24 Hour Layover in Mexico City
Hip streets of Roma Norte
Thanks to cheap ubers anything is possible on a layover in CDMX. On our way to Nicaragua, we had the opportunity to have two layovers in Mexico City via Aeromexico. In less that 24 hours, Mexico City easily became our favorite layover city. How many places in the world can you be driven around the entire city and eat delicious food for dirt cheap in just one day? Not many, my friends.
Including ubers, food, and lodging, we spent about $50 per day. As a New Yorker it's hard to wrap my head around this notion. Check out our itineraries below if you’re fortunately stuck in CDMX for a long-haul layover or if you only have two days to explore the city!
Layover in Centro Sur
OVERVIEW
Stay in Centro Sur @ Suites DF Hostel
Frida Kahlo Musuem -> Mercado de Coyoacan -> Jardin Plaza
-> Salon Corona-> Plaza Girabaldi
Itinerary Pros: Experience CDMX's famous sights, art/ culture, food, and nightlife all in one day.
Inside "Casa Azul" at the Frida Kahlo museum
On our first layover, we arrived at 11am and didn’t have to depart till 9am the following day. We immediately requested an uber from the airport to our hostel accommodations in Centro Sur and it was only $7.
Where to Stay in Centro Sur
Suites DF Hostel
All we needed was a bed and a place to leave our bags so booking a cheap hostel was perfect. The hostel was centrally located in the historic centre and it was reasonably priced. We booked a private room for $40/ per night and it included a private bathroom. My favorite part of this hostel was the delicious taco stand on the corner—they were less than $1 for 3 tacos and were one of the best tacos I’ve ever had.
Must See Sights
After we dropped our bags at the hostel, we took an uber to the Frida Kahlo museum. Thankfully I ordered tickets in advance for a safe time-slot to avoid the long wait. But sometimes playing it too safe also means waiting around as we arrived one hour early and had time to kill.
Mercado de Coyoacan
Since we had time to kill, we switched our itinerary up and walked to Mercado de Coyoacan first. One of our top 3 things to do on a short trip is to visit a local market. If you’re pressed on time too, go here! Cheap eats, cheap souvenirs, and it’s walking distance from the Frida Kahlo museum. Be sure to order Tostadas at the market—they’re super filling and the service is fast (we were still early for our time slot when we finished).
Frida Kahlo Museum
If you think the Frida Kahlo Museum is a “tourist trap”, I question your decision making. It was one of the most moving museums I’ve ever been to, and visiting her home where her ashes are located made the experience even more raw. I’ve always looked up to Frida Kahlo’s art and fashion, but I gained so much more respect for her after visiting the museum. If you can, order tickets in advance to avoid the long wait.
Jardin Plaza
After the Frida Kahlo Museum, we walked around the bohemian area of Coyoacan. So many plazas to stroll around and to people watch at (Jardin Plaza was my favorite). St. Francis of Assisi is one of their patron saints and there’s a beautiful church dedicated to him in the plaza. After strolling around Coyoacan, we had coffee at Cafe El Jarocho then took an uber back to our hostel to freshen up.
Where to Eat in Centro Sur
Salon Corona
After freshening up at the hostel, we walked to Salon Corona which was the taqueria that the front desk guy recommended (it’s one of the oldest in CDMX). It started pouring so we wound up taking an uber there for only $2. The tacos were good (my favorite was the el pastor), but the taco stand at hostel corner happened to be better and cheaper. Cool thing about CDMX is that the best food you’ll have is the street food. Other eats for dinner that were recommended to us in the area: Azul and Cafe El Popular
Nightlife in Centro Sur
Plaza Girabaldi
After dinner, we walked to Plaza Girabaldi for tequila and the obnoxious mariachi bands. We hung out at Tenampa, which was the oldest cantina in CDMX and where Frida Kahlo used to frequent. I’m not a fan of tequila, but Mikey was in heaven tasting all the Mexican tequila (so many to choose from). There are mariachi bands everywhere, and you can request a song with a generous tip. Plaza Girabaldi may sound touristy, but it’s super Mexican and a lot of fun!
Layover in Roma Norte
OVERVIEW
Stay in Roma Norte @ Hostel Home
La Contramar -> Yuban -> El Real Underground -> Pulqueria Los Insurgentes
Itinerary Pros: Experience restaurants and nightlife in the hip part of town + the hostel, restaurants, and bars are all in walking distance from each other.
Roma Norte Street Art
For our second layover, we only had half a day since we arrived at 4pm and had to depart at 9am the following day. Once we landed, we requested an uber from the airport to our hostel accommodations in Roma Norte and it was another whomping $7.
Where to Stay in Roma Norte
Hostel Home
Between the two areas we stayed at, Roma Norte was my favorite—it’s Mexico City’s hip, bohemian neighborhood with lots of restaurants and bars. The vibe at Hostel Home was instantly awesome right at check-in. The staff was friendly and super helpful with giving us tips and recs. The private room was $40 per night, but didn’t include a private bathroom (we didn’t have time to shower so it didn’t really matter to us).
Where to Eat in Roma Norte
La Contramar
We were only a 5 minute walk from the highly recommended La Contramar. HOLY SHIT, their tuna tostadas were the best I ever had. We also ordered two other delicious seafood plates which were also delicious, and I’m not much of a seafood fan so that says a lot. Impeccable service and food, but it was our most expensive meal in CDMX (when I say expensive it was $50 for two people).
Nightlife in Roma Norte
Yuban -> El Real Underground -> Pulqueria Los Insurgentes
I heard so many good things about cocktails and nightlife in CDMX and I wasn't disappointed. We started off with cocktails at Yuban that were so unique and incredibly good. After a few cocktails, we checked out a goth-electronic club that was recommended to us called El Real Underground. It was a different experience in comparison to other night clubs I’ve been to, but it’s worth it to check out. We ended the night at Pulqueria Los Insurgentes, which was more crowded and mainstream. The music was more my style so it was a fun time. After a few hours of dancing, we were craving late night street food. We came across a no name taco stand on the way back to our hostel that a family was running at 2am. The mom was hand making all the tortillas at 2am (we were in Mexican food heaven).
Best Layover in CDMX
If you only have ONE night for a layover, stay in Roma Norte over Centro Sur. Roma Norte is a gorgeous neighborhood filled with many restaurants and bars (plus it feels safer at night). If you want to check out the Frida Kahlo museum during the day or Plaza Girabaldi at night from Roma Norte, it’s 100% possible because ubers are dirt cheap and will get you anywhere!
If we would do it again, this would be our ideal itinerary in Mexico City - combining the best of both itineraries:
Where to Stay: Roma Norte
Lunch: Mercado de Coyoacan
Must See Sights: Frida Kahlo Museum & Jardin Plaza
Dinner: La Contramar in Roma Norte
Nightlife: Roma Norte and/or Plaza Girabaldi
Frida Kahlo Portraits
Even though the food in Mexico City is phenomenal, bring LOTS of immodium and pepto bismol. Mexico City is the best place for a layover, but not the best place to go to before a long trip in transit…..(i’m going to end it at that).
Other Optional Layover Activities:
+ Luchador Fight
+ Boat ride at Xochimilco
What are your go to places on a layover in CDMX?
