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My flower market - because there are certainly several flower markets in Mexico City - is quite far out of town, but it really does have EVERYTHING you could possibly imagine at a flower market. Soil, stones, flowers, cacti, trees to plant.... No matter what you need for your garden, flower festival, wedding or anything else, you'll find it here. Unfortunately, despite my research, I couldn't find out exactly where this flower market is – like I kinda accompanied a friend who had a car and so I can't remember where we were. Nevertheless, I am firmly convinced that it is not or was not the only flower market in Mexico City. So I would simply advise you to do some research if you are interested. It was definitely really big, had even more than I've ever seen before and my orientation was gone in seconds – just like at every Mexican market :D Go or not? If you find it, enjoy! :D

The Biblioteca UNAM is, as the name probably already suggests, the central library of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. In other words, the National Autonomous University of Mexico. I was there with a group of friends from my hostel during one of my many stays in Mexico City and just passed the time. Apart from that, the UNAM library is of course an eye-catcher because of its special exterior. Apart from that, I have to admit that there wasn't much else behind it. We were also inside briefly and... the special thing is really the exterior. Go or not? It's quite nice for a photo or if you want to play around with a group, but even as a library lover - I love the smell of old libraries - I was only moderately impressed. So it's up to you, but it’s not like must.

The Basílica de Santa María de Guadalupe is a kind of basilica or cathedral area in Mexico City, where there in total are 4 basilicas/cathedrals - if I remember correctly. And you can also enter three of them. The large round one at the very beginning is the ‘main attraction’, the Basílica de Santa María de Guadalupe. Right next to it is another church and along a path you pass another - I assume - cathedral or church, which I don't remember being able to enter. Immediately afterwards, however, you come to a staircase that takes you up to the third and final cathedral, from where you have a very nice view of the first two basilicas/cathedrals. As I'm not at all religious myself and therefore tend to only look at the large central cathedral in the city, I had no idea that this basilica or the other two cathedrals existed. I had heard about it at some point, but it was a bit out of the centre and as I'm not a churchgoer, I wasn't very interested in it. Especially because, depending on the picture, the basilica doesn't look like much. At some point, however, I was ‘dragged’ there by a friend who wanted to show me the area and, to be honest, I was simply proved wrong. The basilica is really beautiful, both inside and out. It is imposing and modern and a real eye-catcher. Especially from the inside. By that I mean: it's worth the trip even if you're not a believer. Inside, the basilica has a high roof, an incredibly large room and a honeycomb structure on the wall. Really fascinating. You can also go into a room to the left of the preacher's lectern, where you stand on escalators and then pass a Guadalupe figure displayed behind glass. And yes, of course, everyone had their mobile phones out :D The cathedral right next to the basilica is also really big and more or less made of red brick. It's not completely red, but reddish and looks very chic and pompous. It's also really beautiful inside. High ceilings, marble and, in contrast to the basilica, a classic cathedral. I also wondered for ages whether I had balance problems or a bend in my optics until I took a closer look. The cathedral is slightly crooked. No joke. And do you know how strange it is to walk around in a building that is slightly crooked? Weeeeiiiiiirrrd!!! When I was outside and looked back, I saw and noticed it a bit more clearly. So no, the photos don't have a bend in the optics, the thing is slightly crooked from the ground up. The last cathedral is reached via a kind of path. As I said, it is an area where everything is kind of together. You then walk up the steps under arches with a little ivy overhanging them, with trees to the right and left providing shade, and at the top of the cathedral you have a really nice view back over the roofs of the cathedral and the basilica below. If you climb down the steps again and continue walking towards the ‘exit’, you will pass a kind of sculpture garden with a few figures pointing towards Jesus. Go or not? I actually think that the Basilica de Santa María de Guadalupe is really worth seeing. Of course, only if you have time - as with so many things in Mexico City. It's just a really big city with a lot to see. But basically, I think the basilica with its two cathedrals is absolutely worth a visit. Especially when it's sunny. I was there in the sunshine and surrounded by green nature. Really beautiful! 😊

