10 Things to do in Mexico City at Christmas

During the Christmas season, Mexico City is transformed into a spectacle of lights and colour. The Zocalo, in the historic heart of the city, comes alive with impressive decorations and a beautiful Christmas market that fills the landscape framed by the Metropolitan Cathedral with life. In addition, you'll find culinary delights, unique crafts and music throughout the city, creating an unforgettable festive experience.

Some of the best things to do in Mexico City during the holiday season include visiting magical places such as the Chapultepec Castle or the Paseo de la Reforma. You can also enjoy the enchanting lights of Polanco and soak up the festive atmosphere of the Christmas markets on Avenida Madero. Mexico City at Christmas is a destination that will surprise you by combining tradition with modernity, offering a unique experience for all tastes.

Without a doubt, one of the biggest Christmas attractions in Mexico City is seeing the Christmas lights in the mythical Polanco, one of the best neighbourhoods in CDMX. Come and explore this elegant neighbourhood of the capital, which every year is adorned with Christmas lights and decorations that enhance the charm of its streets, full of boutiques and art galleries. You can also take advantage of the walk to take part in a gastronomic tour of the area and get to know all that the Christmas season has to offer in the city.

Rocío's Traveller Tip

A recommendation: go to Lincoln Park. You'll find the spectacular Ferrero Rocher Christmas tree. With a height of 30 metres and incredible lighting, it is without a doubt one of the most beautiful trees I have ever seen.

You can also see a beautiful golden Christmas tree in the Antara Fashion Hall plaza, and it is very likely that in the streets of Polanco you will see a Christmas parade or a light show, that's the magic of the streets!

Avenida Madero, the main avenue of Mexico City's Centro Historico, is a busy place all year round, but during the Christmas season it is transformed into a festive paradise thanks to its markets.

There are two main Christmas markets on Avenida Madero:

• The Alameda Central Christmas Market is located in this iconic public park in the city centre. It has more than 200 stalls selling traditional Christmas crafts, food and drinks. You can also see a stage where musical groups and street artists often perform.
• The Christmas Market in the Plaza de la Constitución, also known as the Zócalo, is the most famous market in the city, being located in the main square. The market has more than 150 stalls, and musical performances are also common.

Both Christmas markets are open from mid-November to early January in Mexico City.

What kind of products you'll find at Christmas markets

To give you an idea of what you can find in these markets, I'm going to tell you what products are usually sold there. Take note of your favourites!

• Christmas trees of different sizes and styles - some of them will surprise you!
• Christmas decorations, such as baubles, lights, garlands and wreaths.
• Christmas decorations, such as nativity scenes, cribs and Father Christmas figures.
• Christmas food and drinks, such as tamales, fritters, punch and champurrado.

If you haven't heard of champurrado, a drink usually served with tamales, made with crushed corn, chocolate and cinnamon water, highly recommended!

Whenever you visit a country, a must-do activity is to try its gastronomy, and Mexican cuisine is world famous! Mexico City has traditional restaurants that offer special Christmas dinners, fusing authentic flavours with the Christmas spirit and from simple options to high-end international cuisine, it depends on your preferences! I am going to recommend you some of the best restaurants in the city to enjoy an unforgettable Christmas dinner:

• Hacienda de los Morales. It is a haute cuisine restaurant located in an 18th century colonial building. Its Christmas menu usually offers a selection of traditional Mexican dishes, such as stuffed turkey, romeritos and codfish. Delicious!

Rulfo Paraje Latino is a restaurant that offers an interesting fusion of flavours from the region. Its Christmas menu includes dishes such as mole poblano, chiles en nogada or tamales oaxaqueños.

• Jaso. This is a modern haute cuisine restaurant where you can find a Christmas menu with flavours such as foie gras, lobster and black truffle.

Of course, there are many more wonderful restaurants where to have Christmas dinner in Mexico City, so I am going to tell you about some more: at Merkavá restaurant you will be able to taste Israeli cuisine, Samos restaurant is ideal for Italian cuisine, Marea, Restaurante de Mar is perfect for a dinner based on exquisite seafood, and Restaurante Quintonil is the safe option to try the best contemporary Mexican cuisine.

With this information, choose your favourite, and enjoy the taste of Mexican Christmas!

Xochimilco is one of the most emblematic areas of Mexico City, and its beauty is accentuated during Christmas. The canals are filled with Christmas lights and decorations, and the trajineras (beautiful and colourful little boats) become the perfect setting to enjoy this time of the year.

Trajinera tours in Xochimilco at Christmas time usually include activities for young and old. The tour usually begins with a toast with Christmas punch and Christmas carols. Afterwards, a visit is made to a Christmas tree nursery, where you can admire the beauty of these traditional Christmas flowers.

The next thing you can do is to enjoy a walk that continues along the canals. A visit to Xochimilco and a ride on its trajineras is, without a doubt, one of the best things to do in Mexico City during Christmas, as the lights of the houses, the trees and the trajineras themselves are reflected in the water of the canals, creating a magical spectacle.

However, I will give you some recommendations to enjoy the experience even more:

• Book in advance, especially if you are travelling during the high season, such as Christmas.
• Wear comfortable clothes and shoes that don't slip to be more comfortable on the trajinera.
• If you are travelling with children, I would recommend bringing a snack or drink, in case the food served on the boat doesn't quite suit the kids' tastes.

