4 days in Mexico City

Museo Frida Kahlo · Coyoacán

The Blue House where she lived and worked. Small, intense, and personal — the kitchen and studio say more than any retrospective.

• Buy timed tickets online; the door line is hours.
• Typically closed: Mondays

Coyoacán Centro · Coyoacán

Cobbled colonial squares, the Sunday market, tostadas in the mercado. Pair it with the Frida house — they’re a few blocks apart.

Contramar · Roma Norte

The long lunch that defines Roma — tuna tostadas and the half-red, half-green pescado a la talla. Loud, sunny, and worth building a day around.

• Order: Tuna tostadas; pescado a la talla; flan to finish.
• Lunch only, books out — reserve or go at opening.

Roma Norte streets · Roma Norte

Art-deco facades, independent bookshops, design stores, and a café on every corner. The neighborhood to wander with no plan.

Museo Nacional de Antropología · Chapultepec

One of the great museums anywhere. The Aztec and Maya halls alone reframe the whole country. Don’t try to do all of it — pick the Mexica room.

• Typically closed: Mondays

Teotihuacán · Day trip

The pyramids an hour outside the city. Go at opening before the heat and the buses; a balloon ride at dawn is the splurge version.

• A guided half-day from the city saves the logistics.