Recommended Mexico City Guidebook?

Old Oct 12th, 2017, 06:32 AM
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Recommended Mexico City Guidebook?

We recently decided on a short, (6 night) trip to Mexico City in February. I'm very excited and I want to start mapping out an itinerary in order to select the right district to stay asap.

While I'm here, does anyone have experience staying in Coyoacán? It's an outlier location wise but I am drawn to it by the pictures, looks like it might be a little less touched by smog. I'd love to hear from people who have stayed here on how they liked it and possible pros/cons.
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Old Oct 12th, 2017, 06:58 AM
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Coyoacan is lovely but for me it would be too far out from the major sights and things to do, except for those in Coyoacan itself. But you could certainly devote a day to the area.

It's not a guidebook but I highly recommend FIRST STOP IN THE NEW WORLD by David Lida, for background and insights into the myriad people and parts that mke up this fascinating city.
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Old Oct 12th, 2017, 07:46 AM
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You just can't go wrong with Mexico DF for a 6 day stay. We stayed in the Roma district and loved it, but the other districts such as Polanco are just as popular.
Coyoacan, is very beautiful and somewhat a little bit more laid back. We were there for a full day (Frida Kahlo) and toured the city in a minibus from the main square cathedral. Restaurants galore beautiful parks.
Lots of traffic no matter where you stay but soooo much to see and experience,
Teotheuacan pyramids, Chemultepec castle and park, museum of anthropology, main square and Cathedral and ruins, Xecomilco small boats, jump on and jump off minibus tours and so much more, a tremendous and beautiful city...
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Old Oct 12th, 2017, 07:51 AM
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I think Fodors' Mexico guidebook is actually very good.

AS for Coyoacan, I've been there and it was less smoggy when I was there, a lot less than the DF. It was a nice town. But no, it isn't convenient if you want to visit sites in the center of the DF. You can tell that just by the map, that's the big con, I would say. Do you know how much time it will take you to go to/from the center of Mexico City each day by metro? Which isn't always pleasant, anyway. And Coyoacan only has one metro stop, of course, so you'd have to be sure to stay within a short walk of it, which isn't in the center of the town so what you seeing isn't necessarily going to be where you are staying. There aren't many hotels in the center, anyway, so your hotel choices will be limited if that's where you want to stay.
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Old Oct 12th, 2017, 09:39 AM
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I'm with the others who think Coyoacán is too far out to stay. Definitley worth a visit, but not somep place I would stay. We've stayed many times in the centro, but last trip we stayed in Condesa which is adjacent to Roma and enjoyed spending our evenings there. It was a metro ride to most of the main sites, but not a long one.
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Old Oct 12th, 2017, 02:01 PM
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I kinda thought I'd get this response on staying in Coyoacán. It is on our list of places to see while there and so is Xochimilco so I thought maybe.... but having only one metro stop, that is not near the center of town does pretty much squash that idea. So with eliminated I will zero in on Condesa and Roma, looking to be the most conveniently located. Thanks for the input.

Thanks for the David Lida book rec, ekscrunchy. I do like to read a book like that before visiting places. I added it to my shopping cart.
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Old Oct 12th, 2017, 03:55 PM
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You might look at the Moon Guide.
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Old Oct 12th, 2017, 05:24 PM
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Not a guidebook, but I've found this site to be a far better resource than anything I've found in print. It's only in Spanish, however.

https://www.mexicodesconocido.com.mx...earch/coyoacan
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Old Oct 13th, 2017, 05:38 AM
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Here is another one for background reading; not as good as the Lida book, and the author comes across as less-than-likeable at times, but worth reading:

https://www.amazon.com/Interior-Circuit-Mexico-City-
Chronicle/dp/0802123775


His earlier book is great, terrifying, however, but not about Mexico City:

https://www.amazon.com/Say-Her-Name-...VYDFN1WXX4949M
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Old Oct 14th, 2017, 04:28 AM
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"does anyone have experience staying in Coyoacán?"

I loved the neighborhood. Lots of trees and very tranquil. I stayed fairly close to the Blue House. There is an amazing, huge Sunday fair with blocks and blocks of craft and food stalls. I didn't find getting to other sights to be a burden.
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Old Oct 14th, 2017, 12:05 PM
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Thank you kjána, I'll take a look at the Moon guide. Baldone, I don't speak Spanish, but I'm guessing that translate page" will let me see the highlights on the page and I can investigate from there.

Ekscrunchy, I am so far behind on my general reading as it is and you are making it harder! I will have a look at these books. Even if I don't get to them before this trip, there is always post trip, when I look for more understanding on the city or country I've been. Thank you.

SambaChula, thank you! How long does it take to get to Centro from Coyoacán? Where did you stay (hotel/rental and area)? Did you find many options for dinner and after dinner drinks? Was it still lively with people out in the evenings? The market Day sounds wonderful, but our plan is to travel Sunday to Sunday so we'd pretty much miss it.
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Old Oct 14th, 2017, 12:09 PM
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Sorry for the autocorrect, kja.
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Old Oct 14th, 2017, 01:17 PM
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No worries! Autocorrect is not my favorite modern invention. ;-)
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