18 Best Mexico City Landmarks To Visit

Planning to go to Mexico City and looking for the best landmarks to visit? Look no further! Mexico City, the country’s bustling capital, is a metropolis that seamlessly ties the past and present together, producing an array of history, culture, and architectural marvels.

We’ll take you on a tour of some of the most known landmarks in the city that define its identity.

18 Best Mexico City Landmarks

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1. Palacio de Bellas Artes

Location: Av. Juárez S/N, Centro Histórico de la Cdad, Mexico

The Palacio de Bellas Artes was begun in 1904 by Italian Adamo Boari, but development was interrupted both prior to and throughout the Mexican Revolution.

The remarkable architecture is one of the greatest impressive and awe-inspiring aspects of the Palacio de Bellas Artes; yet, it is a fusion of numerous turn-of-the-century architectural trends, including the styles of art deco, neoclassical, as well as art nouveau.

2. Metropolitan Cathedral

Location: P.za de la Constitución S/N, Mexico

The Metropolitan Cathedral is without a doubt one of the most important landmarks in Mexico City’s cultural center. Apart from its religious significance, it depicts the five centuries of Mexican architecture and art.

The building and decorations incorporate a variety of styles, including Baroque and Renaissance. The overall effect is expansive but harmonized.

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3. The House of Tiles

Location: Av Francisco I. Madero 4, Mexico

The House of Tiles, also known as La Casa de los Azulejos, is one of several architectural and design jewels in Mexico City’s historic district.

The ceremonial launching of the House of Tiles in 1920 was judged a huge success not just by common people, who were the Sanborns’ major client target, but also by Mexico City notables.

The food is decent and reasonably priced, but the actual star of the show is the structure itself, which has the most impressive entrance you’ve ever encountered. The upper balcony is a great place to eat while taking in the ambiance and grandeur of the home.

4. Ninos Heroes Monument

Location: Miguel Hidalgo, Mexico City

A majestic monument honoring six brave Mexican teenage military cadets stands majestically at the entrance to Chapultepec Park. These brave young men were killed defending Mexico as the US army besieged the Chapultepec fortress in Mexico City.

As you approach the memorial, you will be welcomed by a beautiful sculpture depicting a mother holding her dying child in her arms, signifying the cadets’ tremendous sorrow and sacrifice.

Six pillars form a lovely semicircle around the sculpture, each representing one of the six courageous individuals.

5. Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Location: Fray Juan de Zumárraga No. 2, Mexico

The Basilica of Guadalupe exists as a Catholic shrine dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe located on Tepeyac Hill. This renowned pilgrimage site is among the globe’s most visited cathedrals and a must-see on any visit to Mexico City.

The architecture of the Basilica de Guadalupe was influenced by other 17th-century cathedrals in Mexico.

When the basilica was finished, some tourists remarked on its design, comparing it to a circus tent. If you want to escape crowds, visit the basilica on a weekday around non-holiday hours.

6. National Anthropology Museum

Location: Av. P.º de la Reforma s/n, Polanco, Mexico

The items kept in Mexico’s National Museum of Anthropology date back to pre-Columbian times. The collection includes all civilizations that were formerly significant in Mexico’s present region.

The permanent collection of the museum is split into 23 rooms with an emphasis on Mexico’s pre-Columbian past. It also offers temporary exhibitions, which frequently focus on a single civilization or feature of Mexican traditions.

Aside from the enormous inside rooms, the museum has ample outdoor areas with seats and calm water features.

Check the tour here.

7. Floating Gardens of Xochimilco

Location: Laguna del Toro, San Juan, Xochimilco, 16038 Mexico City

Although Xochimilco was declared an official region of Mexico City in 1928, it had existed as an independent city from pre-Hispanic times. The canals that define the region are the only remnants of a lake that formerly covered most of the area.

Portions of the lake were filled in by the Aztecs, providing canals for navigation. Throughout early colonization, the lake proceeded to diminish until just the canals of Xochimilco existed as they are now.

The floating gardens of Xochimilco are a delightful day excursion from Mexico City.
Xochimilco is a Mexico City neighborhood with a small-town atmosphere. This is because it was formerly a small town.

Check the tour here.

8. The Angel of Independence

Location: Av. P.º de la Reforma, Juárez, Mexico

The Angel of Independence is a symbol of both celebration and opposition. This majestic monument graces Mexico City’s Paseo Reforma circle, commemorating the one-hundredth anniversary of Mexican independence and honoring its warriors.

The 36-meter-tall column, made of steel and mined stone, features intricate designs of garlands and rings. These engravings also feature the names of important figures in Mexico’s independence movement.

Tours of the Angel usually only comprise a stroll around the base of the statue along with its mini-museum; nevertheless, with prior notice and a special permit, parties may climb the statue’s interior staircase and climb all the way to the peak for a view over the city below.

9. Templo Mayor

Location: Seminario 8, Centro Histórico de la Cdad. de México, Mexico

The Templo Mayor, located in the middle of Mexico City, was formerly the grand temple of Tenochtitlan.

It was found by chance in the 1970s, and while being one of the most significant archaeological sites in Latin America, a lot of travelers overlook it simply because they are unaware of its existence.

Visitors may stroll right up to the ruins and see pieces of the old temple from the sidewalk, but those interested in Aztec culture should go to the Templo Mayor Museum, which has eight display halls that tell the past of the archaeological site.