Another activity I recommend you not to miss is a carol concert. The ones offered in Mexico City's Zócalo are free of charge, and it is a tradition every year. The square creates a warm, family atmosphere, so it's a unique opportunity to enjoy the carols.

The concert, which takes place on 24 December, usually features the Mexico City Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as other guest artists, and the repertoire includes not only traditional Mexican carols, but carols from all over the world.

However, this is not the only carol concert you can find in the city. You can also enjoy them in theatres or cultural centres, there is a great variety of options! From classical music to popular music, choose your favourite!

Here are some of the ones I can recommend:

• Concerts at the Auditorio Nacional: The Auditorio Nacional de México is one of the most important cultural venues in Mexico City, and offers a wide variety of concerts, including carol concerts. Check out their programme for December!
• The Sala Silvestre Revueltas: This is a space located in the Ollin Yoliztli Cultural Centre. It offers carol concerts, so you are sure to find something interesting in its Christmas events.
• Ex Convento de Regina: This historic building is located in the centre of the city, so it will be great for you to attend a carol concert here if you are visiting this area, check their programme for the time of your visit!

The traditional Christmas Posadas in Mexico City is a nine-day celebration that takes place between the 16th and 24th of December. It is a tradition that commemorates the journey of the Virgin Mary and St. Joseph to Bethlehem before the birth of Jesus.

Christmas posadas are held in family homes, churches and other public places, such as plazas. The celebration begins with a procession, in which participants go from house to house singing Christmas carols. When they arrive at a house, they are denied entry and then sing a song asking for a posada for Mary and Joseph.

Once they are welcomed into one of the houses, participants join together to pray, sing carols and eat Mexican dishes, such as tamales, pozole and atole, exquisite recipes that you can't miss on any of the best gastronomic tours in CDMX.

The celebration of the posadas ends with the breaking of a piñata, which represents the deadly sins, a very interesting and beautiful tradition!

If you plan to explore the Christmas market in the Zocalo, I recommend doing so especially at night for an even more magical experience. At this time, the square comes alive with a dazzling Christmas atmosphere, thanks to the decoration of lights and festive decorations. Not only can you admire the iconic architecture that surrounds the Zócalo, but you can also immerse yourself in the festive essence that envelops every corner.

A must-see stop on Mexico City tours during the holiday season. The twinkling lights create a cosy atmosphere, while the Christmas decorations add a touch of charm to this iconic place.

The Chapultepec Castle is an imposing building, usually used as a museum, which at Christmas time features a dance and music show that pays homage to the Mexican Christmas. This show can be enjoyed from mid-December to early January on the Castle's esplanade.

The show is organised by the Ballet Folklorico de Mexico, and features a variety of traditional Mexican dances, accompanied by Christmas music. The dances represent Mexican Christmas traditions, such as the aforementioned posadas, pastorelas and the nativity.

By the way! Even if you don't book this activity, I recommend you not to miss the show of the Ballet Folklorico de Mexico, it's amazing!

Here are some more facts about the event.

• The show lasts about an hour and a half.
• The performances start at around 19:00 hours.
• Tickets can be bought at the ticket offices of the Castillo de Chapultepec and at the Palacio de Bellas Artes.
• Tickets cost approximately 13 euros for adults and 5 euros for children.

You can also plan a visit to Chapultepec Castle during its regular opening hours to enjoy all its spaces.

Visiting the city's main museums is, without a doubt, one of the experiences I recommend you enjoy in Mexico City at Christmas. For example, the Frida Kahlo Museum offers Christmas activities for the whole family:

Every year you can usually find a special Christmas art exhibition, always related, of course, to the work of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. You can also book a Christmas-themed guided tour, where you can discover how Frida lived this time of year. It's a very nice experience! With both adults and children in mind, there are Christmas workshops at the museum, where you can make crafts like an artist.

If you check the museum's December calendar, you are sure to find Christmas events including theatre, music or dance.

Another museum that offers Christmas activities as part of its cultural programme is the Museum of Anthropology. You can find temporary exhibitions, such as Christmas nativity scenes from different cultures around the world. In addition, they usually have workshops where nativity scenes are made and other Christmas-related activities, so hopefully you can be part of one of them on the day of your visit, or you might even find a Christmas show inside! For that, it's best to check their monthly programme.

The Christmas Parade is organised by Liverpool department store and features different Christmas characters, floats representing allegories, musical bands, and other artists.

The parade starts at the Diana Cazadora, continues along Paseo de la Reforma Avenue, and ends at the Glorieta de las Mujeres que Luchan (Roundabout of the Fighting Women). The parade lasts approximately two hours, and is completely free!

Some of the characters you will see throughout the parade include Father Christmas, the Three Wise Men, elves, elves, goblins, and other traditional Christmas characters. In addition, the floats you will see parading are decorated with Christmas elements and represent the history of Christmas, Mexican culture, or fantasy, among other themes. All of this is accompanied by musical bands that perform Christmas and popular songs.

I recommend you check the date and time of the parade on the Mexico City City Council website, where you will also find more information about other Christmas activities in the city.

Finally, I would like to remind you that whether you are travelling to Mexico City for 2 days or for a week or more, it is possible to make the most of your visit and not miss anything important. Even when there are so many activities and things to do at Christmas, you just need to plan your trip and organise an itinerary according to your tastes and interests. So, I hope this article has been helpful - see you in the next city!