Where to Stay in Mexico City

Wondering where to stay in Mexico City?

In this guide, we share the best places to stay in Mexico City: Condesa/Roma, Reforma, Coyoácan, and Polanco.

To help you get a sense of which part of North America’s oldest capital city is best for you, read on to explore each of these areas.

Where to Stay in Mexico City?

The best areas to stay in Mexico City are:

• Condesa/Roma
• Reforma
• Coyoácan
• Polanco

All of these neighbourhoods are safe, located in the heart of Mexico City, and full of things to see, do, and eat.

Plus, thanks to Mexico City’s incredible and affordable transit system, you’ll have no trouble getting around to other popular areas and attractions like the canals and trajineras in Xochimilco or the Azteca Stadium/Estadio Azteca (home of 2026 World Cup), just south of Coyoácan.

Condesa/Roma

The La Condesa and Roma neighbourhoods are located to the south of the city’s historical centre and are known for their hip, eclectic vibe and fantastic Art Deco and Art Nouveau architectural influences.

Staying in one of these areas will surround you with boutique shopping, third-wave coffee shops, and Michelin-starred restaurants like Expendio de Maiz Sin Nombre. You’ll also be spoiled for choice in terms of cockail bars, with many of North America’s 50 Best Bars calling this area home (see: Tlecan, Bar Mauro, and Licorería Limantour).

In these areas, you’ll find a range of Airbnbs, a number of small boutique hotels, ranging from simple to chic, and a few brand-name properties, such as:

• Andaz Mexico Condesa by Hyatt
• Casa Serenos
• Casa Mali by Dominion

Reforma

Reforma, a neighbourhood around the street of the same name, is located above Juárez/Zona Rosa and next to the historical Centro area of the city.

This area is considered one of the safest parts of the city, with tall buildings and wide avenues leading between popular attractions in neighbouring areas like Chapultepec Park and the National Museum of Anthropology, and Plaza Mayor and the Palace of Fine Arts.

Although there are plenty of smaller hotels and Airbnb options in Reforma, this area is most suited for travellers who are looking for a more traditional hotel stay in a convenient and central location.

In Reforma, you’ll find excellent hotels such as:

• Hilton Mexico City Reforma
• Hotel Galería Plaza Reforma
• Mexico City Marriott Reforma Hotel

Polanco

The Polanco neighbourhood is found just north of Chapultepec Park and is an affluent area known for its luxury shopping and excellent museums.

While in the area, you can enjoy free entrance to the Soumaya Museum (and admire its fantastic and unique architecture), dine at Pujol, another of Mexico City’s Michelin-starred restaurants, and take a walk along Parque Lincoln in the heart of the neighbourhood.

Notable accommodations in the area include:

• JW Marriott Hotel Mexico City Polanco
• W Mexico City
• InterContinental Presidente

Coyoácan

Coyoácan is an area that’s set a bit away from the other neighbourhoods we’ve mentioned. Once it’s own city, the area has long-since been enveloped by Mexico City, but it retains much of its original charm.

This area was actually the first Spanish settlement in the Mexico City area and visitors will certainly note the historical architecture and energy.

While staying in Coyoácan, be sure to check out the Casa Azul (Frida Kahlo’s home-turned-museum), Diego Rivera’s Anahuacalli Museum, and, of course, the local markets for delicious food and charming souvenirs.

In this area, your accommodation options are almost exclusively boutique hotels and Airbnbs.

Some interesting ones we found include:

• Meztli Casa Boutique & Spa
• H21 Hospedaje Boutique
• Hotel Casa Jacinta

Also it’s worth noting that Coyoácan is a great jumping off point for travellers planning to attend a sports event at the nearby Estadio Azteca, which is host to some of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Save On Your Stay in Mexico City with Points

There are a couple great ways to use points to save on accommodations in Mexico City.

You can i) redeem hotel loyalty points from program’s like Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors and/or ii) use flexible travel points to help cover the cost of Airbnbs and smaller, boutique hotel.

Hotel loyalty programs

When travelling to Mexico City, you can use hotel loyalty points from programs like Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors to enjoy free nights across the city.

For example, with the Marriott Bonvoy program, you earn Bonvoy points whenever you stay at one of Marriott’s 9,000+ properties around the world, and these points can then be redeemed for free nights.

Plus, you can also earn points by using co-branded credit cards like the Marriott Bonvoy^® American Express^®* Card and Marriott Bonvoy^® Business American Express^®* Card for your daily spending.

These two Marriott co-branded credit cards also come with some helpful travel perks and benefits, with a crowd-favourite being the annual Free Night Certificate that you can redeem for a night’s stay worth up to 35,000 points!

If you like the sounds of some free nights in a hotel in Mexico City, you should check out our helpful guides to earning and redeeming Marriott Bonvoy points:

Hilton hotels also have a loyalty program where you earn Hilton Honors points every time stay at one of their properties, and these points can then be redeemed for free nights.

Unfortunately, there’s currently no co-branded Hilton credit cards in Canada, so it’s much more difficult to rack up a nice pile of Hilton points.

Redemption examples

To give you an idea of how many points you may need to enjoy a free stay in Mexico City, let’s look at a couple examples:

As you can see, you could enjoy a night in the comfortable and centrally located Mexico City Marriott Reforma Hotel for 38,000 Bonvoy points per night…

…or you could step up the luxury levels and spend 78,000 Bonvoy points per night to stay at the JW Marriott Hotel Mexico City Polanco, with its spectacular location, mezcal room, and outdoor pool.

Save on boutique hotels and Airbnbs

If you’re staying in an area of Mexico City where there aren’t many larger hotels or if you just prefer a more boutique experience or a full apartment to yourself, there’s still lots of ways to offset your accommodations costs using points.

A number of credit cards will let you use your points balance to cover eligible travel expenses that appear on your credit card statement.

This means that you can save money on your Airbnb or other accommodations by redeeming points from the following loyalty programs:

• American Express Membership Rewards
• Scene+ points
• NBC À la carte Rewards
• CIBC Aventura
• BMO Rewards
• AIR MILES

You can also use other methods to save on your accommodations costs, such as using an annual travel credit from one of your credit cards, joining Journey Rewards to potentially earn points on smaller accommodation companies, and using a rewards portal to make your booking.

We explain how these points redemption options work in our guide to saving on independent hotels and our guide to saving on Airbnb bookings, so if you enjoy not paying full price, these are certainly worth a read through.

Bottom Line

Mexico City is absolutely fantastic destination that easily has something for every type of travellers.

Whether you’re looking forward to visiting the ancient ruins at Teotihuacan, one of the city’s 150+ museums, or eating your way through the city’s bountiful food stalls, your expectations will be met and exceeded!

And of course, before you set out, don’t forget to make sure you’re set up with the best eSIM for Mexico, and that you’ve checked off all your other important pre-trip tasks like getting a VPN to keep your data safe and learning about two-factor authentification while abroad.

FAQs

Is Mexico City safe?

Yes, Mexico City is safe to visit, and it hosts millions of visitors each year.

As with any big city, it’s important to be aware of your surroundings and do a bit of research in terms of which neighbourhoods are the most friendly. With Mexico City being the largest city in North America, it’s no surprise that there are some areas that are less welcoming, especially after dark.

That said, all the areas we’ve name in this article are considered safe for visitors, and we’re sure you’ll enjoy your visit thoroughly!

What time zone is Mexico City?

Mexico City is in the Central Time Zone, making it two hours later than Montreal, Toronto, New York City, and all other locations in Eastern Standard Time, and one hour ahead of Vancouver in Pacific Standard Time.