The Historic Center of Mexico City comprises an area of 30 blocks, including the Zocalo, once the location of Tenochtitlan. Visitors can walk through what remains of the main ceremonial pyramid and see the Templo Mayor Museum, where artifacts and models illuminate the history of this great Aztec masterpiece. Christmas Eve is the main day of Christmas celebration when parties last well into the evening and fireworks around the city, into the wee hours of the morning.

 

Included meals are denoted: Breakfast: B, Lunch: L, Dinner: D

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DAY 1

Get your passports ready, this morning we fly from Albuquerque to Mexico City! Arrive at the Mexico City Airport and transfer to hotel. Check in and meet your local tour guide.

 

DAY 2        B,L,D

After breakfast at the hotel, depart for the south of the city. Our first stop will be the Bazar del Sábado, located in San Ángel, a quiet, upscale neighborhood with compelling old charm. Every Saturday, artisans and talented artists display and sell their handcrafted items. Our next visit will be Coyoacan, A colonial village in the past, now an affluent suburb with excellent museums, green plazas, and outdoor cafes and a beautiful place for our lunch. Return to the hotel and get ready for our welcome dinner at a quaint restaurant.

 

DAY 3         B,D

 

This morning after breakfast, you will visit one of the most important museums in Mexico City, anthropology, that displays all the different pre-Colombian civilizations in the country. Later in the day, you will travel by bicycle across the Reforma Boulevard with a narration by your tour manager and admiring all the many monuments, essential buildings of the financial district, Embassies, and modern hotels. After lunch, you will finish your city tour by visiting the Historic District, including the National Palace, the Metropolitan Cathedral, and the archeological site of Templo Mayor. Our last stop will be at the Plaza Garibaldi, the musical heart of the city where several Mariachi bands perform for those that will like to hire them for a melody or to listen to a few songs. Visit the Tequila Museum and dinner at one of the local restaurants.

 

Day 4          B,L

 

Today after our breakfast at the hotel, we will visit the floating gardens of Xochimilco. Here since Aztec times, these artificial floating islands were created for cultivation. A trip through the canals on a gondola can be a great experience. After lunch, visit the University of Mexico on a large campus that houses a large student body in different science buildings, some with fascinating architecture, such as the Library and the Olympic stadium. Founded in 1553, this is the oldest university in the new world. Return to our hotel and enjoy this evening at leisure. 

 

Day 5          B,L,D

An early departure this morning, our route will take us over the mountains offering great views of the Popocatepetl Volcano and its companion, the snow-capped Itztlazihualt mountain. Our destination is Cholula, once a busy and powerful pre-Hispanic city. A hill dominates Cholula with a small church, but it is the remains of a pyramid, the largest in Mexico. Due to its volume, it is also considered the largest structure built by human hands in the world.
After lunch, we move to Puebla, a Colonial jewel with many interesting sites such as the Cathedral, the chapel of El Rosario and the Palafox Library. You will also visit a Talavera shop and the candy market. Dinner in a local restaurant before returning to our hotel in Puebla.

 

Day 6            B,L,D

 

Today we travel to the north of Mexico City and visit one of the most important archeological sites with structures built since 100 BC as a metropolis that housed over 200,000 people as one of the most potent political and social centers in Mexico. Lunch before our return to Mexico city. We will stop at the Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine, considered one of the most popular and visited shrines in the world. The heart of Catholic Mexico that according to the legend and shortly after the Spanish conquest, the Virgin Mary appeared to the poor Juan Diego requesting him to have a church built. We will return to the hotel and get ready for our Farewell dinner. 

 

Day 7              B

 

Say farewell with breakfast at the hotel. Then, we transfer to the airport for our flight home, our heads and hearts filled will the warmth of Christmas in Mexico City. 

 

Itinerary and hotels subject to change