- Most Popular
- Ages 6+
- Beyond the city, Iconic sites
- 9 hours
Go beyond the usual tourist bus experience on this tour that takes you out of Mexico City to see Teotihuacan pyramids and more.
Quick Details
- Get a glimpse into Mexico City’s local way of life and learn about ancient Mexican dishes.
- Experience three bustling local markets, including a somewhat secret market.
- Savor several tasty Mexican culinary samplings.
- Hop on the Mexico City Metro and travel just like locals do.
Explore Mexico City’s Best Street Food & Markets!
Get a glimpse into Mexico City’s local way of life and learn about ancient Mexican dishes. Join this super fun Mexico City tour to see three of Mexico’s best street markets with a local expert guide who will share all the secrets and curious facts about these markets that despite the passage of time, continues to be a key piece for the Mexican economy. Whether you’re in the market for a magic love potion, voodoo dolls, hot tamales, pretty piñatas, or exotic flowers, these markets have all bases covered. Savor several tasty Mexican culinary samplings and hop on the Mexico City Metro.
Language: English
Inclusions: Bilingual local guide, public transportation, samples of local food.
Exclusions: Items of a personal nature, souvenirs, additional food beyond included samples, tips/gratuities for the guide.
Schedule details
- Duration: 5 hours
- Meeting point: Museo Mexicano del Diseño (www.mumedi.org), Francisco I Madero No. 74, Col. Centro Histórico, Delegación Cuauhtémoc, C.P. 1600
- Starting time: 8:45 a.m.
- Ending point: Museo Mexicano del Diseño (www.mumedi.org) Francisco I Madero No. 74, Col. Centro Histórico, Delegación Cuauhtémoc, C.P. 1600
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It’s time for a food adventure!
Mexico City’s markets are some of the most vibrant places in the city, and it’s our mission to open them up to you, just as locals experience them.
Our first stop is a relatively unknown market (even some Mexicans don’t know about this one!). Your Urban Adventures guide provides you with some interesting information about the market’s unique history from the first half of the 1900s and contextualizes it within modern Mexican society. If you’re into the Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera story, this is sure to be a highlight!
After this, we hop on public transportation to make our way to the witchcraft market, one of the most bizarre places in the city. Here you can find everything from your favorite superhero costume and festive piñata to magic potions, voodoo dolls, and the ever-coveted natural cure for a hangover. You’re sure to be amazed by the different colors, smells, and sheer variety of things you can find in this market.
Once you’ve found your chosen magic elixir, we walk a couple of blocks to the subway that takes us to the three-in-one market of prepared food, fresh fruits and vegetables, and an unmatched selection of flowers. This is the biggest flower market in the city, where local vendors match the color of your eyes to their most exotic flowers. The aisles of this market are lined with stands selling fruit, herbs, piñatas, meat, fish, corn, mole, and everything in between. As you wander through the market, you get to sample a cup of pineapple tepache, tamales, Mexican barbecue, fruit cocktail, and exotic mixed juices.
Finally, we head to a local patio for the last sample of our journey, finishing this Mexico City market tour with a panza llena, corazon contento, meaning “full tummy and happy heart.” Let all of the exotic experiences you have seen dance in your head as you take your afternoon siesta back in the comfort of your hotel, or prepare for an afternoon of adventure at the Teotihuacan pyramids.
Additional information
Dress standard: We recommend dressing conservatively as we are visiting non-touristy areas. Long trousers or jeans and a t-shirt are recommended. Leave your valuables, such as passports and credit cards, in the hotel and bring a small amount of spending cash. Only small cameras are allowed. During the rainy season (May to September), we recommend bringing a raincoat or umbrella.
Your trip: For your Urban Adventure, you travel in a small group of a maximum of 12 people.
Confirmation of booking: If you have your voucher, your booking is confirmed. See you at the start point. If you have any concerns or require more information, get in touch via the email address or phone number (business hours only) on your voucher.
Child Policy: Children between the ages of 6 and 11 inclusively are permitted on this tour at the rate listed on this page. Please select “child” when booking. Children below the age of 6 are not permitted on this tour.
