Every year, I spend more time in Mexico city which is funny because, before my first visit, I would have sworn I didn’t like big cities. I never even intended to visit Mexico city. As part of my research before my first visit to Mexico, I asked every Mexican I met what places I should visit, and every single one of them started with Mexico city. So how did I fall in love with one of the worlds biggest cities? Part of the reason is that it can be broken down into smaller more manageable parts by staying in one of its vibrant neighborhoods:

Polanco

As long as I’d been coming to Mexico city, people had recommended the Polanco neighborhood, but I never seemed to be able to find it. I’m not sure why since there is specifically a Metro stop called “Polanco”. My first attempt was a walk from Chapultepec park northward towards this fabled neighborhood. While I did find nice tree lined streets and some interesting architecture, I never made it to the core.

Two years ago, while my tourists were visiting the Anthropology museum in Chapultepec park, I hopped on the northern tour line of the Mexico City Turibus. Finally, I saw what people had been talking about. The streets reminded be of walking down Beverly Hills boulevard in Los Angeles. There were high end stores lining the street and people walking show dogs. There were even electronic sign boards along the street.

I visited two of the high end malls and was shocked to find that, even as an American, I was intimidated by the level of luxury displayed. Because I had to get back to my tourists before they finished their visit to the museum, my visit to Polanco neighborhood was cut short.

Two years later, I finally returned and reserved an AirBnB in the middle of the neighborhood so that I could experience it first hand. In terms of shops and restaurants, it didn’t disappoint. There were no fewer than three bakeries within a block of our places and I am certain that I added a pound or two due to my inability to resist a chocolate croissant!

Every cuisine you could possibly desire is available in Polanco. I came across Persian, Basque, Argentinian, and Irish restaurants. We visited a Thai restaurant where they made the Pad Thai tableside. We found everything from hamburgers to health foods. My favorite was a place was T… I stumbled across it accidentally one day while looking for lunch.

It’s actually two restaurants in one. Ticuchi is a dark cavernous trendy bar open in the evenings. Its sister restaurant, La Vantana del Ticuchi, serves lunch from a window in the front of the building. The chef is from Oaxaca, and he produces food that is as alluring to the eye as it is to the tongue.

We had our last meal there before switching to our next neighborhood for our pet sit. Polanco is a delightful place, filled with parks and pedestrian boulevards. There are always people walking around, and it has the highest density of dogs I’ve ever seen. If you’re a dog lover, this neighborhood is for you. For every block we walked, we passed no fewer than three dogs. There were also a couple dog parks where we could go to get our dog fix.

In the end, though, Polanco wasn’t quite right for us. It was odd to have come from Puebla (still a city of six million) where almost everyone you passed greeted you to being ignored by everyone. So, it was a delight when we moved to San Miguel Chapultepec for our pet sit.

San Miguel Chapultepec

We’d never have stumbled across this gem had it not been for a recent house sit. When I saw the location on the map, I thought it would be nice to stay in a neighborhood that is walking distance to both the Condesa neighborhood and Chapultepec park.

We walked to both while we were there. Unfortunately, you cannot bring dogs into section One of Chapultepec so we could only walk ourselves under the mature trees that not only provided shade but the lovely smell of nature.

Since we were only there a week, we made a point of walking a different route every day. Our host, Jason, had told us there were only a couple restaurants in the neighborhood, and we began to suspect he must walk the same route as we discovered a dozen more during our week there.

What was really nice about San Miguel Chapultepec is how friendly people were. It was quite a contrast from Polanco, and everyone we now passed greeted us. The neighborhood had a feel of a place where everyone knows each other, and we wondered if people would question the newcomers walking what were otherwise familiar dogs.

The neighborhood has three metro stations surrounding it and several of the city bike rental stations located around the neighborhood. The most curious thing, though, was the radio that played 24 hours a day outside the door of one of the houses. Jason claimed no one knew the story of why one of the neighbors provided the street with ongoing entertainment.

