What I Packed, Ate, and Saw in Mexico City

In this post, I’m sharing with you all the details of my recent 2-week Mexico City trip: what I packed, what I did, and what I ate. Let’s go!

First, let’s cover my packing list because that’s what this blog is all about. I am happy to say I didn’t buy anything new just for this trip, this is all stuff I already owned. And I mention that because I’m always so tempted to shop for an upcoming trip, to find something that’s just right, but if I shop my own closet first, 9 times out of 10, I have everything I need and I want to encourage you to do the same.

But, I did have one thing that was a recent addition to my wardrobe that I was excited to take for a spin and that was the onitsuka tigers in the Mexico 66 yellow colourway. 2022 was the year of the Sambas and I’m predicting these yellow sneakers will be my most worn in 2023.

Packing these was the first decision in my packing list and pretty much dictated the vibe.

The Trip Details

But let’s back up to the details of the trip because if you’re a regular reader, you know my four packing considerations are: weather, activities, vibe, and trip length.

Weather

For this trip, I was going to be in Mexico City in February, with sunny weather ranging from 6℃ at night to 22℃ in the day, which in my books, is just about the perfect antidote to cold Canadian winter. It’s almost the perfect weather to layer, wear a little jacket, but still wear lighter clothes midday when the sun is nice and warm.

Activities

My activities were all pretty urban: café crawls, shopping, museums, and sightseeing, with the most physical activity being a visit to the Teotihuacán pyramids. Even then, comfortable walking shoes and a hat were the most important elements of my outfit to consider.

Vibe

For the vibe, I wanted that young, fashionable, but comfortable look, with my little spin.

Trip Length

The trip length was 2 weeks, where I worked remotely during the day, and went sightseeing on weeknights and weekends.

The Packing List

Bottoms

Let’s start with bottoms. I packed white jeans, black trousers in a drapey synthetic fabric and a denim maxi skirt. The white jeans were risky but kept my capsule from being too dark and since my other options were versatile trousers and a dark denim skirt, I had enough range for the outfits I had in mind.

Tops

For tops, I think I slightly overpacked in this arena. I brought a white breezy blouse, which was perfect to layer and for sun protection, a more crisp striped blouse, a grey sweatshirt, a white going out top, a black vest, a black ribbed button-up polo shirt, a long sleeve black t-shirt I also used as a scarf on the plane, a fun yin-yang style sheer top, and black and white tank tops. If I had to cut, I probably would have been fine cutting about three of the tops.

Outerwear and Accessories

For outerwear, I brought my vintage leather jacket. I brought two hats, a baseball cap and a wide-brimmed cotton hat, but I didn’t end up wearing the bucket hat. For accessories, I brought two bags: my medium Neo Longchamp Le Pliage because it’s the perfect size for a water bottle and sunscreen, zips shut to prevent pickpockets and folds flat into my suitcase. I also brought a little basket weave cross-body bag from Oaxaca. Is it a bit on the nose to bring your one Mexican-made accessory to Mexico, yes, but no regrets.

Footwear and Extras

Footwear-wise, the yellow sneakers were my most worn, especially on long days sightseeing. But I also brought navy leather Mary Janes that are super comfortable. I did bring some plastic Birkenstocks to wear to the pool in the building we were staying at, as well as a bathing suit and a terrycloth mini dress, but we didn’t use the pool. I also packed a PJ set from Organic Basics and a workout set from Allbirds, which is having a sale on apparel right now. To complete my accessories, I packed two pairs of sunglasses in blue and yellow.

What to Do in Mexico City

Where to eat in Mexico City

Obviously, the first one is to eat. Don’t be afraid of street food, nothing I ate in my two weeks made me sick, but I also don’t eat red meat. On the flip side, there are also tons of upscale restaurants are are super reasonably priced once you convert to dollars.

Street food I loved: tacos of course. We chose to do a taco tour in Mexico City to quickly get a list of the best places in town and get introduced to taqueria etiquette by a local. You certainly don’t need to book a tour, but I really enjoyed it. Next, elote which is corn on the cob, or esquines which is the corn but cut and served in a cup. Churros are a must, and I came back twice to the Mercado in Coyacan to have their shrimp tostadas.

As far as upscale restaurants go, there are so many but do make sure you get reservations well in advance, especially with places like Pujol. I slacked on this and they were booked out 2 months in advance, so that’ll be one for next time. I really enjoyed Merotoro and Paramo which also had excellent mezcal and non-alcoholic cocktails.

There are so many cute cafés in Mexico City, I wish I’d visited more: Café Nin was great and worth waiting a little bit for a table. Here’s a list of more to stop in at depending on what neighbourhood you’re in. Also, never miss a chance to stop for agua Fresca in flavours like hibiscus, tamarind, and horchata. Sure, it’s full of sugar, but they are so refreshing and have so many flavours. Stopping for a mid-afternoon paleta, or popsicle is also highly recommended.

Where to shop in Mexico City

I had Loose Blues, a Mexican-Japanese store and café on my list and went straight there and picked up a paper guide to a ton of other local boutiques. Between the design scene in Mexico City and the local artists, there is so much to look at. When it comes to street vendors, be ready to haggle a bit though, don’t take the first price they offer you.

Museums in Mexico City

Start with the Anthropologie museum and give yourself plenty of time. I did this later in my trip and regret that since I would have had so much more context and appreciation to all the things I visited after, including the pyramids in teotihuacan. For art lovers, there are so many museums to visit like the Jumex, and Frida Kahlo museum, which is the case Azul, and her and Diego Rivera’s studio. But also there is so much art just in the streets and government buildings, so keep an eye out everywhere.

Visiting the pyramids at Teotihuacan

You can’t go to Mexico City without taking a bus trip out to Teotihuacan. The shuttles leave the North station regularly and are not expensive. They can be crowded and the buses don’t always have air conditioning, so we made sure to grab drinks and snacks at the station before. You can purchase your return ticket in advance too. The pyramids are so impressive but just be warned there is no shade, so dress accordingly.

The Lucha Libre

I decided on a whim to book tickets to a Lucha Libre wrestling event in Mexico City. You can book an Airbnb experience and go with a fan who will also get you tacos before. But from my research that can cost $100 while tacos are $3 and the Lucha Tickets are like $10. So think carefully if you need a guide. I don’t think you do and it’s much cheaper without one!

Some safety advice for Mexico City; I found Mexico City fairly safe, but locals did give me some tips: don’t go out to the neighbouring small towns, that’s where it gets really dangerous. Also, pickpockets can be a problem, so keep all your bags zipped and close to your body. Only take Ubers, no regular cabs. Plus, Ubers are super cheap once converted into dollars, so it’s not as big of a budget item as when travelling in the US or Canada. You can take the subway, just not too late and beware of theft.