Zihuatanejo-Ixtapa Message Board - Mexico City airport

I am flying out of Zihua Thursday and my flight schedule has been changed and now spending near 12 hours in Mexico City, arriving there around 11:30 in the morning. Any suggestions on things to do? I will check my baggage and hopefully it is going through from Zihua all the way with no issues as it is a long trip, Mexico City-Toronto-Winnipeg...I will have one carry on that I am hoping to be able to leave somewhere at the airport so I don't have to lug it around all day. I was also told there is a large mall attached to the airport I should check. Thanks for all info...

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I would get a budget room near the historical district, tour the zócalo and take a nap before the flight. It’s about a 30-40 minute taxi ride. You will find many taxi booths inside the airport for about 5 different companies, prepay at one of the booths. There’s museums and the ruins under the city to tour. If you like tacos Al Pastor this is your place.

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Thanks for the info Craig! As my flight out of Mexico City is an overnight, I will sleep on the plane so not looking at booking an hotel for daytime. Was wondering if it was worth leaving the airport as I was told there was a big shopping mall tied to the airport and stuff to do right there...

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I would get a budget room near the historical district, tour the zócalo and take a nap before the flight. It’s about a 30-40 minute taxi ride. You will find many taxi booths inside the airport for about 5 different companies, prepay at one of the booths. There’s museums and the ruins under the city to tour. If you like tacos Al Pastor this is your place.

The Zócalo is a worthwhile outing. The Mexicans have put see-through flooring next to the cathedral to allow you to see what is underneath. The Spaniards built the cathedral on top of the Aztec temple. It is a chilling sight.

However, be aware that the 30-40 minute taxi ride can become a two-hour ordeal if the traffic turns against you.

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And be VERY careful of cabs in Mexico City -- in fact try to avoid them and use Uber. We were in a hurry and cancelled an Uber ride for $105 pesos to take a waiting cab instead. And then watched as the meter ran up to $850 pesos (I'm sure it was rigged in some way). After we paid, the clever cab driver switched our $500 peso note for a fake one -- holding it up and saying that it was ripped and that we needed to give him different note. We took it back and gave him another $500 note then he said we accidently gave him a $20 peso instead of a $500 -- and he helpfully added that tourists make this mistake all the time since they are both blue in color. That way he got another good $500 pesos note from us. And it went on and on with substituting our good money for bad on the sly as he made change. We had no idea he was doing this. So in addition to the terribly inflated metered ride, he stole from us by exchanging our good money for counterfeit money. Lesson learned. And now shared! And -- it is well worth visiting Zocalo area but we enjoyed the Museo Nacional de Antropologia perhaps even more.

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The basic drill in DF is NEVER take a crusing cab or one that’s just waiting curb side by itself. Sure, the vast majority are perfectly ok, but there’s enough risk of a similar con, or much worse, that you should follow some basic security: use a cab from an established Sitio - a secure gathering and dispatch coordinated site, or kiosk (as in the airport). Failing this, ask your hotel or restaurant to call you a cab, you may pay a slightly higher rate, but you’ll get where you are going without hassle. Or indeed, use Uber or UberX.

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