Chapultepec Park, the best park in Mexico City

When you first visit the capital city Mexico City, you must visit Chapultepec Park (Bosque de Chapultepec). It is large, with a lot of trees, artificial lakes and plenty of things to do. You can easily spend the whole day there, without getting bored. There are art galleries, events, sports activities and many more interesting things to do! 

And yes, It is better than Central Park in New York. 

What is Chapultepec Park (Bosque de Chapultepec)?

When you see the map of Mexico City, Chapultepec park easily catches your attention. It is an enormous park, really close to downtown Mexico City. It is far more impressive than Central Park in New York and has a lot more attractions. It is always full of life, laughs, and good emotions. Thanks to the incredible climate of Mexico, you can enjoy this park during every season, without worries. It is one of the hotspots of Mexico City, where many people meet and have a great time. 

How to get to Chapultepec Park? 

These are the instructions for getting into Chapultepec Park, the first Section (The main park). 

With metro (subway)

The pink line of the metro (line 1). You need to get off Chapultepec metro station on the Pink line, direction – Observatorio/Pantitlan.

The orange line of the metro (line 7). You need to get off Auditorio metro station on the Orange line, direction -Rosarios/Barranca del Muerto.

This is the instruction to get into Chapultepec park, the second section (not the main park).

The orange line of the metro (line 7). You need to get off Constituyentes, the Orange line, direction - Rosario/Barranca del Muerto.

With Metrobus

Dark Green line (line 7). You need to get off Atropología station or Chapultepec station, on the Dark Green line, direction Campo Marte or direction Hospital Infantil la Villa. Both have entrances to the park. 

How much does the entrance to Chapultepec Park cost?

Chapultepec park does not have an entrance fee. Chapultepec park is free and you can walk around en enjoy its beauty, as long as you pay attention to the working hours. You can visit it from Tuesday to Sunday from 5:00 to 18:00. On Monday it is closed. Some events may keep the park open until a later hour. 

What to do in Chapultepec park? 

• Natural areas. There are plenty of green areas around, where you can enjoy the beauty of nature. There are also countless squirrels around. They run around and jump from one tree to another. They are very friendly and they are generally not afraid of people. 
• Areas for relaxing. You can enjoy many areas for a picnic, and you can even have a nice siesta on a hammock. Chapultepec Park is a nice escape from the noisy city around it. 
• Amusement park*. There used to be a huge amusement park called La Feria Chapultepec Mágico. Sadly it was closed, due to a tragic accident in 2019. Now it is rebuilding again and will open its doors again in 2024 with a new name - Aztlán park. We hope that it will be built according to international safety standards and it will provide great entertainment for all people in Mexico City. 
• Sport’s zones. You can ride a bicycle freely in Chapultepec park. It is also great for running because it has a special track for that activity. 
• Lakes. You can ride a water wheel or canoe in the big lake, where there is plenty of space for this activity. 
• Zoo garden. There is a little zoo garden there too. There you can see pandas, jaguars, different exotic birds and monkeys. While it is not reason enough to visit Chapultepec park, Zoológico "Alfonso L. Herrera" is a nice addition. It is free and it is open Tuesday-Sunday, 9:00 am to 4:30 pm.
• Restaurants. There are several restaurants inside the park. They offer traditional Mexican food, so if you want to enjoy some tacos there, you can. There is even one restaurant, just next to the lake, so you can enjoy the view. 
• Culture events and concerts. There is free cinema – Cine al aire libre en Chapultepec and Lanchacinema. Lanchacinema is incredible, because the movie is projected on a screen in the lake, and the audience is on water wheels. How cool is that? Night picnics and thematic picnics, because the locals love to eat. 
• Free and paid workshops and courses. You can find many activities, organized by the government or other local organizations. Most of them are free and you can join. Plenty of these activities are focused on the children, so if you have, they will be delighted. 
• Visit Chapultepec Castle. The only true castle in Mexico is located right there on the hill. 
• Take you pet for a walk. Chapultepec Park is a pet-friendly park, so you can stroll your dog and enjoy the place with your best friend. 

Chapultepec Park Castle

Mexico is not a country known for castles, but at least there is one, the Chapultepec Castle. It is located on the top of the hill, inside Chapultepec Park. It was built in 1864 for the viceroy, the Spanish ruler at this time. It was later used by Emperor Maximilian the first when he took power. Since 1940, it was changed to a history museum, and today it attracts a lot of visitors from all around the globe. You can visit it and see how the royalties in Mexico have lived, imitating the European ones of the time. The entrance cost $85.00 Mexican pesos, which is around $4. It has free entrance for children under 13 years old, people older than 60, teachers, students, and disabled people open Tuesday-Sunday, 9:00 am to 4:30 pm. 

I visited the Chapultepec castle back in 2014 and I liked it a lot. It has a marvelous view of the city and the whole green park. Inside it, you can see a very good-looking castle that successfully copies European buildings from that time.

Outro

So, how cool is the Chapultepec park, right? It is true urban jewelry in this enormous metropolis called Mexico City. It is a breath of fresh air that will revive you and give you new strength to face your new business week. I love this place and I can get enough of it, but if you still haven’t visited now is the time. Just pack and go! 
And don't forget your sombrero, the sun is really strong in Mexico City. 

If you want to see some more amazing parks in Mexico City read these articles: 

The most famous parks in Mexico City to visit

Hidden parks in Mexico City, no expat knows