Looking for tips on where to stay in Mexico City? Then you’re definitely in the right place because our guide covers all you need to know about the best neighborhoods in Mexico’s capital.
The city’s best hotels, amazing restaurants, famous landmarks, hidden gems and general safety are all explored in detail in this guide. So, read on to see where you should – and shouldn’t – stay in the Mexican capital, as well as what there is to do in each of the city’s best Colonias!
Colonia San Rafael is within the Cuauhtémoc borough in Mexico City. It is west of the city’s historic center, so it’s a pretty good place to stay if you want to be close to all of the most popular tourist attractions in Mexico’s capital.
This Mexico City neighborhood is best known for the 19th-century mansions, countless stores, and the many Art Deco apartment buildings. Once upon a time, this Colonia was commonly referred to as the “Broadway of Mexico”, thanks to the abundance of theatres that used to be here.
Some of the 10th-century theaters are still open and hosting performances, making San Rafael a good option for all tourists who enjoy going to theatres. Also, this neighborhood is home to quite a few art galleries, as well as quite a few traditional Mexican restaurants that are adored by the locals.
San Rafael is a pretty safe neighborhood, which makes it a decent option for foreigners. It’s not the most exciting part of Mexico City in terms of landmarks and attractions, but it’s not the worst either. The hotels in Colonia San Rafael are generally very affordable, making this neighborhood great for travelers who are looking for budget accommodation.
Colonia Condesa is one of the safest neighborhoods in Mexico City, so you should definitely consider staying here. It’s best-known for the splendid Art Deco architecture, with some 275 Art Deco buildings in the span of a few square miles.
With stately mansions, tree-lined avenues, and stunning Art Deco apartment buildings, Colonia Condesa has quite a European feel. It’s also home to quite a few boutiques, great restaurants, and the stunning Parque Espana.
Additionally, Condesa is considered one of the best parts of Mexico City for going out, thanks to the plethora of awesome bars and nightclubs. Whether you’re looking to try a craft beer or dance the night away, you’ll have plenty of locales to choose from in this vibrant district.
It’s worth noting that this beautiful neighborhood borders Roma Norte in the northeast and Chapultepec Park in the northwest. Its proximity to Mexico City’s best tourist attractions is another reason to find a place to stay in this incredibly charming neighborhood.
The Chapultepec park features some of the most popular museums in Mexico City, so it’s definitely worth visiting. The National Anthropology Museum is here, as are Mexico’s Natural History Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Los Pinos cultural center.
La Condesa is also popular for upscale and mid-range hotels, so it’s a great place to stay if you’re looking for quality accommodation. There aren’t that many cheap hotels here – most are mid-range establishments, so they’re perfect for travelers with a more generous budget.
Colonia Santa Maria la Ribera is just north of San Rafael. It was originally created for the more affluent Mexicans, who wanted to live outside of the proper city limits. The neighborhood peaked between 1910 and 1930, but soon after that, the wealthy citizens started to move out of Santa Maria la Ribera, and they were replaced by much poorer people.
Today, this interesting Colonia is a mix of economic housing, abandoned buildings, and old mansions. It’s an interesting neighborhood, to say the least, and it’s a good place to stay if you’re looking for more affordable hotels in Mexico City.
Alameda de Santa María is the most popular tourist attraction in this Colonia. The Moorish-style kiosk was originally built for the 1884 World Fair, and it’s pretty impressive how well preserved it still is. Today, this is a popular meeting place in the neighborhood, surrounded by cafes, restaurants, and shops.
Coyoacán is a large municipality in southern Mexico City. The former village is considered very safe, and it’s in one of the more quiet parts of the city. If you want to stay in an area of Mexico City where it’s easy to avoid huge crowds of tourists, consider staying somewhere in Coyoacán.
This huge municipality features several smaller Colonias, and Centro de Coyoacán is generally the best option for tourists. It’s in the northern part of the municipality, close to the Frida Kahlo Museum (Blue House) and the Hidalgo Coyoacán Garden.
