Your expert guide to Mexico City’s lesser known museums

National Museum of Anthropology / Museo Nacional de Antropología – one of the most incredible anthropology museums you will ever visit.

Casa Azul – Frida Kahlo’s Blue House, consistently the most popular and busiest of all museums in the city. It’s imperative to buy your ticket in advance.

Palacio de Bellas Artes – this gorgeous building houses a fabulous art gallery that’s home to murals by the most famous of all Mexican muralismts: Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco, Siqueiros, Tamayo & more.

Templo Mayor museum – this archaeological site and museum combo right on the zocalo is unmissable for anyone with even a passing interest in the city’s pre-conquista history.

Museo de Arte Moderno – contemporary art from Mexico and around the world.

Castillo de Chapultepec & National History Museum – perched up on the hill in the incredible Bosque de Chapultepec this is a great museum with great views over the city.

MUNAL Museo Nacional del Arte – this gallery of Mexican art housed in an incredibly beautiful neoclassical building is not to be missed.

Museo Soumaya – The Soumaya museum is a fascinating modern building that that houses an impressive collection of (mostly) European art. Next door is the Jumex Museum.

Palacio Postal – the old post office building (turn of the 19th/20th centuries) – not only is the building magnificently opulent well beyond your post-office-y imagination, there’s also an interesting postal museum.

Torre Latinoamerica – most people head up the torre for the spectacular views over the city but there’s also a small museum here about the tower itself, which is pretty interesting.

Museo Memoria y Tolerancia – an extremely thorough and moving museum that considers the global issues of genocide, diversity and more, in extremely thoughtful and powerful exhibitions.

Museo Mural de Diego Rivera – a gallery dedicated to one piece of art: Rivera’s “Sueño de una tarde dominical en la Alameda Central”. I highly recommend paying a guide to talk you through the imagery and meaning in this piece.

Museo Kaluz – displays of Mexican art from the 18th century onwards. Personally, I learned a lot about Mexican history and the interactions of the Spanish and Indigenous Mexicans in ‘New Spain’ from this museum.

Monumento a la Revolución – a short walk away from the Alameda is this magnificent building that offers incredible views over the city. It also hosts an interesting museum about the Mexican revolution. 

Centro de la Imagen – a short walk from the Alameda is this excellent photography museum.

Museo de Estanquillo – a modern museum with really interesting displays of photography, art, and cinema history that explores 20th century Mexican culture. It also has a fantastic roof terrace bar/café.

Palacio Nacional (National Palace)/Museo Nacional de las Culturas del Mundo – you can enter the enormous government building to check out the magnificent murals by Diego Rivera and then head into the Museo Nacional de las Culturas del Mundo.

Ex-Teresa Art Actual – this old convent is a fascinating building that is slowly sinking into the ground. It’s a very odd experience to wander around this gallery because everything around you is on a slant. Couple this with the always fascinating exhibitions in this beautiful building and this is a winner of a museum.

Museo de la Ciudad de México – this museum focuses on the history of the city, from the Aztec period to the modern day. The displays are well presented and engaging.

Museo Cárcamo de Dolores – this old hydraulic building houses a Rivera mural and outside it is an incredible Tlaloc sculpture. Entrance to this small building is included in your Natural History Museum ticket.

Natural History Museum – this is a very good natural history museum that’s particularly great for kids as there’s a lot of hands-on fun to be had.

Rufino Tamayo – a smaller contemporary art museum with great exhibitions (both inside and outside).

Papalote – the best kids’ museum you’ll ever visit – it’s full of interactive exhibitions and play based learning downstairs while upstairs in dedicated to hands on experiments. There’s also an IMAX, and a planetarium on site.

Museo de Axolotl – technically this is an exhibition within the Chapultepec Zoo but if you love axolotls, or have kids who do, this is a great place to spend time learning about these fascinating Mexican animals.

Galería de Historia Museo del Caracol – this snail shell shaped building houses models and pictures relating the history of Mexico (such as this model of El Pépila from Guanajuato). 

Museo Anahuacalli – this is actually one of my most favourite museums in the whole city. Here you’ll find Diego Rivera’s extremely impressive collection of pre-conquista Mexican art and sculpture as well as some of the sketches for his monumental murals. 

Museo Casa de Leon Trotsky – This museum is the house where Trotsky both lived, and was then assassinated. This is an extremely interesting place if you want to know more about Mexico’s relationship with the USSR.

Museo Indígena Antigua – this absolutely magnificent museum (entirely in Spanish) pays homage to the Indigenous peoples, cultures and languages of Mexico. It’s one of the best in the city, in my opinion.

Tecpan Museum – the only reason to visit is to see the gorgeous mural buy Siqeiros, “Cuauhtémoc Against the Myth” but it’s interesting to know that Cortes ordered the construction of the building.

Tlatelolco – this is an archaeological site that was built by dissidents from Tenotchtitlan. It was also the site of the last stand of the Aztecs against the invading Spanish.

Museo Memorial del 68 – sadly closed when I was in the area, this is a memorial to the students who were massacred on the Plaza de las Tres Culturas (photo).

Museo del Juguete Antiguo México – this is a fascinating place to visit. Here you’ll find every single toy you can possibly imagine or remember (including a Garbage Pail Kids poster, much to my personal joy!). It’s also an incredible spot if you’re interested in street art as the entire place is covered in art.

Templo Mayor / Tenochtitlan – in the centre of the city, right on zocalo. Built in 14th century as the main city of the Mexica people. Destroyed by the Spanish in 16th century. Wonderful museum on site.

Tlatelolco – in the north of the city, in Tlatelolco, this city was built by rebels from Tenochtitlan. The last battle between the Spanish and Mexica people took place here. Decent small museum on site.

Cuilcuilco – one of two known circular pyramid sites in Mexico (the other is in Jalisco), located in the south of CDMX. It’s thought to be one of the oldest sites in the valley of Mexico. It is not known who lived here but it is known it was destroyed by the eruption of Xitle, between 245 and 315 CE. Small museum on site.

Teotihuacan – some 40km from modern CDMX, this site is most well known for the Pyramids of the Sun & Moon. The site predates the Aztecs and was, at its zenith, the largest city in the Americas.

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