By Clay Larroy
If you're looking to
get away from it all with a trip away from home, don't forget to travel smart. Regardless of
whether you are traveling to a nearby location for the weekend or taking a
week-long destination vacation, you are always going to benefit from some tips
and ideas on how to make the whole process, more fun and less stressful.
Take
time each day to alleviate stress while traveling or vacationing and you will
thank yourself for it when you get back home. When you want to plan a vacation contact me!
San Angel
Formerly a separate village, San Angel is one of the more charming of
Mexico's suburbs, an exclusive neighborhood with ancient mansions and colonial
houses along cobbled streets. It is famed for its Saturday craft market in the
pretty Plaza San Jacinto, which brings color, crowds and a festive atmosphere
to the area, and has excellent art and handicrafts for sale. The suburb is
crammed with little restaurants and cafes, offering the city's best dining
experiences, albeit expensive.
There are several museums of interest, including the Studio Museum of Mexico,
which boasts great exhibits on famous Mexican artists Diego Rivera and Frida
Kahlo. The El Carmen complex is one of the prime attractions of the neighborhood:
El Carmen consists of a lovely triple-domed church, a former monastery, school
buildings, and a museum. The monastery was founded in 1613 and the church was
built by 1626. The museum is one of the most visited in the city and exhibits a
number of historical artefacts from the complex, a collection of colonial era
art, and a crypt area dedicated to mummies which attracts many curious tourists.
San Angel is surrounded by a volcanic rock bed called the Pedregal, formed in a
long-ago volcanic eruption and parts of this unusual landscape have been
declared protected areas where visitors can see the endemic flora and fauna.
Address: Southwest of
Mexico City
Zona Rosa
The Zona Rosa (Pink Zone) is the city's major dining, nightlife and
shopping district. It is a compact area, a dense knot of streets crammed with
bars, shops, boutiques, restaurants and hotels. The streets are all named for
famous cities such as Londres and Hamburgo and the best activity here is to
people watch from a chic sidewalk café, as the endless stream of tourists and a
mixture of the city's purposeful middle classes pass by. The district has
subtly shifted in its appeal recently and whereas it was once a fashionable hub
for youth and the upper classes, the Zona Rosa is now also frequented by the
city's gay community and tourists.
The symbol of Mexico City, a gilded statue of Winged Victory which is
the Independence Monument, looms above the district and is one of the city's
most photographic features. Although there is plenty of accommodation available
in the area, travelers are advised that it can be noisy at night and is best
suited to those who will be enjoying the revelry and making the noise. Tourists
should also watch out for pickpockets and opportunistic street crimes, as
thieves do tend to target the area. Do not walk alone at night or publicly
display wealth.
Getting there: Line 1 on the
metro to Insurgentes Station.
Teotihuacan
Opening time: Tuesday to Sunday
9am-5pm.
Situated 31 miles (50km) from Mexico City, the UNESCO World Heritage
Site of Teotihuacan is the site of Mexico's largest ancient city, constructed
by a long forgotten culture, and dating from around 300-600 BC. It is believed
that after thriving for about 2,000 years, a great fire caused the city to be
abandoned and the Aztecs arrived in the region to find a forsaken city. Recognizing
signs of its previous magnificence they named it what it is today, Teotihuacan,
'place of the gods'. The central thoroughfare of Teotihuacan is the Avenue of
the Dead, a 1.3 mile (2km) stretch lined with the palaces of the elite and
connecting the three main site areas, the Pyramid of the Sun, the Pyramid of
the Moon, and the Citadel. The Pyramid of the Sun is the third largest pyramid
in the world, a huge red painted structure built over a cave, found to contain
religious artefacts relating to sun worship. From the top of the stairs the
views over the ruins are fantastic.
The smaller but more graceful Pyramid of the Moon is situated at one end
of the Avenue, with an altar in the plaza believed to have been used for
religious dancing. The Citadel at the other end of the Avenue is a large
square complex that was the residence of the city's ruler. Within the
walls is its main feature, the Templo de Quetzalcoatl, and some striking
serpent carvings. The Tepantitla Palace holds Teotihuacan's most famous fresco,the faded 'Paradise of Tlaloc'. There is a museum housing excellent displays of the city's artefacts, models and explanatory diagrams of the site.
Getting there: Teotihuacan
bus departs from Gate 8 of Mexico Cities Terminal del Norte every half hour
Guanajuato
Guanajuato is considered to be one of Mexico's colonial gems, founded
around the rich silver deposits discovered by the Spanish in 1558. It is a city
of history, where the cry of rebellion against the Spanish was raised and the
struggle for Independence began, a history of wealthy silver barons and
oppressed Indian miners. The city has an unusual layout, crammed into a narrow
valley, with houses and streets forced into irregular positions due to the naturally
hilly topography. Brightly painted higgledy-piggledy houses perch on the
slopes, reached by narrow crooked alleyways of cobbled stone, hidden plazas,
steep irregular stairways, underground tunnels andthoroughfares lend the city much of its charming character.
Along with its picturesque setting and unusual beauty, Guanajuato has
many historical buildings and magnificent architecture, including several
churches and museums, and has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The
most narrow, and most visited, alley is the Callejón del Beso (Alley of the Kiss)
where the balconies of the leaning houses on either side almost touch each other,
a feature in the local romantic legend about furtive lovers
exchanging kisses. Cultural events are an important part of the city,
which hosts several festivals during the year. Every weekend the famous
strolling musicians, or callejoneadas, in traditional dress, lead processions
through the narrow winding alleyways, strumming, singing and telling stories to
the crowds that follow.
Getting there: Bus from Mexico
City (about four hours).
Bosque de Chapultepec
Bosque de Chapultepec is a truly immense urban park. This green lung of Mexico
City spans over 686 hectares (1,695 acres), and pumps the metropolis full of
fresh, clean air. It's home to museums, boating lakes, monuments, a zoo,
playing fields and Chapultepec Castle, among other attractions. Bosque de
Chapultepec is where Mexico City locals spend their lunch breaks and weekend
days. It's Mexico's answer to Central Park, and on any day it is brimming with
people. In the center of the park, the Chapultepec Castle stands on a hill,
bedecked with stained glass windows and red brick turrets. It houses the
National History Museum, and offers incredible views of the city.
Address: Bosque de
Chapultepec I Secc, 11100 Mexico City, CDMX, Mexico
REFERENCE SITES:
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