With beautiful parks, landmarks, excellent street food stalls, and all sorts of craft markets, Centro de Coyoacán remains one of the most popular tourist attractions in Mexico City, which attracts visitors from all corners of the capital.
The hotels in this part of the city are generally affordable, and they’re a decent option for budget travelers. However, it’s worth noting that Coyoacán is quite far from the city’s center and the metro lines only go as far as the university.
There aren’t any subway stations in the eastern part of the district, and if you decide to stay here, you’ll need to rely on buses to get to other parts of Mexico. Although there are quite a few bus stops in Coyoacán, the bus isn’t the fastest or the most reliable mode of transport for getting around Mexico City.
Santa Fe is the most modern district in Mexico City and a great place to stay if you’re looking for upscale accommodation. It’s located in southwest Mexico City, and it’s quite far from the historic center.
Santa Fe is home to tall skyscrapers, private schools, and one of the largest shopping malls in Latin America. It’s one of the safest city districts, as well as one of the best neighborhoods to stay in Mexico City if you’re primarily worried about your safety. Violent crime rates are some of the lowest in Mexico, but they’re not non-existent.
The Santa Fe district is Mexico City’s business district, and as such, it is most popular with business travelers. There aren’t that many tourist attractions in the neighborhood, but you will find a plethora of luxury hotels, posh apartments, modern buildings, and upscale restaurants in the city’s business center.
You’ll also find two amazing malls in this neighborhood – Centro Santa Fe and Garden Santa Fe. The former is one of the largest malls in the country, with more than 400 retail shops, as well as a plethora of restaurants.
The latter is a spectacularly modern sunken shopping mall, famous for its unique architecture. Garden Santa Fe also features a beautiful park, and there are countless retail stores and chain restaurants inside this modern mall.
These two malls are also home to Mexico City’s few designer boutiques, and you’ll need to pay them a visit if you want to do some luxury shopping.
La Roma is a district west of the historic center in Mexico City, and it’s one of the more popular neighborhoods among young adults. Roma is particularly popular with hipsters, and its culinary cuisine can be rivaled only by Polanco’s. It’s home to some of the best street art and street food in Mexico City, and exploring this vibrant district is truly a wonderful experience.
Colonia Roma used to be one large neighborhood where the upper class lived, but that’s no longer the case. Today, it’s divided into two smaller neighborhoods – Roma Norte and Roma Sur, which are split by Coahuila street. Roma Norte is more popular with tourists, so it’s best to stay there if you want to explore the hipster scene in Mexico City.
Also, Roma Norte is closer to Condesa and Juárez/Zona Rosa, so it’s generally the better option for exploring more of Mexico City. Mercado Roma is one of the most popular attractions in this barrio – the gourmet food market is one of the key reasons why this neighborhood boasts one of the best culinary scenes in the entire city.
The Roma neighborhood is home to (too) many restaurants and cafes, most of which are situated inside Art Noveau and Neo-Classical buildings that date back to the 20th-century. In 2011, Roma was declared to be the city’s Barrio Magico, but that was only to attract tourists to this formerly residential neighborhood.
Juárez is a neighborhood in Mexico situated south of Paseo de la Reforma avenue. It is home to Mexico City’s Zona Rosa – Pink Zone – which is one of the best bohemian parts of this bast city. Zona Rosa is known as the city’s gay-friendly neighborhood, and it’s where you’ll find the best gay bars in the city.
Zone Rosa attracts all sorts of people, and it’s very friendly for tourists, artists, and the LGBTQ+ community. The recent influx of Korean immigrants in this bohemian neighborhood has significantly influenced the culture of the area, but only in the best ways possible.
Juárez and Zona Rosa are known for excellent restaurants, coffee shops, and some of the best nightclubs in Mexico City. Out of all Mexico City’s neighborhoods, this is by far the best one if you’re looking to get a sense of what nightlife is like in Mexico’s capital.
Juárez is also known for upscale accommodation options, in addition to gourmet dining, bars, and architecture. The popular district is also home to quite a few office buildings, the city’s best boutique hotels, and La Mercado de Artesanías – the best traditional Mexican market for souvenir shopping.
