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Mexico City
Layer by Layer: A Mexico City Culinary Adventure
December 02 - December 07, 2025
February 12 - February 17, 2026
December 03 - December 08, 2025
Where
Mexico City
Group Size
6 - 12 Travelers
Duration
6 Days, 5 Nights
When
Dec 2 - 7, 2025 Feb 12 - 17, 2026 Dec 3 - 8, 2026
Price
From 3,750 USD per person
Mexico City has a complex and fascinating cultural identity: it is a place where pre-Hispanic, Colonial, and contemporary influences collide in a riot of street food, and bustling markets. Here, the Aztec ruins of the city aren’t just buried under the surface, they become a backdrop to a thriving, ever-changing metropolis, a microcosm of many of the country’s diverse cultural and culinary identities. There are tens of millions of souls who make Mexico City what it is; this trip is a celebration of the harmony as well as the dissonance.
Over the course of six days, we’ll explore mouthwatering local gastronomy, and experience those rare moments when the city’s eras of history and its different identities are in beautiful harmony – for instance, enjoying a street snack of tacos al pastor while taking in a hidden Diego Rivera mural. We’ll also spend time exploring some of these specific eras and their influences on modern Mexico City: from a heady Aztec brew, or a colonial-era mole recipe, to the unique, pre-Hispanic floating farms still in use today. We’ll head outside the city center to enjoy a boat ride to the gardens and green oasis of Xochimilco, where farmers preserve over a thousand years of agricultural legacy. From street food to contemporary Mexican dining trends, and traditional restaurants to meals in local homes, our focus throughout will be food and the people who make it. On the ever-present periphery of our taste buds will be the history, art, architecture, landscape, agriculture, and street life that brings everything together.
Feast
Sip
Taste
Meet
Learn
Your itinerary
Day 1
Welcome to Mexico City
Arrive in Mexico City and check into our group’s hotel, located in the Centro Histórico, a neighborhood studded with monuments and a place where all of the city’s incredible layers collide, making it the perfect starting point for our trip. Have a quick look around this historic neighborhood before meeting for a welcome dinner at Limosneros, where the chefs work with pre-Hispanic ingredients, colonial techniques, and modern creative twists – all elements which we will encounter during the rest of the trip – to create an unforgettable meal. In a private room, we’ll share our first of many meals and discuss our plans for the week. We’ll also get to know our trip leader, Paco, who will regale the group with stories of his past exploits as a bullfighter and young chess master.
Day 2
The Many Layers of Mexico City
After breakfast at our hotel, we’ll be spending the day in downtown’s Centro Histórico, exploring our trip’s themes through food, history, and culture. Today will be a crash course in the history of Mexico City, with visits to major monuments and to sites that are hidden from view including Aztec Temples and iconic mid century murals, as well as a visit to a locals only market that is home to spectacular public art. For lunch, we’ll be dropping by a family-run Oaxacan grocery/restaurant in the heart of one of the city’s oldest commercial districts. In the evening, we’ll set out on a taco tour, hitting a number of nighttime taco stands, including an al pastor spot housed in an auto repair shop. Along with classic tacos, we’ll also have the chance to taste ones made with brains, bull’s eyes, and intestines, a suitable survey of the city’s taco scene.
Day 3
Mole & Milpa Alta
Today, we’ll head to Milpa Alta, a center of mole production on the outskirts of Mexico City. We’ll be delving deep on the subject of all things mole, learning about ingredients, production techniques, regional varieties, and how this food represents the colonial heritage of Mexico. On our way to Milpa Alta, we’ll stop by the home of a local farmer to learn about the artisanal production of pulque, a pre-Hispanic drink made from the sap of the agave-like maguey plant. During the afternoon, we’ll visit private homes and markets to gain a better sense of daily life and the food that shapes and defines it. Together with a local host and mole master, we’ll also learn how to make the iconic sauce from scratch, using all of the 101 ingredients traditionally used to make it. After getting a taste of what we’ve just made, we’ll finish our visit with a late lunch starring – what else? – mole. We’ll also have a chance to bring some of the mole we’ve made home.
Day 4
Shop, Cook, Feast & Lucha Libre
This day will be spent with well-known chef Graciela Montano, who will take us on a guided shopping trip through a colorful market in the hip Roma Norte neighborhood and then bring us back to her nearby atelier for a cooking lesson. Step by step, she will lead us through the recipes and techniques of classic Mexican cooking, focusing on the materials we’ve picked up in the market, with a particular emphasis on salsas. After the lesson, we’ll feast on what we’ve prepared, celebrating the native ingredients we’ve tracked from farm to market to our table. In the evening, we’ll get our fix of local culture by attending a Lucha Libre wrestling match. Beforehand, we’ll have an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour with a historian of this uniquely Mexican sport, and a special meeting with some of wrestlers. The bravest among us will even have a chance to step into the ring and grapple with the wrestlers. Afterwords we’ll feast on some fantastic local birria tacos.
