Dr Charlotte Russell, Clinical Psychologist & Founder
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Central Mexico is an absolute gem if you love food and culture. I took this trip for my 40th birthday and so it had to be special and memorable.. It did not disappoint!
This trip is perfect if:
- You are interested in food and culture
- You want an exciting adventure in two vibrant cities
- You want an authentic experience of Mexico but without forgoing comfort or safety
- You are a confident traveller and are happy to explore independently
- You speak a little Spanish
Day 1 – Mexico City
Your first day is about getting to know the City of Mexico.
The Museo de Anthropologie is really one of the biggest and best museums that I’ve ever visited. It really provides a great overview of Mesoamérican culture and the rich history of this area. You really have to visit to understand how rich and complex the history and culture is, and to appreciate thousands of examples of artefacts spanning thousands of years.
The museum has a specific exhibition covering the history of Oaxaca. It’s nice to see this as it provides a preview of what is to come later on your trip!
You can easily spend a few hours here and the café onsite is great, so you can fit in a nice pit stop on your visit.
After the museum take a walk over to Chapultepec Castle. The walk takes around half an hour and is through a park so I’d definitely recommend this over taking a taxi or uber. There are lots of food stalls along the way if you didn’t eat at the museum.
The Castle is a pretty building and has great views over Mexico City. You can spend around an hour here.
One thing to be aware of is that food and drink aren’t permitted in the castle, including water. Make sure you eat and have a drink before you arrive.
From the castle we walked to the La Condesa district where we were staying (see the section at the end for details on where to stay). After a quick rest we headed for a stroll around Parque Mexico and then back to the hotel for ‘happy hour’ before dinner.
There are plenty of great food options around the Condesa district including high end restaurants such as Azul and La Capital.
Day 2 – Mexico City
This morning visit the Frida Kahlo museum in the Coyoacán district. Known as Casa Azul (the blue house) the museum is located in the house of Frida and her husband, Diego Rivera.
The museum is absolutely fascinating and gives an insight into Frida’s life and work. Prior to your trip, I’d highly recommend watching the BBC series Becoming Frida Kahlo – this is a beautiful documentary and played a big part in inspiring my trip.
It is necessary to book your tickets for Casa Azul as they do sell out in advance. I booked around a month before our trip. The entry times are strictly followed so ensure to stick to your allocated time.
There is a café on site and it’s a really peaceful spot.
After our visit we took a walk to the park and then to the centre of Coyoacán. There is a colourful market here and a pretty square.
In the evening we went to this craft beer bar which I would highly recommend for drinks, food and music.
Day 3- Travel to Oaxaca
Time to head to Oaxaca!
We took the ADO primero bus from Mexico TAPO station. I’d read some blog posts that had recommended the Platino bus, which is the most luxurious. However this was not available when I booked (around a month in advance). We found the Primero class to be fine, with comfortable seats and a clean toilet. I didn’t feel unsafe at any point.
The journey is around 7 hours so make sure you take food, drinks and plenty to keep you entertained. We sat on the right (the opposite side to the driver) and got the best views this side so consider this when booking your seats.
If you take an early bus you will have time to explore Oaxaca a little and have dinner in the evening.
Day 4 – Oaxaca City
You’ve woken up in Oaxaca so this is going to be one of the best days!
After breakfast head straight for the Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca . This is big and absolutely fascinating. My favourite exhibition was about a female potter called Delores Porras – her work is gorgeous and so intricate.
The other mind-blowing exhibition is about Tomb 7, found when excavating Monte Albán. The riches found in Tomb 7 are quite spectacular and really tell a story.
After the museum, take some time to time to explore Oaxaca and take some photographs.
For dinner, I’d highly recommend Casa Oaxaca which was featured on Eva Longoria’s programme ‘Searching for Mexico’. It was genuinely one of the nicest meals I’ve ever had. Their fish tacos for starters were to die for! I had the fish of the day for main and Mr Travel Psychologist had a steak – both were excellent.
Day 5 – Oaxaca City & Monte Alban
Get up early for a morning trip to Monte Alban – we did this tour. It was inexpensive and efficient and we were super impressed by how knowledgeable our guide was. I loved how he gave a credible account of what archaeologists know and what they theorise in relation to Monte Alban.
