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- Magical Mexico City Culinary Vacation
Magical Mexico City Culinary Vacation
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Magical Mexico City Culinary Vacation
Mexico is well known throughout the world for its amazing gastronomic tradition. It offers a variety of dishes and drinks prepared with wonderful, fresh ingredients, unique flavors, aromas, and textures. You can discover them all on our culinary vacation in Mexico City.
When Spanish conquerors arrived in Mexico and began to colonize, they brought ingredients and techniques from Europe, Asia, and Africa, which then fused with native ingredients. This gave rise to a truly Mexican cuisine full of exquisite dishes like mole, chiles en nogada, pozole, and a wide range of sauces, drinks, and desserts.
Mexican culinary art has continued to develop, and in the past several years Mexican chefs have brought in different techniques and ingredients from other parts of the world to create a unique and renowned contemporary Mexican cuisine. The never-ending creativity of the chefs, combined with the centuries of Mexican traditions and ingredients, will surprise and delight the most demanding palate on our culinary vacations in Mexico City.
Mexico City lies at the heart of Mexico and is one of the oldest and largest cities in the Americas. Built on the ancient ruins of the Aztec city Tenochtitlan, it is home to a dizzying array of cultural sties. You can explore its fascinating colonial architecture on our Mexico City culinary tours–the European colonizers drained Lake Texcoco to build a city of palaces–as well as its amazing art scene, including the works of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera.
At the heart of Mexico City is Zócalo. A zócalo in Mexico is a public plaza or square, and the most famous is Constitution Square (Plaza de la Constitución) in Mexico City. This has been the heart of the city since the days of the Aztecs, the site of ceremonies, swearings in, festivals, celebrations, and protests for hundreds of years. From there the city sprawls outward, a huge metropolis made up of different neighborhoods, cities themselves, that lie side by side.
Mexico City is the melting pot of Mexican regional cuisine. During your Mexico City culinary vacation, you will find both dozens of regional restaurants as well as fine dining options that incorporate traditional dishes with contemporary flair, in addition to local markets.
If you’re interested in the ultimate culinary vacation in Mexico, pair our Magical Mexico City culinary vacation with our Taste of Puebla and Oaxaca culinary vacation in Mexico!
Trip Details
Enjoy a hands-on cooking class in which you will learn to prepare two staples of Mexico cuisine: corn tortillas and guacamole.
Itinerary
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Day One
- Arrival at Mexico City international airport and meet your English-speaking guide.
- Transfer to your hotel, check in and rest of evening on your own.
- Overnight.
Day Two
- Breakfast at the hotel.
- Begin your Mexico City culinary vacation with a guided tour of the city, starting with the Historical Center. Gaze in wonder at the beautiful baroque buildings, including the Cathedral and the National Palace, that surround the famed Zócalo, or Constitution Square.
- The Cathedral is the largest in Mexico. It is a quintessential example of colonial architecture in Latin America, lying as it does on the remains of the largest Aztec temple. You can admire the murals painted by Diego Rivera at the National Palace (closed Mondays), which is the seat of the Mexican presidency. One of the most recently discovered sites is the Templo Mayor, the great temple of the Aztec capital (panoramic visit only.)
At noon, continue on your tour of Mexico City while experience the city’s cuisine in several exotic and wonderful food stops. You will have a gastronomic adventure through the flavors of Mexico, from pre-Hispanic foods to contemporary dishes. Visit a typical Mexican market full of unique ingredients, have a drink at a typical cantina, and taste the popular street food.- Return to the hotel in the evening, with dinner on your own (if you are still hungry).
- Overnight.
Day Three
- Breakfast at the hotel.
- Depart for Teotihuacán, one of the most important archeological sites of the Valley of Mexico.
- You will see the site where the Teotihuacán civilization flourished between the first and sixth centuries. Their influence appears to have been so vast as to have reached Tikal in Guatamala, as one can find traces of their influence in the the famed Mayan ruin located there. Burned in the Eighth Century, Teotihuacán was already a ruin by the time the Aztecs settled there. Due to its immense size, they attributed its construction to gods or giants.
- Teotihuacán has three large buildings distributed around what is called the “Avenue of the Dead.” The Pyramid of the Sun is the primary among these, while the more modest Pyramid of the Moon lies to the north. The Citadel, like the others, reflects the art and astronomical knowledge of its builders.
