If Mondays are challenging because most museums and historical sites are closed, Sundays are challenging because they are all SO very crowded!
For many Mexicans, Sundays are their only day off and also museums and historical sites are free for us, so places like Centro Histórico and Chapultepec Park are super-packed from about 10:30am on. But there are some great options for a Sunday, for example:
Chapultepec Park – but only if you go early! Castillo de Chapultepec opens at 9am and it takes at least half an hour to walk up the paved hill to get to the Castle. So, go early! Enjoy the space and the view, before it gets crowded. The Museo de Arte Moderno is also a good option if you go when they open, at 10:15am. Especially right now, with the impressive temporary exhibition of the Gelman-Santander collection, there will be lines even before they open, but it goes fast! This temporary exhibition includes numerous works from Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, Rufino Tamayo, Francisco Toledo and other Mexican artists. The museum also has a large collection of works by Remedios Varo on display!
Reforma Avenue – the central lanes are closed to car traffic on Sundays, and open for pedestrians, bikes and roller skates! A wonderful atmosphere and a great walk.
Jardin de Arte Sullivan – is the sister event to Bazar Sábado, the Saturday art market in the southern part of the city, in San Angel. The Sunday-only Jardin de Arte Sullivan is just off of Reforma Avenue, by the Monumento a la Madre. Hundreds of artists sit out and offer their paintings and other works of art. Fun to walk around, even if you don’t want to buy anything!
Tianguis Dominical – The tianguis (“tyan-geese”) are the weekly open-air street markets that have been happening in neighborhoods around the city ever since pre-hispanic times! The tianguis are where many people get their fruits and vegetables, meats and cheeses, and other household goods. They also have many stalls with prepared foods! This particular tianguis is held on Sundays, just behind the Jardin de Arte Sullivan and is great fun to walk through, to see all the lovely displays of produce. For lunch, I had some great “mixiote” tacos, this is marinated beef and lamb meat wrapped up in little pouches using the inner membranes (like a transparent leaf) of the maguey plant. These are steam cooked slowly, and are juicy and so tasty! They give a lot of meat on a taco, enough to make two tacos! I filled up with just one taco!
Ballet Folklórico de México – Ballet Folklórico is not traditional Mexican folk dance, but rather a stylized, ballet-ified show inspired in different regional folk dances. It is a colorful and well-executed show with live music, and they have shows on Sunday mornings and evenings (as well as Wednesday evenings). Held in the auditorium of Palacio de Bellas Artes, an amazingly beautiful space with the Tiffany stained-glass theater curtain and ornately decorated. You can get tickets on Ticketmaster or directly at the Bellas Artes ticket booth.
Parque Lincoln – in Polanco, this small park is particularly lively on Sundays.
Parque México and Parque España – in the Condesa neighborhood, these parks are also very lively on the weekends – lots of pop-up stores selling cool contemporary designs, as well!
These are just a few options for your Sunday in Mexico City! We’d love to know if you tried out any of these ideas, and how you liked it!
