11 Best Things To Do In Mexico City

The Mexican capital is a seething, throbbing metropolis of colour and incredible contrasts. Explore this thriving district of serious coffee and cool street art.

A walking tour of Coyoacan

an illustration of the map of Mexico City — A reimagined map of Coyoacán, Mexico. (Map: Mike Rossi)

1. Fuel up on a cold brew

Cafe Avellaneda is a pocket-sized cafe offering specialty brews made from freshly roasted beans grown in the Mexican states of Chiapas, Oaxaca and Veracruz. The rustic caff is known for its cold brews, cookies and cakes.

2. Explore Bazar Artesanal Mexicano

This contemporary market has been in operation for more than a century and remains one of the best places in the city to shop. It sells everything from colourful ceramics and calaveras (skulls) to vinyl and vintage denim.

a green bench beside potted plants on red wall background — Coyoacan’s colourful heritage emanates everywhere.

3. See the street art

Carve off from the centre of Coyoacán to see some of the quirkiest examples of street art in Mexico. The streets that branch out from the Jardín Centenario are your best bet for spotting new works by the Axolotl Collective.

a wall painting of a girl with echeveria laui succulent on a colourful background — Beautiful wall art featuring Echeveria laui, a native succulent. (Image: Axolotl Collective)

4. Marvel at four of the best museums

Known as the cultural capital of the Americas, Mexico City has a colourful history and heritage that is reflected in its galleries and museums. Here are four of the best.

Museo Frida Kahlo

You only need to stroll around the Colonia del Carmen neighbourhood of Coyoacán to get a glimpse of the vibrant culture that so inspired bohemian artist Frida Kahlo. La Casa Azul was the house Frida grew up in and later lived in with her artist husband Diego Rivera and it’s filled with a large collection of her art, mementos and photographs.

Museo Anahuacalli

This studio and museum is a modern-day temple where dance, music, theatre and art collide. The City of the Arts was conceptualised by Mexican muralist Diego Rivera and designed by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright and is a must-visit in Mexico Ciudad.

Museo Nacional de Antropología

This national museum contains the world’s largest collection of ancient Mexican art, including the monumental stone sculpture Sun Stone, a highlight of the Aztec gallery. Don’t miss the murals in the Teotihuacán exhibit and the tombs in the Oaxaca room.

view of the building of the Museo Nacional de Antropologia (National Museum of Anthropology) — Museo Nacional de Antropologia showcases Latin America’s archaeological heritage.

Museo Nacional de Culturas Populares

This museum is tucked away in an Art Deco building in a treelined street. It’s known for its interactive exhibits that showcase the rich cultures that are woven into the fabric of the city.

5. Lunch at El Rey del Taco

It’s standing-room-only at El Rey del Taco, which has been going strong for some 60 years. El Rey del Taco stands for ‘the king of the taco’. It’s not flashy. But the tacos al pastor are perfection: stuffed with pork and guacamole and drowning in a punchy salsa.

6. Wander around the Experimental Ceramics Workshop

This hard-to-find ceramics workshop is worth tracking down for its stunning collection of plates, saucers, cups and decorative objects. The shop sells artfully flawed pieces, too.

7. Get in the Zocalo zone

Want to plug into the zeitgeist in Mexico City? Visit the Zocalo, where you will likely find a raucous riot of placard-waving protestors, buskers, vendors and tourists. Enjoy the passing parade from El Mayor, hidden away above a bookstore overlooking the city centre.

view of the Zócalo main square with flag in Mexico — The Zócalo used to be the main ceremonial center in the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan.

8. Drop by the Utalitario Mexicano

This Mexican brand is dedicated to preserving objects and utensils that celebrate Mexico’s rich cultural heritage. While some of the carefully curated catalogue of items have been rescued, others have been repurposed.

a handful of colourful catalogues — Check out these educational catalogues.

The collection includes more than 1500 singular objects, all chosen with purpose, with the common theme being usefulness.

a stack of colourful Mayan blankets — Mayan blankets come in various patterns.

