Where to Stay in Mexico City (for every budget).
What neighbourhood should you stay in when coming to Mexico City? And what specific hotel to choose?
I cover that in this post. I don’t list a lot of hotels but all the ones I give you are very good value hotels in their price range, whether high-end, mid-range or budget (I’ve stayed in all kinds of places on my trips to Mexico City).
What neighbourhood should you stay in when coming to Mexico City?
I have 2 favorite neighborhoods in Mexico City and which you stay in depends on what you want out of your trip.
I recommend the Historic Center for the first time visitor. It’s where the majority of the tourist highlights are located and staying here will give you a chance to experience the city. There’s lots of see and 2 or 3 days is ideal – there’s a lot of hustle and bustle in the center and usually that’s all I can take on a visit. Further below I give you a couple of high-end hotels (worth staying in if in the center) as well as some mid-range and budget options.
Roma Norte is my favorite Mexico City neighbourhood just because it is laid-back and has tons of excellent food options. I love the parks in the neighbourhood. I usually come here when I have some business to take care of in Mexico City and I want to stay away from the bustle of the center. While there aren’t a lot of tourist attractions in Roma Norte itself, you’re an easy walk from Chapultepec Park where you’ll find Chapultepec Castle and the Anthropology Museum. Also, from the Fuente de Cibeles (the hub of Roma Norte), you can take the Hop On/Hop Off and explore the city (which I recommend for the first time visitor).
Specific Hotel Recommendations
A. Historic Center
High-end Hotels
Gran Hotel Mexico City Zócalo View
A historic hotel (a 5 star) with one of the most beautiful lobbies you’ll see anywhere. It’s one of Mexico City’s top luxury hotels and was even the filming location for the 2015 James Bond film “Spectre”.
Large and luxurious rooms, a gourmet restaurant with a terrace overlooking the Zócalo (Mexico City’s main square) and the Cathedral (the largest in all the Americas). You can’t really beat this hotel as far as location and views. It gets a 9.2 rating on Booking.com.
Regular prices in the mid-$400 US range but you can sometimes find prices around $250 US.
Click here to book the Gran Hotel Mexico City Zócalo View
Zocalo Central & Rooftop Mexico City
More great views looking out over the Zócalo and the Cathedral. Modern décor, comfortable rooms with everything, a rooftop terrace, a gym. Classy and elegant. This is a 4-star hotel that gets a 9.2 rating on Booking.com.
Regular prices can be in the mid-$300 range but you’ll often see specials on Booking.com for less than $200 US for a standard room.
Click here to book the Zocalo Central & Rooftop Mexico City
Mid-range Hotel
Hotel Catedral
Located just behind the Cathedral, this is a notch below the Zocalo Central (the hotel mentioned above) but it’s a very good value 4-star hotel that gets a 9.1 rating. Great location, a terrace with fantastic views, a good restaurant.
If you look at Booking.com, you’ll often find prices around the $100 US range. That’s extremely good value.
Click here to book the Hotel Catedral
Mid-range apartment
Puerta Alameda Suites
This Aparthotel is one of my favorite stays in Mexico City, I’ve stayed here a bunch of times.
Located a block from Palacio de Bellas Artes, there are different apartments available; some with 1 bedroom, others with 3. Fully functional kitchens, a washer and dryer, 1 or 2 bathrooms depending on the room. Excellent location. Very clean and well-organized apartments that get an 8.9 rating on Booking.com
Prices depend on the room and season etc but you can usually get a room under $100 US. Very good value.
Click here to book Puerta Alameda Suites
Budget
Hotel Castropol
This budget hotel is one of the best value hotels you’ll find in Mexico City. It used to be the place I would come when by myself and looking to save money.
Very large clean rooms, a good restaurant, a location 4 blocks from the Zocalo. No frills but very good for what you get. Rooms around $60 US, Hotel Castropol gets an 8.7 rating on Booking.com.
There are a few other hotels in this price category that I’ve tried (Hotel Marlowe, Hotel Metropol) but Hotel Castropol is (I think) the best of the bunch.
Click here to book Hotel Castropol
B. Roma Norte
Roma Norte is more expensive than the center and you’ll pay more for everything. Still, there are a couple of good value Mid-range options.
ULIV Cibeles
This is the place I usually go in Roma Norte: a comfortable, clean apartment hotel steps from Fuente de Cibeles (the hub of Roma Norte). Rooms come with a kitchenette which is always handy. There’s a gym, a “business center”, a laundry room, a deck where you can lounge around. Wifi is strong.
You can usually get a room around $120 US/night. Uliv Cibeles gets an 8.6 rating on Booking.com.
Click here to book ULIV Cibeles
Casa Cibeles by Lumina
Casa Cibeles is basically the same as ULIV Cibeles above: an aparthotel within a block of Fuente de Cibeles. Rooms come with a kitchenette, there’s a big outdoor deck, and there’s a laundry room.
Again, prices around $120 US/night. Casa Cibeles gets an 8.7 rating.
I’d suggest doing price comparisons between Casa Cibeles/Uliv Cibeles for the time period you are interested in and going with whatever is cheaper. What you get is very similar.
Click here to book Casa Cibeles by Lumina
Related: 2 Days in Mexico City
Related: Where to Eat in Roma Norte
Leave a Reply