Head to a local restaurant for lunch, where you will learn to make an authentic guacamole sauce from chilies, green tomatoes, avocado, and other spices. Enjoy it as a snack or with assorted tacos or tortas, including hand-made tortillas that you will prepare yourself with corn masa. Tortillas are, of course, a primary ingredient in so many classic Mexican dishes: tacos, tostadas, enchiladas, totopos, entomatadas, chalupas, flautas, chilaquiles, quesadillas, and more.
In the afternoon, stop at a cooperative food factory in the village of San Martín de la Pirámides. They produce honey, jam, sweets, and hots sauces from the nopal (cactus) fruits known as tuna and xoconoxtle.- Next, head to an obsidian workshop. You can watch the artisans work the raw material to shape unique pieces of regional handicraft. Taste the local liquor called pulque, which is made from the Agave plant.
- Return to Mexico City.
- This evening, continue your Mexico City culinary vacation at a local restaurant for dinner. The eatery is found in the heart of the city’s trendiest quarter, Colonia Roma, and it combines the aesthetic of the Mexican architect Javier Sordo de Haro with the building’s original 20th-century architecture. The bistrot’s menu offers a variety of regional dishes from throughout Mexico.
- Return to your hotel and overnight.
Day Four
Breakfast at the hotel.- This morning, depart for the southern part of Mexico City to visit Coyoacán, the colonial quarter built in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries. This is the residential neighborhood where the elite of Mexico City used to live in gorgeous haciendas in the countryside.
- Visit the Frida Kahlo Museum, also called “La Casa Azul” (the Blue House, closed on Mondays). This is where the famous Latin American artist was born, lived, and died.
Lunch at a restaurant in the Coyoacán.- In the afternoon, take an idyllic boat ride on a trajinera, the traditional colorfully painted, flat bottom wooden boats. Cruise along the pre-Hispanic canals of Xochimilco, Mexico City’s floating gardens, a place where the Toltecs took refuge during the fall of Tula. Its inhabitants have been dedicated to agriculture since ancient times.
- In the evening, transfer to a local restaurant for dinner, where you will taste ceviches, tostadas, stews, as well as an impressive array of colorful and contemporary Mexican dishes.
- Return to your hotel and overnight.
Day Five
- Breakfast at the hotel.
- Check out and transfer to the Mexico City airport. (If you would like to continue your journey, you can continue on with our Taste of Puebla and Oaxaca culinary vacation in Mexico, the ultimate extension of your exploration of Mexican cuisine and culture. Inquire for details!)
Trip Details
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Included in the 4-Night Trip
AccommodationsFour nights in a 4* or 5* hotel in Mexico City
Food & Beverages- Daily breakfast
- Three lunches
- Two dinners
Classes & InstructorsEnjoy a hands-on cooking class in which you will learn to prepare two staples of Mexico cuisine: corn tortillas and guacamole.
Excursions- Guided tour of Mexico City’s historical center, including food tasting tour
- Excursion to Teotihuacán
- Visit of a local food cooperative and obsidian workshop
- Excursion to Coyoacán neighborhood, including Frida Kahlo Museum
- Trajinera boat ride in Xochimilco
- Private transportation for all excursions
- English-speaking local guides
Transfer DetailsRoundtrip transfer from/to Mexico City airport
Miscellaneous- Porter services at airports and hotel
- Entrance fees to archeological sites and museums
Not Included
- Beverages, paid locally
- Tips
- Overnight Mexico tourist tax, paid locally
Accommodation Information
Stay at the 4* Historico Central (or similar). Or, an upgrade to the 5* Sofitel (or similar) is also possible, please inquire.
Pricing & Dates
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Mexico City Culinary Vacation Pricing
See moreUS$2075 per person based on double occupancy
- Add US$720 per person to upgrade to 5* Hotel
30% deposit due to confirm booking.
Balance payment due 60 days prior to tour start date. Questions? Please contact us!
Single occupancy supplement: please inquire.
Pricing for groups: please inquire.Tour Dates
See moreAvailable year-round for a minimum of 2 people. (Please note many museums and monuments are not open on Mondays).
2025
Please inquire for availability!
We Can Help Plan It All
Flights, additional nights and tours, Transportation, and Much More…
We might not be able to pack for you, but there are tons of things we can help with to make your vacation that much better.
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