15 Things to do in Chapultepec Park
Chapultepec Park, located in the heart of Mexico City, is the largest city park in Latin America. This mammoth park is an impressive 1700 acres, over twice the size of New York’s Central Park. You can literally spend a week just exploring everything the park has to offer!
The park is divided into three sections: Section 1 (Primera Seccion), Section 2 (Segunda Seccion), and Section 3 (Tercera Seccion).
Section 1 is probably the most visited portion. This section has: Chapultepec Castle and the National History Museum, the National Anthropology Museum, the Modern Art Museum, the Tamayo Museum, the zoo, and a lake where you can rent row or paddle boats.
Section 2 has: a children’s museum, lakeside restaurants, and El Panteón Civil de Dolores, Mexico’s national cemetery. It also used to have an amusement park, La Feria de Chapultepec Mágico, which closed in 2019, with plans to reopen in 2023.
Section 3 is the least visited and is a natural wooded area, without any museums or attractions.
So without further ado, here are 15 things to do in Chapultepec Park.
Walk, run, or ride through the park
Chapultepec Park has great trails for walking or running. So of course exploring the park on foot is a perfect thing to do in Chapultepec Park. You can find trails on the AllTrails website. Or, simply create your own using GoogleMaps or Mapcarta. You can also check out the GPSmyCity 2-hour self-guided walking tour.
For a quicker way to explore the park, rent a bike through the EcoBici bike share program. You can rent bikes for as little or as much time as you like. One day costs approximately $5.75 USD and one week costs $19 USD. Click here for additional information on plans and fees and here to sign up for a membership.
After signing up, just go to Google Maps and search ‘Ecobici’ to find the closest location.
You can also find bike tours of Chapultepec Park on sites like Tripadvisor, Viator, Airbnb, or Get Your Guide for around $35-$50 per person.
Chapultepec Castle (El Castillo de Chapultepec)
Visiting Chapultepec Castle was probably one of my favorite activities in Mexico City. The castle is simply stunning and there’s so much to see. It has served several purposes since it was built in the late 1700s. After its initial construction, it served as a Military Academy. Later it became the imperial residence, followed by the presidential residence, an observatory, and finally the National Museum of History (Museo Nacional de Historia), which it remains today. Today you can see exhibits on Mexico’s history, artifacts from early Mesoamerican cultures, paintings, murals, rooms decorated as they were when Emperor Maximilian lived there, and a rooftop garden. Plus, it’s located on top of Chapultepec Hill and has wonderful views of the city!
Open Tuesday-Sunday: 9:00AM – 5:00PM
General Admission: $85 MXN
*Free for: children under 13 years, adults over 60 years, teachers, students, pensioners, and individuals with disabilities
*Free on Sundays for citizens and foreign residents, but go early to avoid crowds
Chapultepec Zoo (Zoológico de Chapultepec)
Chapultepec Zoo was founded by Mexican biologist Alfonso Luis Herrera in 1923 and has become one of the most popular zoos in Mexico with over 5 million visitors per year. It houses more than 200 species, both native and non-native. Some native endangered species include the Mexican wolf, howler monkey, ocelot, jaguar, volcano rabbit, found only on volcanoes in central Mexico, and axolotl, found only in Xochimilco. You can also find larger non-native species, such as giant pandas, gorilas, elephants, and bears. More importantly, the zoo is also involved in several conservation and breeding projects to help increase endangered populations.
Open Tuesday-Sunday: 9:00AM – 4:30PM
*Free admission
National Anthropology Museum (El Museo Nacional de Antropología)
The National Anthropology Museum is the largest and most visited museum in Mexico. If you only go to one museum in Mexico City make it this one! This mammoth museum has 23 archeological and ethnographic exhibits covering ancient Mexican civilizations and current indiginous groups. It’s virtually impossible to see everything this museum has to offer in one day. So I definitely recommend spreading it out over a couple if you’re able. Some of the most popular attractions at the museum include: The Sun Stone or Aztec Calendar, the recreation of Pakal’s Tomb, and the jade Zapotec Bat God Mask.
Open Tuesday-Sunday: 9:00AM – 6:00PM
General Admission: $85 MXN
*Free for: children under 13 years, adults over 60 years, students, teachers, individuals with disabilities
*Free on Sundays for citizens and foreign residents, but go early to avoid crowds
The Museum of Modern Art (El Museo de Arte Moderno)
The Museum of Modern Art is one of largest modern art museums in Latin America. It consists of two 2-story circular buildings with an adjoining sculpture garden and houses work by both international and Mexican contemporary artists, such as David Alfaro Siqueiros, Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, José Clemente Orozco, and Rufino Tamayo. Exhibits include paintings, photographs, sculptures, and multimedia works.
