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Mexico City (CDMX) is one of our favorite international and family-friendly destinations we’ve yet had the privilege to visit. For us, it is absolutely worth a trip as it checks so many boxes: it’s beautiful, vibrant, historic, affordable, in close proximity to major U.S. airports, and host to amazing people and delicious food. As a family we have visited twice, with still so much on our list to see and experience.
For our family’s first-ever visit to Mexico City, we had the opportunity to spend a week traversing the city, then a few months later spent another week there with our extended family. We also found it to be very COVID-safe, with most of the population masking both indoors and out.
Below are our favorite things to do in Mexico City with kids. Read on to see why CDMX has won our hearts as a top vacation destination for families!
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We acknowledge that the land in and around Mexico City is the stolen land of the Mēxihcah people.
Why Visit Mexico City with Kids
Mexico City is a wonderful family-friendly destination to:
- Eat amazing food (Mexican, street food, other cuisines);
- Practice your Spanish-speaking skills (though English is also commonly spoken);
- Be home base for day-trips to Teotihuacan, Puebla, and Cholula (guides coming soon!)
When to Visit
With pleasant and temperate weather all year round, Mexico City is a great place to visit any time of the year. We visited both during July and October, but were told by locals that springtime is also a nice time to visit.
| Airfare | ~$280 USD |
| Accommodations | ~$70-$120 USD/night/room |
| Transportation (Uber, bus fare) | $7 USD/person/day |
| Meals | $25 USD/person/day |
| Admission fees for museums | ~$45 USD/person total |
| Checked bags | $30 USD/bag/flight |
| Shopping and souvenirs | ~$50 USD |
| Dinner at Pujol | $200 USD/person |
Getting There
There are direct flights (~4 hours) to Mexico City from the Bay Area’s major airports. Due to cost and timing, we opted for a red-eye Aeromexico flight from San Francisco International Airport to Aeropuerto Internacional de la Ciudad de México. Our kid slept, while other kids on the flight slept not a wink!
From the airport, it takes about 30 minutes to drive into the city center.
Before You Go
Possess valid passports
Check the State Department’s travel advisories
Order currency from your bank (in a week we used ~$350 USD in cash, and used our credit cards the rest of the time)
Make dinner reservations at Pujol
Book a cooking experience through Traveling Spoon
Bookmark sites in Google Maps or Wanderlog and download offline maps
Buy an e-sim in the off-chance your cell phone carrier doesn’t offer coverage in Mexico (in our experience, most U.S.-based carriers do!)
What to Pack
- Passports
- Standard diaper bag essentials
- Plane ride essentials
- Travel car seat if you plan to ride in a car or taxi. They are not required by the Mexican government.
- Umbrella stroller
- Ergobaby or soft baby carrier
Where to Stay in Mexico City
Consider the neighborhoods you’d like to be your home base during your stay in Mexico City. Here are some of our faves:
Roma Norte
Great for: Hip and central location, with a modern-old world feel and endless amazing food options.
Cons: Somewhat overrun with foreign residents.
Nearby Sites: Juarez, Bosque de Chapultepec, Juarez
Where We Stayed: Hotel Block Suites, Roma Norte
Juarez
Great for: Hip and central location, with a modern-old world feel and endless amazing food options.
Cons: Somewhat overrun with foreign residents.
Nearby Sites: Café Nin
Where We Stayed: Posada Viena Soy Local
Coyoacán
Great for: Quaint, quiet, and charming suburban borough with a town-like feel.
Cons: About a 20-minute drive from city center.
Nearby Sites: Museo Frida Kahlo
Where We Stayed: Hotel Casa Jacinta
Condesa
Great for: Family-friendly neighborhood with a huge playground at Parque España
Cons: Set apart from most of the main sites
Nearby Sites: Bosque de Chapultepec, Parque España
Centro
Great for: Proximity to historical sites and museums
Cons: Busy, touristy
Nearby Sites: Zócalo, El Templo Mayor, Catedral Metropolitana
Top Family-Friendly Activities in Mexico City
Kid-approved!
Visit the Museo del Papalote
Great for child-centered exhibits and activities
~$10-$13 USD/person, including children (half-off if you visit Tuesday-Thursday!)
