Mexico City Free Walking Tour

Meet at the Metropolitan Cathedral and step into the square where Mexican history stacks in layers: the Zócalo, built directly over the ceremonial heart of Aztec Tenochtitlan. Your guide walks you between the excavated pyramids of the Templo Mayor and the Baroque towers of the cathedral built from their stones, then into the Palacio Nacional, wallpapered with Diego Rivera's murals of Mexican history.

From there the walk opens onto Bellas Artes, the marble palace whose Art Nouveau curves hide an Art Deco interior and a stage curtain of nearly a million pieces of glass. Along the way you'll hear how a lake city of canals became one of the largest metropolises on the planet — and pick up the practical tips (altitude, safety, where to eat) that make the rest of your trip easier.