Mexico City

Mexico City is one of the great capitals of the Americas: Aztec foundations beneath a colonial centre, the murals of Rivera, world-class museums, the leafy streets of Polanco, Roma and Condesa, and a culinary scene among the most celebrated anywhere.

Mexico City stands on the drained lake bed where the Mexica founded Tenochtitlan in 1325. The Spanish built their capital on its ruins, and the Templo Mayor still lies beside the cathedral on the Zócalo. The Centro Histórico, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, holds palaces, churches and the Rivera murals of the Palacio Nacional.

The modern city spreads west along Paseo de la Reforma to Chapultepec Park and the National Museum of Anthropology. Polanco is its elegant quarter of embassies, boutiques and celebrated dining rooms; Roma and Condesa are leafy and Art Deco; Coyoacán and San Ángel keep the houses of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera.

At over 2,200 metres, the city is mild all year. The dry season, from November to April, brings clear skies and warm days, though cool nights; March and April are the warmest months. From June to September afternoon showers are common, usually brief, and mornings remain bright. The altitude is worth respecting on the first day.

The calendar is full: Día de Muertos in late October and early November, with its parade and altars across the city; Zona Maco, the art fair, in February; and the Formula One Mexico City Grand Prix in autumn. Easter week empties the capital as residents leave for the coast, and the city becomes unusually calm.

Four Seasons Hotel Mexico City is built around a quiet colonial-style courtyard on Paseo de la Reforma, at the edge of Chapultepec Park. Further along the avenue, The St. Regis Mexico City occupies a glass tower with views over the Diana fountain and the city. In Polanco, close to the museums and the dining rooms of Presidente Masaryk, Las Alcobas, a Luxury Collection Hotel, is an intimate house with an excellent restaurant.

Reforma suits first visits, with the Centro Histórico and the Museo Nacional de Antropología both within easy reach; Polanco suits food, galleries and shopping. LVXVRY books all three through Four Seasons Preferred Partner and Marriott STARS & Luminous — at the official hotel rate, with the privileges each programme attaches to the stay.