Top Free Things To Do In Mexico City - Recommended By A Local

A rule that all Mexicans live by; there is not a single dull moment when you’re in Mexico! Get a glimpse of the Mexican charm and joy during one of the city’s festivities. Celebrate life during Día de los Muertos on November 1st and 2nd.

The 1st is dedicated to children and is called the “Day of the Innocents”, while the second is dedicated to the people who have passed on. Graves are decorated with flowers, feasts are prepared, and families come together to remember their loved ones.

The festival is very spiritual; altars are decorated with ancestors' cigarettes, tequila, fruit, candles, pictures, candy, or chocolate, for the long travel from the world of spirits to the human world. Cempaspuchitl or orange marigold flowers are said to guide the spirits to their altars, so they won’t get lost. A must-see Mexico City attraction and one of the top free things to do in Mexico City, the Día de los Muertos festivities are a great time to visit Mexico City.

Visiting Mexico City around September 16th? Be sure not to miss Mexico’s Dia de la Independencia - although it would be impossible to miss. A day of celebrations for the start of Mexico’s war of independence, the streets are filled with good energy, fireworks, locals drinking tequila and beer, and celebrations.

With the words of Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla calling to the people to rise up against the Spanish crown still resonating in the streets of Dolores, as well as the rest of the country, Dia de la Independencia is the day that the entire country celebrates. Feel Mexico City’s creative vibe and witness artists putting up shows and exhibitions, Mexican music filling the streets, and you may even see some costume parades. Seeking things to do in Mexico City at night?

Check out El Grito de la Independencia, or “the shout of the independence”; where on the night of September 15th, the president of Mexico commemorates el Grito by ringing a bell, proclaiming “¡Que viva México!” and waves the Mexican flag from a balcony above the Zócalo. 

Within the northern city limits is the famous Basílica of Guadalupe; not just another church, but the central place of worship for Mexico's patron saint and the home of the image responsible for uniting pre-Hispanic indigenous culture with Catholic beliefs.

The Basílica Guadalupe is a Catholic shrine on Tepeyac Hill in Mexico City that is devoted to Our Lady of Guadalupe; the patroness of Mexico. An important pilgrimage site and one of the most visited churches in the world, the original image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is on display.

The Basílica Guadalupe is a site of pilgrimage year-round, but especially on December 12, the feast day of this manifestation of the Virgin Mary. From the Basílica Guadalupe on top of the mountain hill, you can see the city in all its glory. A hidden jewel, the views up to the spot are incredible; a must-see when seeking free things to do in Mexico City.