In short
Mexico City is vast, at 2,240 metres, and built on the bed of a drained lake — Texcoco, which the Aztecs occupied with Tenochtitlan. The city sinks into that soft ground by several centimetres a year, which explains the leaning façades of the centre.
La Roma and La Condesa are the tree-lined districts of cafés and Art Deco buildings where long-stay visitors concentrate. The Centro Histórico holds the Zócalo and the Templo Mayor. Coyoacán, to the south, is a former colonial village with Frida Kahlo's house. Polanco is the affluent quarter.
Arriving and getting around
Benito Juárez international airport is close to the centre; a second airport, Felipe Ángeles, is markedly further out — check which one is on the ticket.
The metro is one of the cheapest in the world and covers the city well, but it is saturated at peak hours; some carriages are reserved for women and children.
Ride-hailing apps are the norm and avoid negotiation.
What it really costs
Mexico City is cheap for a world capital, which makes it a heavily used remote-work base. That influx has pushed rents in Roma and Condesa up very visibly and feeds a real local debate about gentrification.
Markets and fondas allow you to eat for a fraction of tourist-quarter prices.
When to come
March–May is the dry, hot season; the rainy season runs June to September, with short late-afternoon downpours rather than lost days.
The Day of the Dead, in early November, is the strongest moment of the year.
What nobody tells you
The altitude is felt: breathlessness on stairs, alcohol hitting harder, disturbed sleep for the first nights. Allow two slow days on arrival.
Earthquake alarms sound ahead of tremors, including for distant and harmless events. A national drill takes place each September. Knowing the sound exists avoids panic.
Teotihuacán, an hour away, is not an Aztec city: it was built by an earlier civilisation and was already in ruins when the Aztecs named it.
The National Museum of Anthropology is one of the most important on the continent and needs half a day at minimum.