Wanting to do a 3 night trip to Mexico City, maybe in August

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artpennypacker
Posts: 69
Joined: Sun Jul 04, 2021 8:39 am

Wanting to do a 3 night trip to Mexico City, maybe in August

Post by artpennypacker »

From a quick look I was thinking La Condesa neighborhood, and perhaps the Four Seasons (they have available drivers).

I am concerned about safety for wife and I, but not enough to keep us away. Kidnappings are obviously the nightmare scenario. I've read uber is safest, is this true?

3 nights isn't long enough, but this is a "get our feet wet" and not too long away from kids and work.

Really our priority is to see Old city center, eat nice sit down dinner in the evening, and guided tours for food and some sight seeing.

Any thoughts to this travel plan so far?

If we sight-see at day and then carefully plan our dinners to be in "safe" areas with minimal travel from hotel, do you think it's safe enough?

Thanks!
Chris K Jones
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Re: Wanting to do a 3 night trip to Mexico City, maybe in August

Post by Chris K Jones »

Any day is a good day to go to Mexico!

I love Mexico. Have only been to Mexico City once so not an expert. Spent a week. Plenty to do. Loved it. I never felt unsafe. On the other hand, I have never felt unsafe in Mexico. Not ever. Ubered everywhere in Mexico City. You will have a great time. Highly recommended. And yes, three days will barely scratch the surface of things to do there.
Topic Author
artpennypacker
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Re: Wanting to do a 3 night trip to Mexico City, maybe in August

Post by artpennypacker »

Chris K Jones wrote: Wed May 11, 2022 9:37 am Any day is a good day to go to Mexico!

I love Mexico. Have only been to Mexico City once so not an expert. Spent a week. Plenty to do. Loved it. I never felt unsafe. On the other hand, I have never felt unsafe in Mexico. Not ever. Ubered everywhere in Mexico City. You will have a great time. Highly recommended. And yes, three days will barely scratch the surface of things to do there.
Excellent. We travel to resorts in Mexico (mostly Yucatan) but most time is spent on property, or with resort approved taxis and travel. Absolutely love the people though, and I speak enough spanish to get by. Only time I felt unsafe was when I younger on a "clubbing" trip in Acapulco, but those days are long gone. Yucatan is still relatively untouched from violence of other areas, from what I've read.

Any take on the Condesa area? A week sounds marvelous if I can buy more time, :sharebeer
matthewbarnhart
Posts: 132
Joined: Sat Feb 25, 2017 3:05 pm

Re: Wanting to do a 3 night trip to Mexico City, maybe in August

Post by matthewbarnhart »

artpennypacker wrote: Wed May 11, 2022 9:44 am
Chris K Jones wrote: Wed May 11, 2022 9:37 am Any day is a good day to go to Mexico!

I love Mexico. Have only been to Mexico City once so not an expert. Spent a week. Plenty to do. Loved it. I never felt unsafe. On the other hand, I have never felt unsafe in Mexico. Not ever. Ubered everywhere in Mexico City. You will have a great time. Highly recommended. And yes, three days will barely scratch the surface of things to do there.
Excellent. We travel to resorts in Mexico (mostly Yucatan) but most time is spent on property, or with resort approved taxis and travel. Absolutely love the people though, and I speak enough spanish to get by. Only time I felt unsafe was when I younger on a "clubbing" trip in Acapulco, but those days are long gone. Yucatan is still relatively untouched from violence of other areas, from what I've read.

Any take on the Condesa area? A week sounds marvelous if I can buy more time, :sharebeer
I've been to Mexico City a dozen times -- it's my favorite place in the world.

La Condesa is a great neighborhood to base yourself in. It sounds like Polanco might also be a good fit for you.

Uber is safe, and there's also Cabify. I've walked, biked, taken all forms of public transit. If you have any level of social awareness and "street smarts" you'll be fine.

Biggest tips: 1. Be polite, 2. Wear a mask, 3. Don't wear cargo shorts and flip flops.
chrisam314
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Re: Wanting to do a 3 night trip to Mexico City, maybe in August

Post by chrisam314 »

I lived there from 2018-2020.

Kidnapping happens to families of uber wealthy, well connected people who are involved/impacted by corruption in Mexico. They don't just kidnap the average joe on vacation. There's a reason behind it as a means of a power play (usually cartel related).

There can be petty crime by the airport, which is common everywhere and especially latin america. Uber works well and is cheap (do not do pink taxi's). Practice self awareness and don't be 'that tourist' and you will be fine.

The biggest thing that will impact you if you go in August is the rain. In Mexico City that time of year is the rainy season so it will rain every evening A LOT. It's really an experience. The sky will be perfectly clear, then at 6 or 7 PM, boom!

