Solo Travel for 4 days in Mexico City

My solo trip to Mexico City

In 2019, I scratched off another item from my bucket list. I went to Mexico City alone. This was on my mind for years. Many people warned me not to go because of the many dangers. I was still fascinated. The food, the heat, and the excitement of going somewhere new was insatiable. As a Canadian Latino who could speak Spanish, I took the risk and listened to my heart. This was my most random trip I have ever done. It was also the first Latin American country I have ever done.

I had done a plethora of overtime at work and I was being offered more. I told my wonderful boss before they give me all of that juicy overtime to give me four days off. I was approved. I went to flight centre that night and bought one plane ticket to Mexico City. I was on a plane the next day right after work. My parents were worried, my younger sister was excited for me, my older sister was scared. I was scared and excited.

Day 1 & 2- The First Full day

I arrived in Mexico City and it was pouring rain. As the cab driver drove me to the hotel, all I saw was the heavy police presence throughout the city. It was quite shocking. “What did I get myself into?”, was my initial thought. It was also pouring rain and the streets were flooded with pedestrians standing on the bus stop benches. I arrived at my hotel, called my family, and I passed out. I woke up the next day and it was a beautiful morning. My thoughts from last night disappeared. As I left my hotel, I noticed an abundance of food stands popping up and multiple women cooking breakfast for the office workers. This is what I wanted, this is why I wanted to go to Mexico. This was one of the greatest decisions I did for myself. I will remember this trip for the rest of my life.

this would have cost me at least $8.00 in Canada.

taking orders, making orders, hard working people!

I ate the wonderful street food and continued my exploration. The sandwich was less than two dollars (chicken breast, avocado, fried beans, and salsa). The food was cheap, I lived like a king. I then headed towards the Turi bus tour stop.

I used the CDMX Turi Bus tours, highly recommended.

These are some of the photos I captured on my first full day. I was on the bus most of the day and I only got off a couple of times to the see attractions I really wanted to visit. These bus tours allow you to see the city and you usually gain insightful knowledge. This city changes drastically from one area to the other. Pictures will reveal this. This city is huge!

CDMX — Palacio de Bella Artes. This was also close to the famous building where novelas are filmed.

Mexico’s Beautiful Aztec Stadium. I didn’t have time to go see a game unfortunately.

One of the few times I got off the bus. One was to go to the Frida Museum. This was definitely worth going to.

Frida Museum (it’s literally her home), inside her bedroom. She has a mirror above the bed.

Inside the Frida Museum. It’s very Hispanic. My love for Frida grows.

After the bus dropped me off to my stop I went home and headed out to eat. This was my dinner. The food was very spicy. The company was good. I ate with another solo traveler I met on the tour bus, a lovely French woman from France!

The second Full Day (Turi Bus day tour)

I purchased a full day tour from TuriBus and it was amazing. Be sure to tip them well if you go. This is what the day tour included:

Admission to Teotihuacan
A meal while mariachi played (I loved this)
An alcohol tasting tour (bought mezcal)
The best souvenir shop close to the Basilica (I regret not getting more gifts from here)
A visit to the second most visited Basilica in the world. I saw the face of the Virgin Mary. It was interesting
Tour guides who overwhelmed us with great information.

Modern Basilica, 24 hour mass from what I remember. A priest blessed us here.

Another view on the Basilica. It was as big and as beautiful as the European Basilicas

Driving through the Favelas. The ghettos of Latin America. Truly fascinating and sad. Pretty much how my parents lived.

Getting a workout, I tried to go up as fast I could and uploaded the data to strava

Alcohol tasting, souvenir shopping, and more

The Third Full day Exploring CDMX

My trip was coming to an end. This was my last full day. It was pretty relaxing. I walked through Zocalo, visited some museums, walked Polanco, and went to Chipulatepec Castle, and obviously ate some more. Enjoy the images.

Inside Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral

In the city heading to Zocalo through the subway

The picture tells many stories, I regret not paying a guide for this.

The nightlife looked amazing but I had to sleep

Street food around my hotel. Jumbo sausages. Did I mention there was a protest? I was in between police and female protestors. There was a lot of yelling, screaming, and violence . It was a wild night.

Day 4 – The end

I believe I did a lot in the 4 days I visited Mexico City. The last day I walked around looking for souvenirs to bring back to my family and to my wonderful co-workers as well. I was also able to walk further down Polanco and see the very modernized area of Mexico City. I went to the Soumaya Museum and ate more food.

I ate breakfast here on my last day. I had to give it back since I couldn’t eat it. The flavor was too strong. I felt very bad since I saw the true poverty in this wonderful country.

This is how modern this city looks. It has a European look in some areas, Hispanic looks in others, and sometimes I felt like I was in America or Canada. I loved it.

A Rolex store in Polanco. It felt very American here. Notice there are no watches on display?

A market opening up in the morning around Polanco. I was tempted to buy fruit and bring it home but this stuff most likely would have been confiscated at the border so I held back.

Around my hotel and Chapultepec park. The walk was beautiful, there was no wind and I was just enjoying the city.

On my last day, I did something very bad. I went to a bunch of fast food chains and feasted like a king. Just so you know…..They tasted so different that I couldn’t finish them. The local cooked food in Mexico was WAY better. Be warned, their food is spicy.

The last picture was me just people watching before I left to the airport. It was great to just take it all in and just embrace the final last hours.

I plan to go back to this beautiful country. I plan to visit more Latin American countries once covid-19 goes away. For now, I will keep looking at my pictures and remember the good times. Gracias Mexico for allowing me to grow as an individual, understand my parents, understand a different culture, and see the beauty of life while providing a stronger positive outlook on life.

Feel free to ask questions in the comment section, I will reply.

4 replies on “Solo Travel for 4 days in Mexico City”

Very cool website.
I look forward to living more vicariously through you! Thanks!

aha! Thanks. I have tons of traveling content being made 🙂

Thank you for sharing your adventure. How much did you budget for your trip? Did you like travelling solo?

This trip could have been much cheaper but because of the last minute plane ticket, it cost me quite a bit. The following is in Canadian Currency:
Plane – $1353.00 for flight since it was last minute
hotel – $429.00
Turi bus – $12.00
day trip – $61.00
Food – less than $150.00 and I was eating like a king at amazing restaurants

It could have been much less if I prepared but I did not and just went for it. I like to just enjoy the moment. Solo Traveling is amazing. I have done three solo travel trips alone and would do it in a heartbeat. I go with my sister or sisters on trips but I enjoy time doing things by myself. It’s a great way to reflect and enjoy yourself. Do it if you have the chance. I become more confident when I do it. Step into the unknown.