**MEXICO CITY:**
WHERE WORLDS COLLIDE

APRIL 24-30, 2025 (FEW SPOTS LEFT)

OVERVIEW

Formerly Distrito Federal, Ciudad de México has been garnering a reputation as a top cosmopolitan destination with The New York Times naming it the number one place to visit in 2016.

Mexico City is a living palimpsest where modernity intertwines with vestiges of the Aztec Empire and a dynamic culture that can be witnessed in the fiber of the everyday. From its innumerable museums to its energetic culinary scene, which ranges from the humble pleasures of street food to the most elevated epicurean experiences, this city has it all.

The megalopolis can intimidate even the most seasoned travelers, as they attempt to navigate its various neighborhoods and its chaotic traffic. The origins of its historic downtown date back to 1325, with the birth of the Aztec city of Tenochtitlán. Today, sinking under the lake that carried Tenochtitlán over 600 years ago sits its Colonial replacement: The Zócalo, the city’s central plaza. Meanwhile, La Condesa can be distinguished for its art deco buildings and cosmopolitan vibes. La Roma is known for its bohemian feel, filled with art galleries set in mansions from the end of the 19th century built in the French tradition. To the south is Coyoacán, preserved with the charm of a provincial town. It was here that artists and intellectuals such as Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and Leon Trotsky lived, and it’s not hard to understand why.

During our 7-day, 6-night immersion trip, we will dive into the old and new, experiencing the ever-changing traditions of the city in a way only locals know how to. We will be eating in all sorts of venues—from upscale restaurants to street stands—tasting the mix of flavors that result from the clashing of various cultures, comparing the traditional with the more modern chef driven interpretations, and gaining a full picture of Mexico City’s current culinary landscape.

We will also visit some of the less urban areas in the outskirts of the city for an up-close look at traditions untainted by modernity, such as the pre-Hispanic agricultural practices at Xochimilco. And since we want to make sure you experience the food of the city and the ingredients as close as possible, we will be visiting several markets, tasting as we go, getting to know the spices, chiles, and everything in between. One of the highlights of the trip will be choosing ingredients for a cooking lesson led by James Beard Award winning chef Iliana de la Vega. During our session, which will take place in the beautiful kitchen of an acclaimed chef, we will learn about traditional ingredients and understand how to incorporate them into your own cooking.

TRIP ITINERARY

After arriving in Mexico City, our driver will meet you at the airport and take you to the hotel. Take some time to settle before we head out for our welcome dinner.
We will introduce ourselves and toast to the wonderful trip ahead of us over a tasting menu that marries traditional Mexican ingredients with Italian flavors and techniques at a lovely mansion in Roma neighborhood.
This day begins with breakfast at a popular restaurant downtown that's been serving traditional dishes to locals for over five decades. Then we'll meet an expert historian who will guide us through the beating heart of the city: its historic downtown, walking us through the main landmarks, including the zócalo, metropolitan cathedral, and the Templo Mayor (the ruins of the city of Tenochtitlán, the capital of the Aztec Empire).
After a few hours of walking around downtown Mexico City, we'll head out for a long lunch at one of the best restaurants in the world, where the celebrated chef creates beautiful, modern dishes using traditional ingredients and cooking techniques. After our three-hour lunch, take the rest of the evening to rest or explore the city’s rich culinary landscape on your own.
Today will start with breakfast at a local eatery where locals line-up to eat in communal tables for traditional dishes like eggs scrambled with refried black beans. Then, we'll continue our drive south towards San Ángel, an old neighborhood with stately houses where we'll be visiting a Saturday only market that gathers an amazing selection of Mexican arts & crafts. After this, we'll head to Coyoacán, a colonial neighborhood lined with cobblestone streets that's oozing with provincial charm and an important cultural and artistic history. We'll visit the Frida Kahlo museum for a visit with an expert guide who will guide us through the painters’ life and pieces.
Once we’ve built an appetite, we'll make our way to the nearby neighborhood market to learn and talk about some local ingredients. For lunch, we'll visit a favorite market spot to sample a classic Mexican street food: tostadas and refreshing aguas frescas.
Back at the hotel, take some time to rest or explore the city on your own. We'll meet again this evening for beautifully executed traditional Mexican food at a stunning, historic space downtown.
Today will be all about Mexican ingredients, learning about them, and understanding how to use them in your own cooking back at home. Our day will start with breakfast at a lovely restaurant in Roma neighborhood, where we can find some of the best pastries in the city and dishes infused with a mix of Mexican and European flavors. We'll then take a short drive to a market nearby to shop for ingredients for our cooking session. Our culinary workshop will be led by James Beard Award winning chef Iliana de la Vega at the private home’s kitchen of an acclaimed chef. While our lunch is cooking, we'll also get to see the process of making ceremonial tortillas. After lunch, you'll have the afternoon to rest or enjoy the city on your own.
Once again, we'll reconvene in the evening for a Mexican wine tasting with an expert in a private area of our hotel. After a few sips of wine, we'll head out to try THE quintessential Mexico City dish, tacos al pastor, at a street stand that doubles as an auto shop by day and one of the best taco stands by night.
Enjoy breakfast at the hotel before we make our way south to what are wrongly known as the "floating gardens" of Xochimilco. Once there, we'll hop on a trajinera boat and explore the canals with a guide that has been working in the area for over a decade. There, we'll visit his chinampa to learn about the pre-Hispanic agricultural practice still in use today. We will enjoy some vegetables sourced directly from the chinampa we visit and perhaps some tamales or quesadillas while on board our trajinera.
Once back at the hotel, enjoy some time to rest or enjoy the city on your own before we meet for dinner. Our dinner location tonight is one of the newest restaurants in the city, in Roma neighborhood, where a young chef experiments with inventive takes on traditional dishes.
Our day will begin with breakfast at a lively restaurant that's only open on weekends that serves the best barbacoa brought in directly from the state of Hidalgo. Here, you can also taste pulque, a pre-Hispanic and slightly alcoholic drink made with the fermented sap of the agave. Then, we’ll take a short drive to the National Museum of Anthropology, which houses the largest collection of pre-Columbian art and artifacts in Mexico. With an expert guide, we’ll learn about the city’s history, tracing it all the way back to the Mexica (Aztec) empire. Following our museum visit, we’ll make our way to a bustling and very popular restaurant in Polanco that specializes in Mexican seafood staples like ceviche and aguachile, followed by some carajillos and the most delightful strawberry meringue. We'll then return to the hotel to rest or explore the city on your own for a few hours.
We’ll reconvene one last time for our farewell dinner at an upscale restaurant in Roma neighborhood headed by a chef who trained in the best French kitchens of the United States and returned to Mexico to open his own restaurant. At his Mexican bistrot, he serves expertly prepared dishes that masterfully mix French and Mexican flavors.
After a few days of exploring and eating your way through Mexico City, it's time to head back home with a head full of new memories. Our driver will pick you up from the hotel and take you to the airport. You may depart early in the morning or enjoy breakfast at the hotel beforehand.

*Please keep in mind that this is a sample itinerary and it is subject to change. We expect to do everything listed, but the order may change depending on local conditions and availability.