Mexico City: Insider Advice

Illustration: Anne Smith

When calling the telephone numbers below from the United States, first dial 011-52-55, unless noted otherwise.

When to Go

Mexico City's high altitude—nearly 7,400 feet above sea level—keeps the climate mild year-round. During the coolest (and smoggiest) months, January through March, it rarely drops below 50 degrees; the hottest months are April and May, when temperatures can reach the 80s. July is the rainiest month. Culture seekers should consider coming in late March, for the Festival de México en el Centro Histórico (fchmexico.com), or in early April, for the México Arte Contemporáneo international art fair (macomexico.com).

Getting Around

The city is safer than it used to be, but visitors should remain vigilant. The most important rule is never to hail a cab off the street, as it may be a rogue; rather, ask your hotel or restaurant to call a sitio, or radio taxi. For a hassle-free experience, have your hotel arrange a car and driver for the day.

Where to Stay

Condesa DF Forty rooms with walnut headboards, sculptural pedestal sinks and lime green floral prints. The Top Suite, which has a wraparound deck and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the lush Parque España, feels like a penthouse apartment. Light sleepers, beware: the noise from the popular rooftop bar, courtyard restaurant and basement dance club carries throughout the hotel. Double rooms from $175, Top Suite $395. 102 Avda. Veracruz, Condesa; 5241-2600; condesadf.com.

Four Seasons Hotel México, D.F. This fortresslike hotel is an oasis in the middle of the city: no noise permeates its walls, and once you're inside it's easy to forget where you are. The hacienda-inspired building surrounds a lovely courtyard and fountain. Service is polished and anticipatory; you can avail yourself of twenty-four-hour multilingual concierges, private cultural tours led by art historians and other perks. Double rooms from $360. 500 Paseo de la Reforma, Juárez; 800-819-5053; fourseasons.com.

Habita Hotel Featuring a sleek frosted-glass façade designed by Enrique Norten of TEN Arquitectos and thirty-six spare, airy guest rooms, Habita is a minimalist's dream come true. It's steps from the tony shops of Avenida Presidente Masaryk, which is worth exploring if you can tear yourself away from the hotel's gorgeous terrace, with its pool and see-and-be-seen bar. Double rooms from $195. 201 Avda. Presidente Masaryk, Polanco; 800-223-6800; hotelhabita.com.

Hippodrome Hotel The Condesa's newest hotel is in a beautifully restored 1931 Art Deco building near the Parque México. The sixteen earth-toned guest rooms have marble floors; the tequila-filled minibars are a nice touch. Off the lobby at Hip Kitchen, chef Richard Sandoval turns out contemporary Mexican cuisine with Asian, French and American accents. Double rooms from $230. 188 Avda. México, Condesa; 1454-4599; kerryhotels.net.

W Mexico City Open since 2003, the first W in Latin America references the region in subtle, playful ways: black volcanic rock in the lobby, an adobe Mexican-style sauna in the spa and a woven hammock in every guest room. Ask for a room on a high floor for sweeping city views from the glass-walled bathroom (yes, there are blinds). Double rooms from $369. 252 Campos Elíseos, Polanco; 877-946-8357; whotels.com.

Where to Eat

Prevent stomach problems by drinking only bottled water; at restaurants, order drinks sin hielo, without ice.

Águila y Sol

Chef and cookbook author Martha Ortiz's sophisticated alta cocina mexicana restaurant has attracted culinary pilgrims since it opened, in 2002. Start your meal with a rosewater-infused cocktail and sea bass seviche; move on to pork loin in yellow mole with gingered mango. And save room for dessert: mamey (a West Indian fruit) custard topped with edible gold leaf and carnation preserves. 229 Avda. Emilio Castelar, Polanco; 5281-8354.

El Bajío

This local favorite, helmed by chef Carmen Titita Ramírez Degollado, is renowned for its rustic Mexican dishes, like the famous mole de Xico and chipotle broth with bone marrow. Breakfast and lunch only. 2709 Avda. Cuitlahuac, Obrero Popular; 5234-3763.

Le Cirque

The restaurant arrived in Mexico City in 2002, bringing Sirio Maccioni's beloved glamour, and Le Cirque's legendary French-inflected cuisine, south of the border. Expect legions of foreign businessmen and ladies who lunch. Jackets required. 700 Avda. Mariano Escobedo, Anzures; 5263-8881.

Izote

Celebrated chef Patricia Quintana puts a spin on indigenous, pre-Hispanic ingredients at this understated, elegant spot. If it's on the menu, try the seasonal escamoles (ant roe), and finish with a traditional café de olla, coffee flavored with brown sugar and cinnamon. 513 Avda. Presidente Masaryk, Polanco; 5280-1671.

Pujol

Rising-star chef Enrique Olvera's spare, gallerylike restaurant is the perfect backdrop for his artfully presented modern Mexican dishes. Go for the seven-course chef's tasting menu, which may include sea bass al pastor with pineapple sauce and cilantro puree or four-corn mesquite soup with jellied mayonnaise. 254 Francisco Petrarca, Polanco; 5545-4111.

