Mexico City

Palacio Nacional

National Palace

The palace in its current form began construction in 1693 and served as the Palace of the Viceroy of New Spain until the Mexican War of Independence, when it became the executive seat of the President (though today it is no longer his official residence). The walls inside the palace display murals by Diego Rivera depicting the history of Mexico from the pre-Columbian age to the Mexican Revolution. You can also visit the Recinto Legislativo, a replica of the first Mexican Congress, and tour the home of Benito Juárez. Tours in English are free; ask for one at the information desk across the street. It’s strongly recommended to get there early in the day, and you’ll likely be given a reserved time to return later that afternoon.

Daily 09:00-17:00 · Free admission with photo ID (national driver's license is acceptable)

Catedral Metropolitana de México

Metropolitan Cathedral

The largest cathedral in the American continent. Designed by Claudio de Arcinieaga, construction started in 1537 and lasted for 250 years. Be sure to check out the side chapels where parishioners leave offerings for the various saints. For a bird's-eye view of the plaza, you can take a 40-minute tour (Spanish language only) of the upper levels and bell towers of the cathedral (M$12).

Daily 07:00-19:00 · Free · Limited wheelchair access

Palacio de Iturbide

Palacio de Cultura Banamex / Palace of Iturbide

One of the oldest buildings in town, built in the late 16th century, it was first home to the local nobility and later the residence of Mexican Emperor Agustin de Iturbide. The building is owned today by the Cultural Trust of Banco Nacional de Mexico, the Mexican branch of Citibank.

Daily 10:00-19:00 · Free · Wi-Fi

Zoologico de Chapultepec

Chapultepec Zoo

Large, modern zoo in the same style as major ones in the U.S., famous for its pandas. Very crowded on weekends. Highlights for foreign visitors are the Anfibium axolotl center showcasing the unique endangered salamanders native to Mexico City, and the tropical forests section which is relatively uncrowded and has a large proportion of animals native to Mexico and Central America, like jaguars, spider monkeys, and tapirs. Backpacks are allowed inside, but not food or drinks (a bottle of water may or may not be allowed). It is customary to stop first at the vendors outside the entrance to buy a toy spider monkey ("changuito") to wear on your head during your visit.

Tue-Sun 09:00-16:30, closed 25 Dec and 1 Jan · Free except for the butterfly or reptile houses · Free entry

Palacio Postal

Palacio de Correos / Correos Mayor

One of the most beautiful buildings in the country and considered a National Heritage Building. Built in 1906, this European style building houses the main post office. Most of the materials used to build it were brought from Italy.

Mon-Fri 08:00-21:00, Sat 08:00-18:00 · Free

Biblioteca Vasconcelos

Megabiblioteca

Next to Buenavista train station, it is the largest library in Mexico and functions as a central library for other libraries in the country. It is housed in an impressive modern building designed by architects Alberto Kalach and Juan Palomar. It is a must for visitors with an interest in architecture, not only for its stunning exterior design, but for its famous "floating stacks" that create the illusion of book shelves hanging from the ceiling. The library also houses a large contemporary art collection. The ground floor houses free temporary exhibits and the grounds include a botanical garden with native plants.

Daily 08:30-19:30 · Free

Museo de San Ildefonso

Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso / San Ildefonso College

Managed by the National University, this museum features some stunning murals and hosts great permanent and temporary art exhibits.

Tue 10:00-20:00, Wed-Sun 10:00-18:00 · M$50 (adults), M$25 (students/teachers), free (children under 12); free admission on Tu

Museo Nacional de las Culturas

National Museum of Cultures

Housed in the former Mint building built in 1734. The museum is dedicated to anthropology of the world.

Tue-Sat 10:00-17:00 · Free

Casa de la Primera Imprenta de América

House of the First Print Shop in the Americas

This building, which dates from 1524, housed the first printing press in the New World, which operated from 1539 until 1560. After this time the building was used for a number of purposes until it was restored by the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM) in 1989; it now houses a museum displaying some of the first books printed in Mexico.

Mon-Fri 10:00-17:00, Sat 10:00-15:00 · Free

Museo Nacional de la Estampa

MUNAE / Museum of Graphic Arts

Features a collection of old engravings and other graphic arts.

Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00 · M$45 (adults), free (students/teachers/INAPAM members); free admission on Sundays

Monumento a los Niños Héroes

Monument to the Heroic Cadets

This impressive white marble monument stands at the entrance to Chapultepec Park in front of the Castillo. It honors six youths who gave their lives defending the stronghold from US troops in 1847. In the most dramatic telling of the legend, a cadet jumped to his death wrapped in the Mexican flag rather than surrendering to the American troops.

Free

Zona Arquelógica Tlatelolco

Tlatelolco Archaeological Site

The temple, like Tenochtitlan's Templo Mayor, was built in several layers and is now the site of continuing archaeological exploration; it occupies the largest amount of area, on the north and west side of the plaza. If you're not around for the tour, you can guide yourself along the path (complete with English plaques) that takes you through the ruins, which deposits you in front of the Church of Santiago, on the east side of the plaza.

Daily English language tours at 13:00 · Free

Museo del Estanquillo

Museum of the Little Shop

One of the newest museums in the city, this contains the personal collection of paintings, photography, and books of the Mexican journalist and writer Carlos Monsivais.

Wed-Mon 10:00-18:00 · Free entry

Centro Cultural de España en México

CCEMx / Cultural Center of Spain in Mexico

This is the official cultural center from the Spanish Embassy and features temporary exhibits.

Tue-Fri 11:00-21:00, Sat 10:00-21:00, Sun 10:00-16:00 · Free · Limited wheelchair access

Museo Júmex

This privately-owned modern art museum houses an extensive collection of work by Mexican and international artists, including Orozco and Amorales, and hosts special exhibits. Cafe and restaurant. The museum has ramps and elevators for access for people with limited mobility, and have wheelchairs available for loan free at reception.

Tue-f 10:00-17:00, Sat 10:00-19:00, Sun 10:00-17:00 · Free · Free entry

Parque Aztlan

Modern urban theme park opened in 2024. Thrill rides like roller coaster, swing, giant Ferris wheel and more. Requires a rechargeable card to pay for rides, which cost up to M$120 per ride. Restrooms cost M$5 to use (also paid via rechargeable card). Variety of concessions.

Tue-Fri 12:00 - 20:00, Sat-Sun 12:00 - 22:00, closed Mon · Free, fees for each ride vary · Free entry · Wheelchair accessible

Museo Soumaya

A private museum and collection owned by Carlos Slim, one of the wealthiest man in the world, according to Forbes magazine. The collection includes art from many well-known European artists, including an extensive selection of works by Auguste Rodin, and the building was designed by Slim's son-in-law, architect Fernando Romero.

Daily 10:30-18:30 · Free · Free entry · Wi-Fi · Wheelchair accessible

Centro de la Imagen

This is one of Mexico City's premier exhibition spaces for photography, with rotating exhibits of work by Mexican and international photographers. The center also has a small bookstore.

Mon-Fri 10:00-18:00 · Free

Museo de Historia Natural y Cultura Ambiental

Museum of Natural History

Exhibits a history of evolution, with dinosaurs, whales, viruses, bugs, plants, human organs and more. If it's natural, it's here.

Tue-Sun 10:00-17:00 · M$23 adults; M$11 teachers, students, children 3-12; free for seniors, disabled, children under 3; free admission on Tuesday

Palacio de Bellas Artes

Palace of Fine Arts

Designed by Italian architect Adamo Boari. Construction started in 1905, however due to the Revolution War, it was not completed until 1934. The building is so heavy that it has sunk 4½m into the former lakebed. It is considered to be one of the best examples of Mexican Art Deco architecture; architectural and interior features include its copper cupolas and a Tiffany stained-glass stage curtain designed by Mexican painter Gerardo Murillo (commonly known as Dr. Atl).

Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00; last admission ½ hr before closing · Free (lobby), M$60 for mezzanine with murals and galleries; $M30 photography permit; free admission on Sundays

Sala de Arte Publico Siqueiros

David Alfaro Siquerios Museum

This museum showcases the works of famed Mexican muralist David Alfaro Siquerios.

Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00 · M$12 adults; free for students, teachers, seniors, children under 12; free admission on Sundays

OMR

Six to eight different exhibitions rotate throughout the year in this converted house in the heart of the Roma district, focusing on contemporary art by emerging Mexican artists.