Check the tour here.

10. National Palace

Location: P.za de la Constitución S/N, Mexico

The National Palace of Mexico City, also known as the Palacio National, is a historic structure in the middle of Mexico City’s Zocalo, or major public plaza.

At the beginning of the sixteenth century, Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes commanded the creation of the National Palace as his official place of residence. This vast edifice subsequently became the Mexican government’s presidential residence.

To see the Mexico City National Palace, you must take a guided tour. Previously, you could go in without a tour, but that is no longer the case.

11. Alameda Central Park

 

Location: Av. Hidalgo s/n, Centro Histórico de la Cdad. de México, Mexico

Alameda Central Park is a well-known and historic public park with concrete walks and a variety of public artworks to admire. The walking trail layout is perfectly symmetrical, making it simple to keep track of where you are within the park’s vast area.

Around the park, fountains and statues give character and historical significance to the park’s already stunning architecture. Most visitors stay around an hour or two here, but if you prefer resting outside on a nice day, you might easily extend your visit into an afternoon experience.

12. Frida Kahlo Museum

Location: Londres 247, Del Carmen, CDMX, Mexico

Following her death, her husband, renowned Mexican artist, and muralist Diego Riviera, began redesigning Frida’s childhood house in order to memorialize her life and creativity. The museum first opened to the public in 1958.

Museo Frida Kahlo has grown in popularity over the years, and if you go now, you will almost certainly encounter incredibly long queues outside the museum to purchase tickets. To avoid these lineups, you could just purchase your tickets online.

The trip focuses on Frida Kahlo’s life and work, as well as the culture and cuisine of her time. Learn more about Frida Kahlo’s world and the influence her medical issues had on her paintings.

Check the tour here.

13. Torre Latinoamericana

Location: Eje Central Lázaro Cárdenas 2, Mexico

The Torre Latinoamericana, formerly the tallest structure in Latin America, was completed in 1956 and is still a key icon of downtown Mexico City, as well as being extremely earthquake resistant.

Visitors may enjoy breathtaking views from the 44th-floor viewing deck, drink beverages at the 41st-floor bar, and explore the two on-site museums.

14. Chapultepec Castle

Location: Bosque de Chapultepec I Secc, Mexico City

Ceramics and items associated with holy funerals have been discovered during archeological excavation in the surrounding region. Many of the Aztec monarchs were buried atop this hill.

Many various depictions of grasshoppers may be seen throughout the castle, paying homage to the fortress’s Aztec name. This mountaintop was revered during the Aztec period.

You’ll cross a big pond cut into the slope of the hilltop as you travel up the hill towards the castle. This is to memorialize the springs that previously surrounded Chapultepec Castle. Moctezuma was supposed to have fished in these springs.

Check the tour here.

15. Monumento a la Revolución

Location: Pl. de la República s/n, Tabacalera, Mexico

The Revolution Monument aka Monumento a la Revolución, commonly referred to as the Arch of the Revolution, is a landmark in Mexico City. The Monument’s construction started in 1932 and required six years to finish. Carlos Obregón Santacilia, the architect, used Art Deco along with Mexican socially realistic styles to create it.

It is situated on Plaza de la Republica, near downtown Reforma and Insurgentes, and has been for years a popular tourist destination and a historical must-see in the capital.

The Revolution Monument is an excellent site to take in the city’s atmosphere while also getting up close and personal with Oliverio Martnez’s amazing man and female sculptures wielding sickles and swords of justice.

16. Chapultepec Park

Location: Miguel Hidalgo, Mexico City

Chapultepec Park is built around Chapultepec Hill, the city’s holy center. The hill was dubbed “Chapultepec” by the Toltecs about the 12th century.

Historians differ on whether the name originated from the abundance of grasshoppers that resided in the region or from the form of the hill resembling the silhouette of a grasshopper.

You need to get there early in the morning not just to allow yourself plenty of time to explore, but also to escape the crowds that peak in the afternoon, as there are no eateries within the park.

Check the tour here.

17. Arena México

 

Location: Dr. Lavista 189, Doctores, Mexico

The sole reason to go to Arena México is to see lucha libre. Wrestlers in lucha libre dress in colorful masks and perform acrobatic skills in a theatrical way, and it is an essential aspect of Mexican culture.

This arena was constructed in 1956 and seats approximately 16,500 people. It is well-known for its remarkable architecture, which includes a vividly colored façade and a peculiar circular form.

Register for one of the numerous guided tours that offer an inside look at the international scene of Mexican wrestling, featuring visits to the locker rooms and the opportunity to encounter some of the wrestlers – making it one of the top things to do in Mexico City.

18. Museo Soumaya

Location: Blvd. Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Mexico

This personal art museum, operated and owned by telephone magnate Carlos Slim, is well renowned for its modern, inventive design at the Plaza Carso site in Nuevo Polanco. Slim’s deceased wife, Soumaya, who died in 1999, inspired the museum’s name.

The unusual design of Plaza Carso’s Soumaya Museum structure is a noteworthy landmark in and of itself. This six-story structure is coated with hexagonal aluminum tiles, a contemporary spin on the city’s classic colonial ceramic-tiled building façade. T

Their reflecting nature changes the look of the structure depending on the conditions, the time of day, and the viewer’s perspective position.

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