5 Days in Mexico City: First-Timer Plan
Five days is the version that stops rationing. Days 1 through 4 run the same Historic Centre, Chapultepec, Coyoacan-Xochimilco, and Roma/Condesa core as the 4 day itinerary ; day 5 adds Polanco’s free museums and a real shot at catching lucha libre. Coming from the 3 day itinerary and want even more? The 6 day itinerary adds a second Historic Centre day on top of this.
Book these before you go:
- Casa Azul timed entry via GetYourGuide - mandatory online ticket, no walk-up window exists, book 2-4 weeks out
- Xochimilco trajinera tour via Viator - skips negotiating a boat rental at the embarcadero yourself
- Roma Norte or Condesa hotel on Booking.com - book before Day of the Dead season eats availability
- Lucha libre night via GetYourGuide - a seat plus pickup beats fighting Ticketmaster.mx’s Spanish-only checkout cold
Day 1: The Historic Centre
Morning: The Zocalo and the Metropolitan Cathedral, both free, then Templo Mayor’s excavated site and museum for around 100 MXN ($6).
Afternoon: Lunch at a Mercado San Juan fonda (80-150 MXN comida corrida), then Palacio de Bellas Artes if it’s not Monday: 75 MXN ($4), in-person purchase only, sales cut off at 5:30pm.
Evening: Dinner in Roma Norte or Condesa. Street tacos al pastor run 12-25 MXN if you’d rather graze than sit down.
Day 2: Chapultepec
Morning: Museo Nacional de Antropologia first, before the tour buses. It’s 210 MXN ($12), walk-up only, no advance ticket needed, and it earns the half day you’re giving it. Current hours are posted at mna.inah.gob.mx .
Afternoon: Chapultepec Castle, same 210 MXN price since January’s INAH increase, for the views and the Diego Rivera murals inside the National History Museum. See inah.gob.mx for current pricing.
Evening: Dinner in Polanco or back in Roma, your call.
Day 3: Coyoacan and Xochimilco
Morning: Coyoacan first. Walk the plaza and Mercado Coyoacan before your timed Casa Azul entry; the museum is 320 MXN ($18) and includes the Museo Anahuacalli nearby. Book only at boletos.museofridakahlo.org.mx ; there is no walk-up window, and the online checkout adds a small service fee on top of the 320 MXN ticket.
Afternoon: Uber to Xochimilco, roughly 30-40 minutes from Coyoacan. Contract a trajinera at an official embarcadero only, 750 MXN ($43) per boat per hour split across your group, capacity around 18.
Evening: Dinner back near your hotel, Roma or Condesa.
Day 4: Roma Norte and Condesa
Morning: Walk Roma Norte’s Art Nouveau streets starting at Plaza Rio de Janeiro, then cross into Condesa’s Art Deco blocks around Parque Mexico and Parque Espana. Both parks are free.
Afternoon: Lunch at a Mercado Roma fonda, another 80-150 MXN comida corrida, then browse the boutiques and galleries along Alvaro Obregon and Amsterdam.
Evening: A mezcal flight at La Clandestina before dinner nearby; a bar pour runs 80-150 MXN.
Day 5: Polanco and Zona Rosa
Morning: Museo Soumaya, free every day of the week, for the Rodin collection and the building itself; Museo Jumex sits right across the plaza if you want a second free stop.
Afternoon: Wander Polanco’s upscale shopping strip on Avenida Presidente Masaryk, then head to Zona Rosa for its dense Korean food enclave near Roma and Reforma. Use metro.cdmx.gob.mx to check Line 1 stops if you’d rather take the subway than an Uber between the two.
Evening: If it’s a Tuesday, Friday or Sunday, swap dinner for lucha libre at Arena Mexico instead; this is your last real shot at a show on this itinerary, so take it if the dates line up.
| Day | Focus | Don’t miss |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Historic Centre | Templo Mayor’s excavated temple site |
| 2 | Chapultepec | The Anthropology Museum, half a day minimum |
| 3 | Coyoacan + Xochimilco | The 750 MXN per-boat trajinera rate, not per person |
| 4 | Roma Norte + Condesa | A mezcal flight at La Clandestina |
| 5 | Polanco + Zona Rosa | Museo Soumaya, free every day |
Is five days enough to see Mexico City without rushing?
Yes, for a first trip. Five days covers the full Historic Centre, Chapultepec, Coyoacan, Xochimilco, Roma/Condesa, and Polanco without stacking two neighborhoods into one afternoon, which is the actual test of “enough” here, not a checklist of sights. The only real gap is anything outside city limits: Teotihuacan, Puebla, and the rest belong to a separate trip.
Do you need Polanco if you’ve already spent a day in Roma and Condesa?
Different register, so yes. Roma and Condesa are walkable and food-forward; Polanco is Museo Soumaya’s free Rodin collection, Museo Jumex next door, and upscale shopping that neither of the other two neighborhoods really does. Skip it only if free museums and shopping genuinely don’t interest you, in which case swap the morning for a second Coyoacan visit instead.
One concrete tip: book the lucha libre ticket ahead through GetYourGuide rather than deciding at 9pm to try Ticketmaster.mx’s Spanish-only checkout on your phone. For the full CDMX planning rundown, see the Mexico City guide .