Open Tuesday-Sunday: 10:30AM – 5:30PM
General Admission: $80 MXN
*Free for: students, professors, and INAPAM
*Free on Sundays
Rent a row or paddle boat
If you’re tired of walking around and want to explore the park another way, try renting a row or paddle boat. Row and paddle boats can be rented from El Lago de Chapultepec, which is in the first section of the park near the zoo, Chapultepec Castle, and Casa del Lago Cultural Center. They have 2, 4, or 5 person boats that range from 60MXN ($3 USD) to 120MXN ($6 USD) per hour. ID and life jackets are required.
Casa del Lago or Juan José Arreola Cultural Center
The Casa del Lago Cultural Center is located on El Lago de Chapultepec. It was initially built in the early 1900s as an automobile club, later became the Biological Studies Department for the Ministry of Agriculture and Development, and in 1959 it became a cultural center for the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) and is used as an event space for the arts, including cinema, dance, music, theater, and visual arts.
Open Wednesday-Sunday: 11:00AM – 5:30PM
Tamayo Contemporary Art Museum (Museo Tamayo Arte Contemporáneo)
The Tamayo Contemporary Art Museum was founded by Mexican artist, Ruffino Tamayo, in 1981 and was the first large Mexican museum built with private funds. The building was designed with both modern and pre-Hispanic elements and houses a large collection of international modern and contemporary art, including paintings, sculptures, and photographs.
Open Tuesday-Sunday: 10:00AM – 6:00PM
General Admission: $80 MXN
*Only cash payments accepted
*Free for: children under 12 years, students, teachers, and seniors
*Free on Sundays
Niños Heroes Monument
The Niños Heroes Monument was built to honor 6 military cadets who died defending Chapultepec Castle during the Mexican-American War in 1847. At the time, Chapultepec Castle was a military academy that trained young cadets. It’s called ‘Niños Heroes’ or ‘Child Heroes’ because the cadets who fought were just 13-17 years old. Shortly after losing the battle, Mexico signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, ceding what is now southern California and New Mexico to the United States, and ending the war. You can also find a mural of this battle in the National Museum of History at Chapultepec Castle.
Botanical Garden
Chapultepec’s Botanical Garden is approximately 13 acres and has over 300 different plant varieties, including wetland plants, succulents, cacti, agave, and flowers, particularly wild dahlias and orchids.
Apparently the garden actually dates back to the Aztecs during the 15th century and was used by rulers for nutritional and medicinal purposes.
The garden also hosts evening picnics on the second Saturday of each month. You can bring your own blanket and food or purchase them from on site vendors.
Open Tuesday-Sunday: 9:00AM – 6:00PM
Guided Tours: 10:00AM – 1:00PM
*Free admission
Moctezuma Baths
The Moctezuma Baths were built in the 15th century by Aztec Emperor Moctezuma I as part of their early aqueduct and reservoir system. It was later used by the Spanish conquistadors, rulers, and presidents. Specific uses for the baths seems somewhat unclear, with some sites saying it was used for drinking, while others say it was part of the irrigation system, and others say it was used for bathing or swimming.
Open Tuesday-Sunday: 5:00AM – 7:00PM
*Free admission
Chapultepec Market
Aside from gardens, museums, and monuments, Chapultepec also has a lot of street vendors, where you can try some local food or snacks, like pork rinds, chicharron, tamales, mango with chili sauce, and dried fruit balls, or grab some shaved ice or ice cream to cool down on a hot day. You can also find handmade crafts, souvenirs, children’s toys, and check out some street performers.
Water Garden & Carmelo de Dolores Museum
The Carmelo de Dolores Museum and Water Garden are side by side, so they are often referred to together and are located in the second section of the park.
The Carmelo de Dolores Museum was part of Mexico City’s hydraulic water system and is covered with murals by Diego Rivera. Outside the museum is also a sculpture by Diego Rivera of the Aztec rain god, Tláloc.
The garden around the museum is dotted with fountains which cover former water reservoirs. I don’t think the fountains run anymore, but you can still admire their architectural beauty.
Carmelo de Dolores Hours: 10:00AM – 5:00PM
Admission: $25 MXN
*Water Garden is free
Eat at a lakeside restaurant
There are three lakeside restaurants in Chapultepec: Bistró Chapultepec, Lago, and Del Bosque. Bistró Chapultepec and Lago are located on Lago Mayor. Bistró Chapultepec is a Mexican-European bistro and Lago is a high-end Mexican restaurant. Del Bosque is located on Lago Menor and has an all you can eat Mexican buffet.
Papalote Children’s Museum
The Papalote Children’s Museum is located in section 2 of the park. It reportedly has approximately 300 exhibits divided into 5 sections. The museum is designed to be educational and interactive, with exhibits on science, the human body, technology, communication, ecology, and music/art, as well as exhibits designed to promote positive identity, self-esteem, and emotional awareness. The museum also has an IMAX movie theater that features educational films, as well as an archeology-themed garden for children to explore.
*Other things families with children may enjoy in the park include riding the carousel and playing at Parque La Hormiga (Ant Park) children’s playground.
*Please note that business hours and prices are subject to change.
If you’re looking for more things to do in Mexico City, check out our post here.
