I have a guest from Ethiopia with me here in La Manz who would like to go to Mexico City and see the pryamids and Frieda Kahlo museum at a minimum. Any suggestions how to do this least expensively? He is happy to take local busses and stay in dormitory-like hostels. Gracias.
Re: Mexico City travel
Posted by Jim T on June 19, 2023, 9:48 am, in reply to "Mexico City travel"
I can't help you with accomodation, but in my 5 trips to Mexico City, I have only scratched the surface.
To get to the Teotihuacan Pyramids by public transit this link provides the routing I took my first time.
The Frieda Kahlo house/museum is best done via a tour bus. The number of people allowed inside is controlled. Regular and online scheduled entrants can wait 2-3 hours to get in. Tour buses are escorted in directly.
The tour bus I took was part of 10-15 parked at the side of the Catedral Metropolitana de la Ciudad de México on the Zocala. It was about a 5 hour tour (I recall) and stopped at the Aztec Stadium (football), Xochimilco (canals and boat trip), Frieda Kahlo museum, and an upscale artisian store.
N.B. The "pickpockets" in Mexico City are very adept!
Re: Mexico City travel
Posted by Kimberly O on June 19, 2023, 10:51 am, in reply to "Mexico City travel"
I would look into AirBnB’s. You can select you price range and area. Also look into AirBnB experiences they too very in prices too. I would recommend the northern entrance for the great pyramid which is less crowded (the southern entrance is the most used). Don’t forget water and a hat.
Frida's Caza Azul is best done by prior booking online to guarantee your entry time. When i was there with a tour in January, there were no waiting lines for entry, only with prior booking. People who turned up were told to go and book for another time as those were the new rules. To get there, it is not necessary to take a guided tour. You can take a taxi/ Uber there, just ask for Coyoacan & Casa Azul.
The pyramids are well worth a trip. There are lots of buses, but i would hire a guide (there are some there on site, or take a tour). There is so much info that you do benefit more from a guide at a site like this. And just an fyi, you can no longer climb either the pyramid of the sun, or the moon. After covid they kept them closed to stop wear and tear, same as at many other sites now.
Definitely visit the National museum of Anthropology in Chapultepec park, you can easily lose a day there exploring the museum, plus there are a ton of other galleries and museums nearby with low cost entry fees.
On the Zocalo there is the Metropolitan Cathedral, Templo Mayor (Aztec capital ruins and museum) and the departure point for the Touribus - the open top sight seeing bus. The cost of the bus is around $200 pesos per person and well worth it.
Just behind the cathedral is a well known and clean and cheap hostal, I forget the name, something like Mundo Joven to look at.
If you want I can send you one of my tour itineraries if you send me an email and from that you can see the activities I do to give you an idea. Email - info @ flipflopnomads.com
Any other travel advice or ideas about the city i can also send you info and help you out if you want (free service fyi, i don't charge for stuff like that)
I forgot to add. Cheapest / easiest way to get there is the overnight ETN bus out of Barra with a change in Manzanillo for $2100 pesos return per person. You might be able to nickel and dime it a bit cheaper with other lines, but for a 12 hour ride it is not worth it tbh.