Get organised

Everything practical, in one place. This section is the part of the site you read before you arrive and check while you are here: how to get into the city, how to move around it, money, safety, consulates and where to ask for help in person.

The five things that catch everyone out. The city sits at 2,240 metres, so the first two days are harder than expected. Tap water is not drunk. Lunch is at 14:00 and dinner starts at 21:00. Most museums close on Mondays and are free on Sundays for residents, which makes Sunday the busiest day. And colonia names repeat across the city, so every address needs its borough and postcode attached.

Getting around. Buy a Movilidad Integrada card on day one: one card for the Metro, Metrobús, Tren Ligero, Trolleybus, Cablebus and Ecobici, at some of the lowest fares in the world. The Metro beats a car on almost any journey inside the city. For nights and for districts with no Metro — Santa Fe above all — use an app taxi rather than hailing in the street.

If something goes wrong. 911 is the single emergency number nationwide and has English-speaking operators. Locatel, on 55 5658 1111, answers general questions 24 hours a day: hospitals, lost property, official procedures. The Ángeles Verdes (078) give free roadside assistance to tourists on the highways.

And in person. Free, official tourist information modules operate at the airport, the coach terminals, the Zócalo, Reforma, Chapultepec, Coyoacán and inside a network of hotels. They hand out printed maps, work out routes and verify opening hours — and they never sell anything.