Showing posts with label points of interest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label points of interest. Show all posts

Wednesday, 9 December 2009

Free ! Free tours and things to do in the City

A day in the park...Chapultepec Park is home to a castle, zoo and a large lake - and its Free !

Address : Bosque de Chapultepec (Closest metro stations are Chapultepec and Auditorio)

Free Tour...Of the Archaeological Zone & Templo Mayor Museum are on Saturday mornings at 9 AM . The tour lasts generally for around three hours.

Address : Flagpole at the Zócalo - Saturdays at 9am - (Closest Metro Station is Zócalo)

Take a walk...Historic Centre Walking Tour is an Organised walking tour of Zócalo and Historic centre on sundays at 10am.

Address : Tourist information at the Historic Centre

Market Shopping - one of the best things to do on weekends is visit the Coyoacan market that is held in and around the square - You can take the metro to Coyoacan station and from there walk the ten minutes or so to where the Market is held.
*Note that it is always very busy on weekends !

Bellas Artes - The theatre has two guided tours every day which are free to the public. The theatre is explained and is a great oppurtunity to take a photo of the beautiful Tiffany curtain.


Address : Bellas Artes

San Fernando Cemetery - Maybe a cemetery doesnt sound like too much fun, buts its more of a Cemetary - Museum
It is free to go in and inside you can see plenty of graves and tombs from well known characters from Mexican history, from the revolution and presidents too. The two most interesting are the ones of Benito Juarez and Vicente Guerrero.This cemetery also has a small room where they show the characters and a little history of the revolution and the first constitution.

Address : Guerrero, 39
06010 México

Palacio Nacional - The national palace is the government building located in the Zócalo which is free to the public to enter and offers great views over the square and also holds artwork by Diego Rivera.
*Note that entrance is free but a form of I.D must be shown by mexican nationals and Passport must be shown by foriegn visitors - PHOTOCOPIES NOT EXCEPTED

Address : Avenida Pino Suarez, Corregidora esquina Guatemala - Zócalo






ITS ALL FREE !!

Tuesday, 10 March 2009

Christmas Season in Mexico City


The Zocalo, Mexico City

An outdoor ice rink in the centre of the city? Thats right!

Mexico City has pulled off the unthinkable creating the world's biggest ice skating rink in one of the world's most populated cities. Costing $1.5 million, and using advanced ice-freezing technology, the Mexico City ice rink is almost as big as a U.S. football field and all but covers the Zocalo, the city's main square, the Zocalo, The 2nd largest square in the world.

Opened in December 2007,so far it has attracted more than 300,000 skaters who have turned the rink into a national obsession.

More than 1,500 pairs of skates have been brought in and 600 instructors are on hand to help the beginners with their first tentative steps whilst the ice rink is open from November to January.

Entry and skate hire is free and this is a great experience for anyone travelling to the city at the end of the year. The rink can be best accessed from the Zocalo metro station, but Bellas Artes Station could be a better option as there will be less movement and is just a short walk from the Zocalo.

Monday, 9 March 2009

Things to do in the City - Museums



Mexico is the city with the largest number of museums in the world, with New York #2, London #3 and Toronto #4.

  • National Museum of Anthropology Chapultepec. One of the best museums worldwide over, built in late 1960’s and designed by Pedro Ramírez Vázquez, do not miss its impressive fountain. It gathers the best collection of sculptures, jewels and handcrafts from ancient Mexican cultures.
  • Plaza de las Tres Culturas in Tlatelolco has examples of modern, colonial, and pre-Columbian architecture, all around one square.
  • Museum of Modern Art Chapultepec. Here you will find paintings from Frida Kahlo, Leonora Carrington and Remedios Varo.
  • Dolores Olmedo Museum Xochimilco. An art philanthropist left her former home, the grand Hacienda La Noria, as a museum featuring the works of her friend Diego Rivera. At least 137 of his works are displayed here, as well as 25 paintings of Frida Kahlo.
  • Fine Arts Palace Museum (Palacio de Bellas Artes) Centro. A concert hall and an arts center, it houses some of Mexico's finest murals and the Art Deco interior is worth seeing alone.
  • Rufino Tamayo Museum Chapultepec. Contains the works of Mexican painter, Rufino Tamayo.
  • José Luis Cuevas Museum Centro. Opened in 1992 and is filled with about 1,000 paintings, drawings, and sculptures from notorious artist, Jose Cuevas.
  • National History Museum in Chapultepec's Castle Chapultepec. The Museum's nineteen rooms contain, in addition to a collection of pre-Columbian material and reproductions of old manuscripts, a vast range of exhibits illustrating the history of Mexico since the Spanish conquest.
  • Papalote, children's Museum Chapultepec. If you've got kids, they'll love it! Bright, colorful, and filled with educational experiences for children of all ages.
  • Universum (National University's Museum) Coyoacán. A science museum maintained by UNAM, the largest university in Latin America. Take some time to wander around the Campus.
  • Casa Mural Diego Rivera Centro. Contains murals of acclaimed artist, Diego Rivera.
  • National Palace (Zocalo) Centro. You can see some impressive Diego Rivera frescoes. You'll need to carry some sort of ID in order to enter the building.
  • San Ildefonso Museum Centro. There are some of Orozco's best frescoes. The temporary exhibitions are usually very good.
  • Franz Meyer Museum Centro. Display the collections of Franz Mayer, it holds Mexico's largest decorative art collection and also hosts temporary exhibits in the fields of design and photography.
  • Mexico City's Museum Centro. Great place to learn about Mexico City's eclectic history.
  • Templo Mayor Museum (Zocalo) Centro. Contains the ruins and last remnants of the Aztec empire.
  • San Carlos Museum Centro. The San Carlos Musuem holds some of Mexico's best paintings and exhibit 15th and 16th century paintings.
  • National Art Museum Centro. The National Art Museum, houses a rich collection of Mexican art ranging from the 16th to the first half of the 20th centuries.
  • National History Museum Chapultepec. Displays a vast range of exhibits illustrating the history of Mexico since the Spanish conquest.
  • Frida Khalo Museum, Coyoacán Former house of the painter since she was born to her death.
  • Anahuacalli Museum, Coyoacán It houses Diego Rivera’s collection of Aztec and Mayan sculptures.