10 Best museums in Mexico City

You don't have to wait until International Museum Day to visit museums in Mexico City. Within the city you can find different options to delve into Mexican culture.

Visiting cultural and historical sites is one of the best things to see and do in Mexico City, so I invite you to visit places like the Archivo de la Fotografía Museum, the University Museum of Contemporary Art and the Jumex Museum. Another option to learn about history is the National Museum of Anthropology, which houses one of the most important collections of pre-Hispanic art in the world, but it is also one of the most visited museums in the country.

Since 2005, the space that today is known as the Casa de la Memoria Metropolitana, was inaugurated as the Museo Archivo de la Fotografía in Mexico City, which is undoubtedly one of the best museums in the city.

But beyond its name, the importance of this museum lies in the fact that it is dedicated to preserving the photographic memory of the city throughout the twentieth century. Inside the museum you will be able to appreciate crucial moments in the history of the city, from the improvements in its infrastructure to the traditions and typical customs of its inhabitants.

The museum has different exhibition halls, where it highlights its collection of photographs of the masked faces in Mixquic that commemorate the Day of the Dead, as well as the impressive photographs of the representation of the Passion of Christ in Iztapalapa. You can also see different temporary exhibitions and photojournalism, which may vary according to the season of the year.

Details of interest

• Price: Admission is free, so you won't have to pay anything to visit it.
• Hours: Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00.
• Location: It is located at República de Guatemala, number 34, Centro.

In the Mexico City Museum, located in an 18th century baroque building that used to be the Palace of the Counts of Santiago de Calimaya, you can admire balconies with wrought iron railings, semicircular arches, lions, gargoyles and a shell-shaped fountain with a mermaid playing the guitar. In this museum you can find information about the history, art and topics related to the capital of Mexico.

If you take a tour of Mexico City this is a stop you can not miss, because when you enter the main courtyard, you can see trucks from 1923, seventeenth century cabs and a carriage of the eighteenth century that complement the theme of the museum. You will also find a workshop dedicated to the impressionist artist Joaquín Clausell, who worked there and used the walls of his room as canvases, mixing the paint on the spot and creating pieces from those stains.

Details of interest

• Price: You will have to pay just over 2 euros per person to enjoy this museum inside.
• Hours: You have the opportunity to enter the museum from Tuesday to Sunday between 10:00 and 18:00.
• Location: Its exact location is Pino Suárez number 30, in downtown Mexico City.

Inside the MAP 's intelligent building you will be able to see the most representative collection of Mexican folklore. Previously, the space was the headquarters of the General Police Inspectorate and the Fire Department of the city, but nowadays it houses outstanding material of Mexican folk art at controlled temperature and humidity. Inside you will find four permanent rooms where you can enjoy its contents.

Mexico City has ensured that the MAP is a modern and interactive site with the ability to captivate people of all ages. You will find many screens and computers with interactive content, but you can also take guided tours with characterization. Without a doubt this is one of the places you have to include if you are going to sign up for a bike tour in Mexico City.

Interesting details

• Price: The entrance to the museum has an approximate cost of 2 euros per person.
• Hours: You can visit this place from Tuesday to Sunday between 10:00 and 18:00.
• Location: The museum is located at Revillagigedo number 11, in the Historic Center of Mexico City.

In the heart of what was once the Santa Teresa La Antigua convent, today is the Ex Teresa, a contemporary art laboratory. This space houses mainly temporary exhibitions of performance and audiovisual installations. You can enjoy a unique experience inside the chapel and the neoclassical lobby, which have been adapted to be the main exhibition rooms of the museum featuring a dome with religious stained glass windows.

Although the place is enigmatic and mysterious due to its rich past and design, the quality of the exhibits presented is very high, so you will love to visit it. In its experimental exhibits, you will find unique pieces such as an empty jar "filled" with "frontier air" or a wall nailed with beer corcholatas.

In general, it is one of those experiences that you should include in your tour of the city, because it is one of the best things to see and do in Mexico City, thanks to the high quality of its exhibitions and the interesting proposal in each of the exhibits.

Details of interest

• Price: You don't need to pay anything to enter the museum because it has free admission.
• Hours: You can visit this place from Monday to Sunday between 10:00 and 6:00.
• Location: The museum is located on Lic. Verdad Avenue, number 8, in the Historic Center of Mexico City.

The Real y Más Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso is since 1992, a cultural space that has also hosted some of the most memorable temporary exhibitions the city has seen. Inside the space you will be able to see a wide variety of exhibitions that include colonial, modern and contemporary art. In addition, inside you will find murals by renowned artists such as Jean Charlot, David Alfaro Siqueiros, José Clemente Orozco and Diego Rivera's first mural, "The Creation".

Before visiting it you should also know that recently, the place has hosted exhibitions such as the giant hyperrealist sculptures of Ron Mueck or the paintings of Marilyn Manson, pieces of great artistic importance. But the activity of the museum is so wide that inside you can also enjoy workshops and conferences that complement the exhibitions, and some activities that take place during the nights, so it certainly stands out as one of the best places to visit in Mexico City at night.

Details of interest

• Price: You will have to pay around 2.50 euros per person to enter the museum.
• Hours: The museum is open on Tuesdays from 10:00 to 19:30, also from Wednesday to Sunday between 10:00 and 17:30.
• Location: The museum is located at Justo Sierra 16 in Centro.

