The Mexico City Metro, a users guide, cultual and historical tour (Metro Guide)

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You will usually not get seats if you are traveling through the city center during the day, and even if you do, it's considered good manners to offer your seat to the aged, pregnant or disabled, as all cars have clearly marked handicap seats.

Mexico City

In keeping with the mad rush on and off the train, people will move toward the exits before the train stops, so let them through and feel free to do the same when you need to a con permiso helps, but body language speaks the loudest here. A few words of warning: Keep your belongings close to you; if you have bags, close them and keep them in sight. As long as you are alert and careful you won't have any problems.

Passengers usually look out for each other. Women have complained of being groped on extremely crowded trains; this is not a problem on designated women's wagons, or any other time than rush hour. When exiting, follow the crowd through signs marked Salida. Many stations have multiple exits to different streets or different sides of streets, marked with a cardinal direction and should have posted road maps that show the immediate area with icons for banks, restaurants, parks and so forth.

Use these to orient yourself and figure out where you need to go. A good tip is to remember what side of the tracks you are on, these are marked in such maps with a straight line the color of the metro line you are traveling. There are two kinds of buses. Most buses have coin boxes, in which case you should have the exact fare or be willing to deposit more than your fare and put the money in the box.

If there isn't a coin box, give the money to the driver. The second kind of buses are known as microbuses or peseros. These buses are private-run and come in small and bigger sizes.

What is a Chilango?

Newer peseros look like regular buses but are painted in white and purple, while older ones are ominous looking and painted in green and grey. All buses are supposed to stop at bus stops, but microbuses are usually willing to stop anywhere as long as there are no police nearby. In the inner city, bus stops are usually small bus shelters with metal seats. In other areas, they might be unmarked and you can reasonably assume that a bus will stop just before a big intersection. Routes are also very complex and flexible, so be sure to ask someone, perhaps the driver, if the bus even goes to your destination "va a?

Also, though the locals hang off the sides and out the doors, it is generally not recommended for novices. Riding RTP buses is safer and more comfortable than the private franchised and smaller microbuses, which are more prone to robbery and often have terrible driving habits. All buses display signs on their windshields which tell major stops they make, so if you want to take a bus to a metro station, you can just wait for a bus that has a sign with an M followed by the station name.

Buses can be packed during rush hours, and you have to pay attention to your stops buses make very short stops if there's just one person getting off, so be ready , but they are very practical when your route aligns with a large avenue. There's usually a button above or close to the rear door to signal that you're getting off; if there isn't one, it's not working, or you can't get to it, shouting Bajan! These cards can be used at the Metro and Tren Ligero as well. Lines 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 have enclosed stations with turnstiles where you pay.

There are card vending machines at these stations. Line 4 has regular bus stops and you pay when boarding the bus. Expect Line 1 to be crowded around the clock and other Lines to be crowded during rush hour, but it's a great way to move around very rapidly. There are branches in each route, buses that take multiple lines and buses that do not go all the way from terminal to terminal, so you must check the correct door to take the bus in your direction, as well as the bus' billboard before boarding to see which is the last stop they will visit.

There are reserved boarding areas at the front of every bus indicated on the platforms for women, the handicapped and the elderly. Trolley buses are operated by the Electric Transport Services. They usually do not get as crowded as regular buses, and they are quite comfortable and reliable. They have lower frequencies and can be a little slower than regular buses, since they are unable to change lanes as quickly.

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You pay in a coin box and bus drivers do not give out change. The ticketing system works very similarly to the Metro, but the tickets are not the same.

Tickets are sold at most stations along the line. Where they aren't, there is always a police officer guarding the entrance, next to whom there is a coin box where you can deposit the fare in coins exact change or pay extra. There are more than , registered cabs in the city and they are one of the most efficient ways to get around.

Some taxis "adjust" their meters to run more quickly, but in general, cab fare is cheap, and it's usually easy to find a taxi. At night, and in areas where there are few taxis, cab drivers will often not use the meter, but rather quote you a price before you get in. This price will often be high, however, you can haggle. They will tell you that their price is good because they are "safe". If you don't agree on the price, don't worry as another cab will come along.

