10 day Mexico City Itinerary for Day of the Dead

This 10 day Mexico City itinerary includes the amazing Day of the Dead Parade, a visit to the Mixquic cemetery for the Alumbrada, as well as a visit to all the must see museums in Mexico City like the Museum of Anthropology and a visit to Teotihuacan. 

If you don’t have 10 days, shorten the trip to a 5 day itinerary arriving Thursday and visiting the ofrenda in Museo de Antropología and the alebrijes along Reforma. Keep Friday as is, but switch out Saturday’s itinerary for s you can see the Zocalo’s mega ofrenda and those at Bellas Artes and MAP.

Saturday October 25

Arrive to Mexico City and stay in one of my favorite neighborhoods: Historic Downtown, Roma/Condesa, or Polanco. Read up on my Día de Muertos in Mexico City post so you’re prepared for everything to come. You can also brush up on some Mexican slang!

Sunday October 26- Reforma for the alebrijes and Day of the Dead parade

Walk along Paseo de la Reforma from the Estela de Luz to the Angel de la Independencia and admire the colossal alebrijes on display. Alebrijes are folk art sculptures of fantastical or familiar creatures, and theones on display are colossal ones! Don’t forget to dress up in your best Catrina costume—the fancy looking skeleton you’ll see everywhere— and don’t worry about the face painting, you’ll find face painters along the parade route. Get your face painted to finalize your skull look! Eat some delicious Mexican food from the street vendors and take part in the celebration dancing along to live music! If you want a good view of the Day of the Day parade, find your spot early, even as early as 3:00 p.m. The Zocalo will be incredibly full, so choose something along Reforma and you’ll visit the Zocalo mega ofrenda later. 

Monday October 27- Teotihuacan hot air balloon ride

On Monday, most museums are closed, so take a day trip to do a sunrise hot air balloon over Teotihuacan. Then after you disembark, visit this amazing ancient city after having seen it from above. Walk along Calzada de los Muertos and see the majestic pyramids of the Sun and Moon. Don’t forget about the Temple of Quetzalcoatl. When you’re done, have lunch at one of the cave restaurants. While they can be touristy, they are actually pretty cool! These are restaurants inside natural caves and they’ll have traditional Mexican delicacies like escamoles (ant eggs), chinicuiles (maguey worms), and chapulines (grasshopper). My husband and I went to La Gruta because I wanted him to try escamoles. They prepared them at our table and were delcious!

Tuesday October 28- Historic Downtown ofrendas and museums

Head to Historic Downtown and have breakfast at El Cardenal. Now you get to see the Mega Ofrenda in the Zocalo without all the crowds of the parade. Don’t forget to tour the Cathedral and Templo Mayor Museum. Visit the ofrendas at Palacio de Bellas Artes and see the amazing murals from some of Mexico’s most famous muralists. If you have time, see the ofrenda at Museo de Arte Popular—this museum organizes the monumental alebrije contest— and their exhibits for Dia de Muertos and folk art. You can also find authentic Mexican souvenirs at their gift shop. Walk around Historic Downtown and  end the night with a drink at the terrace at the Gran Hotel overlooking the Historic Downtown plaza dressed up for Day of the Dead.

Wednesday October 29- Museo de Antropología Ofrenda and Bosque de Chapultepec festivities

Breakfast at Maque in Polanco to have some pan de muerto and nata. Visit the ofrenda at the National Museum of Anthropology and History and tour this incredible museum. Don’t forget to see the Voladores de Papantla right outside the museum as they perform every 30 minutes from 11a.m. to 6 p.m. Then head on over to Libreria Porrua and sit down for a coffee overlooking Chapultepec Lake. Walk around Chapultepec Park and find the different altars set up around the park. You can have a meal at one of my favorite restaurants in Polanco. 

Thursday October 30- Roma Norte

Walk along Roma Norte, on Avenida Alvaro Obregón see the altars set up along the street. Find a gallery, such as OMR on my off the beaten path list, to visit and coffee shop to take a slow afternoon. Find some of the best restaurants in this area so enjoy some great Mexican food, maybe seafood at Contramar. At night do a Tour of Terror of the Turibus visiting 4 haunted sites in Mexico City.

Friday October 31- Xochimilco

Head to Xochimilco for the day to see the huge Catrinas in the cempasúchil fields in Paraje San Sebastian in San Luis Tlaxialtemalco. After taking amazing photos in the fields, go for a boat ride. Not only are trajineras a unique thing to do in Mexico City, but during this time of year, you can even take a Mexican legends tour. Cruise the Xochimilco canals at night while listening to frightening Mexican legends and visit the creepy Doll Island. Or do a Dinner for Noche de Muertos at Xochimilco where you will go on a boat ride on a trajinera, enjoy some delicious Mexican food, and great drinks. Dress up in costume for this!

Saturday November 1- Day in Coyoacán

Tour Friday Kahlo’s Museum and head to Coyoacan Market for some amazing sights, smells, and food. Walk around the cobbled streets of Coyoacan and enjoy feeling like you’re in a different city. Then head to UNAM to do a tour of the UNAM murals, a true hidden gem in Mexico City. Finish the tour with exploring their mega ofrenda and Day of the Dead events, including live music and competitions.

Sunday November 2 – Mixquic Cemetery

Today experience the real Día de Muertos in Mixquic. Walk around its decorated streets, eat some amazing street food, and visit the cemetery of Mixquic. At night, the Alumbrada takes place. All lights in the town are turned off and the families light candles and set pathways with cempasúchil to say goodbye to the spirits of the visiting dead and guide them back. Be respectful. While people might be celebrating with music and drinks, Day of the Dead is till an ancient tradition for honoring the dead.

Do a guided tour of Mixquic for Day of the Dead with a visit to the cemetery and experience the customs and traditions.

Monday November 3- last day

Say goodbye to Mexico and head back home. 

Whether you explore the grand altars in Zócalo, enjoy a boat ride in Xochimilco, or participate in a vigil at Mixquic cemetery, there’s no shortage of ways to immerse yourself in this deeply meaningful celebration of life and death. I hope that through these few days focused on Day of the Dead Celebrations in Mexico city, you learn from how we Mexicans view death and celebrate it.