Tue-Fri 10:00 - 18:00, Sat 11:00 - 16:00 · Free admission

Museo Vivo del Muralismo

formerly Secretaría de Educación Pública/Ministry of Public Education

This museum is housed in a former convent from 1729 that later became headquarters for the Education Secretariat. In 1923, the department commissioned the up-and-coming Diego Rivera to decorate the building with 124 mural panels, extending over two city blocks and filling three levels. There are elaborate panels of traditional Mexican life on the ground floor, state seals on the second floor, and themes of revolution and class inequality on the third level. There is also a David Alfaro Siqueiros mural in the main stairwell. In 2024, the building became a museum dedicated to Mexican murals, with additional exhibits. Photography permitted, no flash.

Wed-Mon 10:00-18:00, closed Tue · Free

Memorial del 68

In UNAM's University Cultural Center Tlatelolco (CCUT) at the Plaza de las Tres Culturas (see Landmarks, above), Memorial 68 is a well-put together museum chronicling the events surrounding the police massacre of student protesters at Tlatelolco in 1968, around the time of the Summer Olympics, which were hosted in Mexico City that year. It's definitely worth a look, but all explanatory text and video interviews are in Spanish only, so brush up your vocabulary or bring a translator.

Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00 · M$30 (adults), M$15 (students), free (children under 6); free admission on Su

Museo del Metro

Metro Museum

Attractive, fun, fascinating museum about the history and technology of the city's Metro system with exhibits chronicling how the subway has molded Chilango culture and identity.

Tue-Fri 10:00 - 18:00, Sat-Sun 11:00 - 14:00, closed Mon · Free with your Metro ticket

Stock Exchange Museum

Museo de la Bolsa Mexicana de Valores

Mexico's stock exchange, like its peers in other countries, is mostly electronic today, so the trading floor is mostly quiet and sparsely populated, but visiting Mexico's home of the Bolsa is a must for anyone interested in the wheeling and dealing of big business. The view inside is remarkable with walls of screens flashing stock prices and trading activity while looking straight up gives you a spectacular vista of the inside of the exchange's iconic glass dome. The museum has a number of exhibits describing the stock exchange's history and changes over time.

Mon-Fri 10:00 - 17:00, Sun 10:00 - 15:00, closed Sat · Free

Museo de la Medicina Mexicana

Antiguo Palacio de la Inquisición / Palace of the Inquisition

This museum managed by the Medicine Faculty of the National University shows the history of health care in Mexico. Features a great replica of an old pharmacy and reconstructed labs of influential medical researchers. Signage is in Spanish only. It is housed in the Inquisition Palace, built between 1732 and 1737, which was the head office of the Holy Inquisition, the religious authority famous for torturing heretic people.

Daily 09:00-18:00 · Free

ANFIBIUM: Museo del Axolote y Centro de Conservación de Anfibios

Museum of the Axolotl and Amphibian Conservation Center

Located inside the zoo, but an attraction of its own, this popular facility exhibits the axolotl, Mexico City's unusual native salamander species, which reproduces without ever reaching adulthood and can re-grow almost any part of its body, but is now almost extinct in the wild. On the first floor you can see the axolotls and several related species in naturalistic enclosures, and on the second floor you can see the tanks where they're breeding them to keep the species alive. The building has a limited capacity, and on crowded days (weekends) you'll have to line up to enter.

Tue-Sun 10:00-15:30, closed Mondays · Free · Free entry

Biblioteca Miguel Lerdo de Tejada

Library of Miguel Lerdo de Tejada

This Baroque building was built as a church, but in the 1960s was repurposed to house a library. For visitors the primary interest is a series of enormous murals painted by the Russian emigré painter Vladimir Kibalchich Russakov (known in Mexico simply as Vlady). The murals in the main room are titled La Revolución y los Elementos (or 'Revolution and the Elements'). They required eight years to complete and are considered to be among the artist's most well-known works.

Mon-Fri 09:00-17:30 · Free

Biblioteca de México José Vasconcelos

Located in a former tobacco factory, it is one of the largest libraries in the city. It contains several beautiful courtyards and smaller libraries decorated according to the character of different Mexican authors who donated their book collections to the library.

Daily 08:30-19:30 · Free