Local contact
Office phone number: International dialing: +52 1 55 1632 0847 Local dialing: 044 55 1632 0847
Email address: [email protected] -
Mr. MEHMET T. from Turkey travelled on 11 Dec 2018:
Excellent day with lovely people…
Mr. Trevor B. from United Kingdom travelled on 07 Nov 2018:
Excellent guide and experience
Ms. Claire M. from United Kingdom travelled on 04 Nov 2018:
A great day full of fascinating sights. Eva was a fabulous guide – her knowledge & enthusiasm made the day.
Mr. Luke M. from Australia travelled on 19 Sep 2018:
Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and friendly.
Ms. Jessica L. from USA travelled on 19 Jun 2018:
Cesar was very knowledgeable and friendly. He was very patient with all our questions about the transit system and about the different markets, food and neighborhoods.
Mr. Gustavo G. from Mexico travelled on 16 Jun 2018:
Alfonso es the best guide to show you how Mexican local life is. In this tour he took us to three different markets: the first one had art and a hidden museum of the work of Diego Rivera’s students, was kinda small but full of colour and no tourist at all; after having our atole and a tamal, we took te public transportation to this interesting/spooky market (Sonora) better called “The witchcraft market”; there, we saw a lot of different symbols used by too many different cultures (mayan, aztec, voodoo, santeria, among others), walking through the halls of this market charged with this interesting energy was such an experience! and then… took the subway to “Mercado de Jamaica” which haves three markets in one: food , produce and flowers! lots of colors, lots of different spice-fruity smells, we had a nice lunch of barbacoa tacos and a consome (sort of a broth, very tasty!) and, after walking through the market of flowers: more food: a tlayuda at a very nice and local food court! Totally worth it!
Mr. Arthur B. from France travelled on 05 Jun 2018:
We had a wonderful time with our guide Alfonso who was very knowledgeable and passionate about his city 🙂 This was the perfect tour to go off the tourist track with a local expert to show you around. We got to see very different markets and get a feel of the local life (and fooooood!). This tour wakes all your senses and gives a great understanding of the Mexican culture and traditions. Plus it was so awesome to taste so many foods in so little time – YUM!
Mr. Tony R. from New Zealand travelled on 15 May 2018:
Had a great time with Katy our tour guide. She made the tour fun and was really knowlegable. Tasted and learnt about so much foodit was amazing. A great way to start our time in Mexico
Ms. Stacey T. from Australia travelled on 13 Apr 2018:
Fantastic tour, tried some street food we would not have tried otherwise and learned a lot about Mexican culture!
Mr. Scot S. from USA travelled on 09 Dec 2017:
This was an absolutely fantastic tour. We thoroughly enjoyed it with Everlyn, our wonderful “guide”. The tour didn’t feel like a tour at all but a day spent with a friend. She introduced us to local foods and historical stories that aren’t your typical tour experience. We had chances to interact with locals that helped us appreciate the people and the city better. The day was fun filled and Everlyn helped create lifetime memories for us..
Ms. Danielle D. from USA travelled on 09 Nov 2017:
Eva was wonderful. The only thing I would say is that the description says five markets and we visited three – Mercado Jamaica, Mercado Sonora, and Mercado Rodriguez.
Dwight T. from travelled on 19 Oct 2017:
More food please!
Mr. Edgar D. from USA travelled on 06 Jul 2017:
Rodrigo was a fun and informative guide. We also ran into Evelyn, who was lovely, along the way. The tour gave my family the experience of seeing real Mexican culture first-hand. We loved taking the metro and the bus; it’s so much more hands-on than taking a private van from one point of interest to the next. The best parts were the flower market and the murals!
Mr. Tom S. from Mexico travelled on 04 May 2017:
Our tour went above and beyond what we expected. All our questions were answered but we also received honest, inside knowledge on Mexico City and markets. It makes a huge difference when your guide is passionate about their tour and Urban Adventures really nails this.
