Day 1

We started our journey with Templo Mayor, a 700-year-old Aztec temple, and took a guided tour of it. The ticket to the temple costs MXN 70 per person, and the guided tour in English was for MXN 300. It takes about 3-4 hours to explore the archeological remains and the museum. I would recommend this museum over other archeological museums in the Mexico city since this one had descriptions written in English.

Then we headed to Zocalo square for lunch. There are always some cultural events going on there. I would highly recommend trying out mangos (with chile) and corn (again, with chile) in the open market. While Zocalo is well-known, the lesser-known nearby university area is excellent for exploring the nightlife of Mexico city (“Ciudad de México”).

Day 2

We took an early morning bus to Teotihuacan. An MXN 50 bus runs pretty regularly from the North Bus Terminal (“Terminal de Autobuses del Norte”). It takes about an hour to reach Teotihuacan. It opens up at 8 AM. I would recommend arriving early to avoid traffic. Also, don’t go there on Sunday since it is free for Mexican residents then. I would recommend all the three pyramids - Pyramid of the sun (“Piramide del sol”), which is the third-largest pyramid in the world, Pyramid of the moon (“Piramide de la Luna”), and the temple of Quetzalcoatl(“Templo de Quetzalcóatl”).

On return to Mexico City, we decided to head to the Chapultepec Castle, a 300-year old castle from the colonial era. While Teotihuacan is fantastic, the castle is not that great, and you can skip it.

Day 3

We took an early morning bus from the Poniente Bus terminal in Mexico City to Valle De Bravo. One can find the itinerary here. MXN 167 comfortable bus ride takes about 3 hours to the beautiful city of Valle De Bravo named after Mexican president and the hero of the battle with the US, Nicolas Bravo. The town is picturesque, sitting next to a lake, surrounded by beautiful lush-green mountains, cobblestone roads, and colonial-era architecture.

We did a short and steep hike to Mirador La Pena (“Lookout point”), which gave a majestic view of the city and the surroundings. The hike takes about 1-2 hours. Then we took an hour-long boat cruise in the lake.

For the rest of the day, the market and the cathedral area are a great area to hangout.

Day 4

We started the day with Cascadas Velo De Novia (“Bridal Veil Falls”). The falls are far from Valle De Bravo, and an MXN 20 shared, or MXN 60 private taxi will take you there. The hike is about 1-2 hours and is relatively flat compared to Mirador La Pena

We took a boat ride in the afternoon in the lake, and in the evening, we took the Zina bus back to Mexico City.

Things we did not do but might be good

  1. Free walking tour in the Mexico city
  2. National Museum of Anthropology - Templo Mayor museum was sufficient for us, but in case you want to explore more museums
  3. Xochimilco
  4. National Parks outside Mexico city