Why you need to go to Mexico City for your next girls’ trip

Mexico City is magical—with stunning boutique hotels, great food (that is still incredibly affordable), gorgeous architecture (while being a very walkable city) and it’s even vegetarian friendly! The bars and clubs stay open until sunrise while still being very safe. And it doesn’t hurt that the weather is perfect all year round, which makes it the perfect place to book a trip with the girls, bachelorette or not.

Here is your four-day itinerary for the best girl’s trip 

Day 1: 

Start your day with pastries at Panaderia Rosetta. The guava cheese roll is life changingly good—and don’t even think about sharing it, you need one for yourself (maybe even two!) 

Next, do a tour of one of the colorful, 'grammable houses that Luis Barragan built around the city. PSA: they are extremely hard to get into with tickets selling out a month ahead but they are absolutely worth the struggle. A favorite is Casa Gilardi, which was also the last house Barragan built before he died.

Anyone who has been to Mexico City will tell you that you cannot miss the tuna tostada at Contramar. This legendary seafood spot does not take reservations but their sister restaurant with the same exact menu—Entremar does. Come very hungry, and do not miss the dessert tray!

Afterwards, burn off your meal by walking around all the little stores of Roma Norte. You cannot miss Guinard for the most fabulous fabrics and coats, Vintage Hoe for preloved luxury pieces (where people have found vintage Givenchy earrings for Indian Rupees 7,000), and Montserrat Messeguer for the coolest leather boots and jackets.

For dinner, you need to go on a taco tour of Mexico City. Start at Maizajo (don’t miss the potato and poblano taco), then go to Mi Compa Chava for shrimp and fish tacos, before your last stop at Taquería Orinoco (the park is famous, but the cheese quesadillas are amazing too!) You will be stuffed, but try to stick to one taco at each spot and walk between these places. Finally, get the most famous Mexican dessert of all—churros with hot chocolate at Churreria El Moro to cap off the night.

Day 2:

If you and the girls manage to wake up at 5 a.m, it’s absolutely worth going to Teotihuacán to go for a sunrise hot air balloon ride over the pyramids. It’s absolutely breathtaking and a once-in-a-lifetime experience; and it’s super easy to do with tour companies who pick you up from your hotel. 

You will make it back in time to go to brunch at Expendio de Maiz. Expendio doesn’t take reservations, the tables are on the street, and they will keep giving you food until you're done. But make sure you leave room for Mexico's best kept secret desert—a sliced concha bun with rice pudding on it.

While you may be warned that Xocomilco is touristy and a trek to get to but it is such a unique experience. An hour from the city, there is a maze of little canals and you can ride colorful boats through them. There are mariachi bands, bartenders, and vendors selling snacks—all of whom jump onto your boat to entertain you. It feels like adult Disney—don’t forget to carry your speaker and some snacks!

Hit up one of the two classic dinner spots—Rosetta, a converted mansion with greenery everywhere or the very chic Maximo Bistrot. Both are gorgeous and showcase modern Mexican cooking. End your night at El Minuto, a coffee bar that turns into a tiny locals-only dancing spot.

Day 3: 

Saturday mornings are for the San Angel Bazaar. This is not your usual touristy spot selling random junk that you will hate the moment you take it out of your suitcase at home. Every Saturday, this bazaar transforms into a hub for all the independent designers and artisans in CDMX to showcase their stuff—think jewellery, clothes, hats and objects d’art. 

Right next door is San Angel Inn where you can have brunch. It’s in a beautiful old hacienda, there will be a band playing (even at 11 a.m), and the tamarind margarita is to die for.  

And conveniently next door is the electric blue Frieda Kahlo Muesum which is the historic house-turned-museum of the iconic Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. 

Your Saturday evening entertainment has to be La Lucha Libre. Go watch Mexican wrestling in the Arena Mexico for the most quintessentially local experience. It will be packed with families, it will be rowdy, but as you watch the masked wrestlers put on a show, you will be having so much fun!

End the night with a late dinner at Botanico, that feels more like a botanical garden than restaurant. The food is divine, and mixes Mexican with Mediterranean. Then, it’s time for dancing. For some old school music, hit up Leonor, and for something more funky, go to Departmento. And if it’s after 2 a.m. and you still want something to do, then M N Roy is the only place to be—it closes at 7 a.m. 

Day 4: 

Mexico City is a strange place to suggest pancakes, but Niddo makes the best Japanese-style souffle pancakes. But if you want something more traditional for your last morning, go to Molina El Pujol for mole and breakfast tacos. 

Spend the morning at Museo Jumex, exploring it’s extensive modern art collection before you go to lunch at Masala Y Maiz, an Indo-Mexican-East African fusion restaurant. It’s been on the Michelin guide since it opened, and you cannot miss the paratha quesadilla!

It’s been a hectic weekend, so you deserve some much needed downtime at the Soho House pool. The Mexico City Soho House is one of the most stunning properties, located in the former residence of General Juan Prim, who commanded the Spanish expeditionary army in Mexico. You will not want to leave the pool bed, especially once you have a Picante in your hand.

For your last meal, go all out. Mexico is home to some of the best restaurants in the world—Pujol #4 and Quintonil #6. Tasting menus are around under INR 10,000 a person, very different from New York or Paris where a tasting menu at a similar restaurant will cost you way more. If you can’t get a reservation at either, even though you should plan your trip around these restaurants, go to Ticuchi—it’s the darker, chicer, younger sibling to Pujol helmed by the same head chef. 

WHERE TO STAY:

You want to be in Condesa or Roma Norte. The best hotels are Condesa DF, in the heart of Codesa, 5 bedroom Ignacio Guesthouse, or the viral sensation LA Valise, where you can sleep under the stars (literally, the bed rolls out onto the terrace). For large groups, getting a house with a private chef and cleaner via Airbnb is a really fun option!

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