Although safety has substantially improved, catching cabs in the street may be dangerous. Taxi robberies, so-called "express kidnappings", where the victim is robbed and then taken on a trip to various ATMs to max out their credit cards, do sometimes occur, but there are some general precautions that will minimize the risk:.

Mexico City is so large, and many street names so common that cab drivers are highly unlikely to know where to go when you give only a name or address of your destination. Always include either the name of the colonia or the district i. You will probably be asked to give directions throughout or at least near the tail end of the journey; if either your Spanish or your sense of direction is poor, carry a map and be prepared to point.

The two most common recommendations for a safe cab riding experience are to make sure you take an official cab, and to notify a person you trust of the license plate number of the cab you are riding. The free service is called Taxiaviso. If you have a smartphone with internet access, you can also use the ridesharing apps Uber and Cabify , which allow you to set your destination beforehand and pay with a credit card. The app Yaxi allows you to order a safe regular taxi to your location. The Turibus is a sightseeing hop-in hop-off bus that is a good alternative to see the city if you don't have too much time.

Your ticket is valid for all routes. Runs days a year. There are three secondary routes running South, West and North. The new Capitalbus has a similar service. If you get absolutely lost and you are far away from your hotel, hop into a pesero mini bus or bus that takes you to a Metro station ; most of them do. Look for the sign with the stylized metro "M" in the front window.

From there and using the wall maps you can get back to a more familiar place. Do note that the Metro stops running around midnight-ish and if you get lost late at night, taking a taxi is probably your best bet. Driving around by car is the least advised way to visit the city due to the complicated road structure, generally reckless drivers, and the 5 million vehicles moving around the city.

Traffic jams are almost omnipresent on weekdays, and driving from one end of the city to the other could take you between 2 and 4 hours at peak times. Most are paved with asphalt and some used to be paved using concrete. Since the city grew without planned control, the street structure resembles a labyrinth in many areas.

Driving can turn into a really challenging experience if you don't know precisely well where are you going.

How to use Mexico City's Underground System (AKA "El Metro") | WanderWisdom

Street parking Estacionamiento in Spanish is scarce around the city and practically nonexistent in crowded areas. It is possible to park in other streets without meters but is likely there will be a "parking vendor" Franelero in Spanish which are not authorized by the city, but will "take care of your car". Hoy No Circula Today You Do Not Circulate is an extremely important anti-traffic and anti-pollution program that all visitors including foreigners must take into consideration when wishing to drive through Mexico City and nearby Mexico State with their foreign-plated vehicles, as they are not immune to these restrictions.

It limits vehicle circulation to certain hours during the day or certain days depending on the previous days' pollution levels, how new your car is, the last digit of your plate number plates with all letters are automatically assigned a digit and whether the car has passed the bi-yearly emission controls. Newer and electric vehicles which are usually the case for rentals have a 00 or 0 hologram sticker and are exempted from most regulations. You can check the cars that cannot circulate today here. Mexico City, but not the State of Mexico, offers a special pass good for 2 weeks, that allows someone with a foreign-plated vehicle to be exempt from these restrictions.

The visitor should take into consideration the following tips when driving: Continuous right turns even when traffic light red are not allowed from Seat belts are mandatory for all seats. Police generally drive with their lights on, but if you're stopped by a police car, it is likely they will try to get money out you. It is up to you if you accept to give a bribe, but never offer one directly.

Fines are usually cheap and can be paid at banks, supermarkets and convenience stores. Cycling in most parts of Mexico City is difficult. Distances are long, many roads are wide, car drivers are aggressive and traffic can be hectic. However, the city government is making a serious effort to make cycling more attractive, installing dedicated cycle lanes along several main streets, including Reforma and around Chapultepec Park.

