How to have the perfect weekend in Mexico City with kids

Mexico City is a great place to introduce your kids to a culture, language and cuisine they may not be familiar with while still having plenty of recognizable things (think Starbucks, hamburgers and skate parks) that remind them of home. For kids learning Spanish in school, this can be an amazing opportunity to hear native speakers, and for parents without the language skills, it can be nice to know a lot of locals speak English. A few days in the city can also be a good jumping-off point to take in some history and culture before heading to one of Mexico's many famous beach destinations. 

As a local tour guide in Mexico City, I see a lot of families travel through my adoptive hometown. The ones that seem to have the best time have plenty of options in their brains for whatever the situation requires. Kids need a break? Parents need a drink? Everybody needs a nap? The more informed you are about what’s available, the better you can quickly turn on a dime and meet the needs of your family. That being said, here are a few of my suggestions for having a great time traveling as a family in CDMX. 

• When to arrive: Try to arrive on a Thursday afternoon so you can enjoy a full three days in the city. I would suggest aiming for sometime between 10am and 6pm to avoid heavy traffic from the airport and arrive before the kids (and parents!) get too tired and cranky.

• How to get from the airport: Uber is probably the most convenient option from the airport, but you can also feel safe taking a local taxi that is easy to arrange at one of the many airport taxi stands. The local metro is an option if you want to travel on a budget, but with luggage and kids, it can be overwhelming. 

• Getting around town: Uber is easiest for travelers who don’t speak Spanish, but public transportation is also super convenient and very cheap (not to mention the feeling of independence one gets when one learns to use public transport). Try to avoid peak hours (6–9am, 6–9pm), and know there is a women and children's car found at one end of every metro and metrobus train if you'd like to make use of it.

• Where to stay: For families traveling in Mexico City a nice, indoor pool can be a great way for parents to relax and kids to burn off energy. Le Meridien and the Reforma Marriott both have indoor pools and great central locations. In the case of Le Meridien it also has adjoining suites so kids and parents can have their own space. On the higher end, hotels like Ritz Carlton or Four Seasons have decent restaurants and bars on-site. For affordable stays within neighborhoods like Roma or Condesa, I recommend Airbnb. 

• What to pack: I always tell folks to bring smart city attire, the same kinds of clothing you would bring to London or New York, but with kids in tow I stress layers. The weather here can change drastically from morning to evening, especially during the rainy season from May to October. Bring rain jackets, a second pair of shoes in case one gets soaked, and jackets and sweaters as well as warm weather clothing. 

Thursday 

Dinner: Stick close to home on your first night with maybe just a tiny walk to a restaurant to work out some of the airplane fatigue. Along with more elevated options, Lardo in Colonia Condesa has simple things like pizza or tomato soup and the waitstaff will bring out coloring books for the kids. Azul Historico in the Centro Histórico has excellent Yucatecan-inspired food and the kids can watch the staff hand-making the tortillas to one side of its big, indoor patio. Comedor Jacinta is just steps from Lincoln Park in Polanco and has great Mexican classics and cocktails.

Friday

Morning: Start your day off right with a nice, strong espresso and a pastry at Qūentin Cafe in Juarez. The beauty of this choice is there is a small park with a playground right in front so you can keep an eye on the kids from the comfort of one of the cafe’s outdoor tables. Within a short walk is the chocolate museum, which is always a hit with the younger set. 

How to spend the day: From this side of Colonia Juarez you could walk over to Chapultepec Park, but it will take you around 35 minutes, so if you think the kids won’t make it, grab a cab. With older kids, renting bikes can be a fun way to tool around within neighborhoods, but avoid major avenues as drivers aren’t super considerate. 

Once inside Chapultepec there are a million things to do. If you think you can wrangle your kids' attention long enough, definitely stop by the Museum of Modern Art or the Museum of Anthropology. If not, there are paddleboats in the artificial lake, a zoo, an excellent botanical garden, walking paths, the Chapultepec Castle and more. If you have readers in the group or anyone interested in spooky stories, stop by the Audiorama for a break and see the cave that many indigenous peoples of Mexico believed was an entrance to the underworld.

