Coyoacán is a small town about a 45-minute drive outside Mexico City, where Frida Kahlo lived. If you’re visiting to tour Frida’s former home, now a museum, “Casa Azul” you should spend the day. It’s a great city, filled with live entertainment, plenty of history and lots to see and do.
1. Take a Bike or Walking Tour
Traffic in Mexico City can be a bit wild, but in Coyoacán, there’s a slower pace. This makes bike riding manageable and the best way to get around and see the most of the city. Biking or walking around the several main blocks in the city center is a great way to explore. There are many shops, restaurants, historic homes and neighborhoods.
The city is small, wildly historical, and bohemian. It has modern updates that make it more approachable than other neighborhoods around Mexico City. Coyoacán is an upper-middle-class community, so the streets are filled with shops, restaurants, and plenty of public spaces. There is a different town square every few blocks.
2. Frida Kahlo House and Museum
You won’t have any trouble finding Frida’s house in Coyoacán. One, its bright blue and maroon paint makes it immediately recognizable. Two, follow the street vendors. They line the streets selling everything imaginable you can put Frida’s face on. They will lead you to the house.
The Frida Kahlo museum is the second most popular museum in Mexico. There are hundreds of popular museums in Mexico City, so this is impressive. It’s also a busy place.
Frida was born, lived most of her life, and died in this house. Much of her work was created here, so of course, it’s a mecca for lovers of the artist and a must-see in Coyoacán, even Mexico.
If you want to visit, plan. You can only buy tickets online, and they sell out weeks in advance.
Fun Fact: Find Frida and her husband, famed Mexican muralist Diego Rivera, are pictured on Mexican 500 bills.
Read this post about Frida Kahlo’s house here.
3. Mercado de Coyoacán
You must visit this market. The first time I walked through Mercado de Coyoacan, I nearly lost my mind with excitement and overwhelm. It looks like a massive series of ramshackle tarp tents, and that’s sort of what it is. Except, it may actually be a building; it’s hard to tell. Inside, there are potentially hundreds of vendors. They’re selling everything from piñatas to freshly slaughtered animals. There are vendors for groceries, restaurants, flowers, you name it. If you’ve seen it in Mexico, they’re selling it in this market.
You must maneuver through tightly packed aisles bursting with color and people shouting prices and talking. The scents, colors, sounds and variety of things are astounding. People are yelling, children are screaming and vendors are hocking their wares. The food is being cooked, animals shepherded past, flowers are being cut, music is playing – it’s beautiful chaos.
One of my guides told me it’s the best place near Mexico City to get crafts every season. They were selling Christmas items when I was there. She said it changes all year long, and people come from all over to buy their decorations there.
Tip: There is a bright yellow diner-like stand with the best tostadas and fresh juice I’ve ever had. Stop there for lunch or a snack.
Aside from the market, hundreds of vendors in the streets sell various arts, crafts, and foodstuff. Make sure you have cash – and if you’re American, be prepared to be told the highest possible price. But all vendors expect you to haggle, so don’t accept the first number they throw out.
4. Town Squares & Churches
When the city was constructed between the 16th through the 20th centuries, they laid out the neighborhoods with squares. Between them are narrow streets and much architecture has been preserved. In each square, you’ll find vendors selling everything imaginable, live music, arts, cafés and activities happening.
On my bike tour, we visited Plaza de la Conchita, where the Spanish conquistador, Cortes, lived for years. His home is still on a corner, currently undergoing reconstruction. There you’ll also find the city’s oldest church.
The most famous church in San Juan Bautista – built in the late 1500s. Next door is a Dominican monastery and a lovely old courtyard with fruit trees. Some say this baroque architecture church is the most beautiful in Mexico City. Indeed, if you like gold, you might agree. The entire place is filled with real gold leaf of 14 and 18 carats. It’s a national monument.
Across the street, the famous Fountain of the Coyotes is the next square over. Keep walking through the square and turn right, and soon you’ll come to another square. This one has the picturesque yellow Chapel of Santa Catarina. We can go on like this – square to square and church to church, but let’s stop here. It’s time to enjoy churros and Atole (a warm milk drink made from masa, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla) at Meson de Antigua in this square.
Fun Fact: Inside many churches are statues wearing real clothes. In Mexico, it’s traditional to dress statues in real clothing. Some people even work as “statue dressers,” making unique clothing just for statues.
5. Try Café de Olla and Churros
If you’re unsure what to do or where to go, just start walking. I strolled the squares drinking Mexican Café de Olla (coffee with cinnamon) and sampling churros from the many vendors.
El Jarochois coffee is centrally located, and Churreria General de la Republica, right next door, is an excellent place to start. Their churros are stuffed with fillings (chocolate, fruit and others). They serve the churros in a little eating bag and, pro tip, eat it out of the bag. I took mine out and dripped chocolate all over my shirt. It was worth it, though.
To be honest, coffee in Mexico wasn’t my favorite. It was weak and spicy. I like bold brew. Many Mexicans like instant coffee – yuck. Even street vendors sell instant coffee. I just don’t understand it.
Visiting Coyoacán, Mexico
After spending seven weeks in the country, this was my favorite city in Mexico. You have all the best of Mexico in it, but in a smaller, more manageable footprint. Also, because they’re so used to tourists, it’s easier for visitors to navigate than in other cities.
If you’re staying near Mexico City, an Uber or taxi ride costs about $10—or up to 200 pesos.
While you’re in the area, you might want to check out these two nearby museums that I didn’t explore, but that guides recommended:
Museo Nacional de Culturas Populares (popular cultures of Mexico) is in Coyoacán, but there are no permanent exhibitions. Instead, this place has temporary exhibition rooms. It showcases various expressions of popular, indigenous and urban cultures, such as music, theater, dance, literature and gastronomy.
Anahuacalli Museum is just outside Coyoacán. It’s popular because Diego Rivera built it as an architectural place to hold the many artworks and sculptures he collected.
Read more to do in these Mexico stories here.
Claus Andersen
January 29, 2022Coyoacan is probably the part of Mexico City I like the most. It has to compete with quite a few places, as I absolutely love this city. In my opinion its one of the most underated cities in the world.
Rene Cizio
January 30, 2022Agree!