From serving spoons to baskets and bottles, mills and mortars, street curators Libia Moreno and Enrique Arellano take their cues from industrial and artisan, form and function.

a colourful basket on white background — You’ll surely love this colourful basket.

9. Wrestle with the idea of Luche Libre

Stay in the heart of the city and your alarm will be one of the honking horns and sirens, loud and lilting conversations and mariachi. Its population of more than 21.8 million makes this megalopolis the sixth-largest metropolitan area in the world, bursting at the seams in a kaleidoscopic blur of colour, orchestrated chaos and amazing contrasts.

The acrobatic fighting style known as luche libre (freestyle wrestling) is rivalling soccer for popularity in Mexico. The kitsch sport was launched into the stratosphere when Jack Black starred as Ignacio, a Catholic friar who moonlights as a luchador in Nacho Libre in 2006.

a pile of masks for Lucha Libre in Mexico — Mayans and Aztec warriors wear masks to indicate superiority back in the day.

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10. Experience the joy of Juarez

Follow your nose around Mexico City’s hip hood, Juarez, on a gastronomic tour with Devoured led by local food blogger Anais Martinez. Otherwise known as The Curious Mexican, Anais will steer you to all the best street food and swanky sidewalk bars all around the area’s gay-friendly Zona Rosa known for its French colonial mansions and cool concept shops.

a mexican food mix with sauces nopal and tamale agave guacamole — Feast your eyes and appetite on Mexican food.

11. Try some street food

The Mexican capital is the sixth-largest metropolitan area in the world so it helps to be in the know when seeking out street food. Following are four sensational staples.

Chile rellenos

Go for the full works at Los Parados and play a round of chilli roulette with the salsas you add to your chilli rellenos after roaming the streets of Roma-Condesa. Los Parados means ‘no chairs’ so lean into this rustic assembly-line experience.

Elote

Not a day goes by in Mexico City when you don’t hear the word, ‘elote, elote’ (corn, corn) being chanted by roaming street food vendors. Enjoy these charred ears of grilled corn served basted with butter, slathered with mayonnaise and a dusting of chilli.

a roasted corn cob in a market stall in Mexico — Buy some grilled corn on the way.

Carnitas Michoacanas Don One

It’s worth heading to the Mercado Abelardo L. Rodriguez simply to see the giant murals created by students of Diego Rivera. Head to the east end of the market to find the Los Parados Tux serving succulent carnitas stuffed with braised pork shoulder.

Pescado ceviche

On weekends, you’ll find grandmothers kissing babies, couples holding hands, and families dressed up in their Sunday best listening to live music in Chapultepec Park. Head to El Caguamo at El Mercado de la Viga for a litre of beer and pescado ceviche.

Wellbeing means different things to different travellers. Here’s how to pick a hotel that gets it right for you.

The best wellness holidays aren’t necessarily spent wrapped in a spa robe. Sometimes they’re found around a dinner table in Cambodia, on a hiking trail in New Zealand or after finally beating jet lag on the other side of the world. The hotel you choose is what makes them happen.

1. Easy access to good food

meals from Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20 — Taste delicious meals at Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20.

One of the quickest ways to derail healthy habits on holiday is to spend half of it working out where to eat instead of digging into the culture around you. Thankfully, Novotel has done much of the hard work already, with chefs building menus that lean into the flavours, ingredients and traditions of each destination.

In Sihanoukville, Cambodia, Korkor soup – often dubbed ‘Cambodian ratatouille’ – sits alongside raw blue crab dressed with lime and chilli, best enjoyed with views across the Gulf of Thailand.

In the lovingly chaotic city of Bangkok, the presence of food cranks up the sociability. At Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20, you can settle in with mango sticky rice and stranger-turned-friends beside the pool at Sky on 20 rooftop bar, or bring them along to tackle river prawns and stir-fried crab with holy basil at the buzzing Crab Paradise Dinner Buffet.

Then Novotel Dubai Al Barsha welcomes you with a laidback twist on the level of indulgence the Middle Eastern city is best known for up on Deck Se7en. Looking towards Burj Al Arab, the rooftop lounge has everything from Mediterranean-style dishes like seabass ceviche to Italian prosecco sundowners.