The Mercado de la Ciudadela is a large, colourful and really big market full of handmade things in Mexico City. It is also one of the most expensive and organised markets I have been to in Mexico. I've heard of the Mercado de la Ciudadela because it's a bit of a tourist attraction. Nevertheless, the pictures looked so beautiful and I'm just too curious to not go there myself and see for myself that I went for it. The first thing you see and notice is that - a bit like the Parían in Puebla - it's not like a classic Mexican market. They are completely chaotic, overcrowded and really confusing. Ciudadela, on the other hand, has quite wide aisles - which are even numbered! - it's all relatively neat and a bit smartly presented and the prices are... let's say higher than usual. Personally, I found the prices to be pretty much touristy. The market is also very clean, not at all crowded and yes... I thought you could tell that it wasn't for Mexicans. No offence and not necessarily meant in a negative way, because the market is really nice, but in terms of price it's just not for locals. At the same time, I saw things here - photos! - that I've never really seen before or since. That's why I think the market is something special. Go or not? If you have time, yes. But look at other markets first. It's like a nice ad-on. Although, as I said, you can see things here that I really haven't seen anywhere else.

The Nevado de Toluca is a kind of mountain set near Mexico City, to which you walk up a long winding path and end up standing in front of this ‘lake’ that has formed in the ‘hollow’ centre of the mountain set. To be honest, I can't remember exactly who told me about the Nevado de Toluca. All I know is that I thought it was cool and wanted to go there. And in my enthusiasm, I infected a mate from my hostel, who quickly joined me. As the Nevado de Toluca is a bit further away, we got up early, packed plenty of water, food and snacks and travelled to the bus early in the morning. You can get to the Nevado de Toluca by bus, which then winds its way along a winding road and you tell the bus driver at a tiny little village that you want to get out. To be honest, I don't even know if you can call the little spot on the map that I had marked a village. It was just a short stretch of road with a few houses and a few places to buy something to eat. Nothing more. Once we arrived, we found the entrance to the path to Nevado de Toluca quite easily. To be honest, there was only one. So you can't miss it. Well, and then we set off to the hike. Although hike is the wrong word. The path is not really steep. So very easy to walk. And the surroundings are really great. There's a bit of pine forest and just beautiful nature to walk through. We had only underestimated one thing: the length of the journey to Nevado de Toluca. And no, we didn't realise that ourselves. :D At some point, an open wagon with Mexican workers drove past us and asked where we were going. I was really happy because I could reassure myself that we were on the right path. We were, but found out what route was lying ahead of us. Like Mexicans are, they invited us to hop on and drop us off where they had to go. So then we were sitting in the back of that open wagon and altogether jolted up this long, winding road to the Nevado de Toluca. And honestly: it would have been quite a bit more, as we then realised. I was honestly glad that we happened to get a lift, because it would have been a bit tight on foot, as the sun would have been gone at some point and we also had to walk back and then take the bus back to Mexico City. After we got dropped off we walked the last stretch - again in beautiful nature - and were really happy when we finally reached the Nevado de Toluca. A little different than expected, of course, but still really mystical and beautiful. It was cloudy that day, which gave the whole thing a mystical atmosphere. We then climbed up a kind of slope by the lake and chilled out there, ate something and enjoyed the view. A truly perfect and happy moment. 😊 And before you start wondering how we got back - because walking all the way back wouldn't have been an option, as we had already found out. We were actually taken by another car quite a distance back again. Someone drove past us and gave us a lift up to a certain point. As far as that goes, Mexicans are really incredibly nice, helpful and friendly and... really not one bad experience. Neither when I was travelling alone. As a surprise highlight at the end, we saw a small snake just before the exit to the street. Really cool! I've never seen one like in reality and right in front of me in the wild before. Finally, we went to eat delicious tacos at a stall on the street. And guys, so incredibly tasty! I mean, of course we were hungry, but they were green tacos with things in them that you don't necessarily get everywhere. Really good. And the dog that waited with us for the bus and got cuddles... Soooo cute! 😊 A truly wonderful day! Go or not? Safe. Of course it shouldn't rain if possible and I would only do it if I have time, but the hike itself is great. The nature is beautiful, the Nevado de Toluca itself is absolutely worth it and if you're worried about the way, don't worry, someone will come along and give you a lift. Like it shouldn't be a problem.