Cycling along dedicated lanes and smaller streets feels safe enough. For more recreational cycling, the government closes off Reforma every Sunday morning for strollers, cyclists and other non-motorised transport. One Sunday a month, there is a much longer route. Other nice places to cycle include Chapultepec Park and the cycling path installed on the former railway line to Cuernavaca, which passes through Polanco and Lomas and reaches all the way to the Morelos state limits.

Bicycles can be taken in the Metro and Tren Ligero on Sundays. It is also known as the City of Palaces, because of the large number of stately buildings, especially in the Centro. Mexico City has three World Heritage Sites: In addition, Mexico is one of the cities with the largest number of museums in the world.

Mexico City is full of various plazas and parks scattered through every neighborhood, but the following are some of the biggest, prettiest, most interesting, or best-known. Mexico is the city with the largest number of museums in the world, to name some of the most popular:.

As the world's second largest city, Mexico City offers something for everyone and for every budget. Attractions in Mexico City focus less on lazing on the beach there are no beaches in Mexico City! The typical "must-see" sites for the foreign visitor are the sites of interest in and around Centro Historico and Chapultepec Park, a visit to the ruins of Teotihuacan in the outskirts of the City and probably a visit to Xochimilco, though there are many other things to see if you have time to really explore. If you're into sports, then Mexico City has plenty to offer. Soccer is a favorite sport and Mexicans go crazy about it.

The city was host to two FIFA world cups, one in and the other in Another important sport in Mexico City is baseball, with many Mexicans playing professionally in the US. The city was the first in Latin America to host an Olympics, doing so in ; the majority of the city's sport facilities were built for that event.

Lucha libre loosely translated as "free fighting" is the term for the style of professional wrestling that developed in Mexico. Due to its affordable and entertaining nature, it is a favorite pastime throughout the country. While similar to professional wrestling elsewhere in that the outcomes are predetermined, it developed quite differently from wrestling in the rest of the world.

Wrestlers, known in Mexico as luchadores , tend to work much faster than those in the rest of North America, employing complex chains of moves, numerous high-flying maneuvers, and often-realistic submission holds. Also, rings in Mexico often lack the spring supports used in many other countries, which means that wrestlers typically don't take falls landing on their back as they often do elsewhere.

More often than not, aerial moves involve a wrestler launching himself outside of the ring at his opponent, allowing him to break his fall by tumbling. Finally, Mexican wrestling has far more weight classes than in other countries. Another hallmark of lucha libre is the emphasis on tag team matches, which are most often made up of three-wrestler teams instead of the pairs that are common elsewhere.

Rules for tag team matches are also significantly different. Perhaps the most distinctive feature of lucha libre is the colorful masks worn by many performers. While the concept of the wrestling mask was borrowed from the U.

Almost all luchadores will begin their careers wearing them, but most will lose their masks at some point in their careers. The biggest matches in lucha libre are luchas de apuestas "betting fights" , in which wrestlers will bet their masks, hair, or even their careers on the outcomes. Like many other things in the country, Mexico City has the largest concentration of universities and colleges, starting with the UNAM, one of the finest in Latin America and the second oldest university in the American continent, founded in You can learn Spanish in Mexico City as there are various schools offering courses for foreigners, for example:.

Mexico has very strict immigration laws. In order to work you should obtain a permit known as FM2 or FM3 which is very hard to get unless you're marrying a Mexican citizen or you are an expat working for a multinational company. Most foreigners working without a permit perform jobs such as language teachers, waiters or salesmen.

Others own a restaurant or shop. If you're working without a permit and an immigration officer finds out, it could mean a fine, deportation or spending some time in a detention facility of the National Immigration Institute. Mexico City is famous among Mexicans for its huge malls, streets like Presidente Mazaryk offer haute couture stores. American-style shopping malls appeared in Mexico City by the late s and are now are spread all over the metropolitan area. Here you will find some of the malls sorted by area. Although street vendors can be found almost anywhere in Mexico City, the following are more "formal" flea markets selling handcrafts, furniture and antiques.