Ms. Martha C. from Canada travelled on 25 Apr 2017:
Many thanks to Chema for giving us a wonderful tour! He was enthusiastic, funny, informed, kind, welcoming. A wonderful ambassador for Urban Adventures! Loved that we rode local bus/metro (which the guidebooks all warn you against) as part of the adventure. A small suggestion would to be to spend less time at the church at the beginning unless clients are interested in that. This was my 8th UA in 6 countries – loved them all!
Ms. Nicola M. from Australia travelled on 21 Apr 2017:
This tour was amazing! Totally one of my favourite UA’s. Eveline was wonderful and I really enjoyed getting about all over Mexico City with her. The mercados were incredible, so great to see how local people live and get a taste of all the delicious food too.
Ms. Sarah F. from Australia travelled on 17 Apr 2017:
Evelyn was a lovely and enthusiastic guide who was very knowledgable about the markets and foods of Mexico. It was a really lovely morning and I particularly enjoyed learning about the food and using the local transport. As a person who really tries to limit the amount of single use plastic I use, especially when I travel, I didn’t appreciate the amount of polystyrene trays, cups and plastic cutlery that was used throughout the tour.
Ms. Karin Z. from Canada travelled on 13 Apr 2017:
Eva was a very knowledgeable and personable guide. The tour was a fantastic way to get acquainted with everyday life in Mexico City. We made several pit stops for snacks including tamales, tacos and grasshoppers. Really fun, photogenic experience, highly recommend.
Ms. KAYLEIGH D. from Canada travelled on 01 Apr 2017:
Pili was great!! Great knowledge and super fun to spend the day with 🙂
Ms. Juilette M. from USA travelled on 16 Mar 2017:
Wonderful market tour, tasted fruits I’ve never seen before, Jose was a great guide.
Mr. Robert D. from USA travelled on 28 Feb 2017:
Navarro was a terrific guide. Very knowledgeable and responsive to our group’s questions and needs. Terrific guy.
Mr. Paul H. from United Kingdom travelled on 12 Feb 2017:
I had a great time and was lucky enough to be the only guest which made it personal and exclusive. Got some history art and lots of great food with a charming guide, who indulged me even when I was food shopping
Ms. Kristina V. from USA travelled on 23 Jan 2017:
This tour is a photographer’s paradise and one of the most authentic ways I could have experienced Mexico City. Most markets in countries that I have visited ended up being what appear to be local markets only to find that they only sell souvenirs and cater to tourists – none of that is on this tour. Our guide, Eva, navigated us through the windy market place where the locals purchase flowers, food, pinatas and party supplies, kitchen and household items, animals, and items used for witchcraft. We observed the murals on the walls, which told the story of Mexican history in the area and passed by a Spanish Conquistador building.
We were allowed to sample various foods items: tamales, coffee, quesadillas, cactus, meats, fruit, huitlacoche, jicama with colorful salts, sweets, and various other items. She knew many of the merchants, and explained the history behind the merchant, their business, and provided an explanation of the unique items they were selling. We ended our tour at a local family’s restaurant, enjoying a home cooked meal and chatting with the family who owns the restaurant, which is located in the mercado. I would recommend this tour to anyone who wants an authentic and wonderful experience in Mexico City.
Ms. Sharon M. from New Zealand travelled on 11 Dec 2016:
Evelyn was an excellent guide. We really appreciated meeting her family and sampling Mexican food. It has given us the confidence to sample many more Mexican dishes.
Mr. Lachlan C. from Australia travelled on 30 Nov 2016:
As always the guide was super enthusiastic and knowledgeable and willing to share true experiences and insights with us. Rodrigo was a legend. Had such a good day with him
Mr. Jerry G. from Canada travelled on 28 Nov 2016:
Our guide (sorry I’ve forgotten her name) was outstanding! If you want to rub elbows with the locals and try some yummy food you’re at the right place.