If you're going to do 3 days (which is not enough!) here is what you should do:

Day 1: Old city, then uber to Chapultapec park, go to the castle for a great view of the city. If you are there on a Sunday they stop traffic on Paseo de la Reforma so you can walk/bike between the two if you want. Its a great experience but can be tiring if you aren't used to the altitude.
Day 2: Pyramids
Day 3: Xochimilco

You won't have time/energy to do anything else due to the altitude and traffic. I would skip the food tours and just wander Condesa/Polanco for good food. There are literally hundreds of places that are excellent. Think European cafe culture. People eat late so I never felt unsafe walking around from 9PM-12AM.

If you want a nice hotel stay in Polanco off of Campos Elisios (Hyatt/JW, etc)
If you want a nice boutique hotel stay in Condesa at Hotel Condesa DF (great rooftop bar). Otherwise Airbnb/vrbo.
I wouldn't recommend staying in Old City. It is very loud and crowded. The walkway between the square and Bellas Artes is really an experience.

Hope that helps!
Topic Author
artpennypacker
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Re: Wanting to do a 3 night trip to Mexico City, maybe in August

Post by artpennypacker »

matthewbarnhart wrote: Wed May 11, 2022 10:12 am
Biggest tips: 1. Be polite, 2. Wear a mask, 3. Don't wear cargo shorts and flip flops.
Thanks so much, we don't stick out too much and I love subways/metro when I can and I'll check out cabify.


chrisam314 wrote: Wed May 11, 2022 10:31 am
Hope that helps!
Very much so, thank you! I am not a high value target, ha, and that's comforting to know that a Man on Fire situation is more likely than a dorky tourist who asks too many questions. Would you still think Polanco is good if there won't be any shopping? Looks like they have a great restaurant scene too.
blackangus
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Re: Wanting to do a 3 night trip to Mexico City, maybe in August

Post by blackangus »

Just returned from Mexico City this week. Great city but I was shocked at the air pollution "smog." Almost made for unpleasant trip. I lived in SoCal for several years of high smog and there is no comparison to what I saw this week.
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avenger
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Re: Wanting to do a 3 night trip to Mexico City, maybe in August

Post by avenger »

We stayed at the four seasons CDMX over NYE. Great hotel. We didn’t feel the need for a driver. Walked and took Ubers. Felt safe, but we live in Chicago. 🤷🏻‍♂️
cheers ... -Mark | "Our life is frittered away with detail. Simplify. Simplify." -Henry David Thoreau | [VTI, VXUS, BND, VTEB, SV fund]
chrisam314
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Re: Wanting to do a 3 night trip to Mexico City, maybe in August

Post by chrisam314 »

artpennypacker wrote: Wed May 11, 2022 11:19 am
matthewbarnhart wrote: Wed May 11, 2022 10:12 am
Biggest tips: 1. Be polite, 2. Wear a mask, 3. Don't wear cargo shorts and flip flops.
Thanks so much, we don't stick out too much and I love subways/metro when I can and I'll check out cabify.


chrisam314 wrote: Wed May 11, 2022 10:31 am
Hope that helps!
Very much so, thank you! I am not a high value target, ha, and that's comforting to know that a Man on Fire situation is more likely than a dorky tourist who asks too many questions. Would you still think Polanco is good if there won't be any shopping? Looks like they have a great restaurant scene too.
Yes, Polanco is nice. More traditional hotels but easy walk across Parque Lincoln to restaurants.
truenorth418
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Re: Wanting to do a 3 night trip to Mexico City, maybe in August

Post by truenorth418 »

Some good ideas here already.

If you only have 3 days I would stick to the main core and leave the pyramids and virgin de Guadalupe cathedral for another visit. Uber is easy and cheap but there is a lot of traffic and you don’t want to spend too much time in the car.

There is plenty to see and do in El Centro, Condesa, Roma, Polanco and Chapultepec. The area around the Zocalo with the cathedral and ruins not to mention the 19th century period architecture will take 1/2 a day or more easy.

Mexico is one of my most favorite cities. For me, one of the most interesting cities in the world.

However, don’t drink water from the tap or any smoothies or anything of that nature. I buy bottled water and keep it with me and in my room. I have stayed in some of the top hotels in Mexico City and still got sick from the tap water. Be careful about that and don’t worry about crime.

Mexico City is one of the great cities of the world. Have fun!
Chuckles960
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Re: Wanting to do a 3 night trip to Mexico City, maybe in August

Post by Chuckles960 »

Mexico City is one of the world's greatest cities. We only stay in Centro and have never tired of it. These days it is full of people and extremely safe.

The modern areas are okay but not as interesting. I guess one day we might stay in an airbnb in Condesa, just so we can shop at the spectacular Tuesday tiangui and cook what we buy. Otherwise, Centro is the place to be.
Clover5
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Re: Wanting to do a 3 night trip to Mexico City, maybe in August

Post by Clover5 »

We’ve lived in Central Mexico for 18 years, been to CDMX countless times. Focus on Roma and Condesa. Polanco is Beverly Hills, Roma/Condesa is like SoHo. You can grab a cab to Polanco anytime. Great restaurants in both areas. Centro Histórico is nice for a few hours but not multiple days. Parque Mexico and Parque España in Condesa is charming, Mercado Roma is fantastic and on and on…
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