Unidad Deportiva Ecológica Cuemanco

What it is. A public sports complex at Cuemanco, in Xochimilco, built around the Olympic canoeing course from the 1968 Games and still in use: athletics areas, a gym, cycling, skating and walking, plus an indoor space with tae kwon do, karate and physiotherapy classes.

The circuit everyone comes for. A flat, paved 3 km loop for cycling, running and skating, with a token entry fee. Bicycles can be hired on site by the hour or half-hour. It is one of the few genuinely flat, traffic-free circuits in the city, which is why serious cyclists use it.

What is around it. The Cuemanco embarcadero, the landing that opens onto the quiet part of the Xochimilco canals — chinampas still farmed, herons and egrets, none of the loudspeakers of the busier landings. And the Cuemanco plant and flower market, the largest in the city and spectacular in the two weeks before Día de Muertos, when the cempasúchil comes in.

Practical notes. Anillo Periférico at Canal Nacional, Villa Cuemanco, Xochimilco. No Metro: the Tren Ligero runs to Xochimilco, then a taxi. Morning is the moment for the circuit, the water and the birds. Bring cash and sun protection — there is almost no shade.