Unique things to do in Mexico City

In one of my earlier posts, I had listed down some of my initial thoughts and observations about the exciting, colourful and bustling Mexico City. In this picture story, I will take you through some of the unique things to do in Mexico City. This is my Mexico City travel blog.

Follow along:

Table of Contents

The City

Mexico City traffic — This is the first image I captured of Mexico City while seated in a cab driving me from the airport to the hotel I was booked in. It was dusk; there was a slight drizzle, and this scene reminded me of the movie ‘Godfather’ for some reason. I found this old VW Beetle very interesting and hence clicked this image. Later I found that VW Beetle is a ubiquitous vehicle in Mexico City and is known by the nickname ‘Vocho’ around here.

Mexico City Insurgentes Sur view — View of the city from my office. It indeed is a very crowded city.

Right next to where I was put up (in City Express Insurgentes Sur hotel) is Teatro de Los Insurgentes – a theatre with a facade that has a mural painted by the famous Mexican artist Diego Rivera.

graffiti — Graffiti and paintings adorn almost all walls, shutters and buildings. There’s art just about anywhere in Mexico City.

A super-sized bull I saw in a place called Tepotzotlan. Price of a picture with you sitting on the bull: 10 pesos. I, however, saved the 10 pesos and my life by staying as far away from the giant as possible.

Mexico has a very fascinating and violent history. It is exciting to read about the pre-hispanic times and the Spanish conquest led by Hernan Cortes (Read about him here: https://www.livescience.com/39238-hernan-cortes-conqueror-of-the-aztecs.html). While in Mexico City, my friend Ivan shared a book set in those times – a book by Gary Jennings, titled Aztec. It details the Aztecs’ life – the culture, the Gods, the human sacrifices and the conquest. You could buy the book from Amazon by clicking on the link below (it has my affiliate id):

Unique things to do in Mexico City: Turibus Ride

A Turibus ride is the best way to get introduced to this city. These are hop-on, hop-off buses that ply all year round through different routes covering the city’s various attractions. You could choose to site in the lower deck or the open upper deck (keep lots of sunscreens and a hat handy). For more details on the routes, check out their website https://www.turibus.com.mx

Turibus ride Mexico City — Turibus ride – the best way to discover Mexico City’s history, architecture, culture and fabulous cuisine

faltan 43 — Another view I captured while on the Turibus. ‘Where is Mariela’, the graffiti says. I hope she is found.

Coyoacan

Roaming around colourful Coyoacan is one of the unique things to do in Mexico City.

This is a very colourful neighbourhood where I used to spend many a weekend, clicking photographs. The place is vivacious and legendary for being the birthplace of Mexico’s most notable artist Frida Kahlo.

coyoacan mexico city — Walking around Coyoacan is indeed a refreshing experience. Music, aromas of various kinds of food and colours are all around.

unique things to do in Mexico City — A painter in Coyoacan

coyoacan — The fountain in the centre of Coyoacan featuring 2 coyotes

Casa Azul - Frida Kahlo museum — The Frida Kahlo museum. If you plan to visit this place, do book in advance.

The other lovely neighbourhoods that I enjoyed walking around are Roma and Condesa.

Centro Historico (a.k.a Zocalo)

Zocalo is the throbbing historic centre of Mexico City. Walking around Zocalo is the best way to absorb this place’s history, sights, sounds, and smells – another one among the unique things to do in Mexico City.

The most recognizable structure in Mexico City – the Palacio de Bellas Artes, is a prominent cultural centre.

Limpia in Zocalo — Aztec shaman doing “limpia” (spiritual cleansing) in Zocalo square

Mexico snacks — Even the snacks in Mexico City are colourful!

organ grinder Mexico City — Organ grinders (street musicians) are a common sight all over Mexico City. They live on the tips they receive.

China Town in Mexico City — The China town near Zocalo

Me, posing between two Aztecs in Zocalo.

There was a photoshoot of these models going on in Zocalo when I visited the place. I joined in and clicked this pic.

jacaranda mexico city — The beautiful Jacaranda trees in full bloom in Mexico’s oldest municipal park – the Almeda central. Apparently, the Jacaranda tree was a gift from one of the first Japanese immigrants to arrive in Mexico.

beautiful picture of mexico city - Palacio de Bellas Artes mexico city — A full view of the Palacio de Bellas Artes, which I shot from a coffee shop right across the street.

Parque Hundido

This awesome park was located very close to my hotel, and I thoroughly enjoyed visiting this park on Sundays. This is a place where dogs have a separate enclosure where they are let free.

San Angel

San Ángel is a colourful and picturesque neighbourhood that houses art galleries and artisan markets. The place comes alive on Saturdays for the ‘Bazaar del Sábado’ – where the best handicrafts of the highest quality from all over Mexico can be found. Definitely another one of the unique things to do in Mexico City.

Tamales Mexico city — Tamales for sale in San Angel. A Tamale is a dish made of dough stuffed with fillings and steamed in a corn husk.

Teotihuacan

Located about 40kms off Mexico City, Teotihuacan is the site of many of the most architecturally significant Mesoamerican pyramids built in Mexico. Teotihuacan’s origins, history, and culture largely remain a mystery, but this city was founded as early as 400 B.C. When the Aztecs found this city in the 1400s and named it Teotihuacan (“the place where the gods were created”), the city had been abandoned for centuries.

The city contains The Pyramid of the Moon, the Pyramid of the Sun, the Temple of Quetzalcoatl (the Feathered Serpent) and many smaller pyramids. Human and animal sacrifices were practised here. I took a Turibus tour to this site.

Teotihuacan Mexico city — Decorated streets that lead to the site of the Pyramids. Those paper flags are known as Papel Picado.

Xochimilco

Xochimilco – A world heritage site and one of the most lively places in Mexico. Riding the waterways in these brightly painted and decorated trajineras (traditional flat-bottomed boats) is quite an experience indeed.

Mexico City street photography

There is no other city that’s more ideal for street photography than CDMX. The place is so colourful, filled with interesting people and buzzing with activity. I used to roam the streets of Mexico City with my Nikon during the weekends and got some amazing shots. I have posted some pictures above. If you want to order some Mexico City photography prints, please do reach out.

So there. Those were the unique things I did and the places I visited in Mexico City. There’s a lot more to write about the place – the history, the food, the art and the music. But that’s for another day. I hope you enjoyed this brief photo journey.

If you have any comments, feedback or suggestions on this article, please leave your comments below.

If you would like to order high-quality prints of some of the photos I took in Mexico City – including ‘Day of the Dead skulls’ – please visit: https://sampathmk.darkroom.tech

Some of my images are also available on Shutterstock.

You can also watch my Mexico City Vlog on my Youtube channel (link below). If you like the video, please subscribe to my channel.

My Mexico City Vlog

If you liked this post, you may also like my other posts on Mexico City:

Lucha libre in Mexico City (Mexican wrestling)

Mexico City travel tips

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2 thoughts on “Unique things to do in Mexico City”

Nancy Oviedo

July 10, 2020 at 1:38 am

Hello, I hope you are well. My husband is the artist Yuri Ángel. I remember that you visited us in the garden of art in San Ángel in Mexico City. The character’s name is Chimbo. You can find more of his work at http://www.yuriaz.com We send you a hug.
Sampath Menon

July 16, 2020 at 11:53 am

Heyyyyy! Gracias…what a pleasant surprise, and thank you for commenting here. Yeah, I loved his art – hope you are all well and safe. Thanks for the link; this will help any visitors here to find you. Cheers!