Mr. Sam H. from Australia travelled on 26 Oct 2016:
My guide Carolina was excellent. I had to catch a flight, so she generously tailored my tour to fit the time I had available, and she made sure I saw all the highlights, as well as things that reflected my areas of interest. The art was an unexpected amazing surprise. The tamales – wowser. The lamb taco washed down with an icy coke whilst sitting at the counter was a highlight, as were the what seemed like twenty million varieties of corn to munch on. And the variety of markets was wonderful. Absolutely loved this adventure.
Mr. Christopher M. from USA travelled on 07 Oct 2016:
Excellent tour of the markets with Rodrigo. We loved the markets so much we were back the next day!
Mrs. Nadine P. from Germany travelled on 28 Sep 2016:
A great way to spend the morning in MEX city 🙂
Ms. Francesca L. from Mexico travelled on 17 Sep 2016:
Our guides (Evelyn and Nathan) were very enthusiastic and had great rapport with our group and the people we met at different stands/markets on the tour. One area for improvement would be if they could start the tour off with more prepared background information on Mexico’s history and most famous local ingredients to put things into context. I happen to know a lot of background in this area, so my expectations might have been too high, but I think there needs to be some further background info offered to connect all the stops we made on the tour. Otherwise, for someone entirely new to the region, it feels a bit haphazard and random the way some names, place, and customs are introduced. However, I really enjoy the very “local” perspective Urban Adventures promotes, including using public transportation. I also thought it was really great how our tour guide taught the group some easy Spanish through a very local game that we played together over our final meal.
Mr. Henry K. from USA travelled on 08 Sep 2016:
Evelyn was great! Very helpful and went above and beyond in helping me find a souvenir badge that I was looking for 🙂 Recommend 100%
Mrs. Allison A. from Mexico travelled on 27 Jul 2016:
The enthusiasm and knowledge provided by our guide, Navarro (Jose-?) was excellent. Not only did he go out of his way to give us a great experience and answer all of our questions, but he proved to be a good citizen as well! (He helped a blind man cross the street!) We were impressed. My only suggestion is that Navarro continue to work on his English. Vocabulary and clarity were lacking at moments. Thank you!
Ms. Lisa K. from USA travelled on 22 Jul 2016:
The market tour was excellent! From the exposure to foods that were new, exciting, and delicious to both eat and learn about (despite my having been to Mexico a few times now and taken different tours – there were lots of new things to learn!) to the excellent guidance by Rodrigo who was full of enthusiastic history and insight into the areas we explored as well as various murals around the city. The tour was a pleasure and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to explore Mexico City in a way that will show its richness and diversity in both flavors as well as culture.
Ms. Rebecca M. from Canada travelled on 07 Jun 2016:
Evelyn was a great guide!
Ms. Anna v. from Australia travelled on 09 May 2016:
Evelyn was fantastic – very knowledgable about the markets, but also very friendly to chat with while we were walking between places. She was also helpful in finding food samples that I could eat due to dietary preferences. It was a great way to spend my first morning in Mexico City. Thank you so much Evelyn, and thank you Urban Adventures for running the tour on a different day.
Ms. Natalie A. from Australia travelled on 03 Apr 2016:
Excellent tour of the markets of Mexico City, our guide Evelyn was fun and knowledgeable. However I have done other Urban Adventure food tours and was a bit disappointed that this one didn’t include more food tasting.
Ms. Lauren M. from Mexico travelled on 25 Mar 2016:
Our tour guide was really nice and funny and was really great!
Ms. Melinda C. from USA travelled on 26 Feb 2016:
The itinerary every day was different than advertised. Still fun!
Mrs. Eunice C. from USA travelled on 21 Jan 2016:
Itzal was wonderful, spoke good English, and really gave a flavor of Mexico City with her knowledge.
Mr. Craig B. from Australia travelled on 19 Dec 2015:
Overall it was a very good tour, I also did an Eat Mexico market tour and the Urban Adventures one was much better value for money and Angela out guide was more enthusiastic that the Eat Mexico. The only thing better about the Eat Mexico tour was more food sampling, if you added a few extra stops for food samples (they don’y have to be large serves) you would be a much better tour all up.