Day 5
Floating Farms of Xochimilco
Rise again to a refreshing breakfast in our hotel, before an action-packed day exploring Xochimilco, a highlight of the region and treasure of Aztec-era living culture. Unlike many pre-Hispanic era monuments that are entombed in museums, Xochimilco is a living place with working farms and much to see, eat, and drink, all linked to pre-Hispanic Mexico. We’ll hop aboard a traditional flat-bottomed boat as we float along canals that predate the Aztecs. We’ll have a chance to visit one of the chinampas, the area’s famous “floating farms,” where we’ll have a meal using locally-grown ingredients and prepared by a chef. For dinner, we’ll meet together for our farewell evening at a beautiful private home, where we’ll enjoy a meal prepared by a local chef, along with a paired mezcal tasting led by a bottler who travels the Mexican countryside in search of small batch producers of the spirit. The mezcal will be paired with classic Mexican dishes with a creative spin. A truly unique and fitting sendoff to our week in Mexico!
Day 6
Farewell and Departure
After breakfast at our hotel, we’ll say adios. If you are staying on in Mexico City or the region, we will be happy to give recommendations for further exploration. Until our next adventure!
Meet the Crew
We are firm believers in the power of local knowledge. Our guides and the culinary masters and other artisans who are part of our trips all deeply reflect that. Meet some of Mexico City’s finest:
Paco
Liz
Victor
Graciela
Mayra
Gabriel
Tony
Where you'll stay
Historico Central
This week’s focus on deeply local experiences and places is also well reflected in our choice of accommodation. We always select boutique and independent places, ones inspired by international standards while staying loyal to the area’s local heritage – that’s the balance we seek for more than a good night’s rest.
Our group will be staying at the Historico Central Hotel, a boutique hotel housed in a restored, 300-year-old building. Located in the heart of Mexico City, the Centro Historico, we’ll be a stone’s throw from many of the city’s most historic buildings and museums as well as its vibrant lifestyle. The hotel also features a 24 hour cafe, and drinks and snacks are included in your stay.
Hear what travelers are saying
The trip of a lifetime. I came away with a true sense of Mexico City, its culture, delicious food and warm people!
Melinda S.
A fantastic way to see parts of Mexico City, learn its history, and experience really good food and hospitality with fun and knowledgeable guides.
lesha A.
On this trip I felt that I had unique, genuine experiences that only an insider could access.
Sharon W.
Know before you go
Pricing and Accommodation
The total cost of this trip is $3,250 for 2025 and $3,750 for 2026. For travelers wishing to have single accommodations during the trip, an additional $500 ($750 for 2026) will be due at the time of the final payment. A $500 non-refundable deposit per traveler is required to secure space on the trip. The balance is due 90 days prior to the start of the trip.
Activity Level
Travelers should be reasonably fit and feel comfortable walking 3 to 5 miles each day and remaining on their feet for long periods of time. Keep in mind that Mexico City is a bustling and crowded place!
Arrival and Departure
For flights in and out of Mexico City International Airport (Aeropuerto Internacional Benito Juárez), we suggest you arrive by 3 p.m. on Day 1 and depart anytime on Day 6. We are happy to book you extra nights at the group’s hotel and provide suggestions for things to do and see in the city on your own.
Inclusions
• All accommodation throughout the trip in stylish, boutique hotels. • Professional guides throughout the entire experience. • A belt-popping experience, with all meals and drinks included in planned activities. • All activities and events as mentioned in the itinerary. • A hungry group of Culinary Backstreets travelers, excited to explore all that Mexico City has to offer!
Exclusions
• Transportation and flights to and from Mexico City, including airport transfers. • Food and drink outside of Culinary Backstreets Trip offerings. • If applicable, applying for an Mexican visa (not required for U.S. citizens). • Travel insurance (recommended).
Dietary Restrictions
We encourage an adventurous palate! We try our best to accommodate dietary restrictions, though in most cases ingredients can’t be substituted or omitted from particular dishes. If you have a particular food allergy or intolerance, please contact us to find out if this is the right trip for you.
Notes on Itinerary
Itineraries and daily schedules are subject to change. We expect to do everything listed in the itinerary, though the order may be rearranged based on weather or other local conditions.
Safety and Sustainability
We have reinforced our commitment to sustainability and safety with new guidelines to assure maximum safety of our guests on our trips while maintaining the quality of the experience. All of our experiences are designed to have minimal impact on the community and environment. For more details on our precautions, read here. Our cancellation policy is extremely flexible to deal with changes in travel plans.
Cancellation Policy
You may cancel 90 days before the start of the trip and receive a full refund minus a $500 per-person service fee. If you cancel on or after 60 days before the start of the trip there is a 50% cancellation fee. On or after 30 days there is a 100% cancellation fee. We highly recommend purchasing travel insurance as we are not able to make exceptions to this policy in cases of family/medical emergency or cases of the trip being canceled (see our Terms and Conditions for full details).
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