This is definitely the kind of neighborhood you would find me living in in Mexico City. Not being well known, it is also more affordable than its neighbors Juarez and Condesa.

Juarez

We spent a week in Juarez after our house sit and before heading on to Queretaro. It’s more of a tourist hotel district than a neighborhood for living. That said, it does offer all the comforts for travelers.

There are malls and restaurants and at least 3 Starbucks. Many of the hotels have nice restaurants and bars. There are parallel pedestrian boulevards on either side of the massive Avenida Revolucion that are filled with vendors selling home made products from all over Mexico.

You can walk to the magnificent Chapultepec park or rent a bike to ride there using dedicated bike lanes. In recent years, they’ve installed physical barriers to separate bike from traffic. The Metro line to the center (Zocalo) is within easy walking distance.

The neighborhood is also just north of Condesa.

Condesa

Condesa is always mentioned as a must visit neighborhood in Mexico. With hundreds of restaurants and shady tree-lined streets, it’s not surprising that this is a Mexico City favorite. The design of the neighborhood also makes it extremely pleasant for walking as there are no major thoroughfares running through it. Unlike most of Mexico city, you can usually step out into the street without too much worry of getting run over.

Condesa is also a great neighborhood for dog lovers. On more than one occasion, I’ve headed over to the dog park at Parque Espana to get my dog fix. While there is a fenced in area, you’ll find off leash dogs everywhere. Like their owners, Mexican dogs seemed to have adapted the easy going friendly attitude and, even off leash, don’t appear to bother anyone or get into any trouble with other dogs.

Roma

Roma is divided among north, south, and central. Most people are referring to Norte when the suggest you visit Roma. It doesn’t have quite the neighborhood feel that Condesa does, but it is filled with restaurants from around the world. Like the other neighborhoods I’ve mentioned, this one is perfect to explore on foot and is busy night and day so there’s never a time you should feel uncomfortable walking around.

Coyoacan

To the south of Mexico city is the charming neighborhood of Coyoacan. Unlike the previously mentioned neighborhoods of Mexico city, Coyoacan is more like its own village. It has two central squares, a main church and an adjacent artisan market.

You may have also heard of one of Mexico’s famous artists, Frida Kahlo. Her house is located in the Coyoacan neighborhood, but make sure you reserve your tickets early as tickets often sell out as much as a week in advance. While you’re waiting for your tour time, Coyoacan is a wonderful neighborhood to walk around. Get lost in the Mercado do Coyoacan or Bazar Artesanal Mexicano or see if you can find my favorite little hideaway: Santa Catarina Park.

No matter where you walk, you’ll stumble across surprises in Coyoacan. At some point during my visit here, I love to slip over to the elegant San Angel Inn for lunch or dinner before making my way back to Mexico city.

Lomas de Chapultepec

Here’s a neighborhood you’ll rarely hear about. That is because it’s primarily a residential neighborhood for Mexico’s elite, but there are a few gems to be explored here. The first is Avenido Prado Norte, which has a dozen restaurants in just two blocks. There’s also nearby Pedregal street which caters primarily to the lunch crowd from the local business.

There’s the wonderful bike path you can walk into Chapultepec park and enjoy lunch at the popular Bistró Chapultepec or the artistically inspired Lago Algo. The other direction on the bike path takes you to the impressive Soumaya museum in the Polanco neighborhood, which can easily be accessed using one the public bikes.

I spent my afternoon in Lomas de Chapultepec walking through the cavernous Barranca de Barrilaco. This is a canyon that divides the neighborhood in half and has a 1.5 mile long walking trail. There are several dog walking areas and exercise equipment if hiking through the park is not enough. I entered from the bottom of the park at Parque Alpes and exited at the top on Av. Montes Auvernia.

Making a left turn leads you to the 3rd section and most remote section of Chapultepec park. Enjoy the peace as you walk back downhill to the lake.

While picking a neighborhood that fits you is completely at your discretion, these are my favorites and where I will spend the most time in the future whether it’s for a short visit or an extended stay.