Polanco is an upscale neighborhood in Mexico City, popular for luxury shopping opportunities, countless cultural institutions, and beautiful modern architecture. This is the posh part of the city, with high-net-worth residents, upscale restaurants, and some of the priciest hotels in the city.
Polanco is commonly known as the Beverly Hills of Mexico City, and it’s the best neighborhood for travelers who are looking to experience the more luxurious side of the state’s capital.
One of the most popular tourist attractions in Polanco is the Soumaya Museum, best-known for its modern exterior. It houses a pretty extensive art collection, and it’s a must for all art lovers who are traveling through Mexico City.
Other notable landmarks in Polanco are St. Augustine Parish, Museo Jumex, and the Inbursa aquarium. It’s not exactly famous for its abundance of tourist attractions, but the affluent locals prefer it that way.
Polanco is also one of the safest areas in Mexico City, so it’s a great place for foreigners. The hotels here are pricier than those in the city center, but there’s also a plethora of affordable hostels, motels, and private apartments.
What Polanco is lacking the most is easy access to public transportation. Only one metro line passes through this neighborhood, and it won’t get you anywhere near the city center. But then again, it’s not like the people who live (and stay for short-term periods) in Polanco ride the metro or the bus anyway.
Centro Historico is perhaps the most popular neighborhood with travelers in Mexico. It’s the city’s historic center, with countless landmarks, historic buildings, and museums that are worth checking out.
Also, El Centro is very well connected to other neighborhoods in the city with public transport, making it a great base for exploring the entire city.
The historic neighborhood is centered around the vast Zocalo square. Many pedestrian-only streets stretch out from the neighborhood’s main square, and they’re all lined with historic landmarks, fascinating museums, and art galleries.
Templo Mayor Museum, the Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral, the National Museum of Art, and the Alameda Central are just a few of the most popular tourist attractions in Mexico City’s Centro Historico.
Staying in this district means you’ll always be within walking distance of the city’s most popular attractions, landmarks, and museums. This is also where you’ll find some of the best luxury hotels in Mexico City, most notably the Ritz, the Hilton, Hampton Inn, and many others.
However, it’s worth noting that this neighborhood isn’t perfectly safe for tourists. Because of the high concentration of foreigners, the city’s historic center is notorious for petty theft and pickpocketing. Instances of violent crime are rare here, and avoiding pickpockets is easy enough if you take all the necessary precautions.
Colonia Cuauhtémoc is one of the best neighborhoods in Mexico for tourists. It’s very close to El Centro, it’s full of interesting attractions and landmarks, and it’s where most foreign embassies in Mexico City are located.
Bordering the busy Paseo de la Reforma Avenue, this vibrant district has become increasingly popular with both tourists and locals over the years. It’s home to some of the best restaurants in Mexico City, but also quite a few upscale and boutique hotels.
The tree-lined streets of Cuauhtémoc are incredibly charming, and quite a few of them offer a good look at the famous Angel of Independence monument. The famous Avenida Paseo de la Reforma stretches all the way to Chapultepec park, which is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Mexico City.
The vast park is home to Mexico’s Anthropology Museum, the Chapultepec Castle, the National History Museum, stunning gardens, many art galleries, and a vast zoo. The park also features coffee shops, restaurants, and stores, and exploring the entire grounds would take you a few days.
It’s important to distinguish between Colonia Cuauhtémoc and the Cuauhtémoc Municipality. The former is the neighborhood north of the Mexican Independence monument, but the latter is a large municipality that encompasses the entire heart of Mexico City, bordering Alamos in the south and Vallejo in the north.
Staying in Mexico for a short time and want to be close to the airport? You can still explore the city’s best sights since Mexico City’s international airport is surprisingly close to the city center. In any case, here are some of the best hotels that are near Mexico City International Airport.
Courtyard by Marriott Mexico City Airport is the obvious choice for business and luxury travelers who want to stay only in upscale hotels. It’s just like any other Marriot hotel in the world – the only difference is that this one is much cheaper than what you might be used to.
