Bosque de Chapultepec

A lively, massive park with something for everyone Chapultepec park is one of Mexico City’s best outdoor spaces a huge park filled with walking paths, museums, and shaded areas to relax. What really stood out were the food stalls and small shops throughout the park, perfect for grabbing snacks, drinks, or souvenirs as you explore. We enjoyed visiting both the Museo Nacional de Antropología and Chapultepec Castle, which are located right within the park. It’s great to have cultural landmarks combined with green space, all within walking distance. It does get busy, especially on weekends, but the atmosphere feels lively rather than overwhelming. A great spot for both sightseeing and a casual stroll. Highly recommended if you’re visiting Mexico City.

Bosque de Chapultepec: A Stunning Oasis in Mexico City The Bosque de Chapultepec is truly a breathtaking place and serves as a magnificent retreat amidst the hustle and bustle of Mexico City. With its vast green spaces, towering trees, and serene lakes, it is a paradise for nature lovers and anyone seeking relaxation. This park is not only impressive in size – it’s one of the largest urban parks in the world – but also in the diversity of experiences it offers. From the iconic Chapultepec Castle perched on a hill with panoramic views of the city, to its numerous museums like the renowned Museo Nacional de Antropología, there’s something for everyone to explore and enjoy. The peaceful atmosphere invites visitors to unwind, whether by strolling through its tranquil pathways, enjoying a boat ride on the lakes, or having a picnic in the shade of its beautiful trees. It’s also a cultural and historical gem that reflects the essence of Mexico. The Bosque de Chapultepec is an absolute must-visit for anyone in Mexico City. It’s not just a park – it’s an experience that rejuvenates the soul and showcases the importance of green spaces in an urban setting. Highly recommended!

Big city park with many museums and trails. Great place to escape the chaos of the city.

Great city park that could be an escape from the hassle. Sadly, it is STACKED with hawkers and incredibly loud music/ screams. Clearly a park for action but zero tranquility

Beautiful park with many sights to see, including Chapultepec Castle. I highly recommend visiting this park on your next trip to Mexico City - although I read somewhere that it’s closed Mondays, as I saw with many attractions in the city.

Must visit if you are new to Mexico city.

Beautiful park with endless experiences. Very much like Central Park

This is a big city park with many attractions (museums, etc.). It is quite a busy place and there is a lot to do and see. We were lucky to witness a dance of the flyers (Danza de los Voladores) happen in the evening, in front of the Anthropology Museum.

The biggest park in Mexico City you can find plenty to do here and easily spend the whole day here. There are museums, running and biking trails and plenty of attractions to keep you busy. This is on par with Central Park in NYC due to the scale and the amount of greenery there. This is a must visit while you are in Mexico City.

Stop by here on a warm spring day with friends. That's what I did. There are so many things to do here at this park, and I can't even recall everything that I did here. What I do remember is while passing by some food vendors, my friend got verbally reprimanded by an older lady for "letting his girlfriend starve." I only caught that because said-girlfriend heard this comment and shared it with us to laugh. Safe to say that despite not buying from that vendor, my friends are still happily together! Needless to say, there are so many options for food and other things to do here.

This is a great area to walk around and spend some time. The bosque contains several different attractions, including a castle, the museum of modern art, the museum of anthropology, a botanical garden, and a zoo. There might be other stuff too but that's what I remember seeing on the map and ended up walking through. With the fairly good weather in Mexico City, it makes for a very nice long walk! The botanical garden is particularly nice; I didn't go inside the museums, castle, or zoo but they looked nice from the outside. If you're walking from central Mexico City toward Polanco its nice to cut through the Bosque (I was walking there from Roma Norte).

Bosque de Chapultepec is a large park around CDMX! And..when I say large..it is very large! There are different sections within the park and..I think if your goal is really go walk around this whole park, that's probably at least a half day job for just walking and exploring. The cool thing about it is just that it is not just a park with trees or anything. There are different sections and structures for you to sit and explore throughout the park (like to see a panda, to see a market, a lake, etc). And..the beautiful thing about this park is..it is free! The government really takes care of this place well and everything is clean! Definitely check this out if you have time in CDMX and explore the park to just relax for a whole day. The place will heal your tired soul!

