A Guaranteed Good Time: The Boats of Xochimilco, Mexico
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Hop in a taxi or an Uber, head 30 minutes south of Mexico City and you'll find the canals of Xochimilco.
Xochimilco is a total scene. Music, food and fun, this is the place to get your friends together for an amazing party.
Because Xochimilco is south of the city it is the perfect place to stop after visiting Casa Azul (Frida Kahlo’s house). A great itinerary is going to Casa Azul in the morning (buy your tickets in advance), walk to the heart of Coyoacan and grab food, check out the scene, and then take an Uber to Xochimilco.
You can still get back to Mexico City with half the day ahead of you for any other adventures you fancy.
Don't forget your camera and your picnic basket. Or forget your picnic basket and get some food while you get there. The barges at Xochimilco are basically party-boats, where every is committed to having a good time.
After getting ushered to a brightly painted boat boat, and paying our 500 pesos ($25 USD) total for an hour adventure, we were pushed out into the waterways. Apparently the average price is 350-450 pesos. I went back a second time a year later and paid 400 pesos for an hour.
Half of the fun on the canal is seeing what other boats and boaters were up to. We saw two boats hooked together with speakers blaring and people hopping from boat to boat. They totally came prepared.
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We saw families eating full on meals, and of course, drinking micheladas. There was a boat dog that hopped from barge to barge, and we were invited to do some boat hopping too.
Xochimilco is a scene, a place to go with your crew and have a chill afternoon, or party it up. The canals radiated with the joy of the visitors, and the bright colors glowed on the water.
If you make your way to Mexico City, definitely make a visit to Xochimilco. Have you been before? What did you think?