Hotel NH Collection Mexico City Airport T2 is located at Terminal 2 of the airport, and it’s the best place to stay if you have a layover. It’s a five-star hotel with all the services you normally expect from upscale hotels.
Zaragoza Inn is a boutique hotel/motel close to the city’s main airport. The rooms are beautifully decorated and modern, the service is excellent, and the location is in close proximity to the airport, metro, and the 150D Federal highway.
The best apartments in Mexico City are those that have the most positive reviews on platforms like Booking.com and Airbnb. The higher the number of positive reviews, the more likely it is you will get a good night’s sleep in that specific apartment.
You’ll find them in the most popular tourist neighborhoods, and they’re usually quite affordable. I urge you to stay away from “budget accommodation” – hotels and apartments in Mexico City are very affordable, and if something is dirt cheap, there’s usually a really good reason.
Roma, La Condesa, Polanco, and El Centro should be at the top of your list if you’d rather stay in a private apartment than in a hotel.
Mexico City is one of the places in Mexico that is generally safe for tourists, but there are certain neighborhoods that you should avoid for safety reasons. The neighborhoods listed below can be particularly dangerous for female solo travelers, especially after dark.
It’s worth noting that you can take certain precautions and stay safe even while you’re exploring the more dangerous parts of the city. Leave all your valuables at home, wear inconspicuous clothing, and stick to the well-lit streets. Also, no matter how much you blend in, it’s best not to linger in these neighborhoods in the evening.
Tepito is a barrio in Mexico City, dominated by a large, open-air market. The Tepito market is known as the city’s black market, and it doesn’t have a great reputation. While it is true that you can get some really good deals here, most of the goods being sold in Tepito are either stolen or Chinese knock-offs of popular brands.
Even locals steer clear of the Tepito market, and you’d be wise to do the same thing. Foreigners are easy targets for pickpockets and muggers, not to mention the fact that vendors will hike up their prices and try their best to rip you off.
If you can’t resist checking out the cheap goods at Tepito market, try to blend in with the locals as much as possible. Leave all your valuables at home, don’t wear designer clothes, and keep your cash in an anti-theft wallet, either in your jacket’s inner pockets or underneath your shirt. If you notice that people start to whistle when you pass by them, get out of there ASAP because you’ve been marked.
Iztapalapa is the largest borough in Mexico City. With some two million residents, it’s bigger than some cities in the country. However, it’s also one of the most dangerous boroughs in the capital, with the highest rates of violent crime, rape, and domestic violence. It’s not a safe neighborhood for women, and it would be safest to just avoid the entire district.
It’s worth noting that, over the past few years, things have improved quite a bit. Iztapalapa is home to Mexico’s best-lit street, but only because the local government hoped this would help put an end to women being raped and murdered here. It did – the numbers dropped by about 50%, but violence remains a major issue in the neighborhood.
I don’t like generalizing, so I feel it’s important to clarify that only certain parts of this borough are considered dangerous. Also, a lot of money has been invested in reducing crime rates in Iztapalapa, and the situation is getting better over the years.
You can visit the district to see the folk art and murals, as well as other popular tourist attractions, and if you visit during the day and act like you belong, chances are you will be perfectly fine.
Colonia Doctores is best-known for the Arena Mexico and its Lucha Libre wrestlers. It’s also home to a few interesting museums, the most notable of which is Mexico’s Toy Museum. Unfortunately, this is one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Mexico, so you should definitely avoid staying here.
Most people who choose to stay in this district do so because of the incredibly cheap hotel and apartment prices. But they also regret it rather quickly, since accommodation options are usually dirt cheap for a very good reason.
It’s worth noting that Colonia Doctores does get its fair share of tourists, so it’s not entirely unsafe for visitors. The largest instances of crime are related to car theft, and things have begun to improve over the years. That being said, you have absolutely no business being here after dark, that is if you want to stay safe and alive in Mexico City.
Anna is the co-owner of expert world travel and can't wait to share her travel experience with the world. With over 54 countries under her belt she has a lot to write about! Including those insane encounters with black bears in Canada.