I've biked through here and walked through here several times and each time is perfection. It's a very lush and big forest amongst CDMX so like Central Park in NYC, it feels like an oasis. I only wish that I had the time to go check out the Diego Rivera murals there. Go on. Go do it.

I had heard Chapultepec compared to Central Park in NYC but in reality, it should be the other way around. Chapultapec is twice the size of Central Park and has a lake, a zoo, a castle and 7 museums, including the Museo de Anthropologia. And it has dogs. So many big amazing dogs who all seem to be at daycare or summer camp. They run with a pack of other urban pups playing tag in the morning and then by some dog-whispering magic, on cue settle down like toddlers for nap time when their handler says so. This is one of the best and most entertaining parts of the park for me on my way to museums or crossing the city. The other draw is of course the respite into nature from the traffic of the city. Chapultapec is full of trees and manicured shrubbery. It's clean and has lots of water and snacks and shade, and did I mention all the cute dogs?

Bosque de Chapultepec has 4 sections. Section one is a dog free area where you will find museums, the zoo, plenty of people exercising and even classes that you can join in for just a few dollars held outside. There are many vendors as well as places to eat. Families gather on the weekend at the park for picnics and parties. It is lovely. Section 2 is dog friendly and for that reason my favorite section. Great running and walking trails. Less vendors but you can still find some. The amusement park was redone and is open again- that is a fee area where is the rest of the park is open to all. Section 3 is more rustic and wonderful for long hikes. Section 4 is in the process of being open so I will review it later.

Chapultepec park is a enormous amazing beautiful clean park with a ton of stuff to do inside of Mexico City. We walked across the street from the Anthropology Museum to go into Chapultepec Park and go to the zoo. It was a long but nice walk, there was a great bookstore that opened up onto the lake and we could see pedal boats go past. There was a little slide for kids in the bookstore, so my kid was a lot happier. Then we walked past the lake, pedal boats, lots of street vendors, and then soon found a playground and pay bathroom. So we stopped there for a few minutes too. The walk to to zoo was long, but we all enjoyed it. We left the zoo tired, but we were in the middle of a giant park. So we had to walk to the edge. We walked a bit and saw a section with a ropes course/zipline and a ton of small food vendors with tables set up. We stopped there to sit and have a snack. We were all a little better after sitting for a bit. Then we asked the waiter how to get to the street, and he pointed us the right way. We walked past the vendors again, and bought some snacks and little toys. (Everyone in the zoo was wearing these ridiculous monkey toys on their heads that squirt water out. It was 30 pesos or $2USD so we bought one then, and more later for souveniers).

Que bonito. Me gusto mucho. Vi a muchos pasando el día lindo en familia o con amigos. Hay muchos puestos para comprar cosas, comida o merienda. Nos agarró la lluvia pero la pasamos bien de todas formas. Queríamos ir al castillo pero la fila era muy larga.

This is a huge park smack in the middle of the city! I loved all the greenery. I was so impressed at how clean it was. There were tons of vendors down walkways set up under their blue tents. Some were selling waters, others street food, and of course others souvenirs. Here, we found the cheapest prices on souvenir t shirts. It closed at dawn and the security guards manning the gates won't let you in. It's definitely a must!

I love this park. It's beautiful and lush. Lots of trees. There is also a large pond you can rent a paddle or row boat. It looks like so much fun. Vendors of all kinds line the path. We got churros and a torta. Both were delicious. After a long day in the museums it's nice not to have to look hard and drive to find lunch.

On a recent trip to Mexico City, we visited the Bosque de Chapultepec twice! It's the largest city park in the country (the second largest in Latin America), so it has a lot to offer and we couldn't see it all in one day! The bosque/forest is divided into four sections - the first of which is the most visited! It contains a ton of attractions: the National Museum of Anthropology, the Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of History in the Chapultepec Castle, lakes, paved paths, several zonas de comida (kind of like areas for food stands we would have at a fair?), and more! (It also has a zoo that is the most visited attraction in the park if you're zoo people!) We visited on weekdays so it wasn't too busy anywhere we were in the park. The park's attractions are great, and it's also a nice place to wander/stroll/relax between attractions!