Teotihuacán is a ruins site near Mexico City, which to my mind is really cool and interactive, “looks good” and is also affordable. Like the entrance fee. You can easily get there by bus. The bus also runs quite regularly, so there are no problems in this regard. You pay 80 pesos at the entrance (at least at the time I was there) and then you walk down a kind of corridor with huts on the right and left selling souvenirs or food to the first pyramid. And yes, you can go up the pyramid. :D I would advise you to get there early so that it's not too crowded. Simply because everyone really does climb the pyramid. At the top you can also take great pictures of the surroundings. I also took a few jump pictures back then. If you climb to the very top, you also have space to sit down and chill out and take a little break. Watch out for one thing though: the stairs leading up a pyramid are really damn! steep. I'm not afraid of heights but my knees shake when I look down on the stairs of a pyramid and see how easily I could tumble down if I lost my balance. In Teotihuacán there's a railing you can hold on to, but just to give you an idea of what it's like to climb up a pyramid. It looks great and it is, but it's also really damn steep. After the main and highest pyramid, you walk to the smaller pyramids, which are arranged in a kind of group. Along the way, there are a few vendors selling their wares, but mainly you can marvel at the pyramids, climb up - the central one also has a railing - and take photos from above and below, which look really great. The scenery at Teotihuacán is really something to behold. It's by no means the biggest or tallest pyramid I've seen, but I think Teotihuacán is a really beautiful ruin site. When I was there actually a group of four people was filming themselves dancing on the smaller pyramid. Was.... It's interesting to see the same choreography over and over again, but a dance video with a pyramid in the background is certainly not bad either... If you walk towards the museum and the exit of Teotihuacán - because no, you don't walk out where you came in - you first walk past a few more ruins, which aren't particularly spectacular, and then you can take a look back at the pyramid, which towers on the horizon in front of the mountain behind it. Really nice last view :D Go or not? Definitely yes! Of course, you should visit the centre of Mexico City first, but... to be honest, I would do Teotihuacán even before the museums. It's a really beautiful site, you get out and you can take some really nice pictures. I can only recommend Teotihuacán 😊

Gib hier deine Überschrift ein Market San Juan Basic information What: Mercado San JuanWhere: Centre of Mexico CityOpening hours: phew, good question. 10am to 5pm/6pm is my tip. Probably every…

A surprisingly cool and, at least for me personally, very interesting and almost a bit funny-ulky museum. I walked into this museum completely by chance. It's in a side street of the centre and I thought it was a shoe shop at first - seriously. I urgently needed new shoes, went in and well.... Found myself in a shoe museum. As I didn't have time for a museum at that moment because I urgently needed new shoes, I marked the place on my map app (back then it was maps.me, now I use organic maps), then did a quick check on Google and when I had the time returned. Guys, I honestly don’t understand why I haven't read about this museum on any blog or anywhere else. The shoes displayed here are... I've seen a shoe with a thick sole and a thing for the toes at the front made entirely of wood. Or a shoe made entirely of straws, as well as one with like a long pin made entirely of metal. There were ski boots from the past, high as well as flat boots from all possible eras. Plus I loved the boot with the plush. Simply hilarious. Especially in contrast to the wooden one, the straw one and the metal one. I really had fun in there and had to think of a very good friend all the time who would have had the time of her life in there :D Go or not? Since I can't understand why I haven't read about this museum anywhere before, YES! Of course museums aren't the most important thing in Mexico City. But the museum is just cool in its own way and honestly also really quirky and just a hall where you walk through once downstairs and once upstairs and marvel at the shoes. Which tbh sometimes really fascinate. Plus I think I was almost completely alone in there the whole time. As I said, nobody seems to know it. But that doesn't mean it's not cool. So get in there! :D

