About Mexico City

Love it or loathe it, nothing lassos in both the good and bad of Mexico like its capital city. It's a seething, panting megalopolis that is by turns exhilarating and overpowering. One moment the city is all music, glamour and excitement; the next it's drabness, poverty, suffocating crowds and rancid smells. It contradicts itself at every turn with its colonial palaces and sprawling slums; deafening traffic and peaceful parks; huge wealth and miserable poverty; green parks and heavy, brown air. In spite of the negatives, Mexico City is a magnet for Mexicans and visitors alike. With nearly a quarter of the country's population, it's the head honcho of the country economically, politically and culturally.

The whole gamut of accommodation options is on offer, though the best of the cheap-and-cheerful lies in the areas west of the Zocalo, near the Alameda Central and near the Plaza de la Republica. Eateries are available for all tastes and wallet sizes, so whether it's a bacon cheeseburger, plate of chow mein or a fish taco you're after, you're sure to find it somewhere in the cosmopolitan maze. As for entertainment, you can disco one night, and mariachi with mescal the next; take in a film, or watch a symphony orchestra at work. This city has a rapid, and unpredictable, heartbeat - you won't be bored for a minute.

Destination Facts

Population: 20 million

Country: Mexico

Time: Central Time (GMT/UTC minus 6 hours)

Telephone Area Code: none

Orientation

Mexico City's 350 colonias (neighborhoods) sprawl across the ancient bed of Lago de Texcoco and beyond. The vast urban expanse is daunting at first, but the main areas of interest to visitors are pretty comprehendible. The historic heart of the city, El Zocalo, and its surrounding neighborhoods are known as the Centro Histórico (Historic Center) and are full of notable old buildings and interesting museums. Avenida Madero and Avenida Cinco de Mayo link the Zócalo with the Alameda Central park. West of the Alameda, across Paseo de la Reforma, is the Plaza de la Republica, a fairly quiet, mostly residential area with budget and mid-range hotels. Mexico City's grandest boulevard is Paseo de la Reforma, running across the city's heart, connecting the Alameda to the Zona Rosa and the Bosque de Chapultepec. The Zona Rosa (Pink Zone) pulsates with glitzy shopping, eating, hotel and nightlife; it's bound by Paseo de la Reforma to the north and Avenida Chapultepec to the south. The Wood of Chapultepec, known to gringos as Chapultepec Park, is to the west of the aforementioned districts. It's a big bunch of greenery and lakes, with museums and cultural tidbits to-boot.

Five kilometers (3mi) north of the city center is the Terminal Norte, the largest of the city's four major bus terminals. Avenida Insurgentes Sur connects Paseo de la Reforma to most points of interest in the south. Just west of Insurgentes, south of the Zona Rosa, is Colonia Condesa, a restaurant hotspot. Farther south are the atmospheric former villages of San Ángel and Coyoacán and the vast campus of UNAM, the National Autonomous University of Mexico. To the southeast, canals and gardens (and many a tourist) wind through Xochimilco.