A great to stroll with friends, family and/ or pets. The cool part about it is that there are hidden gems within the park. Lots of photo opportunities as well. You can even visit the castle! The views from up there are amazing. Definitely a highlight of the park. Even the history around it is shocking. I would say this is a must see when visiting Mexico City.

I was beyond amazed by how manicured and pristine this park was. Never ever have I been to a place that was so breathtaking. So many things to see and so little time. I walked through in about 2.5 hours for only two of the sections but I would have definitely spent more time here. Note that it's not open 24 hours and it is closed on certain days so plan your adventures ahead of time before you go. I guess that must be the American mentality I have of parks!

Bosque de Chapultepec is MASSIVE! It's one of the largest parks in the Western Hemisphere and full of trails, museums, art galleries, a zoo, a castle, playgrounds, cemeteries, and so much more! If you go with a dog, leashed dogs are allowed only in certain areas so check the signs or ask one of the police nearby guarding the park.

The lungs of the city. Bosque de Chapultepec is the Central Park of Mexico City. This gigantic park is easy to get lost in, and you want to get lost in this park. The massive green space in an urban area such as CDMX is a refreshing and much-needed place. We loved exploring this beautiful park. We came here on a Friday morning and the place was busy even then. We walked to this park from the Roma neighborhood, which you can easily do so, as it was only a 20-minute walk. The park has a lot to see, from open fields, to shaded areas with plenty of trees or playgrounds and street vendors, and the can't-miss museums, there's something for everyone here. Bring cash for the bathrooms, as there is no free public restroom. Water fountains were also hard to find around here. We noticed that they have stations of bikes for rent throughout the park since it's so large. There was also an area for food. I loved seeing how lush and spacious this park was. It's a definite must if you're visiting Mexico City.

Great park to walk around and enjoy a nature walk in CDMX. lots to see. Wear sunscreen or bring an umbrella as weather can be quite hot. Buy tickets in advance for the museum. Lines are massive and gets busy early on. There is an area with many food vendors offering traditional cuisine- truly a local and immersive experience. Dont miss it bc you'll regret it later. Absolutely worth the stop and can be fit easy on a 24h layover.

This park is huge and is the hangout for many local families and tourists alike. It reminded me of Central Park in NY where one can sit and people watch, eat, drink, relax on the grass, and ride paddle boats. We were on our way up to the Castle but they block the road way before sunset.

Gigantic, beautiful, green park with lots of trees, space, and things to do. It's deceptively large; be sure not to get lost. There's a castle inside, along with a a long, bustling strip of vendors on the weekends selling snacks, foods, toys, purses, trinkets, and other fun items. Even if you don't want to buy anything, it's fun to browse. The zoo inside is fun for kids, and it's free (though coming on a Sunday was probably a bad idea - too busy). There's even a lake for boating, as well as occasional street performers. Can easily spend a whole day here hanging out.

Beautiful park with ancient history and gorgeous forests. You can spend an entire day exploring it but some of their main attractions for me are Castillo de Chapultepec and their Zoológico. Wear smart comfortable shoes and take your time to explore. You won't regret it.

This is a great place to get away from the hustle and bustle of CDMX. It's especially nice on Sundays when sellers, families and lovers fill it up. It's refreshing to watch boys and girls making out, like Americans used to before cell phones

This park is huge. It is located in Mexico city and near or in front of the Museum of Anthropology. But it also stretches across the street as well past the parking lot. If you come here on weekend, there are lots of street vendors in the area. On top of that there are free performance in the area. Lots to see. This park is one of the largest city parks in the Western Hemisphere As a tourist in the area, I am quite entertained by it.

Pretty good park. I really liked the castle and the anthropology museum.

