily take close to about 2 hours and the time will fly with you at the end feeling that you knew Frida very well and that you actually witnessed all the moments in her life. Very remarkable indeed and very mesmerizing.
4. Museo Nacional de Historia: Located on the grasshopper hill, inside the Chapultepec(grasshopper) Castle, this is one of the best Museums that I have been to in my whole life. The art, the murals, the paintings depicting the history, the artifacts etc are mind blowing.The castle over the years has served as a Military Academy, Imperial Residence, Presidential home, observatory and then finally the Museum which it is now.
The various paintings inside will give a flavor and depict the story of the various struggles, rebellions, protests, wars and also the big incidents which are famous in the history. My favorite painting was of this young boy holding a flag and who seemed to be flying . Our guide, who we had taken to understand the place in depth, told us that the painting actually depicted the attack on this castle by the US forces in 1847. At that time the castle was a military school. Six young cadets died in this battle( the casualties were minimum, since when the US army realized that the castle was full of young boys, they immediately stopped the attack).The boy in the picture is Juan Escutia, who wrapped the Mexican national flag around his body and jumped from the top of the castle, in order to keep it from falling in the enemy's hands. Fascinating right??
In fact there are 6 pillars outside the castle, one built as a sign of respect and honor for each of these 6 young cadets.
5. Palacio de Bellas Artes: Built between 1904 and 1934, the Palacio de Bellas Artes is the most important cultural center in the Mexico city.
This place is known for the amazing ballet performances which take place twice in a week. The tickets for these shows get booked really fast and hence booking online is a good option to avoid any last minute issues. The palace has various beautiful structures and murals as well and the same can be seen in the day time to gauge the real beauty of it.
The ballet performance, performed by the Ballet Folklorico de Mexico, is a 1 and a half hour show, which is a celebration of pre- and post-Hispanic dancing. A typical program includes Aztec ritual dances, agricultural dances from Jalisco, a fiesta in Veracruz, a wedding celebration -- all linked with mariachis, marimba players, singers, and dancers. The theater itself is so grand and beautiful and adds an even greater touch of beauty to the ballet performances.
6. Monument A La Independencia or The Angel Of Independence: Built in 1910 to commemorate the War of Independence , this monument has a gold color angel on the top which can be seen glimmering from long distances in the city. This is one of the most popular monuments in the city and is also a point of reference used by locals often to give directions.
7. Museo de Anthropologia: A highly recommended museum by any and every person who has been to Mexico city. In fact, since I was short of time I had originally decided to give this museum a miss, but then when talking to a fellow traveler in the city tour bus, I was suggested to visit it as it is one of its kind. And so, I decided to visit and make an opinion for myself of this highly popular and also the most visited museum of Mexico city.
Well, one thing is for sure. It is HUGEEEE...There are two floors and each floor has many big rooms with even bigger items on display. So, when planning a visit, make sure that you have a good number of hours in your hand.
Since we came close to closing time, we just had 1 hour to quickly look around.
The museum contains significant archaeological and anthropological artifacts from the Mexico's pre-Columbianheritage, such as the Stone of the Sun (or the Aztec calendar stone) and the 16th-century Aztec Xochipilli statue. There is a lot to see, to understand and to grasp; but for sure it is very interesting. A little bit of homework about the history etc will definitely make you enjoy this place even more :).
8. Zocalo or Plaza de la Constitucion: The Zocalo is the main square in the historic centre of Mexico City - also the largest city square in Latin America.The Mexico City Zocalo has an area of about 14 acres. Standing at the flagpole in the middle, a visitor can turn his gaze in contemplation to each of the four cardinal directions and see a different portion of the Zocalo.To the east lies the Palacio Nacional, to the north the Cathedral, to the south the Federal District municipal buildings and to the west commercial buildings. The four sides thus represent four important forces in Mexico City.
The Zocalo also forms part of the city's transportation network. The outer perimeter of the square has several lanes of traffic moving counter-clockwise. So be careful crossing!In addition there is a Metro station under the plaza, conveniently entitled "Zocalo," making the plaza very accessible.9. Monument of Diana the Huntress or The North Star Shooter: This beautiful nude structure is of Diana and was constructed as a project to beautify the city way back in 1942. After few years, the structure was criticised for nudity, andhence golden pants were added to it. Over time the mentality evolved and the 'pants dropped'. The structure is now in its original form and stands proud and beautiful.
10. Museo Nacional de la Revolucion: A museum depicting the various scenarios over the various years on the revolution of Mexico, is a wonderful place to be in.
Unfortunately all the information written is in Spanish and hence for people like me who are not fluent with the language might not understand and thus enjoy much. On top of the museum stands a huge, daunting architectural structure which faces a big,empty space with a lush, green park which is a popular spot for joggers, exercise freaks and dog walkers.So, these were my top 10 places to visit in Mexico city. My days passed in a jiffy and I am sure there would have been still much more to explore in this beautiful city. Well, I can leave something for the next time I am here(whenever that happens).
Read more about Mexico in my other blogs:
1)A Mexican Holiday: Ecuador to Mexico City- Tales of the First Day
2)Airbnb Apartments,Mexico City: Take a dive into Luxury
3)La Bodeguita Del Medio (La B del M), Mexico City: A true Cuban Experience
You can also refer to these other articles which I found helpful while looking for more information on Mexico City:
1) All about Mexico City
2) CNN
3) Tripadvisor
Till then
Chao!
Adiós!
Hasta Luego!
0 Komentar