Experience in México, D.F., Mexico by Adriana

What is it like to live in México, D.F.? Would you recommend it? What is the city like?

This city is great, if you are into architecture, you can find ruins of prehispanic architecture (both in the city and in short distances from it), churches from pretty much every century, and modern architecture. We have got thousands of museums, not all of them are worthy of visiting, but most of them are fun. There are safe and beautiful places, as well as places that is not recommendable to visit, you just have to look up information and be a bit careful.
About transportation, it is really easy and quick to use the subway, you can go across the city in like an hour, but it gets really crowded by 6-7 am, 3 pm and 6-7 pm. Taking buses is not as easy as it is in Europe, you have to be really careful in which one you take, read the board they have, not only the number of the route, there are routes that share the same number but may vary on the place where it stops.

What is the student lifestyle like in México, D.F.?

It all depends on where you will be studying, if you will study in UNAMs Ciudad Universitaria, you will have both the pressure & stress from the classes and the joy of having the 'Islas' to enjoy sunny days and activities in the afternoon, from salsa dancing to chess matches, as well as a cultural center with a museum, musical events, theatre and more, and of course the general library (and the libraries of every faculty) (which you can visit even if you are not studying in there).

What places would you recommend visiting in México, D.F.?

Foundation Jumex Museum in Polanco
MUAC museum in Centro Cultural Universitario
Teotihuacan (like an hour or two, away from the city)
The Zocalo (historical center of the city)
Coyoacan center
La Roma and La Condesa
Chopo museum in Santa Maria la Ribera
San Angel (like a 'petit Montmartre' in the south of the city) they sell art every saturday

Is it good to eat out in México, D.F.? Can you tell us your favourite spots?

Hosteria La Bota in San Jeronimo in the city center
El traspatio in la Roma, near MODO museum
Porfirios in Polanco
Alverre, a little café in the corner of Cuauhtémoc and Gomez Farias in the center of Coyoacán.
Ecos in Higuera, also in the center of Coyoacan

What advice would you give future students headed to México, D.F.?

Study hard (of course) but give yourselves the time to visit the whole city, use the weekends to visit places nearby (you can take buses to and from place like Tepoztlan, Malinalco or so), try to plan visits to other places or states during vacation periods like 'semana Santa'. Enjoy.