What this section covers. Packages built around individual neighbourhoods rather than around monuments — which is the way this city is actually best understood.
Why neighbourhood-scale works here. Mexico City is a federation of former villages. The Roma and Condesa were laid out in the 1900s and 1920s and have the architecture to prove it. Coyoacán and San Ángel were colonial towns that the city reached only in the twentieth century. Xochimilco still farms its chinampas. Azcapotzalco was the Tepanec capital before Tenochtitlan. Each has its own church, market, square and festival calendar.
What a good neighbourhood tour includes. The market, because that is where a barrio shows what it is; the parish and its patronal feast; the architecture; and somewhere to eat that is not aimed at visitors. The best of them are guided by people who live there — Tepitour, led by residents of Tepito, is the best-known example.
What to confirm. The language, the group size, how much walking is involved and whether the market visit includes eating. Prices and validity change — check with the operator.
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