Chapultepec Park and Castle

We arrived in Mexico City a day before our Gate 1 Travel Mexico road trip was to begin. Even though this was just a quick flight from Merida, we always arrive a day early to chill and explore a bit on our own.

 

Hotel Marquis Reforma 

Our host hotel for the start of the trip was the Hotel Marquis Reforma. Located on Paseo de la Reforma, it took us about an hour and fifteen minutes to get to the hotel with traffic. In case no one has told you, traffic in Mexico City is horrendous. So allow extra time for everything.

The hotel is celebrating its thirtieth anniversary and looks pretty good for its age. The guest rooms were comfortable but a bit on the small side.

For us, the two biggest plusses were the hotel’s location and the breakfast buffet. We felt comfortable walking the neighborhood and found several convenience stores, street vendors, and cafes nearby. And it was just a short walk to Chapultepec Park.

For most of our stay, we had breakfast in A La Parilla. The service was excellent, and the cold station had plenty of pastry, fruit, and juices. The hot station offered eggs to order and a nice selection of more traditional Mexican items as well s things like bacon, sausage, and pancakes.

We also popped in there one night with friends to watch the Super Bowl. Mark grabbed some nibbles, and the Duck Egg Rolls and Thai Lamb Kabob were incredible!

 

 

Taking The Good With The Bad

Unfortunately, we were not as impressed with the hotel’s second restaurant Los Canarios. We had dinner there with friends before the tour began, and it was like a bad comedy sketch. The service was poor. No one could remember what we had, and when the entrees arrived, we still did not have drinks. The food was barely warm and bland.

One of the days, A la Parilla was closed for breakfast, and the group had an a la carte breakfast in Los Canarios. We had no idea what our options were as the server walked to the table and said ‘what do you want, omelet?”- no menu, no options, nothing. So most had some kind of an omelet. But, even then, getting juice, pan dulce, or even toast was a fete.

To be entirely fair. We had one group dinner with our tour manager, and the food and service were better.

 

Bosque de Chapultepec 

We knew we had a long, reasonably physical two weeks ahead of us and chose to stay close to the hotel in our free time. Chapultepec Park, or Bosque de Chapultepec as it is known, was just two short blocks from the hotel.

Chapultepec Park is the oldest and largest urban park in Latin America and one of the oldest urban parks in the world. The name comes from two indigenous words Chapul from chapuline or grasshopper—and tepec or hill.

 

 

The park covers about 1,695, which is about double the size of Central Park in New York City.

The park is filled with incredible sculptures, street vendors, food, lakes, a zoo, outstanding museums, and the incredible Castillo de Chapultepec.

 

 

Castillo de Chapultepec 

DO NOT SKIP Chapultepec Castle!

Seriously, Chuck is typically not a museum guy, and he raved about the castle. 

We got up early on our free day and headed to the castle so we could come back, relax and get ready to meet our tour group.

Construction on the castle began in 1785 as a home for the Viceroy, offering views from the highest point in the city. 

 

 

In later years, it was remodeled and added on to become the official residence of Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico and Empress Carlota from 1864 to 1867. 

In 1882, President Manuel González declared it the official residence of the President. Nearly all succeeding presidents lived there until 1939, when it became a museum.

The castle is a must-do, from the magnificent grounds to the incredible artwork and stained glass.

 

Castle on the Silver Screen

In 1996, the castle was the scene of the Academy Award-nominated movie William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes.

 

 

Chapultepec Castle’s rooftop gardens were incredible, and you could see every direction around Mexico City.

 

 

One hallway surrounding the rooftop garden was lined with spectacular stained glass pieces. Chuck captured it in a panoramic photo. But the closeup details were magical.

 

Things To Know:

Go early. It got crowded later in the day. As we were leaving, there was a long line to get in. They begin closing at about 4:45 PM. 

Admission to the castle is 90 pesos or about $5.00 US. As we approached the gate, a security guard asked if we were over sixty. BINGO, we got in for free! Also free for children under 13.

We were there for a good 2 hours, so allow plenty of time to see the entire castle.

The castle is closed on Mondays, and Sundays are free to Mexican citizens and residents, so plan accordingly.

The castle sits atop the highest hill in Mexico City. Getting there means a long, leisurely walk up a long, winding hill. Not too physically challenging. But take your time. Coming from sea level in the Yucatan, we could feel the altitude a bit.

 

We took HUNDREDS of photos of the beautiful statues and artwork in Chapultepec Park and Castle. Be sure to check out our Instagram page to see more images.