The Anthropological Museum of Mexico City is located in neighborhood and park of Chapultepec, is really huge and absolutely lives up to its good reputation - which it really has. Anyone who has ever read a post of mine about museums knows that I'm not a museum person. Really not. I also tend to experience museums rather visually and don't usually read through texts very much. To be honest, I was glad about this ‘peculiarity’ on my part at the anthropological museum of Mexico City, because otherwise I wouldn't have even gotten close to seeing everything in one day. I really wouldn’t have. The museum has 6 rooms? Probably more and they are as big as a medium-sized museum themselves. So there's really a lot to see in each room itself. I also remember taking breaks - not for long because I knew what lay ahead of me - but they were really necessary because the thing is fucking huge. And in the end, at some point you're just happy when you've managed to see everything. What I have and what I'm still proud of today. :D Concerning the quality of the museum: the museum has a really good reputation. And I can honestly understand where it comes from. It is incredibly detailed, really covers a number of eras and, in my opinion, displays and presents everything very well. The museum is also absolutely great for people who are only visual! It's interesting, you learn something and you really get something for your money. I can completely understand why the museum has such a good reputation. But if you really want to take your time and/or read everything, you should plan more than one day in the museum. Because honestly, it's too much and too big for one day. To get an impression if you will like it, just take a look at the photos I took. I saw more, of course, but this will give you a good impression. And that brings me to the only down part: the size. There is an incredible wealth of knowledge, culture and history displayed here, which I don't want to minimise. I also think the museum is good the way it is. I wouldn't leave anything out, really. But it still is a lot. And you have to be aware of that. I had heard about it myself and was still overwhelmed. Mainly because it doesn't seem as much as you think at first - because the piece has several parts that you don't see straight away. Go or not? I think it's absolutely worth a visit. And I also think that even if you're not a museum fan, the museum is really worth a visit. However, I wouldn't put it on my list if you're only in Mexico City for a short time. And tbh, none of the museums. First get to know Mexico City itself and then, if you still have time, go to the museums. Not because Mexico City doesn't really have amazing museums to offer, but simply because the museums are too good to rush through them. Like for real. So I would definitely say do it, but only if you really have the time 😊

In my opinion, the Museo de la Memoria y Tolerancia (Museum of Memory and Tolerance) is one of the museums that best deals with history, contexts, social issues and simply puts a lot of things into context, shows the right intensity and presents the whole thing correctly, without a lot of frippery and yet with the necessary emphasis. I honestly thought the museum was really, really good. The reason why I haven't been there a second time is simply because it's a heavy museum that leaves you feeling thoughtful and a bit moody. Simply because social grievances such as discrimination, racism and sexism as well as genocides and the like are thematised and presented and also ‘dealt with’, so to speak. As a German, for example, I usually can no longer see museums about Nazi Germany. Not because it's not important to keep reminding people of it. Something like that must never happen again, of course. Nevertheless, three quarters of my history lessons at school consisted solely of this topic and everything in which Germany ever appears in any history museums is on this subject. Almost exclusively, at least. And we're not the only ones who really screwed up. Only those who have at least tried and are trying to deal with it properly - and I'm not saying that it always works out the way it should. All I want to say is that Spain, for example, really screwed up in Latin America. And America as we know it today is run by people who most likely originally descended from Europeans. I don't even want to start with the British (can I even leave out a continent?). Not to mention all the things that have been done to Africa. To close the circle of this small abstract: the museum in Mexico City naturally focuses on Nazi Germany. And that is right and proper. But other stages in the history of genocides or civil wars are also covered. What I want to say is that it is more all-encompassing and takes a very broad look at the history of mankind. And I personally found that incredibly interesting. Of course, it was also terrifying and frightening, but.... The museum showed that the whole world is affected by certain problems, that they are overarching. And I think it did that quite well. For example, there were sections on LGBTQ+ (please forgive me if I forgot a letter. It's not intentional, I just honestly lost track), the development of this whole movement and the question of gender and how ‘girls’ or ‘boys’ are raised. Questioning, of course. There was also a wax museum where I couldn't even begin to understand what exactly it was doing there. But it was still cool :D Oh, and a hall of mirrors towards the end - great for running into something :D I can't and won't list everything I saw in there, what was thematised or what was there. I just thought the museum was really well done, very all-encompassing and for the first time since... my school days I think, I thought the Nazi era in Germany was actually presented well, as well as to an interesting degree for me. And that's not as easy as you might think as a non-German. My personal favourite room was the one where the social problems - at least the ones that I also consider to be the most important - were shown. Classism (poor, rich etc), sexism (inequality, gender-based violence etc), homophobia, racism and accessibility. Again, I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but those are the one that stuck to my mind the most. Go or not? Yes, definitely. As I said, I think the museum is extremely well done and would recommend anyone to go in. It's a bit heavy, but I still think it's one hundred per cent worth it and if you go - which I hope you do - plan a day. Because the thing is big and a lot :D