Everything I Did in Mexico City 🇲🇽

In October, I took a solo journey through Mexico City. Here is everything I experienced.

Photo by me. 😄

Getting There and Around

To fly to Mexico City, I flew using AeroMexico into Mexico City International Airport. It's about a ~3.5 to 4-hour flight and during the flight, I was able to see the Northern Lights.

When I arrived in Mexico City, I called an Uber from the airport to my hotel.

For any other activities, I either walked, used Uber, or there was transportation included from my activities.

It was very cheap to use Uber, with the most I spent on one ride being $12 USD.

I will say that although the airport was only 7 miles from my hotel, it took 45 minutes to arrive at my hotel, and this was at 5am. The traffic in Mexico City is like, whatever you think bad traffic in the United States is, but on steroids. Even driving two miles was a struggle sometimes.

Money

When I travel internationally, I always use my Charles Schwab debit card because there are no foreign transaction fees when withdrawing money from an ATM (they also refund any ATM withdrawal fees, international or not) or when using a credit card terminal or processing system.

In the Mexico City airport, there are plenty of ATMs and currency exchanges near the exit. I withdrew about ~$40 USD from an ATM, which is close to 800 MXN (Mexican pesos).

Everywhere except Grutas de Tolantongo and street vendors accepted card as a form of payment, so I don't think you need an excessive amount of cash.

*While I was there, the exchange rate was 20 MXN to $1 USD, so the dollar went far.

Where I Stayed

Although I am a Marriott girlie, I stayed in a property by Hyatt, called Andaz Mexico City. I specifically chose this hotel because it a newer property (built in 2022), and because it is located in one of the best (and safest) neighborhoods in Mexico City: La Condesa.

The staff were amazing and accommodating. They thoroughly explained the amenities and functions of each hotel room, and even brought a welcome gift of macaroons. (They even had doorbells for each hotel room, which I thought was so cool.)

They had a breakfast restaurant that served literally every type of breakfast food possible, a Matcha Cafe that I drunk way too many lattes from, a rooftop restaurant where I had tried "burnt" cheesecake from, and a "Wooftop" Beer Garden.

While I waited to check-in, I decided to go to the spa and get a massage, which was an enjoyable experience.

Overall, I did enjoy my stay here, and when I return to Mexico City, I plan to stay here again.

Photos of the hotel + my one of many lattes.

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Like usual, I used my American Express credit card portal to book this hotel. Certain benefits include things like (but not limited to) free breakfast, a $100 credit to spend at the hotel, and a complimentary room upgrade. Unfortunately, I did not get an upgraded room because I didn't have time to wait for the upgraded room to be ready because I had activities planned. Regardless, the standard hotel room (shown above) is still very nice. 😄

What I Did

Churro-Making Class

Whenever I travel somewhere new, a ritual for me is doing a cooking class of a food

Now when I travel, I make it a priority to do a cooking class focused on (one of) the country's most iconic foods. Mexico made it easy, since churros are one my favorite desserts. ~~(I learned that churros supposedly have origins in China?)~~

We also learned how to make a chocolate sauce and Café de Olla, which is a Mexican coffee made with cinnamon, piloncillo, cloves, and sometimes orange peels, anise, and cloves (depending on the recipe). It was very different from what I expected, but it was very good.

I purchased this class through AirBnb Experiences and I 100% recommend it.

Grutas de Tolantongo

The journey to Grutas de Tolantongo–(a geothermal hot springs)-began early, like, 5am early as Grutas de Tolantongo is about 3ish hours from Mexico City. To get there, you must drive outside of Mexico City to the neighboring state of Hidalgo, where the hot springs are hidden in a valley of the mountains.

To get down, you must go up--and even though the hot springs are in the valley of the mountain, to get there, you still had to drive through and up to the mountains. Before we arrived at Grutas de Tolantongo, we made a stop to take in the view. You won't be able to see them from here, but I promise the springs aren't too far below here.

An hour into our journey, we made a pit stop to eat at a food stand on the side of the highway, and it was there I had the best tamales I've ever had in my life. Most of the tamales that I've ever had in my life were made with shredded meat (in this case, chicken), but these tamales were stuffed with the skin and bone of the chicken, which in my opinion, sets it apart from any other tamale I've ever had--it was very moist and very flavorful.

My tamale, accompanied by café de olla and a quesadilla.

As the journey to Grutas de Tolantongo progressed, we drove through a part of Hidalgo that I was blind to: an Indian reservation. Although I didn't take any photos of the reservation that we drove through, learning about the history and structures of the Indian reservations was interesting and important, as I wasn't aware of the existence of such outside of my American lens.

After about 3.5 hours, we finally arrived to Grutas de Tolantongo.

(And although there are several parts to Grutas de Tolantongo, I'll speak to only three of them.)

Part One

The first part I explored was the thermal pools--(in fact, these "pools" are man-made, but still beautiful nonetheless.) The thermal pools precisely mirrored all Pinterest photos I've ever seen of them, but to be honest, I don't really think the photos will ever really do them any justice.

My pics are blurry because my waterproof case. Oops...

The temperature of the water is warm, and significantly cooler than that of a hot tub.

All of the different angles, but the same beautiful view.

Below and across the bridge, there are several underground passages that transport even more thermal water around the park.

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For all parts of Grutas de Tolantongos, it is mandatory to have water shoes. In addition, it is highly recommended to have a waterproof phone case and a towel (preferably a giant one).