Have I mentioned this fact?: I love urban parks. They provide refuge from the hustle and bustle of a city while somehow revealing the heart of the city. Exploring an urban park is like exploring the city itself while having room to breathe and move. The best urban parks provide more to see than anyone can hope to in a single visit and at 1,690 acres (SF's Golden Gate Park is, by comparison, a mere 1,017 acres) Bosque de Chapultepec exemplifies this. I walked into one entrance and spent a good half hour traversing mostly empty pathways while occasionally spotting people sitting under the many shade trees. As I neared the more inhabited part of the park I watched a dance troupe then turned headlong into what I can only refer to as a midway; each side of the long path was lined with food, drink, and craft vendors. It seemed mandatory to rent a pedal boat, so I did. Of course, I went to the Anthropology Museum as well (the park boasts 9 museums, most free on Sundays), then emerged to catch the end of an act by the Flying Pole Dancers (Voladores). I consumed things here that I probably should not have but how was I to resist? The one thing I can say with certainty is that, despite spending most of a weekend day here, I didn't even begin to experience everything that there is to see here. Bosque de Chapultepec is one of Earth's largest city parks. On a return trip to Mexico City I'll again make time for Chapultepec Park, picking up where I left off in an attempt to reveal everything it has to offer. If it was good enough for the Aztec rulers, it's good enough for me. Highly recommended, especially on a weekend day.

You have to visit this place, give yourself the entire day to explore the castle. There are so much to see, the view from the 2nd floor is stunning. The inside is filled with so much history. You can actually take pictures inside and around the property. After exploring the castle, you can shop at the many vendors that line the side of the castle. The food at the food tent was not the best therefore it depends on your taste bud.

Very large and busy park with so much to do! We snacked and shopped while we walked over to the National Museum of Anthropology.

If you are in Mexico City and have the opportunity to tour Chapultepec Park in Polanco, then I suggest you check this place out. It is one of more than a dozen eateries in the park. All the eateries are located in one central place with their hawkers trying to get you to choose their restaurant. The seating is communal and regardless of where you sit, you get served by the staff of the restaurant you choose. I loved this place because the food was authentic, it was inexpensive and eating al fresco is my thing. The service was hit and miss, language was a challenge but the experience was great.

Just as Central Park absolutely makes New York a livable, lush, verdant city, so too does Bosque de Chapultepec make for such a lovely city. We struggled on our first day trying to find the entrance to the park, wandering around but finding only fences. We were much more successful on our second day, when we easily found the entrance and enjoyed walking around the park. There is so much to do and see in the park, it ended up being the recurring theme and place of our vacation. We loved the fact that it seemed like every single tree was numbered, and I can't begin to image how many people work here to keep it clean and safe and lovely. Between the classes, the museums, the events and the many performances that happened while we were there, it definitely seemed to be the heart of CDMX and the cultural center for so many different arts.

Once again, this is a wonderful place, FULL of history, culture, and LIFE!! There's SO MUCH to do in and around the park that you could spend your entire vacation here and still not see more than a fraction of what it has to offer!! We originally planned to see the Castle, but the line to get in on a beautiful Sunday morning was astronomically long. Instead, we just took a leisurely walk around the lake (pedal boats available to rent). You can wander through the seemingly never-ending lines of vendors all selling the same junk...errr... toys, food, souvenirs, etc. Museums, historical monuments, play areas, a zoo, aquarium, and an amusement park, and so much more awaits you here, or best yet, nothing at all except the opportunity to relax, unwind, and detox a bit from this wonderfully crazy city. It seems all of Mexico City's population-- young, old, rich, poor...take time to enjoy a break in this wonderful city resource. I love also how the main avenue (Reforma) around the park is closed to traffic until about 2pm on Sundays, which brings out joggers, bikers, and all sorts of wanderers, such a great idea!! NEXT time, we'll rent a bike!! You never know what (or who) you'll find here!! ENJOY!!

This enormous forest park is like Mexico City's Central Park! Even if you didn't go into the must-see museums Chapultepec Castle and Anthropology Museum, you can definitely spend at least half a day just exploring the park itself. At every corner, you'll find surprises but no matter where, you'll always find many food and souvenir stands so you will never be hungry or bored. This park is an excellent refuge from the urban hustle-and-bustle, and I recommend at least checking this park out even if you don't intend to visit the museums!

