Mexico City has many options to have fun and, sometimes, without spending all your money. That’s why here’s a list of places with free admission in CDMX: your piggy bank will stay intact! Take note.
1. Get to know the new Yancuic Museum
We start the list of free places in CDMX with this new museum. Through its immersive rooms you will discover more about ecosystems and the environment. In addition, there is a forum for shows and cultural activities. Ideal to go with children.
Wednesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00.
📍Ermita Iztapalapa 2325, Los Ángeles, Iztapalapa
2. Soak up art at LagoAlgo.
This space opened just two years ago and has already hosted more than one unmissable art exhibition. You’ll find pieces by international artists that will surely steal your attention and you’ll be able to take a new profile picture or two. This space also has an anteroom called Algo Público, where you will find benches, hammocks, a food truck to have a drink and pet friendly areas to enjoy with your furry friend.
📍Left Bank of Lake Maggiore, Second Section of Chapultepec Forest.
Tuesdays to Saturdays from 8:30 am to 11:00 pm and Sundays from 8:30 am to 6:00 pm.
3. Marine animals in the Utopia Ship aquarium.
In the Utopia Boat, in Iztapalapa, there is a digital aquarium where you will learn about marine species, climate change and much more. All through a navigation simulator and other unmissable attractions. The park also has a library, an open-air forum and even a screening room.
📍Parque Lineal on Periférico Oriente corner with Av. Luis Mendez, Eje 6 Sur, Iztapalapa.
Tuesdays to Sundays from 10:00 to 19:00.
4. Visit Amphibium
The Ajolote Museum, or Amphibium, is an interactive, immersive and educational space located inside the Chapultepec Zoo. Here you will learn more about this species, its habitat and how you can help in its conservation.
📍Calzada Chivatito s/n, Bosque de Chapultepec I Section, Miguel Hidalgo.
🕛Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 15:30.
5. Visit the National Biodiversity Pavilion.
This interactive museum of the UNAM has six permanent rooms with samples of vertebrates such as: fish, reptiles and amphibians, birds and mammals. In addition to an impressive collection of wood.
It also has two laboratories: Genomic Sequencing and Molecular Biology. And, on the lower level, there are artistic pieces of the Soumaya Museum related to the animal kingdom.
📍Circuito Centro Cultural, C.U., Coyoacán.
🕛Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 16:00.
6. Enjoy the weather at the Centro de Cultura Ambiental.
This free admission space is located in what used to be a parking lot. It is now a forum and exhibition space on environmental culture and climate change.
The Environmental Culture Center consists of a set of themed gardens that reinterpret the landscapes of the most representative ecosystems of the Mexico Valley Basin. Ideal for when you need some fresh air.
📍Av. de los Compositores, Bosque de Chapultepec II Section, Miguel Hidalgo.
🕛Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00.
7. Go to Similandia
If you are a Dr. Simi lover and are looking for free places in CDMX, be sure to visit Similandia. It is a space that offers interactive and immersive attractions, as well as virtual reality. In addition, you will find a lot of products related to this cute character.
⏰Monday to Sunday from 8:00 am to 10:00 pm.
📍 5 de mayo 59, Downtown, Cuauhtémoc
8. Take a stroll through Ciudad Universitaria
We invite you to take a walk around the National Autonomous University of Mexico and enjoy its sensational green areas. Yes, “Las Islas” are a must-see spot to rest, have a picnic and even go on a date.
Venture to visit the planetarium, theaters, museums and exhibition halls that you will find in the vicinity of one of the most important universities in the world.
9. Discover the Soumaya Museum
In this list of free places in CDMX could not miss the Soumaya Museum. It is one of the most modern museums in the country; its structure is a work of art in itself. In its permanent collection you will find works by Rodin, Dalí, Murillo, Siqueiros, Rivera and many more artists.
📍Boulevard Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Granada, Miguel Hidalgo.
🕛Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 16:00.
10. Get to know the Chapultepec Forest.
What better plan than strolling through one of the largest forests in the world. Specifically, the Chapultepec Forest has more than 647 hectares so you can even get tired of green areas.
It also has a botanical garden, the Cárcamo de Dolores, the sensory garden and the Voladores de Papantla show in front of the Anthropology Museum. Here is a list of what to do in Chapultepec in all sections.
11. Chapultepec night picnic
Every month the Chapultepec Botanical Garden gets splendid with a picnic. This takes place during the night and, yes, the entrance is free. Make a plan with your amix to enjoy this beautiful evening; you can check when the next Chapultepec picnic will be here. Still not sure what to do for free in CDMX?
12. Get lost among the books at the Vasconcelos Library.
A few steps away from Fórum Buenavista is one of the most important libraries in CDMX. Alberto Kalach is responsible for this colossal architecture that houses 580 thousand books and five floors crammed with shelves with copies of many subjects. You can take pictures, use the space to study or simply delight in such beauty.
📍Eje 1 Norte s/n, Buenavista, Cuauhtémoc.
🕛Monday to Sunday from 8:30 am to 7:30 pm.