At the other end of the scale, in the hills that surround the Novotel Bali Ubud Resort, calm comes from nature. At Siralada restaurant, Balinese traditions shape the menu while thunder rumbles over the surrounding jungle – proving the setting is as nourishing as the food itself.

While at Novotel Nha Trang, chef Kieu Thi My Hanh and her team showcase Vietnam’s knack for balancing freshness, texture and fragrant herbs. Pho remains a favourite, while seafood salad with pomelo and mango brings those flavours together in one bright dish.

It’s all an approach backed by partnerships with expert food creators such as Alfie Steiner, whose plant-forward recipes prove healthy food should never taste plain.

2. Better sleep options

Novotel Bali Ubud Resort room — Sleep deeply with Novotel.

There are few travel experiences more disappointing than arriving in a new country, determined to seize the day, only to fall asleep fully clothed by 3pm.

For Australian travellers, jet lag is often an unavoidable part of the journey. That’s one reason Novotel runs sleep-focused initiatives that help guests adjust quickly without compromising on health. We’re talking partnerships with Sydney-based sleep specialist Olivia Arezzolo, known for her advice on everything from better sleep habits to beating jet lag, alongside features like pillow menus, in-room yoga content and tailored sleep guidance.

The sooner you’re operating on local time, the sooner you can get back to more pressing matters – like deciding which spa treatment to book.

3. More ways to move

woman hiking around queenstown new zealand — Stay at Novotel Queenstown Lakeside and explore local hiking trails. (Credit: GettyI mages/ naruedom)

Every place in the world has its own way of getting you moving: whether that’s hiking up ice-bitten mountains before a sauna or gentle stretching by the pool before a facial. From fitness centres to spas, Novotel recognises that wellbeing rarely looks the same.

At Novotel Queenstown Lakeside, activity is inescapable. Here, hiking trails, ski fields, bungee jumps, and white-water rafting have made the region famous. The hotel’s location on the shores of Lake Wakatipu means less time spent organising yourself and more time out there experiencing them. To top it all off, you can book a private hot tub for the evening before heading back into the wilderness tomorrow.

Bali, of course, takes a softer approach. At Novotel Bali Ubud Resort or Novotel Bali Nusa Dua, movement is less about conquering a mountain and more about a dance class between the tropical gardens and lagoon pools. Afterwards, the spa takes over, with traditional treatments like a Lulur body scrub: a combination of rice, turmeric, sandalwood, ginger and jasmine that’ll soothe muscles already relaxed by the Balinese heat.

4. Better connections

Kids will love a stay at Novotel Sharm El Sheikh.

One of the best things about travel is that it gives your family stories you’ll be telling for years. Novotel helps create them with activities that bring everyone together, whether that’s trying something new, learning a local skill, or simply spending more time together.

Go for a distinctly Thai twist at Novotel Phuket Vintage Park, where many of the family activities draw on local culture. Kids can try everything from beginner Thai boxing and language lessons to umbrella painting and – a pastime beloved by children the world over – pool foam parties. Everyone is welcome to join in, whether that’s getting splashed, covered in paint, or simply watching their children discover a new side of Thailand during the dedicated Family & Kids Day.

A different adventure awaits at Novotel Sharm El Sheikh. Kids could be perfectly content with discos, drawing classes and new holiday friends, but the Red Sea has other ideas. Sitting on the edge of Naama Bay, days here might involve snorkelling colourful reefs, taking a boat trip to Ras Mohammed National Park or heading into the desert by quad bike or camel for a Bedouin-style dinner beneath the stars.

5. Location is everything

Surin Beach, Choeng Thale, Thalang District, Phuket, Thaiföld — Explore Phuket’s gorgeous beaches. (Credit: Bence Biczo)

Everyone’s idea of wellness looks a little different. With more than 600 hotels across 65 countries, Novotel gives guests the freedom to choose the destination that suits them best. Whether that’s a beachside escape in Phuket, an alpine expedition in Queenstown or a city break in Bangkok, there’s a good chance a Novotel isn’t far away.

All that’s left? Choosing your version of wellbeing.

Discover stays to inspire your everyday at novotel.accor.com.