Mexico / Practical city guide
Get oriented, plan your arrival, and find practical answers for your trip.
1 of 20 guides checked against official sources · others are editorial previewsGeographic data is source-imported. Transport, payment, and entry details need current verification. Read our source notes ↗
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Arriving in Mexico City differs by airport. Covers AICM Terminals 1 and 2, the Aerotren rule, Metro Line 5, Metrobus Line 4, taxis and AIFA's rail link.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingMexico City sits at 2,240 m, high enough to change day one. Covers altitude effects, alcohol, hydration, air quality, sun strength and a first day plan.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingExplains which two groups own nearly every Mexican beer brand, what that means for what a bar can pour, and how cantinas and pulquerias actually work.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingThe seismic alert you will eventually hear in Mexico City: how many seconds it buys you, why 1985 and 2017 shaped the city, the drill, and what to do.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingHow Mexican entry works now: who is visa-exempt, why the paper FMM has gone at airports, and why the days written in your passport stamp are rarely 180.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingCompares a travel eSIM, a Mexican prepaid SIM and home roaming for Mexico: coverage outside cities, the new rule linking every Mexican line to an ID, and top-ups.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingWhen a rental car may not drive in Mexico City under Hoy No Circula, what an out-of-state plate means, the fines, and 2026 CAPUFE tolls to Puebla and Cuernavaca with roadside help numbers.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingUse CMLL’s current event listings to choose Arena México or Arena Coliseo, follow the official ticket route and check the venue before planning your evening.
Official sources checked 2026-10-16How Mexico City's public market system feeds the city, what a fonda counter serves, and how the fixed-price comida corrida sequence works when you order it.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingHow the Movilidad Integrada card works on Mexico City's Metro, Metrobus, Cablebus and Ecobici, where to buy it, and why Metrobus takes no cash at all.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingLanding at AICM after the Metro and Metrobus stop: buying an authorised taxi ticket by zone, where apps collect, and when waiting until morning is sensible.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingDecodes a Mexico City taqueria: al pastor and the trompo, suadero, longaniza, campechano, how to order by count, salsa etiquette and how paying actually works.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingOXXO explained for travellers in Mexico: who owns it, how pay-by-reference works, and what the counter actually does that the corner tienda cannot.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingHow paying works in Mexico: where cards are accepted, which ATMs cost less, why you always decline conversion to your own currency, and why small peso notes matter.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingHow Mexico City's colonias differ, what each was built as and became, and how the alcaldia-plus-colonia address system works when you are booking or navigating.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingPlan an independent Teotihuacan day trip: the bus from Terminal Norte, which of the five gates to use, INAH hours and price, and the current climbing rules.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingExplains the denomination-of-origin rules behind tequila and mezcal labels, what 100% de agave legally means, and how to check a bottle before buying.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingWhat tipping in Mexico looks like situation by situation: restaurants, the terminal at the table, baggers, parking attendants, hotels, guides and taxis.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingWhy Mexicans do not drink the tap water, what the rules on ice and food hygiene actually require, how to read a street stall, and what altitude does to your first days.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingCompares the mercado, street tianguis, chain supermarket and mall in Mexico City: who uses each, what they cost, and what a visitor can buy.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingExplore by topic
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