Mexico City · Backpacking

The cheapest dorms are in the Centro, a block or two off the Zócalo. Roma Norte and Juárez cost a little more and feel calmer at night.

Around 600–1,100 pesos, roughly $35–65: dorms 300–500, a comida corrida 90–150, street tacos less, and transport under 50 for the whole day.

The metro is a flat five pesos and the Metrobús six, both on the same rechargeable card. Ecobici day passes cover the central boroughs.

Chapultepec park and its lakes, the Rivera murals inside the Palacio Nacional, and the Sunday closure of Reforma to cars are all free.

Free walking tours gather by the cathedral on the Zócalo most mornings and end in a pulquería; it is the reliable way to find company.