The entire site is both fascinating and breath-taking. However as a psychologist I was most blown away by some evidence in the museum section regarding early cranial surgery: the skulls have been examined and suggest that procedures were carried out whilst patients were still alive, possibly for epilepsy or other neurological conditions. This suggests the Zapotecs had a very advanced knowledge of medicine, which is backed up by other evidence you will see on the tour.
We spent 4 hours on the tour and were back in central Oaxaca by lunchtime.
After the trip we had drinks and a light lunch at Expendio Tradicion, a brilliant mezcal bar. They also serve local craft beers. We liked it here as the setting is really beautiful and the service was great. Our waiter seemed to really take pride in the food and drinks and seemed to care that we enjoyed the local Oaxacan produce. We tried the local chapulines (grasshopppers) on our guacamole and they gave us a little pot so we could control the quantity!
We spent this afternoon exploring and taking photographs.
For dinner I would highly recommend La Quince Letras. This place felt very authentic and we loved eating on their roof terrace.
If we’d had more time in Oaxaca we would have done another trip to Hieve Al agua and a Mezcal distillery.
Day 6 – Travel back to Mexico City
We had a leisurely breakfast in our hotel, then began the long journey back to Mexico City.
We took the 11am bus but didn’t arrive back in Mexico City until around 8pm. Then it took a while to queue for a taxi to our hotel. If I were doing the trip again I’d take the earlier bus.
When you arrive at Mexico TAPO bus station, look out for the ‘Taxi Seguro’ stand. This allows you to pay for your journey in advance and avoid the fear of being overcharged that sadly comes with taking taxis on any big city.
Day 7 – Mexico City
The final day in Mexico City before your flight home.
Today head into the Historic Centro district. First head to the Museo de Templar Meyor. This is another epic museum covering mainly the Aztec culture. First you will explore the ruins that still remain in the city before moving on to the indoor museum section. The exhibits here were different to the anthropology museum, but just as fascinating.
After the museum spend some time exploring the Centro district. It is as busy, colourful and overwhelming as you might expect it to be.
We headed in the direction of the House of Tiles, and had lunch in the restaurant. The restaurant itself, Sanborns, is famous and is quite unique. I thought the food here was just ok. If I visited again I’d probably just go for a coffee here instead.
After lunch take a stroll around the Alameda Central park and then on to the Diego Rivera Mural Museum. This is a very small museum but includes one of his most interesting murals. I thought it was definitely worth a visit to see his amazing work and the level of detail. However you don’t need to spend a lot of time here.
After this it was time to collect our bags and head to the airport. Make sure you allow plenty of time to get there as the traffic in Mexico City is notorious.
Where to stay
I spent a lot of time researching hotels for my trip. I was so pleased with the choices and can’t recommend them enough!
In Mexico City we stayed at The Red Tree House in the Condesa district. This boutique hotel manages to be both absolutely gorgeous and pays homage to traditional Mexican decor. It was truly a beautiful place to stay and the staff were very friendly and helpful. The hotel holds a happy hour each evening and encourages guests to mingle, which is a nice touch. Breakfast was exceptional and included a home cooked Mexican dish each morning as well as continental options.
I’d recommend the Condesa district as it felt very safe and has lots of options for bars and restaurants.
In Oaxaca, we stayed at NaNaVida Boutique Hotel. Again it lived up to my very high expectations and was a beautiful place to stay. Rooms were comfortable, staff were helpful and the breakfast was delicious. It was also a very short walk to the sights and many wonderful bars and restaurants.
For the final night in Mexico City we stayed at the Stanza Hotel in the Roma Norte district. This was a cheaper option but totally adequate. Our room was big, clean and we had a good night’s sleep. We had breakfast at the hotel but actually I wouldn’t recommend it. There are better options nearby including Cuina which is a gorgeous restaurant and bakery. We went here for coffee before heading to the airport and we wished we had got breakfast here instead of at the hotel.
Final thoughts
I hope you have found my tried and tested recommendations helpful. From a psychological perspective, this trip is perfect if you want a little bit of adventure and to recharge your curiosity. It is not a relaxing break, but is one that will hopefully energise and invigorate you. For me it certainly has! If like me, you travelling to celebrate a big birthday or special occasion, also check out my guide to milestone travel
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Please note our destination guides provide personal recommendations and not professional advice.