At this point you might want to take a break back at the hotel, but you could cab it over to Coyota. This experimental kitchen is led by a group of young friends with a rotating menu focused on experimentation and reviving Mexican culinary traditions. The beauty of this location, besides its traditional Mexican beverages and fascinating food, is that it’s also next to a playground inside a protected plaza where the kids can hang out and you can grab a cocktail. 

Dinner: For dinner I suggest tacos as a quick and easy option where kids can pick and choose but you will still walk away with something delicious. 

If your kids can stay up late enough (the shows on Fridays usually start at 8:30pm) I highly recommend taking them to Lucha Libre, the Mexican wrestling spectacle. There are several kid-friendly tours but don’t be wary about going on your own either, tickets are cheap and always available as the arena is massive. Outside there are vendors selling all the Lucha Libre masks and other merch, great as souvenirs of your trip to Mexico City. 

Saturday

Morning: Since you are planning to spend the whole day out, it might be worth getting breakfast at the hotel. Alternatively El Cardenal is a classic Mexican breakfast place with locations all over the city and Tamales Dona Emi, close to the Centro Medico metro stop, has some of the best tamales I’ve ever eaten (try the pork with green olives).

How to spend the day: For sports fans I highly recommend going to a Diablos Rojos game here in Mexico City. This is the city’s baseball team that plays in a brand-new stadium in the eastern part of the city. It’s super easy to get there via the metro by taking the brown line (either the Chilpancingo or Centro Medico stop) from Colonia Roma to the Puebla stop. An Uber is also a stress-free option. Fans sing, dance, eat tacos and go crazy cheering for the Diablos and the experience will cost you about a tenth of what it would to see a major league game anywhere else in the world. 

If baseball is not your thing, consider signing up for a Mexican cooking class. Let someone else be in charge for a bit. You can make some great food, have a good time, and skip the final clean-up. Either activity is sure to wear everybody out, so an afternoon break at the hotel pool might just be what’s called for. 

Dinner: Families rave about the Ballet Folklórico whose shows pair lively regional Mexican music with traditional dance and costumes. The ballet’s performed in the theater of the Bellas Artes, one of Mexico City’s most iconic buildings. The shows tend to start around 7:30pm (although there are earlier shows on different days if that’s too late for your kids) and I recommend a stop at El Moro before or after. Yes, this is the famous hot chocolate and churros place, but it also has tacos and sandwiches at its little outdoor stand next to the entrance, which is open 24 hours a day.

Sunday

Morning: Take your last day in Mexico City easy. Stop by the organic farmers market Mercado el 100 that takes place on a tiny plaza right next to one of Colonia Roma’s biggest parks. The tamales and cochinita pibil (slow-cooked pork) are great and the kids can run around while you peruse the local food products for sale and ease into your morning with a nice cup of local coffee.

How to spend the day: Take the day to explore Colonia Roma walking up Calle Orizaba from the market and into the heart of the neighborhood. Along the way you will pass several little parks with fountains that the kids will love. Rosetta bakery is a nice place to grab a pastry, and then head over the Plaza Rio de Janeiro where there is usually a weekend crafts fair and people come to play with their dogs. 

My favorite gelato shop, Glace Bistro, located in Condesa is just one neighborhood over from Roma, so take a stroll through the lovely Parque Mexico to get there. Watch out though – there are stands here offering kittens and puppies for adoption and it might just be more than you can resist!

Got some extra time?

By the end of three days hopefully your entire crew will have found things about Mexico’s capital that they truly loved. Other museums I highly recommend with kids are Papalote, an interactive kids' museum; the Juguete (toy) museum, a kind of off-the-beaten-path warehouse-style museum of almost every toy of the 20th century; and the Popular Art Museum, a collection of traditional crafts and toys with an excellent gift shop. Kids usually love the double-decker hop-on hop-off bus tour around the city, ideal for tired legs. 

If you have the option for one more day, I recommend a day trip to Teotihuacán. Seeing the pyramids built by the ancient pre-Aztec culture is fascinating for adults and kids alike.