Travelogue Mexico

Last July, my friend Carlos and I took a two-week road trip through Mexico. Our trip took us from Munich to Mexico City to Guadalajara and back.

Day 1

Our flight from Munich to Mexico City lasted 18 hours. We left around 8:00 AM and had a layover in London. The flight from London to Mexico City took about 11 hours. We were very excited and couldn't sleep. We landed in Mexico City around 7:00 PM. We had booked the 4-star Stanza Hotel for €76 per night. The hotel is located in the Roma-Condesa neighborhood and is only 30 minutes away from Mexico City International Airport. It is situated in a very nice area with many restaurants and a Metrobus nearby. The city center is only three stops away. We took a taxi from the airport to our hotel and after dropping off our luggage, we went to a restaurant nearby. After that, we were very exhausted from the long day and went back to the hotel, where we just fell into bed.

Day 2

We started our stay in Mexico City, the capital of Mexico and one of the largest cities in the world. It is a city full of history and culture and offers a variety of activities for tourists. We started the first day with breakfast at a Fonda, a casual, family-owned restaurant that opens early every day and is a wonderful place to meet locals.

Next, we visited the Zócalo, also known as Plaza de la Constitución. It is the largest public square in Latin America and is located in the heart of the city. Once, the palace of the Aztec ruler stood here. Today, the Zócalo is bordered by the Cathedral, the National Palace, and the City Government building. In the middle of the square stands a huge Mexican flag.

The impressive building on the north side of the Zócalo is the oldest and largest Cathedral in the entire American continent. The construction of the cathedral began in 1573 and was not completed until 1793.

Right next to the cathedral is the Templo Mayor, the most important and largest temple of the former Tenochtitlan. During the Spanish conquest, the temple was destroyed.

In the last 40 years, the base of the temple has been excavated by archaeologists, revealing reliefs and sculptures. Today, you can visit the temple complex and its attached museum. From Tuesday to Sunday (9 am to 5 pm), you can explore the site for 80 pesos.

We walked through the Alameda Central, the oldest park in the city, and visited the magnificent Palace of Fine Arts (Palacio de Bellas Artes).

Then we strolled a few blocks through the Barrio Chino (Chinatown), west of the Centro Histórico, to reach the Mercado de San Juan. This traditional Mexican market is a labyrinth of stalls selling all kinds of products.

We took the bus and went further west from Mexico City to the Roma Norte neighborhood. This neighborhood is the ideal place for a relaxed afternoon. We started near Parque México and strolled through the tree-lined streets with their old mansions, art gatherings, street art, and hipster hotspots. The culinary scene is heavily influenced by Italian culture, and the trendiest residents of the city can be found in the trendy bars and boutiques.

After about an hour, we arrived in the cobblestone, colorful Coyoacán. It is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city, and its most famous landmark is Frida Kahlo's famous Blue House (casa azul) - her childhood home and a museum dedicated to her life and work, including self-portraits and views of Mexican culture. We had already booked the tickets online the day before, as they sell out quickly. After that, we continued walking through the colorful neighborhood and visited the Mercado de Coyoacán, which offers street food as well as traditional crafts and souvenirs. We then visited the Museo Anahuacalli, founded by Kahlo's partner Diego Rivera, which showcases 2,000 pieces from his collection, including pre-Hispanic artworks.

Day 3

On the second day in the city, we visited the National Museum of Anthropology, a museum dedicated to the history and culture of Mexico's indigenous peoples. It is one of the best museums in Latin America.

To enjoy the best view of the city, we climbed the Torre Latinoamericana, a skyscraper with an observation deck on the roof. From here, you have an impressive view of the city and its surroundings.

A bit tired and hungry, we visited one of the many markets in the city and ate the famous tacos. For dessert, we treated ourselves to some churros.

We took a short walk to Garibaldi, where you can enjoy the fantastic atmosphere of the city at night. Mariachi bands perform on Plaza Garibaldi on Tuesdays and weekends, so you can experience Mexican folklore with live music. One of the best and safest ways to experience Garibaldi at night is on a guided tour that includes a drink and a ride through the streets, ending with a show on Plaza Garibaldi.