If you're staying longer you may want to buy groceries and food at any of the hundreds of supermarkets. You can use the store locators at their websites to find one close to you. These are some of the most common:. For generally hard-to-find ingredients, such as vegetables and spices that are unusual in Mexico, try the Mercado de San Juan Ernesto Pugibet street, Salto del Agua metro station.

You can even find exotic meats here, such as iguana, alligator, ostrich, and foie gras. Go to the cheese stand at the center of the market, and ask for a sample— the friendly owner will give you bread, wine, and samples of dozens of different kinds of cheese.

Many food products in Mexico including milk are kosher compliant. If you're looking for specific products, try some stores in the Polanco neighborhood. At some Superama branches you would find kosher departments, especially the ones in Polanco, Tecamachalco and Santa Fe neighborhoods. Although it is easy to assume that Mexico City is the world capital of tacos, you can find almost any kind of food in this city.

There are regional specialties from all over Mexico as well as international cuisine, including Japanese, Chinese, French, Polish, Italian, Argentinean, Belgian, Irish, you name it. Another great but expensive experience is to dine in an old converted hacienda: There are several Mexican chain family restaurants that can be assumed to be safe and similar no matter where you are, including Vips , Lyni's , Toks , and the more traditional Sanborns , all reminiscent of Denny's in the United States.

They are uniformly good but never excellent. If you're on a budget, you can also try one of the myriad comida corrida set menu restaurants, frequented by many office workers. Perhaps the most ubiquitous type of food almost anywhere in Mexico city are fast food outlets, located on the ground floor of a street-facing building, or puestos , street stands located on a sidewalk or almost anywhere there is room. Hygiene varies from good to abysmal, so eat at a place that has plenty of people.

If you want to stuff your face with lots of real Mexican food at cheap prices then head over to a market, such as La Merced the former central market, located on the pink line of the subway at the stop "Merced". There are several restaurants as well as stands serving up some delicious food. It is full of food stalls offering all the Mexican favourites, but find the one opposite the small bakers, which is located by one of the rear entrances on Calle Delicias , which serves the Torta Cubana.

The people running it are amazingly welcoming and the food, especially the Cubana, is excellent. If you want something safe and boring, most American fast food chains have franchises here. These are all fairly affordable.

Insurgentes Station

It can't be beat for a quick snack or bagful of pastries to eat later. Do not miss the chance to go to Panaderia Madrid calle 5 de Febrero, one block south off the main plaza in downtown Mexico. This is a very old and typical bakery, they will usually have fresh bread twice a day, but if there are a lot of customers they will bake as many as four times a day. Asian food restaurants are abundant, and the quality is good, and caters from cheap Chinese cafeterias to expensive and very good Japanese food.

Most sushi places, however, put far too much rice on their sushi rolls and not enough fish. Vegetarian vegetariano in Spanish alternatives are commonly available at larger restaurants, but don't expect much from street vendors. The magic phrases, for vegetarians or vegans, are "sin pollo" no chicken , "sin carne" no meat , "sin huevo" no eggs and "sin queso" no cheese. If you can communicate this and then gesticulate to the menu, the waiter normally will give you suggestions. In regular restaurants, they will even try to edit an existing dish for you. Just make sure you are clear. Chiles Rellenos are usually filled with meat, but different fillings are a definite standard in any vegetarian restaurant.

In Mexico, there is no difference in prices if you sit inside or outside, it is the same if you eat at the bar or sit at a table. They also sell pastries and other food. This place is incomparable to Starbucks. For a quick breakfast you can always try a tamal steamed corn dough with chicken or pork bought on the street or specialized shops, accompanied by a cup of atole hot chocolate corn starch drink , which is the breakfast of the humble on their way to work.

