Módulo Xochimilco

What this is. An official tourist information module in Xochimilco — free, staffed and selling nothing. It hands out maps, explains transport routes and verifies prices and hours, which matters more here than almost anywhere else in the city.

The reason to use it. Trajineras are hired by the boat and by the hour, not per person, and official tariffs are posted at each embarcadero. The module will tell you the current rate and which landing suits you — Nativitas and Cuemanco are the two main ones, and they offer completely different experiences: Nativitas is the busy, musical, party version; Cuemanco opens onto the quiet canals, with herons, chinampas and working farmland.

What else to ask about. The axolotl exhibits, the Isla de las Muñecas, the Saturday plant market at Cuemanco, and the dates of local festivals — Xochimilco holds fourteen original pueblos and seventeen barrios, each with its own calendar.

Practical notes. Xochimilco has no Metro: the Tren Ligero runs from Tasqueña to Xochimilco, and the landings are reached from there on foot or by taxi. Go in the morning; carry cash.