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The Best Time to Visit Mexico City

Mexico City sits at 2,240 metres, which quietly rewrites the weather you would expect from its latitude. It never gets truly hot, nights are cool year-round, and the rain arrives almost exclusively as a late-afternoon downpour in summer. The altitude also means your first day will feel harder than it should.

See hotels in Mexico CityLive prices for your dates
By Alice5 min readPublished
Table of contents
The Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City at dusk
Photo: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 3.0

In Brief

When is the best time to visit Mexico City?

March to May is the best time to visit Mexico City - warm, dry days in the mid-20s°C and the jacaranda trees turning whole neighbourhoods purple through late March and April. October and November are the other strong window, dry and mild with Day of the Dead at the start of November. June to September is the rainy season, though showers are usually short afternoon storms. Winter is dry but chilly at night and can be hazy.

Key takeaways

  • Jacaranda season peaks late March to April, covering Roma Norte and Polanco in purple blossom.
  • The rainy season is June to September, but it typically rains for an hour or two in the afternoon, not all day.
  • At 2,240m the altitude is real - take the first day slowly, drink water, go easy on alcohol.
  • Day of the Dead, 1-2 November, is the biggest draw of the year; book months ahead.

Best time to go

March-May & October-November

Cheapest time

June-September

When to avoid

Day of the Dead for price and crowds

Mexico City climate at a glance

Avg daytime high (°C / °F) · rainfall · season
Peak seasonGreatShoulder / valueOff-peakmore drops = wetter
  • 22°72°F
    Jan
  • 24°75°F
    Feb
  • 26°79°F
    Mar
  • 27°81°F
    Apr
  • 27°81°F
    May
  • 25°77°F
    Jun
  • 24°75°F
    Jul
  • 24°75°F
    Aug
  • 23°73°F
    Sep
  • 23°73°F
    Oct
  • 23°73°F
    Nov
  • 22°72°F
    Dec

Find your month

Every month in Mexico City is rated for weather, crowds and price. Drag the slider to find your sweet spot - the greener the month, the better value the trip.

Sweet spot - best value

Cheapest window: June-September

June: $ · Low crowds · 25°C, warm, wet

See June hotels
Flights to Mexico CityCompare fares for your month on Trip.comHotels in Mexico CityBook earlier for peak-season datesThings to doTours & tickets in Mexico City

Mexico City month by month

Every month rated for weather, crowds and price, so you can match the trip to the month.

Peak seasonGreatShoulder / valueOff-peak
MonthWeatherCrowdsPriceWhat it's like
Jan22°C, dry, cool nightsModerate$$Dry and bright by day but genuinely cold after dark, near 6°C. Air quality is at its worst this time of year.
Feb24°C, dry, mildModerate$$Warming up, still dry, and the first jacarandas start appearing late in the month. Pleasant sightseeing weather.
Mar26°C, dry, warmHigh$$$Jacaranda season begins in earnest and the city turns lavender. Warm, dry and arguably the prettiest month.
Apr27°C, dry, warmHigh$$$Peak jacaranda and the warmest, driest stretch of the year. Semana Santa can empty or fill the city depending on the week.
May27°C, warm, first rainsModerate$$Hottest month on paper, with the first afternoon storms arriving late in the month. Still an excellent time to visit.
Jun25°C, warm, wetLow$The rainy season starts properly - mornings clear, afternoons stormy. Prices drop and the city greens up.
Jul24°C, mild, wetModerate$$Reliable afternoon downpours and the cleanest air of the year, since the rain washes the valley out.
Aug24°C, mild, wetModerate$$Similar to July - plan museums and long lunches for the afternoons and sightseeing for the mornings.
Sep23°C, mild, wettestModerate$$The wettest month, and Independence Day on the 16th fills the Zocalo with the biggest civic party of the year.
Oct23°C, mild, dryingHigh$$$The rains stop, the air stays clean and the city prepares for Day of the Dead. One of the best months.
Nov23°C, dry, cool nightsPeak$$$Day of the Dead on the 1st and 2nd is the year's biggest event. Dry, clear and busy, with rates to match.
Dec22°C, dry, cold nightsHigh$$$Dry and bright with cold evenings. Christmas markets, posadas and a festive Zocalo, but hazier air returns.