Day 4

After spending 2 days in Mexico City, our route took us to Teotihuacán. We had wanted to visit the archaeological site for a long time and set off early so we could spend the day there. To get from Mexico City to Teotihuacán, we took Metro Line 5 to the Northern Terminal, Terminal Central del Norte. We saw a small counter labeled 'Autobuses Teotihuacán' there. We bought our tickets to the 'Piramides' stop, which cost €3 each. The buses depart about every 15 minutes, and the journey takes about an hour. We each brought our headphones because we had researched before the trip that the journey to the pyramids takes a long time and is apparently dangerous due to frequent robberies. We took the risk anyway and were lucky. When we arrived, we were offered numerous guided tours. We joined forces with other travelers from the bus and each paid about €6.80 for a 1.5-hour tour. We saw many things, such as the third-largest pyramid in the world and the largest pyramid at the site, the Sun Pyramid, and the Moon Pyramid, the second-largest pyramid of Teotihuacán. The tour guide told us that until 2022, it was allowed to climb the pyramids. This was actually our plan, but after the long bus ride, we were already exhausted, so we didn't mind.

We also visited the Avenue of the Dead. It is about 4 kilometers long and runs through the entire complex. At its northern end is the Moon Pyramid. As we were all a bit tired, we took a little break on the steps of the platforms and chatted.

Lastly, we visited the Palace of Quetzalpapalotl. The palace is richly decorated and amazingly colorful. Our tour ended there, and we were very tired. There were numerous vendors on the premises offering food and drinks. We had something to eat first.

After resting, we headed back to Mexico City. The return trip was very pleasant, as we were very exhausted. When we arrived in Mexico City, we picked up our luggage and went straight to the airport to catch our flight to Guadalajara. The flight took about an hour, which we used to take a short nap.

Day 5

The next day, we continued to explore the city. We took a bus to Tlaquepaque, a municipality about 6 km from downtown Guadalajara. Since 2018, it has been one of the 132 Pueblos Mágicos in Mexico, places that are considered particularly worth seeing.

When we arrived, we were greeted by a sea of colorful umbrellas hanging over the streets, as well as the typical colorful capital letters with the name of the municipality, which can be found in every Mexican city. The colorful houses and the many shops and small stands along the roadside, offering handmade products made of leather, glass, fabric, or ceramic, invited us to stroll leisurely. Highly recommended! After a few hours, we got hungry and found a restaurant with a terrace so that we could continue enjoying the sunny weather. We ordered Tamales with salsa and Micheladas, both typical Mexican dishes. Tamales consist of a type of dough filled with meat, vegetables, and cheese, which is then wrapped in a corn husk and traditionally steamed in a pot. It is usually served with red or green salsa. Michelada is not for everyone; it is a mixture of salt, lime juice, beer, tomato juice, and chili sauce. But our restaurant also had other flavors on the menu, such as with mango juice.

Day 6

Today, we wanted to explore the city center of Guadalajara in more detail. To do this, we rented bikes, which can be easily and self-rented at every corner in the city center. This costs only a few euros per day. Our first stop was Avenida Chapultepec, a very long street with countless bars, restaurants, cafes, and small shops. In the middle of the street, there is a wide paved strip where some people sell homemade products, books, and small souvenirs, like a small flea market. For lunch, we had Lonches bañados, a sandwich made of 'Birote' (similar to a ciabatta roll) filled with pork and soaked in sauce. The sauce is usually prepared with chipotles and other spices. In the evening, we went to the Expiatorio (Templo Expiatorio del Santísimo Sacramento), one of the most beautiful attractions in the entire city. It is a Catholic church built of stones in the neogothic style, with stained glass windows inside.

We flew back to Munich from Guadalajara, with a layover in Mexico City. We were slowly exhausted from the long journey. When we arrived in Mexico City, we looked for a motel in a good area.

Day 11

We spent the day in the motel to go to the airport in the morning. The return flight took about 18 hours, with a layover in London. On the plane, we looked at the photos we had taken and reminisced about the beautiful, funny, and exciting moments of the trip.