For my first proper trip to the current culinary and cultural hot-spot that is Mexico City, I made the conscious decision to see some of the city’s main attractions via tour rather than do it “on my own” as I would normally do.
This decision was made primarily for two reasons: safety and laziness. As I’m sure most people are well aware, Mexico – and Mexico City in particular – has had some serious safety issues in recent years. However, much of this has subsided recently and Mexico City is once again seeing a major influx of foreign tourists.
Review: Teotihuacan Pyramids & Guadalupe Shrine Full-Day Tour (Amigo Tours)
I booked my first full day tour through Expedia through the service provider Amigo Tours. Along with the most popular tour in Mexico City – the Teotihuacan Pyramids – this full day tour included the Shrine of Guadalupe, the Church of Santiago, and Mezcal tasting.
The Pick-up and the Tour Bus:
There were three possible pick-up points for this tour, I chose the middle one at the NH Hotel. The tour rendezvous with other buses near the Historic Center of Mexico City.
The tour bus coach was a newish bus that was clean and appeared to be in good shape. It was very standard (which was a good thing)Â as it came with working A/C, clean seats with overhead space and working window shades.
The Tour Guide(s):
Amigo Tours usually provides two tour guides, one for the English speakers and one for the Spanish speakers. That was the case on this tour. Both guides were college educated millennials, both were bilingual, and both were funny.
1st Stop: Plaza De Las Tres Culturas
The Plaza de las Tres Culturas (Square of the Three Cultures) is main square within the Tlatelolco neighborhood of Mexico City. The name is representative of the three cultures present in Mexico City: Pre-Columbian, Spanish Colonial, and the independent Meztizo nation.
This stop wan’t actually a “visit”, but more of a “look over the fence” moment. As such, it wasn’t great but you could look into the square and get a nice picture (like the one below). Most interestingly, you can see some of the damage done by the recent 7+ magnitude earthquake that hit Mexico City and the art school Unidad de Vinculación ArtÃstica UVA.
Plaza de las Tres Culturas
Unidad de Vinculación ArtÃstica UVA
2nd Stop: BasÃlica de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe
The second stop of the day was the BasÃlica de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe (Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe). The basilica is one of the most pilgrimaged sites of the Catholic religion as it houses the image of Our Lady Guadalupe that is believed by Catholics to have appeared as a miracle.
This site contains the old basilica, the modern basilica, and a shrine on Tepeyac hill.
The Modern Basilica
The Modern Basilica
The image of Our Lady Guadalupe
Inside the Modern Basilica
The Old Basilica
The Old Basilica once house the image of Our Lady Guadalupe. It now suffers from slowly sinking into the ground. In fact, this building is in perpetual imminent danger of collapse. Walking inside the old basilica is a strange experience as the ground is severely warped and gives you a feeling of walking on a boat at sea.
The Old Basilica (Templo Expiatorio a Cristo Rey
Statue of Pope John Paul II
Tepeyac Hill
There is also another popular walk [hike] up the hill to the Tepeyac Shrine.
Entrance to Tepeyac Hill
Capilla del Cerrito at the top of Tepeyac Hill
Plaza Mariana
3rd Stop: Mezcal Tasting
After the basilica, we got back on the bus and headed to the Teotihuacan complex. As we arrived within eye’s view of the Pyramid of the Sun, it was time for mezcal tasting.
We pulled into a small ranch where we were immediately greeted with a demonstration on how to make tequila and mezcal, and then promptly offered about 6 shots of various products and byproducts from the tequila and mezcal manufacturing process.
Surprisingly, this was a fun little stop where I was actually able to generate a little buzz. And the mezcal – particularity the honey-infused and unfiltered stuff – was great.
4th Stop: Lunch at Tlacaelel
The same could not be said for the restaurant chosen for us for lunch, the Tlacaelel. This was the arch-typical tourist trap lunch spot. Although there were some very poor souls on the tour who liked the food there, I found it to be terrible and terribly over priced.
For starters, he waiter did not want to serve us the [cheaper] a la carte lunch off the menu, insisting that it could take 1 hour before we got our food. Instead he kept trying to push us to the much more expensive lunch buffet. I didn’t break, and got my lunch served within 10 minutes for less than half the price of the suckers at the buffet. The food was the same anyways, that is to say dry and uninspiring. It was hands down the worst food I had the entire time I was in Mexico City.
5th Stop: The Pyramids at Teotihuachan:
This was the final stop and the tour’s main event. Teotihuacan is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the most popular tourist attraction of Mexico City.
A full half day was devoted to this archaeological site, which was ample time to explore this wonder. I cover this portion of the tour in a separate post devoted solely to Teotihuacan.
The Avenue of the Dead with the Pyramid of the Sun in the background
Pyramid of the Sun
The Drop-off:
The ride back to Mexico City from Teotihuacan took about 1 hour. After hiking several pyramids, I easily passed out for a quick nap on the way back.
We arrived back in the Historic Center of Mexico City where I asked to be dropped off because it was Michelada time and I was told La Cerveceria de Barrio (Alameda) was the place to go (and it was).
Hemiciclo A Benito Juarez
Monumento A Beethoven
The Bottom Line Review: Teotihuacan Pyramids & Guadalupe Shrine Full-Day Tour (Amigo Tours)
Overall, I was pleased with my choice for this tour. Booking through Expedia couldn’t have been any easier, and Amigo Tours provided a great tour with great guides to see some great attractions at a great price. It was safe, clean, easy and fun.
I felt the pacing of the tour was great – we had plenty of time to explore the attractions (i.e. hike the pyramids). The only things I would change was the [unnecessary] stop at the Plaza de la Tres Culturas for only a quick picture, and the choice of the tourist trap the Tlacaelel for lunch as the food and service were dismal.
Nevertheless, this tour was a great way to see the Basilica, Teotihuacan, and try some cool mezcals. In fact, I’ve already recommended this tour to some of my friends.
Review: Highly Recommended
Cheers!
