8 Hostels in Mexico City That Are an Art-Lover's Dream

On the slightly more luxurious side are the Downtown Beds, part of the Downtown Hotel, one of the premier hotels in the Centro Histórico. This hotel is known to be a bit loud at times (so bring your earplugs with you) but it’s also a great spot for art-lovers who also want to shop. Several high-end craft shops take up the second floor of the building, along with the QueBo! chocolate shop. This hotel is a hop, skip, and jump away from the Museo de Artes Populares and the Museo Mexicano del Diseño, two other great gift stores for taking home a little Mexican beauty in your carry-on.

The Chillout Flat is another upscale option if you’re looking for a relaxed, hoste-style vibe with a few more amenities. Technically a B&B, the Chillout Flat is more of a high-end hostel at a reasonable price. There are no dorms here, only private rooms. The Flat is located near some of the Centro Historico’s best places to see art: the Bellas Artes for world-renowned exhibits, the National Palace to see Diego Rivera’s mural, the street graffiti of Calle Regina, and the Secretaria de Educación to see Siqueiros’ murals – all accessible from one awesomely located spot. In addition, the downtown’s chaotic hustle and bustle is a photographer’s dream.

The Casa San Ildefenso Hostel could well be the most elegant of the hostels on this list and provides bright, airy, comfortable rooms in the heart of Mexico City. The hostel is just steps from the Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefenso, now a cultural center and museum with excellent exhibits on Mexican culture. This building was believed to have been the first to be painted by the Mexican muralists in the 1920s, when the city government began to contract them to decorate the walls of local landmarks with murals that would tell the history of the country. This is a must-see stop for art lovers and mural maniacs.

Hostel Regina, besides having a middle-of-the-action location in Mexico City’s Centro Histórico, is a graffiti artist’s dream. The walls of the hostel are covered in Mexican-themed murals created by local artists. The hostel also sits on the corner of Regina and 5 de Febrero, and all along Regina and the streets surrounding it you will encounter swathes of street art, from murals to wheat paste to tags. This is also a late-night hangout spot for the younger crowd downtown, with several good bars along Regina beckoning you in for a mezcal or some traditional Mexican fare.

While the Hostel Corona Condesa might be pretty basic in terms of accommodation, the place is clean and comfortable and it’s just steps from the Tamayo Museum, Mexico City’s Modern Art Museum, and the regular art displays that the city puts up on Reforma Avenue. In addition, the hostel is close enough to be able to amble through Colonia Condesa and Colonia Roma, both great neighborhoods for spotting street graffiti and for visiting local galleries such as OMR, Galería Arróniz, and Proyectos Monclova.

Hostel Home is a cozy home away from home in Colonia Roma. The interiors are sprinkled with wall murals and artistic design elements throughout, and the hostel is housed in a classic Roma turn-of-the-century mansion. This hostel puts you right in the middle of the Roma art world, with lots of street murals and graffiti to look at (Street Art Chilango provide tours that leave from Alvaro Obregon) and some of the city’s best art galleries such as Lulu, OMR, and Galería Arróniz. For some creative pieces to take home, check out the kitschy and beautiful art, jewelry, books, and clothes at Camino Silvestre down the street.

PuntoDF is a little far out for regular sightseeing, as it’s in the eastern part of the city, near the airport, but we mention it because they offer four one-month artists’ residences each year at their location in the Colonia Moctezuma. The projects have to focus on social welfare and helping the local community. If you’re an artist looking to stay a while in Mexico City, it might be a good jumping off point for your trip. This well-furnished hostel also gives guests an opportunity to see a real working-class neighborhood of Mexico City and what lies beyond the tree-lined streets of the central districts.

This well-appointed hostel is just two blocks away from Frida Kahlo’s Casa Azul, the museum-showpiece of a house where surrealist painter Kahlo lived with her muralist husband Diego Rivera. They have a nice rooftop patio where you can sit and look out over the still-quaint and colonial Coyoacan neighborhood. The Cineteca Nacional is nearby, if you want to see some of Mexico’s best films and filmmakers, but you may want to just amble away your time at Cuija Coyoacán, walking the neighborhood and seeing the sights.