Nusha & Carlos
Sightseeing
Palacio de Bellas Artes
Av. Juárez, Centro Histórico
The painting in our save the date, Beaux Arts palace is the crown jewel of the Centro Histórico with impressive marble interiors and massive murals by practically every major national muralist from Diego Rivera, to David Alfaro Siqueiros, to Rufino Tamayo. There's usually a worthwhile visiting art exhibition here, though the real highlight is catching a performance in the theater, which boasts a glass Tiffany curtain designed by the famed landscape artist Dr. Atl.
Palacio Nacional
Plaza de la Constitución, Centro Historico
Built on the site of the last Aztec emperor's home, this enormous Palace was once the home of Hernan Cortes, the Spanish conquistador, and has been the seat of Mexican government since gaining independence from Spain. While there are tours of the palace's architecture and a few galleries dedicated to the 19th-century president Benito Juarez, the real highlight is Diego Rivera's massive mural representing the entire history of the Mexican people.
Museo Soumaya
Plaza Carso, Blvd. Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra 303
This museum holds the collections of Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim and is named after his wife, Soumaya. Spread across two buildings, the collection includes important works by ancient masters, the Impressionists, and the largest collection of Rodin's sculpture outside of France, just to name a few of its greatest hits.
Museo Tamayo
Paseo de la Reforma 51, Bosque de Chapultepec
Nestled in Chapultepec park, this museum has some of the greatest contemporary art.
Museo Frida Kahlo
Londres 247, Coyoacán
Frida may be Mexico's most famous icon, making her home, the Casa Azul, a must-see destination. Tucked away in pretty, colonial, Coyoacan is the house where she grew up and eventually came to rest.
Museo de Antropología
Paseo de la Reforma & Calzada Gandhi, Bosque de Chapultepec
For anyone who's even remotely interested in pre-Hispanic culture, this museum is a must. It houses many of the most important findings from archaeological digs across the country, from the original Aztec calendar which was unearthed in Mexico City, to enormous monolithic stone Olmec heads from Veracruz, to all the treasures found in the Mayan tomb of Pakal in Palenque.
Ballet Folklórico de México
+52.55.5529.9330
This is probably Mexico's most accomplished dance company and academy, which performs classic, regional dances from all over the country both in Mexico city and abroad. The performances are super colorful, if a little kitschy, visual feasts that are great to take kids to: Part of the fun is checking out all the regional costumes from traditional indigenous outfits to Mariachi ensembles.
Xochimilco
Embarcadero Nuevo Nativitas, Avenida Mercado 133, Xochimilco
Granted, these colorful, gondola-like boat trips are of one of the classic tourist activities in Mexico, and you'll need to summon all your hardcore negotiating skills when hailing a trajinera, but spending the afternoon cruising the ancient canals in this area by boat is a lot of fun. Many local families head here for long, lazy afternoon cruises, accompanied by hired mariachi groups who serenade them via boat. Beers and snacks can be hailed on the canal too.
Castillo de Chapultepec
Bosque de Chapultepec
Mexico was, for a short time, under the rule of Maximilian I, a puppet emperor put in place by Napoleon III. The empire didn't last long, but his 18th-century castle on a hill overlooking Chapultepec Park remains. Today it's the National Museum of History.
Teotihuacan
Book a tour
Depending on traffic out of Mexico City, you can get to this mysterious Pre-Columbian pyramid complex in about an hour and a half. It's hot, it's visited by droves of tourists, and there is little to no respite from the sun, but it's worth the schlep to see some of the best preserved ruins in the country.