Latin America, Mexico


Bosque de Chapultepec

Latin America Mexico

Chapultepec is a huge park. In fact, it is one of the largest in the western hemisphere. Even more interesting, it is the biggest park in Latin America! The park entrance is clearly marked so you will know when you have arrived. You will be greeted by a huge white monument. The park is perched on a huge hill so expect a lot of uphill walking, especially when heading to Chapultepec Castle. I love castles so I was racing up the hill! After passing beautiful look out points and interesting statues, we reached the castle. Unfortunately, you cannot bring water into the castle so most people were having to toss their full water bottles.

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You will see this shortly after entering the park

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The castle is at the top of the hill!

Chapultepec Castle is stunning. This is by far my favorite castle I have ever visited. The grounds are immaculate and the interior is striking. The castle used to be the President’s home. Now, the National Museum of History is inside the castle. This made the castle even more interesting. I am not a huge fan of museums but I always try to visit the best ones in each city I visit. The National Museum of History spanned the entire castle and you didn’t know what you would see in each room until you entered. I absolutely loved it! The exterior of the castle was my favorite part. The floors are black and white checkered, which makes the grounds even more mesmerizing. There is a gorgeous hallway filled with floor to ceiling stained glass. The courtyard gardens are perfect for a break, as the grounds are large and you will be walking a lot. I would recommend starting your day in the park at the castle. We arrived pretty early but by the time we left, the line was 10x longer than when we entered.

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After strolling through the park some more and stopping to eat sandwiches, we headed to the National Museum of Anthropology. I had heard that this was not only the best museum in Mexico City but one of the best anthropology museums in the world. I would say that is one of the most amazing museums I have ever visited. We entered the museum and you have to walk through a metal detector. All backpacks must be checked in before entering the museum rooms. The lines to buy tickets were INSANE. Seriously, be prepared for massive amounts of people waiting in line. I cannot blame anyone though! This is a must when visiting Mexico City! The museum is broken up by several rooms, taking you through history. We managed to walk the entire museum, which is quite the feat as its very large. Each room as interesting, as it shows you artifacts throughout time.

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Overview of the museum

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Chapultepec Park is perfect. It is huge so you will not see the entire park in a day. Decide what you want to do before entering the park, as its easy to get side tracked. We walked by the zoo and I was so tempted to go in but we didn’t want to miss the Anthropology Museum. Even if you just wanted to go for a walk, the park is good for that. There are stalls across the whole park, selling food, drinks and toys. I would recommend a visit to Chapultepec Park if you have a free day in Mexico City!

 

 

 

Contributed by Sigournee Grano
Sigournee is the co-creator of Roaming Love. She is a travel enthusiast, photographer, writer and wife.