Cheap things to do in Mexico City
Street tacos, free museums and a speakeasy you actually booked ahead.
This is a guide for people who want to eat well and spend almost nothing doing it. Three days move through Roma Norte, Condesa and Polanco without a single pricey restaurant in sight: markets, birria, great-value spots and two of the world's great free museums. Pack comfortable shoes and a willingness to eat standing up.
Day 1: Roma Norte on foot and on the cheap
Pastries at Rosetta set the tone, then a neighbourhood park, a taquería lunch, a handicraft market and birria tacos before a nightcap at Tlecan.
- 9:30 AM
Panadería Rosetta
Start, grab a fresh pastry and coffee at the iconic bakery everyone swears by.
Map - 10:15 AM
Plaza Río de Janeiro
Stroll this charming tree-lined park a block from Rosetta, a calm, free neighbourhood warm-up.
Map - 12:30 PM
Taquería Selene
No-frills taquería for a cheap, filling plate of tacos, the lunch the whole neighbourhood queues for.
Map - 2:00 PM
Mercado Insurgentes
Wander Mercado Insurgentes for handicrafts, cheap souvenirs and local colour, free to browse.
Map - 7:30 PM
Birria Colorado
Birria tacos with a cup of consommé for dipping, cheap, messy and worth the napkins.
Map - 9:00 PM
Tlecan
Tlecan is the neighbourhood's go-to cocktail bar, beloved by locals and well within a late-night stroll home by 22:30.
Map
Day 2: Condesa parks, murals and great value
A morning loop from a leafy free park to a landmark Siqueiros mural bookends serious Mexican food at honest prices, with a great-value dinner to close.
- 9:30 AM
- 10:15 AM
- 11:00 AM
Fonda Margarita
Clay-pot guisados and beans at shared tables beside Parque Hundido; it serves until noon, Tuesday to Sunday.
Map - 2:30 PM
Polyforum Cultural Siqueiros
Landmark mural-covered Siqueiros cultural forum, free to walk around outside, very close.
Map - 7:30 PM
Los Consentidos del Barrio
Neighbourhood fonda for a cheap home-style dinner, a short walk from Parque Hundido.
Map
Day 3: Chapultepec, cochinita and a speakeasy
Row a boat on the lake, eat cochinita pibil tacos at El Turix, spend the afternoon in the Antropología, then end the night at a reservation-only speakeasy in Juárez.
- 10:30 AM
Lago Mayor de Chapultepec
Rent a rowboat or pedal boat on the lake, cheap, fun, and the park walk around it is totally free.
Map - 12:30 PM
El Turix
Tiny Polanco counter that does one thing: cochinita pibil tacos and tortas with pickled onion and habanero.
Map - 2:30 PM
Museo Nacional de Antropología
The Aztec Sun Stone, Pakal's jade mask and the Teotihuacán halls; Sunday entry is free only for residents.
Map - 7:30 PM
Siembra Tortillería
Polanco tortillería with fresh heirloom-corn tacos at counter prices, a short walk from the museum.
Map - 9:30 PM
Hanky Panky Cocktail Bar
One of North America's best bars, reservation-only speakeasy. Book weeks ahead.
Map
Where to stay
The Red Tree House
Red Tree House sits squarely in Roma Norte, walkable to Day 1 and a short ride to everything else, at a price that fits the brief.
AR 218 Hotel
AR 218 Hotel keeps you between Roma and Condesa, handy for all three days without blowing the budget.
Make Mexico City your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
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Book ahead
- Teotihuacan: a few days ahead
- Museo Frida Kahlo: weeks ahead
- Arena México: a few days ahead
- Handshake Speakeasy: weeks ahead
- Tlecán: a few days ahead
- Hanky Panky Cocktail Bar: weeks ahead
Skip these
- Xochimilco quotes per person or above the posted per boat tariff, agree the total in pesos before boarding.
- Teotihuacan workshop tours that pad the day with gift shops, pay for a no stops operator or go by bus.
- Casa Azul disappoints non Frida fans, it is small with little major artwork and big crowds.
- El Califa de Leon queues can run 45 minutes, very good tacos but not a pilgrimage.
The full Mexico City travel guide: when to go, safety, getting around