Get to Know Mexico City With Tours

Mexico City can be intimidating to a first-time visitor, due to the sheer size of it. As the largest city (and capital) of Mexico, there are so many things to see and do, it would take months to fit it all in. Never fear – that’s what tours are for!

If you’re pressed for time and are looking to delve a bit deeper into D.F., or the federal district as the locals call it, taking a tour is a great way to see some of the sights, get to know local market’s, culture and other points of interest.

Here are our recommendations for some of the best tours in Mexico City:

• Grey Line: Guadalupe Shrine & Teotihuacan Pyramids: This all-day tour starts at the plaza of 3 cultures, then heads to the shrine of the Virgen de Guadalupe (the second most visited church in the world), and ends at the Teotihuacan pyramids. My guide was bilingual and extremely knowledgable about the history of each of these places, and gave explanations in both English and Spanish. Transportation is included to all stops along the way, and the tour picks you up and drops you off at your hotel or hostel. It’s low-stress, enjoyable, and a great way to visit three major sites that are otherwise difficult to see in one day on your own. Teotihuacan is about an hour outside the city, and will definitely be on your list of things to do. The Grey Line tour company offers multiple tours throughout Mexico City, Puebla, Cuernavaca and other places close to the country’s capital. Be sure to bring a hat, sunscreen, camera and water for the tour mentioned above.

Cost

: $56 USD for the Guadalupe Shrine and Teotihuacan Pyramids tour.

• Journeys Beyond the Surface: We can’t say enough about Mojdeh and how awesome she is. As a tour guide, Mojdeh can plan personalized tours around Mexico City, and give you the real scoop on what to know and how to travel safely throughout D.F. U.S. born Mojdeh has been living and working in Mexico City for almost 20 years, knows it inside and out, and is a girl that goes! Originally, she came to Mexico City to study and work for a year, and loved it so much that she never left. She’ll full of knowledge and practical information about the city, can show you how to navigate the subway system, give you tips on where to eat cheap, what to know about buses and cab safety, what to see and how to get there. She’ll also take you if you want. In short, she’s your one-stop shop for anything and everything you need to know about D.F. What you experience on a tour with Mojdeh is completely up to you – you can take a walking tour, get to know some non-profit organizations, visit museums or get connected with communities you’d never otherwise visit. Plus she’s a pleasure to be around.

Cost

: Varies based on personalized tour. For more information you can read her

69 amazing reviews

on TripAdvisor  about her, or visit her website,

Travel Mexico City

.

• Eat Mexico Local Market Tour: Eat Mexico offers small tours of local markets and bilingual cooking classes that are a great way to get to know some local eats. I took the Mexico City Market Tour (4 hours) and my guide Janneth was full of energy and eager to chat about anything I was interested in: recipes, history, street vendors, market etiquitte and why she’s so passionate about food. During this tour, we ate snacks from street vendors – tamales, quesadillas, tacos, visited a few local markets, sampled specialty cheeses and wine, espresso and mole, learned how masa is made and turned into tortillas and stopped in at a bar to taste some pre-Hispanic drinks. We highly recommend this tour to visitors who want to know more about local cuisine and are interested in seeing less touristy areas of Mexico City. Bring your appetite! There are also options for vegetarians and those with restrictive diets.

Cost

: $85 to $170 depending on size of the tour and how far in advance you book. Check out their website,

EatMexico.com

for more information.

• Mexico Soul & Essence- Cultural Culinary Tours: For those who are serious about cooking, or would like to delve more in-depth into Mexican cuisine, cooking classes with Chef Ruth Alegria are a sure bet. The class will likely begin with a market tour, followed by a personalized, hands-on (or off, depending on what you prefer) cooking class that will show you the ins and outs of Mexican cooking, and then the best part – eating your creation. She will teach you whatever you want to learn, and never tires of questions. Ruth is an expert in Mexican cuisine, having owned her own Mexican restaurant in the states, and is extremely knowledgable about the history of markets, pre-Hispanic dishes, where to get the best ingredients and how to prepare simple and delicious food. On our tour, I tasted what I consider to be some of the best Oaxacan mole the city has to offer, squash blossom quesadillas, pre-Hispanic coffee, the delicacy that is huitlacoche (the Mexican truffle) and chicharron – fresh pork skin fried to perfection. Yum!
  

Cost: Depends on which tour you select & how you personalize it. Find out more at Mexico Soul and Essence.