Mrs. kathleen t. from United Kingdom travelled on 28 Aug 2015:
What an amazing experience! We learnt so much from our guide Luis. He was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. We visited several markets during our tour, markets that we wouldn’t have known about otherwise. He recommended a variety of different foods to try and helped us navigate the tube system. A great start to our Mexico adventure. Thank you so much. Kathleen & Shef
Ms. Christie K. from Australia travelled on 05 May 2015:
Eva was a lovely guide, who really seemed to love showing off her wonderful home town, Mexico City. If only I could have managed to eat MORE…!
Ms. Zsofia B. from Hungary travelled on 02 May 2015:
I fell in love with Urban Adventures and the way they offered me to explore the culture and people of Mexico! Devoted and careful guides, memorable activities. One of the most wonderful experience I’ve aver had during my trips. A must try, and beleive me, one adventure just won’t be enough! I’m looking forward to continue my exploration of world with the guidance of Urban Adventures as soon as possible! Thank you guys, I had such a great time with you!
Ms. Nadine F. from Canada travelled on 22 Feb 2015:
Our guide Eva’s love for Mexico City was obvious and infectuous, I really enjoyed the Market tour.
Ms. Marianne L. from United Kingdom travelled on 08 Nov 2014:
Luis is a great guide and can intuit the passenger’s energy level well!
Ms. Elisabeth H. from Canada travelled on 06 Nov 2014:
This was a great tour and it exceeded my expectations. Luis is an awesome tour guide!
Mr. Erik E. from travelled on 28 Oct 2014:
My wife and I had a fantastic time on our Urban Adventure with Luis Mirazo. I cannot recommend the tour or Luis highly enough. It was an amazing and magical day.
Ms. Fiona N. from travelled on 14 Oct 2014:
Eva was just lovely! She really brought the experience to life and introduced us to local people and helped us appreciate the local food. She went the extra mile and helped us get to our next destinations as well. I will recommend this tour to anyone I know that is going to Mexico. Please tip Eva generously as she deserves it!
Ms. Nelli B. from Italy travelled on 24 Sep 2014:
I did the tour with Luis and it was perfect! He is full of hentusiasm and willing to share secrets!
We eat like Mexicans as we move between market like Mexican!Mrs. Danielle E. from USA travelled on 28 May 2014:
Mario was so much fun-felt like we were seeing Mexico City with an old friend. He was very knowledgeable, personable and fun!
Ms. Kaia A. from USA travelled on 30 Apr 2014:
Dario was very nice! We had a great time touring the markets and were very excited to see the murals.
I didn’t notice that there were instructions to confirm our appointment, so when we didn’t see anyone there right at 8:30 we were very unsure of whether the tour had been cancelled. Dario approached us around 8:50, I think. Dario may have been late, or he just may not have seen us. Having an even more specific rendezvous point might have been helpful.
Mr. Paul A. from Australia travelled on 29 Apr 2014:
I would like to get a email follow up on the places I visited as this would help me remember and what we tasted.
I mentioned this to my guide but have not received the email yet.Mrs. Lisa P. from Australia travelled on 28 Apr 2014:
Darios was a wonderful guide who gave us a taste of Mexico City that we just wouldn’t have otherwise experienced. The visit to the Mural Market was amazing having Darios explain the history and meaning of the art works. The Visit to the witches market gave us an insight into the dark side of Mexican culture and the flower market with its fresh flowers and beautiful aroma was a highlight. Not to mention the different foods we tried along the way. Darios knowledge and friendliness made this tour one of the highlights of our trip to Mexico. Don’t leave Mexico City without doing this tour!
Ms. Nyree M. from Canada travelled on 22 Jan 2014:
I had an awesome time with Mario as my tour guide. We visited many markets to take in the local culture and try the food. Mario was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the history and culture of Mexico City. This tour more than exceeded my expectations.
Ms. Gabriella H. from Hungary travelled on 20 Oct 2013:
I really enjoyed the tour because it was not just a simple sightseeing. I learnt a lot about local history and culture and had a great time while tasting lovely Mexican food. I wish I would have more time to explore more of the city and the neighbourhood with the help of Urban Adventures.