The Best Free Things to Do in Mexico City

Join hundreds of cycling, scooting and skating Mexico City residents on a Sunday, when the grand avenue Paseo de la Reforma is closed to cars. It’s a treat to stroll along the sidewalk, watching the throng, and enjoying free rein of this major thoroughfare. But, for the best experience, head to the stall at the Glorieta de la Palma roundabout and borrow a bike for free. You’ll need to leave an ID behind and arrive early – the bikes are snapped up within a couple of hours.

Escape the city thrum with a costs-nothing meander through Bosque de Chapultepec, a giant green space (about 1,300 football fields large) to the west of the trendy Condesa and Roma neighborhoods. Begin by visiting the columned Monumento a los Niños Héroes, a towering tribute in carrara marble to six cadets said to have died defending Castillo de Chapultepec (Chapultepec Castle). The castle itself is free to enter on Sundays, but only for Mexican residents. After, you should chill by Lago Mayor, the largest lake in the park, and watch loved-up couples drift around the water on pedalos.

There’s no need to splash the cash on visiting an art gallery: you can see the works of an iconic Mexican painter for free. Diego Rivera – celebrated muralist and partner of Frida Kahlo – spent six years decorating the main stairwell of the Palacio Nacional with his masterpiece The History of Mexico: From Conquest to the Future. It’s an epic work, documenting the country from pre-Hispanic times. Keep an eye out for the portrait of Kahlo sporting a hammer-and-sickle pendant – a nod to her political beliefs.

You’ll typically have to pay to visit a Mexico City museum, but entrance to the Museo Soumaya is free. Good news, too: this delightful gallery displays works by European masters – JMW Turner, Claude Monet and Auguste Rodin among them – plus pieces by local greats, including Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros and José Clemente Orozco. The building itself is a work of art; a curving mirrored-steel construction that’s well worth viewing from all angles.

It doesn’t cost anything to cut through the packed alleys of Mercado Medellín, admiring food stalls almost overflowing with goodies. Come early and you might spot a chef testing ingredients for a dinner menu. More likely, though, you’ll be watching locals do their shopping and casting an eye over foods lesser-seen in your supermarket – scorpion, for example.

Standing sentinel on the Zócalo – the central square in Mexico City – is the Catedral Metropolitana, a titanic Roman Catholic temple built over three centuries. Before you enter, admire the grand facade and, if you’re there at the right time, watch the Aztec dancers, known as concheros, in traditional dress. When you enter, check out the golden alters, elaborate frescoes and cavernous ceilings. If you’re running short of time, make a beeline for the Altar de los Reyes, a magnificent golden spectacle.

In the Santa María la Ribera colonia (neighborhood) is the park-plaza Alameda de Santa María. It’s a chilled place to escape the often-hectic capital; just park yourself next to one of the fountains and relax. The real attraction here though sits in the center – a grand, brightly colored Moorish kiosk built in the late 1800s for a World’s Fair.