Part Two

The second part of the tour was going into the actual caves, which, required a drive to another side of the hot springs, and included a very lengthy trek up several inclines and stairs.

~~So about these caves...~~

Outside the cave, right before we walked in, and inside, where we also saw bats.

For me, this was the most uncomfortable part of the tour, and I stepped very much so outside of my comfort zone. (~~Actually, I would never do anything like this at home.~~) These caves are comparable to saunas, as they are extremely hot and humid inside, and there is warm river that continuously flows throughout the caves. Although they installed a guide rope on a wall in the cave, safety precautions are imperative because the water was unpredictably a few feet deep in certain areas, and the current from the river was extremely strong ~~(and I literally can't swim LOL, (but I am working on it!))~~. All of this is pretty much done in the dark, with an exception of whatever light you can find peeking out in a crevice of the cave (or, you can be like my tour guide and bring a flashlight).

Despite me playing tug-of-war with anxiety and fascination, I must admit that the most captivating part of Grutas de Tolantongo was learning about the Aztecs' deep connection with the land. My tour guide directed us to parts in the mountains where remnants of Spanish colonization were embedded, ancient watering holes where the Aztecs performed sacrifices, and told us many stories about the ancient gods they revered. It was a fruitful experience.

Part Three

Lastly, we ended the tour with visiting the river that supplies water to the entire hot springs. Much like Iceland's Blue Lagoon, the water of Grutas de Tolantongo receives its color from the salt and minerals that invade the water. This color was most evident in the river compared to other parts of the Grutas. Similarly, you can scoop the mineral paste either from the bottom of the river, or on the surface of any of the rocks and place it on your skin as a mud mask, as the minerals are known for their beneficial properties.

Additionally, the Grutas de Tolantongo has restaurants and vendors where you can purchase food and drinks.

Elote and some Blue Hawaiian alcoholic beverage I had (it was so strong that I couldn't finish it).

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The Grutas de Tolantongo even has three hotels on the direct site, but it is difficult to reserve a hotel room, as you must arrive extremely early, as a hotel room is first come, first serve. To help combat this, there are a plethora of hotels in close proximity to Grutas de Tolantongo. You can even camp on the Grutas de Tolantongo site. If you can't make it to Grutas, there are many other thermal waterparks to choose from in Hidalgo.

For lunch, we left the hot springs and ate at a restaurant that was in the mountains. It was a hole-in-the-wall, family-owned restaurant. They even raise and butcher their own animals. The service and food was amazing.

Chorizo sopes, carnita tacos, beans, Mexican rice, nopales and other vegetables, and a Mexican Coca-Cola (which, in my opinion is the best since it's made with real sugar). The flavor from the carnitas lingered on my tongue for hours, they were just sooo good.

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Like I mentioned previously, this tour began very early. I left my hotel at 5am and I returned to my hotel at 8pm. It is an all-day excursion, but it is worth the entire 15 hours.

I also used AirBnB Experiences to book this tour.

Hot Air Balloon Ride

Like Grutas de Tolantongo, this was another early start, but the experience was made more enjoyable because they provided coffee and breakfast.

Although a hot air balloon ride has always been on my bucket-list, I can't say with certainty that I would do it again because my anxiety and I played tug-of-war (again) the entire time I was in the air. That being said, the ride itself was very smooth, and the operator did a phenomenal job. (They even take a video of your ride for you to keep.)

At some point, I think there were over 100 hot air balloons in the sky.

The breakfast that was provided (chilaquiles, nopales, eggs and beans) + they gave you a flight certificate.

I booked directly through Volare for this experience. Breakfast is included by default but I paid extra for pick-up from my hotel and for extra time to explore the Teotihuacán pyramids.

Teotihuacán Pyramids

Like I previously mentioned, I decided to include the exploration of the Teotihuacán pyramids after the hot air balloon ride experience with Volare.

No one knows who built the pyramids, but it is known that they were constructed over 2,000 years ago and at some point, they were the largest urban centers in the Americas. And although it is not permitted for anyone to climb the pyramids, there are several structures that you are permitted to walk through to view murals and other archeological artifacts. The pyramid site is extensive, so be prepared for a lot of walking.

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Even though you should always wear sunscreen, this is one place where it shouldn't be forgotten, as the UV index is extremely high (and I learned the hard way and got sunburnt all over my face.)

The most notable structures are the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon, where it is believed that sacrifices were performed.

Other Eats...

Quesabirria tacos from a restaurant near the hotel, blue corn tortilla chicken quesadilla from a street vendor, and a triple-dipper from Chili's (yes, I am that person who will eat American food in another country and IDC, LOL--it was also *very* expensive, I paid $24 USD for this triple dipper and a coke.)

You may have to pay to use the bathroom in certain places.
You may also have to pay to use toilet paper, and they will give you a tiny portion, so it's best to always carry your own just in case.
You absolutely should know some Spanish.
Don't drink the tap-water in Mexico.
I didn't need to purchase an eSIM because my phone plan supports Mexico. The service was still strong in the "remote" parts.
There is a large police presence in Mexico City.
I felt 110% safe alone. I did not have any doubts or concerns about my safety. Everyone was very friendly and extremely helpful to me.

There's still so much that I didn't do and would like to do, so this is really just a part one of many until I return to Mexico City.

-C 🩷