Housed in a fine Porfiriato-era building, this small (20-bed) hostel is on narrow tree-lined Calle Tabasco, a tranquil gateway to the Roma neighbourhood, known for its cafes, galleries and bohemian atmosphere. Hardwood floors, ceiling mouldings and balconies bespeak a bygone...

The Moneda is an altogether more modest affair than the nearby Hostel Catedral, but longer established, and it has its faithful fans. Chief among its assets are a friendly, well-informed, bilingual staff and a terrific multi-purpose rooftop. It also happens to be one of the...

This just-unwrapped hostel occupies a lovingly preserved 250-year-old nuns' residence - the National Anthropology Institute participated in its restoration. The atmosphere is backpacker casual, and if you like to party, you'll find plenty of amigos and amigas who share your...

The Isabel is a long-time budget traveller's favourite in the Centro Histórico, and it's easy to see why. Just a few blocks from the Zócalo, it offers very large, well-scrubbed rooms with old but sturdy furniture, high ceilings and great balconies, plus a hostel-like social...

A family-run operation for nearly a century, the Casa is a perennial hit with mature travellers uninterested in staying in a hotel but perhaps no longer tolerant of the hostel scene. While rooms are modest, the general ambience is extraordinarily tranquilo for being two blocks...

Right on the delightful Plaza Luis Cabrera, the Casa makes a tranquil base for visitors on an extended stay, offering 'suites' that are essentially studio apartments with kitchens. Though the building itself is no gem, guests generally appreciate the homey atmosphere and perky...

Erected in the pre-revolutionary era to house a shopping mall for wealthy Mexicans, the Gran Hotel flaunts the French Art Nouveau style of the period. Observing the huge Mexican flag flapping in the wind from your Zócalo-view junior suite, you may be moved to shout 'Viva México!'

With over 700 rooms and half a dozen restaurants and cafes spread over 33,000 sq m of grounds, the Camino Real is a truly monumental endeavor. It's also a national architectural landmark, boldly designed by Mexican Ricardo Legorreta, whose trademark geometric solids and great...

Every whim is catered to at this aggressively colonial boutique hotel near Chapultepec park. Aficionados of Mexican artesanía will be thrilled by the 10 fancifully decorated suites. Worth the splurge? If you've ever wanted to step into a scene from the film Frida, it may very...

Following the success of the Polanco neighbourhood's Habita, that hotel's owners started a similarly cutting-edge, luxury lodging in a tranquil corner of trendy Condesa. Adjacent to lush Parque España, the circa 1920s structure has been quirkily made over in a style that...

This small, laid-back hostel is one of the only accommodations near 'Ciudad Universitaria,' the campus of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). Staying here would afford an excellent opportunity to get to know student life while giving easy access to the...

The Four Seasons is one of the city's most elegant lodgings with a platoon of grey-suited staff hopping to your every need. Just over a decade old, it was designed to resemble a French-Mexican late-19th-century structure, a genuine anomaly amid Paseo de la Reforma's...

Leading Mexican architect Enrique Norten took a purely functional apartment building in the Polanco neighbourhood and turned it into one of the city's top boutique hotels. Cutting edge in every sense, the Habita is the sort of place capitalinos point to as emblematic of their...

The northernmost of three upper-echelon hotels along the Zócalo's west side, the Holiday Inn seems the least pretentious. Although the exquisite tezontle stone building holds plenty of history, the hotel eschews colonial trimmings for contemporary comfort. And its rooftop...

Appropriately for the Zona Rosa, this is a gay-oriented hostel where any open-minded traveller is welcome. There are plenty of good reasons to stay at the San Sebastián, whatever your orientation, chief among them a great location, stylish decor, well-maintained facilities and...

A prestige hotel in the past, the Virreyes was intended to be the flagship residence for the 'cultural zone' in the current administration's ambitious makeover of the Historic Centre, and has quite naturally morphed into a hostel/student residence. Dorms are spacious,...

Backpacker Central in Mexico City, the Hostel Catedral is abuzz with a global rainbow of young travellers at all hours. Every facility you could possibly need is here, the location could not be more central and the place is cordially and efficiently managed.

While some might find it comically incongruous to see the sculpture, 'Man Contemplating Infinity,' staring from the Plaza Necaxa straight at the grey Hotel Bristol, the lodging rises above the mundane (while making no attempt to approach the infinite) through a combination of...

Once a hospice for pilgrims of the Augustinian order, this Best Western property has a long history of sheltering travellers, with rooms encircling a lovely late-18th-century patio. If you don't mind the price tag, staying here will give you a genuine taste of colonial Mexico.

The Majestic, a Best Western franchise, has a lot going for it, including an attractive colonial interior, an unbeatable location and what is perhaps the most panoramic terrace restaurant on the Zócalo. Rooms, however, are less fabulous than you'd expect at these prices.

The Parque Ensenada is one of the more respectable lodgings along Colonia Roma's signature avenue. Though rooms are of the standard-issue business-class variety, travelers may find this a reassuringly cushy transition stage coming from or going back to their native land.

One of several glass, concrete and steel business hotels in the business district, the Sevilla Palace takes up practically an entire city block. While it's neither quaint nor cutting edge, it is extremely comfortable and well-run with unusually cordial service, as well as a...

A cornerstone in the downtown redevelopment project, the sleek glass Sheraton towers above quaint Alameda park, where indigenous families take their Sunday stroll. Most travelers are here on business (Air France's flight crews are regulars), but anyone desiring a dose of...

This large, stately Porfiriato mansion was resurrected from an advanced state of abandon and fully restored to its early 20th-century splendor to become one of the capital's most distinctive boutique hotels. Each of the 29 rooms has been lovingly restored and uniquely...

One of the four sentinels opposite the National Auditorium, Latin America's first W is a 25-floor business hotel that's determined to break away from the stodginess of places like the JW Marriott or Intercontinental. The W dares to have fun. Fun is the future, and the W is...

Not technically a hostel, the Quaker-run Casa is primarily a residence for NGOs, researchers and others seeking social change (though half the guests are walk-in travelers). Not surprisingly, it generally attracts a more serious type of individual than the average hostel and...

Following the success of the Polanco neighbourhood's Habita, that hotel's owners started a similarly cutting-edge, luxury lodging in a tranquil corner of trendy Condesa. Adjacent to lush Parque España, the circa 1920s structure has been quirkily made over in a style that...

Here's an outstanding value in a slightly unusual location, a few blocks north of the Zócalo just off the smaller but equally fascinating Plaza Santo Domingo. An uncharacteristically modern structure (though not a terribly interesting one), it's been done up in a...

'Good hotel in a great location at a reasonable price' is how most occupants describe the Hotel Catedral, and travellers looking for a bit more comfort in the Historic Centre will not be disappointed. Though short on colonial charm, everything here looks new and smells fresh.

The century-old Imperial is an immediately recognisable cake wedge of a building, with a gold cupola crowning its front turret. Then-dictator Porfirio Díaz unwrapped this Frenchified confection in 1904, and it remains a refreshingly stylish structure alongside the monolithic...