14 places to see in
Mexico City’s
Historical Centre
Historical Centre:
Mexico City's historical centre is located in Downtown Mexico City.
This blog can be used to lead your own self-guided tour around the Historical centre of Mexico City. You can follow these sights in the below order to finish off at Torre Latinoamericana for sundowners with a view. Some spots you may just want to pass by and others are fascinating to explore - either way, this city is picture-perfect.
Museums are open Tues-Sun 11:00-17:00
NB! Closed on Mondays, FREE entry on Sundays.
Follow our route on Google Maps with two steps
1. Monument a La Revolucíon
Monument a la Revolucion is a good spot to start your walking tour. This monument is to commemorate the Mexican revolution and contains tombs of revolutionary heroes. It is possible to take a little lift up the monument to see the view but we decided to save the money.
14 places to see in Mexico City’s Historical Centre
2. Fuente del Bucareli & Fontan Reforma street art
This fountain is in the middle of a large and busy intersection between the Monument a la Revolucion and Torre Latinoamericana. There is a large and vibrant mural on the wall of Fontan Reforma hotel, making this intersection a sight for sore eyes. We did not enter the Fontan Reforma hotel, but I read that they have great city views, music and food. It may not be the cheapest spot for a drink.
3. Iglesia de San Hipólito
Iglesia de San Hipolito is situated right next to a busy road where we bypassed many cyclists and pedestrians piling into big red city busses. The intricate carvings and red brick design on the outer building of the church are picturesque, and the inside looked beautiful with a service taking place. There was a marketplace situated right in front of the church under the trees creating much buzz outside of the church.
4. Alameda Central
Alameda Central is Mexico City's oldest municipal park, and is a wonderful place to have a picnic or a mid-walk chill if you have time to spare. As you walk along the different walkways you can get a great view of Torre Latinoamericana.
There are many different fountains and monuments to see as you walk around the park:
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Mujer con Cántaro
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Hemiciclo a Juarez
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Beethoven Monument
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Fuente de La Virgen
5. Palacio de Bellas Artes
Palacio de Bellas Artes is a large art museum next to Almeda Central. It contains historical artefacts from Mexico as well as huge artworks along its main corridors. You can explore two floors and from Monday-Saturday it costs $80 pesos to enter. This magnificent building lights up in the evening.
6. Museo Nacional De Arte MUNAL
I would highly recommend taking a walk through the Museo Nacional de Arte MUNAL. I found this building to be spectacular. The architecture was gorgeous from the large windows and rolling staircases, down to the smallest details in every railing, ceiling and the walls. The art is beautiful and the first floor is full of sculptures; large and small.
7. The house of tiles
This building, which has now become a restaurant, is just a beautiful sight to see while wandering around the city. It is on route, is gorgeous to admire, and makes for a gorgeous picture opportunity.
8.Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral
The Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church in, what is considered to be, the heart of Mexico City. You can enter the Cathedral on Calle Monte de Piedad street and work your way through to exit into Zocalo Square. We were touring on a Sunday and so we entered the church while a service was taking place. The cathedral was full of people; locals and tourists, some attending church and others admiring the cathedral.
9. Plaza Manuel Gamio
We exited the Cathedral into the Manuel Gamio plaza where there was a lot of action. We experienced Mayan traditional dancers dancing and performing rituals with incense in the square.
10.Templo Mayor de Mexico
Templo Mayor de Mexico is a ruin that was found during an excavation in the late 19th to early 20th century. This temple, which was destroyed by the Spanish, had once been the main temple in the capital city of Tenochtitlan. Centuries later this building's ruins were discovered and are now surrounded by a museum housing the many different archaeological findings.
11. Plaza de La Constitution or El Zocalo
Plaza de la Constitution is the main square in Mexico City. This square is surrounded by the incredible architecture of the Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral, the National Palace, and other government buildings. It is, along with the Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral, considered to be in the heart of Mexico City. Many Mexicans enjoy coming to this square to get out and spend the day in the city, and in the centre of the square a big Mexican flag is often flown.
12. National Palace
The National Palace holds the offices of the president of Mexico. We could not go inside as we arrived too late and it was closed (get here before 5), but if you walk inside/underground, you are able to see a large panoramic mural of the "History of Mexico" by Diego Riviera.
13. Av Francisco I. Madero
Av Francisco I. Madero is the road leading from the Zocalo to the Torre LatinoAmericana. It is a very busy road with plenty of shops and the odd snacky spot on the way (we stopped for churros). Walk down this street to enjoy the buzz. It is great to experience in the daytime or at night.
14. Torre Latinoamericana
This is a great viewpoint to go up to around sunset to see the view in daylight, and lit up in the evening. A good spot to look at the view from is Miraldo restaurant. To get to the top of the tower, you will pay an entry fee, however, if you sit at the restaurant or bar you are not required to pay entrance and can rather spend that money on a drink.
