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All Mexico Mexico City

The Atlas Obscura Guide To Mexico City

180 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Mexico City, Mexico

Updated March 4, 2025

Discover new flavors at open air markets, contemplate the “Disk of Death,” and make your way around an island full of creepy dolls. Whether you’re drawn to architecture, the arts, or spooky explorations, Mexico City has something to offer every traveler.

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Unusual Attractions in Mexico City

Cafebrería El Péndulo Second Floor.

Mexico City, Mexico

Cafebrería El Péndulo

Part bookstore, part café, and part forest.

Mexico City, Mexico

La Casa Azul

Frida Kahlo's childhood home, now a museum of her life and works.

Mexico City, Mexico

Mercado de Sonora

Superstitious? Discover the witchy side of Mexico through its largest esoteric market.
The shelves are the structure.

Mexico City, Mexico

Biblioteca Vasconcelos

A jaw-dropping "megalibrary" that turns book-browsing into a geometric adventure.
(Flickr/Juan Barrios)

Mexico City, Mexico

Soumaya Museum

66,000 pieces of art, donated by one of the world's richest men.
Diego and Frida’s houses, connected by a bridge

Mexico City, Mexico

Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo House Studio Museum

The famous artist couple lived and worked here, in two different houses separated by a bridge.
A view of the convent from the courtyard.

Mexico City, Mexico

Desierto de los Leones (Desert of the Lions)

Explore the atmospheric ruins of an abandoned convent in the dense forests of Mexico's first national park.
Interior of Posada Del Sol

Mexico City, Mexico

La Posada del Sol

Meant to be one of the most extravagant hotels in the world, now an eerie, abandoned architectural gem in Mexico City.
See All 180 Things To Do in Mexico City

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Mexico City

Cafebrería El Péndulo Second Floor.

Mexico City, Mexico

Cafebrería El Péndulo

Part bookstore, part café, and part forest.
The front of Minichelista.

Mexico City, Mexico

Minichelista Restaurant

A quirky and charming restaurant founded by artists.

Mexico City, Mexico

The Sweets Section at Mercado de la Merced

Mexico City's largest market contains a Willy Wonka-esque wonderland.

Mexico City, Mexico

Café La Habana

This old-school café is famous for serving coffee, chilaquiles, and the Cuban Revolution.
See all 18 Places to Eat in Mexico City
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NEW - Yucatan: Astronomy, Pyramids & Mayan Legends

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Atlas Obscura Itineraries

Mexico City's Centro Histórico

Anchored by the Zócalo plaza and the architectural splendor of the Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico City's historic center rightfully draws scores of visitors from around the world. If you look, smell, and taste carefully, you’ll also find a universe of culinary offerings that tells stories of immigration, adaptation, and imagination. With the help of Culinary Backstreets, we assembled a primer on eating and drinking your way through the district.

View Itinerary
Plenty of sweet treats are on offer at Pastelería Ideal

Explore Mexico City, Mexico

Museums 48
Aztec 29
Architecture 29
Art 28
History 19
Archaeology 17
History & Culture 16
Murals 16
Sculptures 12
Collections 11
Architectural Oddities 10
Parks 10
Unique Restaurants & Bars 3

Mexico City Leaderboard

Places Added

  1. linkogecko
    53
  2. Mario Yair TS
    48
  3. Monsieur Mictlan
    32
  4. Porden
    3
  5. Tony Dunnell
    2

Places Edited

  1. linkogecko
    87
  2. Monsieur Mictlan
    81
  3. Xavixavir
    34
  4. Mario Yair TS
    33
  5. pml33040
    17

Places Visited

  1. Mario Yair TS
    163
  2. linkogecko
    147
  3. shirley3david
    137
  4. Taydal
    113
  5. Monsieur Mictlan
    112

Recent Mexico City Activity

  • starchild0mellet

    wants to go to Reloj Chino (Chinese Clock)

  • starchild0mellet

    has been to Plaza Valentín Gómez Farías

  • starchild0mellet

    has been to Glorieta Plaza de Sevilla (Seville Plaza Roundabout)

  • starchild0mellet

    has been to La Isla de las Muñecas (Island of the Dolls)

  • starchild0mellet

    has been to Futura CDMX

Stories About Mexico City

Podcast: A Journey Through Death With Joanna Ebenstein

What does our fascination with mortality reveal about who we are?
by The Podcast Team
March 29, 2024

Podcast: Toy Story

Check out a crazed collection of vintage playthings in Mexico City's vibrant museum scene.
by The Podcast Team
February 13, 2024

Podcast: Isla de Las Muñecas

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.
by The Podcast Team
October 28, 2021
Construction crews are cooperating with expert paleontologists as the site is developed and more bones are uncovered.

What Will Mexico City Do With 2,000 Mammoth Bones?

The fate of an enormous trove of fossils hangs in the balance.
by Luke Fater
September 30, 2020
A microbus at Olivar del Conde, Mexico City.

How Mexico City Crowdsourced a Map of Its Riotous Informal Bus System

The fourth episode of TED’s Far Flung podcast looks at the power of collective creativity.
by Anna Phelan
July 10, 2020
At the Xochimilco natural reserve in Mexico City, the site of artificial islands created by the Aztecs for agricultural purposes, people use flat-bottomed river boats to get around.

In Mexico City, the Coronavirus Is Bringing Back Aztec-Era ‘Floating Gardens’

Business is booming for farmers who plant on man-made islands.
by Amanda Gokee
June 25, 2020
“It’s wonderful to be a musician,” says Jorge Galindo. “If I didn’t do it from the heart, I’d be better off as a street sweeper or driving a truck.”

Street Musicians Have Turned Mexico City Into One Giant Music Venue

Not everyone welcomes the performances, but they're traveling far and taking risks to get by.
by Ellen Freeman
June 1, 2020
Farmers on a trajinera, a traditional flat-bottomed river boat.

How to Feed a Megacity Like the Aztecs

The chinampas that nourished Tenochtitlan may hold the key to better urban gardens.
by Reina Gattuso
November 18, 2019

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