Every day after our visit to the Museo del Papalote, our kid would ask us, “Can we visit the kid’s museum again?” She clearly enjoyed herself and so I was pleased that the museum made an impression on her! Read our full review here.
Visit a Park or Playground
Great, free way to get some sunshine and meet other families
Be sure to grab grab an icy sweet treat from Bendita Paleta on your way out!
Eat ALL OF THE THINGS
The food scene in Mexico City is heaven. Check out our favorite kid-friendly food spots in this post, and some of our faves under Where to Eat below!
Go Neighborhood-Hopping
Great, free method for getting the lay of the land
Staying in two different neighborhoods within CDMX was an awesome way to experience the city, and we thankfully had the privilege of an extended trip where it made sense to hop from one hotel to another.
We enjoyed Roma Norte for its old world charm and proximity to restaurants, shops, and sights, and we enjoyed Coyoacán for its quiet, suburban feel.
Visit Farmer's Markets
Great for buying goods from local artisans and farmers
I love visiting farmers markets both at home and in other cities—it’s such a treat to be in an open-air market setting and buy directly from local sellers of goods and wares. This also makes it my favorite place to purchase souvenirs, as many of the goods are specialty and one-of-a-kind.
In Mexico City we visited the small-but-mighty Mercado el 100 in Roma, which our kid loved for free samples and treats. That afternoon we also followed a crowd into Huerto Roma Verde, where—lucky for us—they happened to be hosting Bazar Gourmet, complete with food, beer, coffee, and clothing vendors!
Watch a Performance by the Ballet Folklórico de México
Great for appreciating a cultural dance show;
$20+/person; ~2 hours
I was in a Philippine cultural dance group growing up, and have nurtured within my little one a love of dance, too. On our second visit to Mexico City I made it a priority to watch a performance by the Ballet Folklórico de México, who were phenomenal! Watching the dancers perform their colorful numbers was mesmerizing. I’m always so inspired by the way dancers move as one yet also exhibit their own particular flavor of body movement.
Technically only children 6 and older are allowed to attend, and they seem somewhat strict about it, at least at the ticket counter. I fibbed about my kid’s age when we bought the tickets at the door. Don’t come for me!
We had a lovely time watching the 1.5-hour show without an intermission in the beautiful theater at the Palacio des Bellas Artes. Be sure to check the calendar for show dates. Tickets start at $20 USD / $370 MXN, and you might be able to save on fees if you buy at the door.
Visit Museo Nacional de Antropología
Great for learning a history of Mexico
$6 USD/person age 13+; ~2+ hours
What’s great about the Museo Nacional de Antropología is that it is an expansive campus in a beautiful building, meaning you can spend all day there, or as little as a couple hours if you’re short on time. Be wowed by the umbrella waterfall in the center courtyard before appreciating the regional art and archaeological items occupying the exhibit halls.
My kid’s favorite items at the museum were the replica of a Mayan sarcophagus and the Aztec Stone of the Sun.
Admission is free for kids under 13 years of age, teachers, and students, and $6 USD / $90 MXN for all other visitors.
Visit La Casa Azul
Great for Frida Kahlo fans and art-lovers;
$16 USD/non-adult seniors; 1.5+ hours
My kid has been a big Frida Kahlo fan since she was five years old, as we’ve read a number of her biographies and learned about her life and art. So it was a special treat to visit Frida’s home at La Casa Azul, also known as Museo Frida Kahlo, in Coyoacán, Mexico City.
Part art museum, part historic house museum, visitors can admire Frida’s art and can walk through many of the living spaces and garden areas Frida occupied with her partner Diego Rivera. Some of Frida’s clothing is also on display.
Be sure to get tickets in advance. On our first visit we attempted to buy tickets at the door but they were already sold out! On weekends (which are more expensive than weekdays), tickets are $16 USD / $270 MXN for non-senior adults, $50 MXN for students and teachers, $25 MXN for kids older than 6 and seniors, and free for kids age 6 and under.
Learn to Cook Mexican Food
We love Mexican food and thought it would be a treat to learn how to cook more than just the basics.
We booked a cooking experience through Traveling Spoon, which was my first experience with the site. The ladies we paired up with are chefs and food stylists, and they were awesome.