Inside the Museo del Estanquillo, you will have the opportunity to learn about the work of Carlos Monsiváis, who was a contemporary writer and chronicler of Mexico City. In addition, you will learn how his passion for popular culture spread through art and the corners of the city.

In the three halls of the museum you will be able to recognize more than 20 thousand pieces that pay homage to Carlos Monsiváis and his love for cinema and reading through photographs, paintings, posters, texts, engravings and even miniatures. One of the most interesting things you can see in the museum are the thematic exhibitions that in a way bring you closer to the most significant moments in the writer's life.

In addition, you will like to go up to the terrace of the museum from where you can have a panoramic view of the Historic Center, but you can also enjoy this space and the different free activities that are presented there. In the reading room you will find one of the most significant pieces of the museum, the "gaturna", a cat-shaped urn where the writer's ashes are kept.

Details of interest

• Price: Admission to the museum is free, which means that you don't need to pay anything to visit it.
• Hours: You can visit this museum from Wednesday to Monday between 10:00 and 17:40.
• Location: The museum is located at Isabel la Católica Street, number 26 in downtown Mexico City.

The Women' s Museum was presented 15 years ago to the UN, thanks to the project of the Mexican Federation of University Women and since then it offers temporary exhibitions that change every three months and show the achievements of women throughout history.

You can also see inside the museum, different permanent rooms where the theme of gender equity, the dual worldview present in ancient Mexico, freedom and education are explored. In addition, to give dynamism to the exhibitions, the museum continually changes the characters that star in them and uses videos to tell stories of women who have been transcendental in the history of Mexico.

Additionally, you will see that the center functions as a venue for books, conferences, workshops, concerts and film screenings. The Museo de la Mujer building is a space that holds quite a bit of history, as it is a site that was formerly the headquarters of the printing press.

Details of interest

• Price: You will have to pay a little more than 1.5 euros to enter the museum.
• Hours: You can enter from Tuesday to Sunday between 10:00 and 18:00.
• Location: You can find this museum on República de Bolivia Street, number 17 in downtown Mexico City.

Undoubtedly, a visit you can't miss if you are interested in learning and understanding the economy and finance in a more enjoyable and entertaining way, is the Interactive Museum of Economics. The building is a former convent that was bought by the Bank of Mexico during the nineties and was not only restored, but also adapted to become one of the most internationally recognized interactive museums.

Inside this space you can learn about the economy, finance and sustainable development like nowhere else. You will also find inside, a room dedicated to the necessary balance between economic activity and environmental care. What makes this museum unique is its commitment to technology as a tool for interaction. Here you will not find overwhelming and inaccessible information, but an enriching and dynamic experience.

Details of interest

• Price: You will have to pay around 5 euros per person, while children under 3 years old enter for free.
• Hours: You'll be able to visit this place from Friday to Sunday between 11:00 and 17:00.
• Location: The museum is located in the Antiguo Convento de Betlemitas, on Tacuba Avenue number 17, right in the Historic Center of Mexico City.

The National Museum of Art is one of the most important and emblematic museums in the country, and inside you can find a wide sample of contemporary art in Mexico City. To begin with, in front of the museum is one of the most iconic statues of the city, the equestrian statue of Charles IV of Spain, better known as "El Caballito" (The Little Horse).

Behind this majestic statue is the former Palace of the Secretariat of Communications and Public Works. Upon entering the museum you will find impressive sculptures made of marble, of obvious French influence, since they bear names like "Malgré Tout" by Jesús Fructuoso Contreras, or "Après l'orgie" by Fidencio Lucano Nava.

Without a doubt this place is a true treasure of the history and culture of the city, and is one of those places you should visit if you stay in Mexico City for 2 days or more, because it is worth a visit to learn more about its fascinating history and admire its architectural beauty.

Details of interest

• Price: You will have to pay around 4 euros per person to enter this museum.
• Hours: The opening hours of this museum are from 10:00 and 17:30 and from Tuesday to Sunday.
• Location: This museum is located at Tacuba street number 8 in downtown Mexico City.

The Papalote Children's Museum is an incredible place to live an unparalleled multimedia experience with all its exhibits. During this adventure you will discover the complexity of life and the interconnection of the human being with the world around him. You will be able to see different modules, being the first one dedicated to the human body, where you will be able to explore the human anatomy and how it works mechanically to stay healthy.

Then you will find the area called "México vivo", where you can appreciate the biodiversity of the whole country and learn about the importance of its ecological systems. You will also find other sections such as "My home and my family", where you will discover a little more about networks and how they connect to create strong and united societies.

This museum is especially dedicated to children, who can also discover an area dedicated to the "Laboratory of ideas", where they can enhance their creativity and problem-solving skills through science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics. Within this space children are free to draw, make and invent with a variety of materials and tools in an environment that encourages teamwork.

Details of interest

• Price: To enter the museum you will have to pay around 10 euros per person, while to enter the mega-screen and digital dome areas you will have to pay just over 5 euros.
• Hours: You can enjoy this attractive museum on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays between 9:00 and 18:00. Thursdays from 9:00 until 11:00, and Saturdays and Sundays between 10:00 and 19:00.
• Location: The museum is located on Constituyentes Street, number 268, in Daniel Garza, Mexico City.