13. Climb the Cuicuilco pyramid.
Although it is a rarely visited archaeological site south of the city, this circular pyramid is a beautiful vestige of the Cuicuilca culture. After the eruption of the Xitle volcano, the entire city was buried under lava. Undoubtedly, it is a free activity that you should not miss in our CDMX.
📍Insurgentes Sur s/n, Espacio Ecológico Cuicuilco, Tlalpan.
🕛Tuesday to Sunday from 9:00 to 17:00.
14. Don’t miss the Palacio de Iturbide.
In this precinct you can admire the baroque style architecture and enjoy temporary exhibitions, in addition to its permanent exhibition that houses works from the artistic collection of Citibanamex.
You will find a library, a sound library, a list of educational workshops, a bookstore and even a multimedia and video room. It is one of the must-see venues when you are looking for free things to do in CDMX.
📍Francisco I. Madero 17, Centro, Cuauhtémoc.
Monday to Sunday from 11:00 to 19:00.
15. Postal Palace
Between the streets of Tacuba and Eje Central is located this jewel of the capital. Also known as the Quinta Casa de Correos, its design is an excellent combination of Gothic and Plateresque elements, marble columns and ironwork windows.
Although you can take a virtual tour, nothing compares to the experience of walking its corridors.
📍 Tacuba 1,Centro, Cuauhtémoc.
Monday to Friday from 8:00 to 20:00. Saturday from 9:00 to 15:00.
16. Go to the Plaza de las Tres Culturas
In Tlatelolco is located this architectural complex whose name responds to the three buildings that were located in this place and belong to different historical periods.
You will see a pyramid and ruins from the pre-Hispanic era where bartering was practiced; the Temple of Santiago Apostle, of baroque style from the colonial era and the surrounding buildings next to the Tlatelolco Tower. Are you ready?
📍 Eje Central Lázaro Cárdenas s/n, Tlatelololco, Cuauhtémoc.
🕛Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00.
17. Don’t miss the cathedral of the CDMX.
If you like to contemplate buildings and enjoy architecture, this is an obligatory stop in Mexico City. The Metropolitan Cathedral, located in the Zócalo, is one of the most fascinating precincts that has become a must-see for tourists, neighbors and visitors.
📍Zócalo of CDMX.
Monday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00.
18. Visit free admission museums in CDMX.
Mexico City’s Historic Center is full of free activities. Some of them are: Numismatic Museum, Centro Cultural España, Museo Archivo de la Fotografía, Museo del Estanquillo, Museo del Calzado, Palacio de la Escuela de Medicina or the Museo Nacional de las Culturas. You can consult the list of museums with free admission here.
19. Have you already visited the Palace of Fine Arts?
Inaugurated in 1934 under the name of Museo de Artes, this was the first art museum in Mexico. You can take a tour of its halls for free to see its main spaces. However, to visit the permanent exhibitions you should consider that general admission costs $90. Learn more about guided tours here.
📍Juarez s/n, Centro, Cuauhtémoc.
Free guided tours are Tuesday to Friday at 1:00 pm and 1:30 pm.
20. Don’t miss your photo at the Kiosko Morisco.
Designed by Mexican engineer José Ramón Ibarrola for the Universal Exposition of 1884-1885 and the St. Louis Missouri Fair in 1902, this pavilion is a true beauty. Visiting it is a perfect plan for when you don’t know what to do for free in CDMX.
It is located in the heart of the Santa María la Ribera neighborhood and is a perfect spot to go for a walk, rest and even eat an ice cream.
📍Jaime Torres Bodet 152, Santa María la Ribera, Cuauhtémoc.
21. Practice your skateboarding skills in these spaces.
Skateboarding is one of the sports that never goes out of fashion and, luckily for the chilangos, there are places outdoors, in the forest and even inside a big house to practice it. You can find the guide of places to skateboard here.
22. Visit the Chapultepec Zoo
Admission is free and you can visit the animals from Tuesday to Sunday from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm. It is important to know that the Chapultepec Zoo is closed on Mondays, December 25 and January 1.
📍
🕛Tuesday to Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
23. Walk through the Viveros de Coyoacán.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CIRux_7jCjB/
Are you a fit person? This is a must-do when you’re looking for free places in CDMX! You can run or walk in the middle of nature and enjoy the small urban lung and very quiet.
📍Viveros de Coyoacán, Del Carmen, Coyoacán.
🕛Monday to Sunday from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
24. Marvel through the corridors of La Lagunilla.
More than 400 years of tradition come together in this place in the Historic Center. Although it specializes in antiques, in this legendary tianguis you will find everything: furniture, clothes, shoes, food, vinyl records, hairdressing, accessories. Its stalls span four streets and can seem like a labyrinth. Even if you don’t buy anything, it’s always good to go just to browse.
📍Just a few steps from the intersection of Lázaro Cárdenas and Reforma Avenue, Centro Histórico.
🕛Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm.
What other places in CDMX with free admission would you add to the list?