We had such a blast cooking cochinita and preparing tortillas, one of my kid’s favorite pastimes, out of a home in the quaint and quiet neighborhood of San Angel. They even gifted our little one with her own tiny tortilla press!
We would highly recommend our experience and brought our whole family the second time around.
Take a Day Trip to Teotihuacan
Great for a day-trip to visit ancient temples and a museum
$3 USD/person; 4-6 hours
The pyramids of Teotihuacan are located about an hour’s drive outside of Mexico City and can be a challenge to get to without a car, but we would do it all again because the pyramids were amazing.
Walking the Calzada de los Muertos (Avenue of the Dead) between the larger-than-life pyramids was a walk through history, and the museum there is amazing. We easily spent five hours here.
On our second trip went on a sunrise hot air balloon ride with a group of family members! Read our full review and guide to visiting Teotihuacan, here.
Places to Skip
This warranted its own post, so please listen to us when we say, do NOT eat at Mercado Centro/Terraza Mexicana near Zocalo Square. Or if you do, at least know what you’re getting yourself into, which is a great view of the Cathedral and Zocalo Square at exorbitant pricing (we’re talking in the hundreds USD) with shady business practices.
We’ll let the Google reviews speak for themselves.
- Café Nin and Panadería Rosetta for brunch, lunch, or coffee
- Tacos de Canasta Los Especiales for simple yet satisfying vegetarian-friendly basket tacos
- Contramar for their crispy tacos de atun and fresh ingredients
- Finca Don Porfirio for coffee with a view
Family-Friendly Sample Itineraries
Here's how to spend 3, 5, or 7 days in and around Mexico City. Mix and match our recs as it suits your family's needds and interests.
Notes: The few things we booked in advance were dinner at Pujol and our cooking experience in San Angel. Everything else I tried to group by geography, and we went where our energy took us. Plus, sometimes we had to shift plans because we got rained out.
3-DAY MEXICO CITY ITINERARY
DAY 1
- Eat a la carte brunch at the Four Seasons Hotel
- Visit Museo Nacional de Antropología
- Walk through Bosque de Chapultepec
- Play at Papalote Museo del Niño
DAY 2
- Eat lunch at Tacos de Canasta Los Especiales
- Visit Diego Rivera’s Murales de la Secretaría de Educación Pública
- Visit Templo Mayor and Templo Mayor Museum
- Visit Catedral Metropolitana de la Ciudad de México
- Visit Plaza de la Constitución/Zocalo Square
DAY 3
- See the Ballet Folklórico perform at Palacio Bellas Artes
- Enjoy coffee and snacks at Finca Don Porfirio
- Take pictures at The House of Tiles and the Post Office
- Have a snack at Churrería El Moro
- Shop at at Mercado de Artesanías La Ciudadela
- Eat dinner at La Casa De Toño
5-DAY MEXICO CITY ITINERARY
The above, plus:
DAY 4
- Eat brunch at Café Ruta de la Seda
- Visit Museo Frida Kahlo/La Casa Azul
- Walk around Coyoacán
- Shop at Bazar Artesanal Mexicano
- Eat dinner at El Pescadito
DAY 5
- Eat pastries and coffee from Panadería Rosetta
- Shop at the Mercado de Artesanías
- Eat lunch at Cafe NIN or Cariñito Tacos
- Walk to Parque España; spend time at the playground
- Eat gelato from Bendita Paleta
- Eat at Contramar
7-DAY MEXICO CITY ITINERARY
The above, plus:
DAY 6
- Spend the morning on a hot air balloon ride and at the temples of Teotihuacan
- Visit the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe
- Do a cooking experience
DAY 7
- Spend the morning at Xochimilco before flying back home
Wishlist for our Next Visit
- Xochimilco for the colorful (albeit touristy) canal experience
We cannot stress enough how wonderful it’s been to visit Mexico City with our family, and hope we have more opportunities to visit in the future.
Have you visited Mexico City, and what would you recommend to other familias?
Angelica (she/her) is of Cebuano(Pilipinx)-descent and was born and raised in Huchiun Ohlone territory (the East Bay Area--pay your Shuumi Land Tax!), where she also now resides with her partner and their toddler. She loves to spend her time sipping on boba and dirty chai lattes (sometimes together), and eating pescetarian goodies at BIPOC-owned cafes and restaurants.