They are often in the form of tortas de tamal. In Mexico City you have an almost endless choice of options to party. Traveling by yourself at night in certain areas of Mexico City is not a good idea, especially in Plaza Garibaldi, where pickpocketers are ever ready to relieve you of your unguarded cash. One of the ways you can check out the night life safely is by doing a Night Club Tour. These tours will typically take you to a few clubs and include transportation. Mexico City Urban Adventures. Free Cancellation up to 4 days in advance. Go with a guide: Avoid the stress of navigating on your own Panoramic views of the highlands from the top of the Sun Pyramid Eat with a local family—an experience rarely available to tourists Small group of 12 or fewer ensures an intimate, personal experience.

Select Date and Travelers Available Options. You must select at least one adult. You must select a date. Check availability to confirm prices for your travel date Ages are required for children. Ages are required for seniors. Ages are required for children and seniors. Select Travelers 0 Adults Age You have already added this item to your cart. You've caught us performing maintenance.

Most of the site is working just fine, but you won't be able to sign in or add content for a short time. Thanks for your understanding. We're sorry, we were unable to check availability due to an error. Gain a new perspective on Mexican history on this half-day tour of the ancient pyramids of Teotihuacan. No need to plan logistics on your own: All admission tickets are included and a guide navigates the journey for you. After watching the setting sun from the top of a pyramid, enjoy a home-cooked meal at the home of a local family, where your bilingual guide facilitates the conversation.

Map updates are paused. Zoom in to see updated info. Write a Review Reviews But how much money should I top up? There is an upper top-up limit though, which I think currently stands at pesos, so do keep that in mind. Each ticket, whether paper or pre-pay card, costs just 5 pesos per journey. This includes changing lines at the main stations. An interesting point to note, though, is that while the price seems miniscule from an external perspective, public transportation in Mexico City is actually one of the most expensive systems in the world, once you take into account the average wage of the population of Mexico City.

You do not need to swipe the Mexico City metro card again to exit. This makes the Mexico City metro lines really easy to navigate, because you can just look out for the colour-coded signs in the stations, instead of flailing about looking for names or numbers. You can also do the same for the individual stops, which all have their own logos, as well as names. You might need the Green line and the Yellow line is great because it features stops at both the Mexico City Airport and the northernmost Mexico City bus station, the Terminal del Norte.

How to use Mexico City's Underground System (AKA "El Metro")

The Mexico City metro has stations, each with its own individual logo, as well as corresponding name and colour. Mexico City metro stations are easy to identify on the street, and they all look like the picture below. The main ones that travellers to Mexico City are likely to use are as follows:. As mentioned above, there are 24 stations that cross multiple lines in the Mexico City metro system and some of them make changing lanes easier than others. La Raza, for example, has a notoriously fucking awful change read: La Raza aside though, most line changes are quick and easy.

You need to know the end station of the line you want to figure out the direction to travel in. Each platform will be labelled with the name of the final stop on that line. This is because, while there are Mexico City metro maps dotted around the stations, it can be hard to find them or just too crowded at peak time to stop and take a look. All metro stations are open from 5am to midnight on weekdays, 6am to midnight on Saturdays and 7am to midnight on Sundays and holidays.

The metro in the Mexican capital is a lawless place, with very few unwritten rules, so here are some other snippets of information that will be useful if you want to use this particular form of transport when travelling in Mexico. Compared to buses in the Mexican capital, and even taxis, using the Mexico City metro is in my opinion one of the safer modes of transport. Read more about that here. And can you use your phone on the metro? I do, however, always travel with it tucked in my bra, rather than in my bag or pockets. To me, the danger with the metro lies outside the stations, so always be careful to stow your valuables and be aware when leaving a metro station , especially early in the morning or late at night.

Here are some insider tips from yours truly to make navigating the Mexico City metro a smoother experience. Do you think the metro system is the best way to get around Mexico City, or would you recommend another form of Mexico City public transportation? Leave any other tips for how to get around in Mexico City metropolitan area in the comments! Also, if you found this information useful and can spare a couple of quid to say thanks, donate to my coffee fund using the button below!

This blog runs entirely on caffeine. Hi Lauren, I am coming to Mexico City in a few days as a solo female traveler.

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