Super big. Super fun. A long street of vendors selling food, toys, T-shirt's, icey ice cream, potato chips with lime and hot sauce. Don't say no. Give in to your temptation. Then there's the FREE zoo where you can see a peacock and deer together in the same cage. Zoo closed Monday. The best thing to do is the paddle boat!! Amazing to be on the lake looking at city buildings. A paddle boat for 2 people costs 60 pesos. Bring your ID or 100 peso deposit. Plus free WiFi. This park is everything!

Be sure to check out my video of this location on my YouTube Channel: Josh the Travel Guy. This park is wonderful. I would say this is a mix between Central Park in NYC and the National Mall in Washington DC as it is a HUGE park, packed with stalls, open spaces, ponds and trees and then chocked with interesting places to visit such as a zoo and a handful of museums. You could easily spend a full day here, but we spent about 2 hours here at the end of the day.

It's like Mexico City's own Central Park. It may even be larger; not sure. There were endless vendors all over. I visited the free zoo. It was pretty good, but I can't complain when it was all free. As I left the zoo it began to rain, just as it does daily in this rainy season in Mexico City. Fortunately I found some cover under some trees for about an hour. Later I visited the Castle of Chapulterpec. It was up on top of a hill so it provided great views of the city from the top. This hill was once home to Aztecs and Toltecs. The springs from here once provided the water to Tenochtitlan. Construction of the castle, though, began in 15. In the 19th century it became the headquarters for Mexico's military academy. The castle later became the presidential palace for about six different presidents of Mexico. Now it serves as the National Museum of History.

Chapultepec Park (Bosque de Chapultepec) is the oasis of sprawling Mexico City. Covering an area of more than 1,600 acres, Bosque de Chapultepec is the largest urban park in Mexico. It is larger than any park in the United States at twice the size of Central Park in New York. However, the massive Serra Cantareira park in Sao Paulo, Brazil dwarfs everything else at 160,000 acres. From Chapultepec Hill, you have a panoramic view of Mexico City and there is the historic Chapultepec Castle atop the hill (see separate review). Chapultepec Park is divided into three sections ("Tres" for the sophisticated, haha). Primera Section: this is the oldest and most visited which contains most of the park's attractions including Chapultepec Castle (which houses the National History Museum), Chapultepec Zoo (Zoológico Alfonso L. Herrera), the National Museum of Anthropology, the Museum of Modern Art, The Tamayo Museum of Contemporary Art, Museum of Anthropology, the Museum of Caracol, and the Children's Museum (Paplote "museo de los niños"). Paseo de la Reforma, Mexico City's main thoroughfare, runs to the main park entrance. Nearby is the Monumento a los Niños Heroes (Monument of Young Heroes) which honors six young cadets who refused to surrender to American Marines during the Battle of Chapultepec in 1847. A popular area of the park is the artificial lake with boats for rent. Segunda Seccion: The second section has a large amusement park (La Feria de Chapultepec Mágico), as well as the Papalote Childrens' Museum, the Natural History Museum, a few lakeside restaurants, and Mexico's national cemetery (El Panteon Civil de Dolores), plus lakeside restaurants, fountains and sculptures. Tercera Seccion: The third section is less frequented and comprised of natural, forested areas with plants and wildlife. Chapultepec has always been an icon for Mexican history. This place was thought to have magical importance by the Aztec people, who believed there were two portals to the underworld: one here in a cavern on the south side of Chapultepec Hill, and one in the city of Mitla in Oaxaca. Aztec emperors were buried here. Natural springs in this area supplied Mexico City with water in early times. The name Chapultepec comes from the Aztec language of Nahuatl, and means Hill of the Grasshopper ("chapul" - grasshopper, and "tepec" - hill). The Aztecs associated Grasshoppers with water and fertility, and the ability to transform themselves. A famous statue in the park is of the Nahuatl glyph for Chapultepec, representing a hill with a grasshopper on it. The silhouette of the Chapultepec Hill hills resembles the insect.

