North America: Round-the-World Travel Destinations

Budget Scale: 1-5

1-least expensive; 5-most expensive
2– Mexico City can be extremely expensive if you have the budget for it, but the beauty of this city is that it can also be really cheap. If you’re a backpacker used to little creature comforts, it’s not too difficult to get by on $20US/day.

Indie Travel Scale: 1-5

1-not a good Indie Travel destination; 5-a great Indie Travel destination
4– Mexico City is one of the biggest cities in the world and can offer travelers a lot in terms of indie travel. With such a big city, it’s not too difficult to get off the beaten path.
Indie Travel Tips
If you are looking to have a truly indie experience in Mexico City, be sure to follow these tips.

• If you’re young (or young at heart) and into music, then check out the Mercado El Chopo on Saturday nights.
• See the first murals of Diego Rivera in the Secretaria de Educacion Publica. They cover an area of over 17,000 square feet!
• Check out any number of museums as Mexico City has the largest number of museums in the world, just ahead of New York and London.
• The city is full of plazas and parks in the various neighborhoods, so if you are looking to hang out somewhere nice away from the chaos, you’ll have no shortage of places to do it in.
• Check out a mariachi band in the street somewhere. Your trip is not complete without it!

Why you should add Mexico City to your RTW travel list

• Over 12 million people make it the biggest city in the world – welcome
• Home to the ancient Aztecs
• Visit the home of Aztec nobles at Bosque de Chapultepec
• Wander the historic center of Zócalo and the Aztec temple in Templo Mayor
• Also see the Museo Nacional de Arte and the Spanish Catedral Metropolitana
• Forget about the doom and gloom you’ve heard from the media. Mexico City is just as safe as any other huge metropolitan area in the world.
• The street food. YUM! The street food.

Why you should not add Mexico City to your RTW travel list

• It’s huge with tons of people and quite a bit of pollution.
• It can be difficult to get around, especially if you don’t speak Spanish.

Are you heading to Mexico City? What do you need to do?

• Buy an international plane ticket
• Book a Mexico City hostel
• Book a Mexico City hotel
• Talk to travelers on the North America message boards
• Read travel articles on Mexico City

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