Restaurante Lamm This sleek eatery serves Mexican fusion— medregal in cream sauce with tequila and lemon, crab ravioli with Mayan honey sauce—on a partially glass-enclosed redwood deck in the courtyard of a century-old mansion. Also on the property are art galleries, a high-end jewelry shop and a design-focused bookstore. 99 Avda. álvaro Obregón, Roma; 5514-8501.

Nightlife

Cibeles

With its chic vintage look (exposed-brick walls, leather couches) and glossy red bar, this new Roma bar attracts a glam local crowd. 17 Plaza Villa de Madrid, Roma; 5208-2029.

Zinco Jazz Club

Jazz aficionados flock to the candlelit subterranean club, housed in a former bank vault, for concerts and late-night jam sessions by major international musicians. 20 Motolinía, Centro; 5512-3369.

Where to Shop

For fine Mexican handicrafts (embroidered textiles, silver jewelry, carved wooden sculptures), your best bets are the Bazaar de Sábado arts and crafts market in San ángel (Saturday only) and the exquisite gift shop at the Museo de Arte Popular (11 Revillagigedo, Centro; 5510-2201; map.org.mx), a new folk-art museum. For antiques, gallery owner Monica Manzutto recommends Antigüedades San Cristobal (87 Avda. Durango, Roma; 5207-8821); for custom furniture and reupholstered vintage finds, explore French designer Emmanuel Picault's Chic by Accident (180 Calle Colima, Roma; 5514-5723).

Where the Art Is

Galleries

Here's your cheat sheet for a day of gallery-hopping:

Galería Enrique Guerrero 1549 Calle Horacio, Polanco; 5280-2941; galeriaenriqueguerrero.com.

Galería Nina Menocal 93 Calle Zacatecas, Roma; 5564-7209; ninamenocal.com.

Galería OMR 54 Plaza Rio de Janeiro, Roma; 5511-1179; galeriaomr.com.

Garash Galería 49 Avda. álvaro Obregón, Roma; 5207-9858; garashgaleria.com.

Kurimanzutto Call for current location. 5256-2408; kurimanzutto.com.

Proyectos Monclova 244 Calle Colima, Roma; 5506-7319; proyectosmonclova.com.

Trolebús Galería Calle Guadalajara at Avda. Veracruz, Condesa; 5456-8168.

Museums

Casa del Lago Juan José Arreola This lakeside cultural center hosts contemporary-art exhibitions, film screenings and dance, theater and music performances. Antiguo Bosque de Chapultepec; 5286-6457

Fundación/Colección Jumex

The largest private collection of contemporary art in Latin America. A major Kiki Smith retrospective is up through October. Appointment required; 272 Vía Morelos, Sta. María Tulpetlac, Ecatepec (forty-five minutes outside the city); 5775-8188; lacoleccionjumex.org.

Laboratorio Arte Alameda

A multimedia museum carved out of a 16th-century church. 7 Doctor Mora, Centro; 5510-2793; artealmeda.inba.gob.mx.

Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Internacional Rufino Tamayo Eclectic exhibitions range from contemporary African photography to '60s and '70s New York painting (through September 19). Paseo de la Reforma and Calle Gandhi, Polanco; 5286-6519; museotamayo.org.

Museo del Palacio de Bellas Artes

A grand concert hall and museum with an Art Nouveau exterior and an Art Deco interior. The Ballet Folklórico de México performs here every Wednesday and Sunday. 1 Avda. Juárez, Centro; 5521-9251; cnca.gob.mx/palacio/museo.htm

Museo Nacional de Antropología

Archaeological and ethnographic treasures from Mexico's pre-Columbian cultures; if you've got time for a flyby only, the must-see galleries are the Mayan, Aztec and Teotihuacán rooms. Paseo de la Reforma and Calle Gandhi, Polanco; 5553-6386; mna.inah.gob.mx.

A Frida Pilgrimage

This year marks the centennial of Frida Kahlo's birth. Celebrate the artist's vibrant spirit with a visit to her home, the cobalt blue Museo Frida Kahlo (247 Calle Londres, at Del Carmen, Coyoacán; 5554-5999; museofridakahlocasaazul.org), filled with personal artifacts (her back braces, her easel), original furnishings and artwork by Kahlo and her husband, the famed muralist Diego Rivera. You'll want to stop at Museo Casa Estudio Diego Rivera y Frida Kahlo (Calle Diego Rivera, San ángel; 5550-1189), but the largest collection of Kahlo's and Rivera's works is at the Museo Dolores Olmedo Patiño (5843 Avda. México, Xochimilco; 5555-1016; museodoloresolmedo.org), a renovated 16th-century hacienda formerly owned by a glamorous philanthropist. To see Rivera's murals, head to the Palacio Nacional (Avda. Pino Suárez, Centro), on the east side of the bustling Zócalo.