Put it this way: If you took Golden Gate Park in San Francisco or Stanley Park in Vancouver, and added about three times as much acreage and trees, you'd get Bosque de Chapultepec. This is a world-class park if ever there was one, with the vibrancy, forestry, wide pedestrian and bicycling paths, weekend markets, lakes, etc. It just feels sort of like I'm walking into old northern Spain (at least as I envision it). As amazing as NYC's Central Park can be, it can still be incredibly crowded and, even though it isn't the 1980s anymore, remote parts of the park still feel unsafe after dark. Central Park also abuts 110th Street, which, even though the crime along it still isn't as bad as it was in the 1980s, still has some sketchy elements along it. We, here in Los Angeles, could stand to learn a lot from other parks around the world about how to improve Griffith Park (which can be lovely, but also run down for a park in parts of it). Between D.F., N.Y.C., and L.A., which are the three dominant cities in North America, Chapultepec is, without question, the grandest of the cities' main parks.

We did not realize how big this place was and where only able to see a small portion of it. Many vendors and locals enjoying this massive and beautiful park.

Where do you even start with this beautiful magical place?! Bosque de Chapultepec is a marvelous gem located in CDMX. So many things to eat, see, play, enjoy! You can find many things to do in this wonderful forest. We enjoyed the open air markets, the peddle boats, the castle, the zoo, and two museums. So many things to do and discover. If you have been to NYC's Central Park, Bosque de Chapultepec will blow you away! Bosque de Chapultepec is bigger and more diverse! By far one of my favorite stops in the city!

If you're a spontaneous tourist, this park is a nice place to walk around and explore. It is a long stretch of a park with some statues displayed throughout the park. Sometimes you will come across food vendors there as well. Very well-maintain and clean. Don't mind strolling here again when I visit again.

Great for the whole family. We took our one year old. He loved running around the grassy areas. And the train ride was awesome!! We didn't even visit any of the museums and had a great afternoon. Bought him a mexico national team soccer outfit.

Wonderful urban park. Not that terribly big, at least not compared to Central Park or Fairmount Park (I think, anyway), but a very tranquil and beautiful forested area in the middle of the metropolis.

This place is amazing. They have an abundance of food in every corner and all the activities such as paddle boats for ($3/hourly) and ziplining for under ($2usd). Notti mention the castle

Very peaceful, great place to spend the day to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city center! There's a zoo (I did not go in) and area where food carts line up to get tasty treats

If you like people, castles, culture, animals and adventure-do not miss this park. The zoo is free and has a good variety of animals. Bantu just died, the only male gorilla in the country. I'm sad, but at least I visited him a couple of times. The museums are one-of-a-kind. There is live music around, a train, a lake with boats and lots and lots of vendors!

Huge park! This park is incredible, you can absolutely find anything in here from food, to museums and botanicals gardens, even shows! I suggest to walk through the park buy a paleta or ice cream and seat by the lake and just relax. The botanical garden is nice too. We didn't walk the whole park, it's a little overwhelming but what we did see, we absolutely loved.

My day spent in Chapultepec was probably one of my favorite memories from Mexico City. There are so many hidden spots to find, and the energy in the park is just magical. Just come early and wander around- there's a zoo, museums, and tons of delicious food. I absolutely fell in love with this park, and I am eagerly awaiting a chance to come back.

Beautiful park with a castle converted into a museum. The park is full of trees and lots of vendors with snacks and souvenirs. The museum/castle at the top is great and fun to explore. The garden is also very nice. Highly recommend!

Great place to visit especially if you like outdoors and castles and you like to walk! Beautiful views! Sunday is very busy because it is free for local and Mexicans living in Mexico

I cannot describe how much I love this park! I love the city but sometimes I need to be near the trees. And sometimes I need a place to run or walk without stopping at traffi lights. It's a quiet little (big?) nook of nature and calm in the middle of the big city. There are busy areas with vendors, quiet areas with no one, a free zoo, monuments and public bathrooms. I could not ask for anything more!

Great central locations with lots to do in the forest itself. Only gave 4 stars because I won't pay to use the bathroom.