Mexico City, Mexico travel guide: things to do, when to go, where to stay

Why go

Mexico City is the capital and largest city of Mexico, as well as the most populous city in North America. It is one of the world's leading cultural and financial centers and, according to the Globalization and World Cities Research Network's 2024 ranking, is classified as an Alpha world city. Located in the Valley of Mexico on the high Mexican Central Plateau, the city sits at an altitude of 2,240 meters (7,350 feet). It is divided into 16 boroughs, or alcaldías, which are further subdivided into neighborhoods, or colonias.

According to the 2020 census, Mexico City proper had a population of 9,209,944 and a land area of 1,495 square kilometers (577 square miles), making it Mexico's primate city and the second-largest Spanish-speaking city proper in the world after Lima. Under the most recent definition agreed upon by the federal and state governments, Greater Mexico City had a population of 21,804,515, making it the world's 15th-largest metropolitan area and the second-largest urban agglomeration in the Western Hemisphere, after São Paulo. In 2011, Greater Mexico City had a GDP of $411 billion, making it one of the world's most productive urban areas. The city accounted for 15.8% of Mexico's GDP, while the metropolitan area accounted for about 22%. If it were an independent country in 2013, Mexico City would have been the fifth-largest economy in Latin America.

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More about Mexico City

Mexico City is the capital and largest city of Mexico, as well as the most populous city in North America. It is one of the world's leading cultural and financial centers and, according to the Globalization and World Cities Research Network's 2024 ranking, is classified as an Alpha world city. Located in the Valley of Mexico on the high Mexican Central Plateau, the city sits at an altitude of 2,240 meters (7,350 feet). It is divided into 16 boroughs, or alcaldías, which are further subdivided into neighborhoods, or colonias.

According to the 2020 census, Mexico City proper had a population of 9,209,944 and a land area of 1,495 square kilometers (577 square miles), making it Mexico's primate city and the second-largest Spanish-speaking city proper in the world after Lima. Under the most recent definition agreed upon by the federal and state governments, Greater Mexico City had a population of 21,804,515, making it the world's 15th-largest metropolitan area and the second-largest urban agglomeration in the Western Hemisphere, after São Paulo. In 2011, Greater Mexico City had a GDP of $411 billion, making it one of the world's most productive urban areas. The city accounted for 15.8% of Mexico's GDP, while the metropolitan area accounted for about 22%. If it were an independent country in 2013, Mexico City would have been the fifth-largest economy in Latin America.