Are you planning a trip to Mexico City? Great, it’s one of the coolest places in the country! But first things first, you need to find a place to stay. Which neighborhoods of Mexico City are the best? Well, the city is huge, so choosing the perfect location might be intimidating. You might also ask if Mexico City is safe. Well, some parts are safe. Some are not. Find out more in this article!
We’re not locals nor experts, but we have a pretty useful map from a local. We got this map from Filip’s tattoo artist and it shows the dangerous areas in Mexico City. Of course, it’s not 100% reliable, but it worked great for us and I’d love to share it with you as well. But you know, always be conscious anyway!
Of course, the city is evolving and some zones might be getting better, some worse. You might be okay in some of the ”bad areas” and be mugged in the good ones. Just try to skip the more dangerous parts, don’t walk alone at night, and listen to your gut.
Once, I accidentally walked through Doctores. It was before we got this map and during the day. I realized something is off, so I didn’t listen to music, nor was I waving my phone around, and was very attentive. Nothing happened, but I wouldn’t go there again.
As you can see on the map, there are MANY neighborhoods in Mexico City. I’m not going to go through all of them, but I’ll share my opinion about the popular ones, like the downtown, Roma, Condesa etc.
This area is great if you only have a couple of nights in Mexico City and want to explore mostly the historical center. The downside is that all the good restaurants and bars are far away.
We stayed in Selina CDMX, which is located on the edge of downtown. It isn’t the nicest area, to be honest. But it was on the subway, so getting to Roma or Condesa was easy and morning runs in the city center were nice as well.
Roma is a beautiful hip district of Mexico City. If we hadn’t already paid for the colive package in Selina, we would definitely have stayed in Roma. It’s got a really nice vibe, the architecture is gorgeous and there are parks and trees everywhere.
There are actually two parts – Roma Norte and Roma Sur. Both are safe, but Roma Norte is a bit trendier and filled with all the good restaurants, bakeries, specialty coffee cafés, and independent stores.
Tip: You’ll get the idea about how the neighborhood looks from the Oscar movie Roma by Alfonso Cuarón.
Condesa is another popular neighborhood in Mexico City. It’s also lovely, but a little posh for my taste. There are many nice restaurants in the area though and it’s on the edge of Chapultepec Park.
Coyoacán is a charming local neighborhood of Mexico City. You’ll probably visit it if you’re a fan of Frida Kahlo since it’s where you’ll find Casa Azul.
There are still some restaurants, shops, and markets, but it’s not as lively as Condesa or Roma. I think it would be a nice option for families.
This might not be a popular opinion, but I think, Polanco is not the place to stay in CDMX. It’s sort of an exclusive neighborhood. This means a lot of fancy-pansy restaurants, no public transportation, and high prices. It’s just not our vibe.
I hope this will help you to choose the right neighborhood for yourself. Everybody had different expectations, so you might be absolutely thrilled with those parts I didn’t enjoy and vice-versa. Pick the right one and enjoy your stay. And don’t forget to check out the best activities in Mexico City you can’t miss!