Parque Nacional El Tepeyac

What it is. A national park of some 1,500 hectares on the hills behind the Basilica of Guadalupe, declared protected in 1937. About 95% of it lies inside Mexico City and the rest in the State of Mexico, and six colonias of Gustavo A. Madero press against its boundary —which is precisely the park's problem: it is still fighting uncontrolled use and encroachment, so visiting it responsibly matters.

What to do there. Walk. Tracks climb through eucalyptus and pine plantations to open ground with long views north and west over the city, and the climb up the Cerro del Tepeyac itself is the one most visitors come for, since it links directly with the Basilica below. It is a park for exercise and air rather than for facilities.

Practical notes. Open daily 06:00–17:00; admission is free. Go in the morning, stay on the marked tracks and do not walk alone in the more isolated upper sections. Metro La Villa-Basílica on Line 6 is the usual starting point: visit the Basilica first, then climb.