5 Best Sights in Greater Mexico City, Mexico City

At the northern edge of UNAM's cultural center and an easy stroll from MUAC (Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo) and the concert halls, this mesmerizing and tranquil complex of contemporary sculpture is more of a wilderness than a garden. Opened in 1979, it contains strikingly dramatic and in some cases massive sculpture installations by six renowned artists: the frequent Barragán collaborator Mathias Goeritz as well as Helen Escobedo, Manuel Felguérez, Sebastian, Hersúa, and Federico Silva, who came up with the idea of creating a natural space to display large-scale, abstract shapes. The property adjoins a massive nature preserve; if you have time, take a stroll through the rugged, arid landscape of rusty-hued volcanic rock and the flora that thrives here. It's a peaceful spot, although with little protection from the sun. Note that it closes at 4 in the afternoon.

It's perhaps unsurprising that in a city where disused hydroelectric and garbage heaps have been reimagined as parks and new neighborhoods, a badly polluting former oil refinery has been converted into a stunning, family-friendly green space with seven sections to replicate different climate-vegetation zones. The 136-acre preserve in the north of the city opened in 2010 on the bicentennial of the country's independence from Spain (hence the park's name). Key features include a lake that's lovely to walk around, picnic areas, playgrounds, jogging tracks, sporting fields and courts, an orchid greenhouse, and a gorgeous botanical garden that's definitely the highlight of any visit. Food stalls are located throughout the park, and there's even a little bar and grill with outdoor seating next to the lake. Concerts, festivals, and other noteworthy events take place here throughout the year—check the online calendar for what's coming up next. The park is a 15- to 20-minute drive north of Polanco (the vehicle entrance is at Av. F.F.C.C. Nacionales 221, on the east side of the park) and easily accessed from the Estación Refinería metro stop, which is at the park's northeast corner.

Although part of the country's national park system, this hilly, arid 623-acre expanse of oak scrubland south of the city—just 3 km (2 miles) west of Tlalpan Centro—feels a bit more like a city park, given that its completely surrounded by residential neighborhoods. It's also a highly popular destination for running and walking, with its paved central pathways easily accessible from the bustling neighborhood at the park's main entrance, where you'll also find the stately Casa de la Cultura Tlalpan cultural center as well as a good-size parking area and a playground. Once you venture deeper into the park, along the gravel and dirt paths, it starts to feel a bit more like you're actually in a wilderness (signs with park maps are placed strategically throughout the park, making it easy to navigate). Jagged lava outcroppings are evidence of the eruption some 2,000 years ago of nearby Xitle volcano, and the park contains more than 200 kinds of flora, from wild orchids to towering palms, and around 135 types of birds, snakes, and mammals. If you make a complete circuit around the park and venture out to its northwestern border, you'll also spy some strange, curving towers in the mid-distance, at which point the gleeful screams of passengers will clue you in that you're viewing the back side of Six Flags México amusement park.

Mexico City is flanked by huge mountains, including the cloud-scraping peaks of 5,230-meter (17,160-foot) Iztaccíhuatl and its neighbor Popocatépetl, an extremely active volcano that's also the country's second-highest peak, at 5,426 meters (17,802 feet). Visible on clear days from the city center, Popocatépetl is more than 3,300 feet taller than the highest peak in the Lower 48, California's Mount Whitney. But Izzi and Popo, as these twins are affectionately known, aren't actually within city limits (they're about 56 to 72 km [35 to 45 miles] south of El Centro). The highest peak within city limits is Mount Ajusco, which is the centerpiece of Parque Nacional Cumbres del Ajusco, the third oldest national park in Mexico. Located in the southwestern corner of CDMX, it's a highly popular destination for hikers. Summiting its 3,930-meter (12,894-foot) peak is no easy feat, however. You'll want to allow at least seven hours to make it up and back, and as trails aren't always well-marked and crime isn't unheard of in this minimally patrolled wilderness, it's best to attempt a hike here with a guide or locals who've done the climb before. At the very least, go with a friend and research online for good trail maps and directions—under no circumstances should you go it alone. The elevation gain from any of the hike's starting points is around 2,500 to 3,000 feet, and it is a steep 10-km (6-mile) round-trip or loop hike (depending on the route), beginning in lush coniferous meadows and rising well above the tree line. You should also be in good shape to make it all the way. But it's a wonderfully rewarding adventure, and the views from the summit of neighboring mountains as well as the entirety of Mexico City to the north are spectacular. An excellent starting point is the trail that leads up from beside the casual Mexican restaurant, Cabaña Mireles La Polea, which is on the north side of the mountain, on the road that encircles it. Uber drivers shouldn't have trouble finding it, and if you drive yourself, you can park at the restaurant (or others near it) if you dine here before or after (the food is quite tasty)—just ask permission first.

The occupants of cars and buses speeding along the city's Anillo Periférico (southern beltway) are sometimes surprised to see an ancient, conical pyramid rising just off the side of the highway, standing out rather strangely among the modern buildings that dominate the surrounding landscape of the city's Pedregal area. From around 1400 to 200 BC, a Mexica settlement with as many as 20,000 residents thrived here along the southern shoreline of Lake Texcoco, the now drained body of water on which Mexico City now stands. They built this impressive pyramid likely around 800 BC, several centuries before the construction of the massive pyramids of Teotihuacán (a settlement that some believe was created by descendants of Cuicuilco inhabitants). It's thus considered the oldest of the major archaeological sites in metro CDMX. Today you can visit the site, which has been remarkably well preserved in part because it was covered in lava by the eruption of nearby Xitle around 100 BC. A small museum designed by noted Mexican architect Luis Macgregor Krieger houses excellent exhibits tracing the settlement's history as well as countless pots, figurines, tools, and other artifacts unearthed on the site. You can also walk the grassy, verdant grounds and stand atop the pyramid. Cuicuilco is a five-minute drive from Tlalpan Centro and about a 15-minute drive from UNAM and Ciudad Universitaria. You can Uber here, or take the Insurgentes Sur Metrobus to the Villa Olímpica stop, from which it's an easy five-minute walk.