When to book Mexico City

On the table above, Jun sit in the bottom price band and Mar, Apr, Oct, Nov and Dec in the top one. Find the row that sounds like your trip.

Booking windows for Mexico City, by what the traveller wants
If you wantMonthsWhy
The best trip for the moneyJan, Feb and MayRated good above without hitting the top price band, so you are not paying peak rates for the conditions.
The lowest price, whatever the weatherJunThe bottom price band. Check the weather column first, because some of these are cheap for a reason.
Peak season anywayMar, Apr, Oct and NovBusiest and dearest. This is the window where booking early changes the price, not just what is left.
Check Mexico City hotel pricesSee what Jan, Feb and May actually costs for your dates
  • Free cancellation on most rooms
  • No booking fee
  • Prices on Trip.com

Time it right: Mexico City's seasonal highlights

  • Jacaranda season

    Late March-April

    Thousands of jacaranda trees bloom across Roma Norte, Condesa and Polanco, turning whole streets purple for a few weeks.

  • Day of the Dead in Mexico City

    Day of the Dead

    1-2 November

    Altars, marigolds, painted faces and a huge parade through the centre - the most-booked window of the Mexican year.

  • Independence Day in Mexico City

    Independence Day

    15-16 September

    El Grito from the National Palace balcony fills the Zocalo on the night of the 15th, followed by a military parade.

  • Monarch butterfly season

    November-March

    The overwintering colonies in Michoacan and the State of Mexico are a long but extraordinary day trip from the city.

Best time to visit Mexico City: FAQ

The timing questions travelers ask most before booking.

April, narrowly, for the jacarandas. Late March through April is warm, dry and the weeks when thousands of jacaranda trees bloom across Roma Norte, Condesa and Polanco, turning entire streets purple - it is the city at its most photogenic. October and November are the other strong window, dry and mild with the added draw of Day of the Dead. If you want the good weather without peak prices, February and May are quieter alternatives with almost identical conditions.

June to September, peaking in September. It is far less disruptive than it sounds: mornings are usually clear and bright, and the rain arrives as a heavy but short afternoon or evening thunderstorm. Plan sightseeing for the morning and museums, markets or a long lunch for the afternoon and you will barely lose anything. The rain also washes the valley's air clean, which makes July and August the clearest-air months of the year.

It can, and it catches people out because nobody thinks of Mexico City as a high-altitude destination. At 2,240 metres, some visitors get headaches, breathlessness on stairs or unusual tiredness for the first day or two. The fixes are simple: take the first day gently, drink far more water than usual, and go easy on alcohol for the first evening - drinks hit noticeably harder up here. If you are heading on to higher ground afterwards, the city is useful acclimatisation.

Yes, if you plan for it. On 1 and 2 November the city fills with marigold altars, painted faces and a large parade through the historic centre, and the cemeteries and neighbourhood celebrations in places like Mixquic are genuinely moving rather than touristic. The trade-off is that this is the single busiest window of the Mexican year - flights and hotels need booking months ahead and prices peak. Come deliberately or shift your dates by a week either side.

June through September, the rainy season, when hotel rates and flights drop noticeably. Given that the rain is mostly confined to afternoon storms and the temperature stays a pleasant 23-25°C, this is one of the better value trade-offs in Latin America - you are giving up a few afternoons rather than the whole trip. Avoid the price spikes around Day of the Dead in early November, Semana Santa at Easter, and the Christmas period.

Four days is a sensible minimum: the historic centre and the Zocalo, the Anthropology Museum, Coyoacan and the Frida Kahlo house, and a day in Roma Norte and Condesa for the food. Add a fifth for Teotihuacan's pyramids, an hour out and the best day trip from the city, and a sixth for Xochimilco's canals. It is one of the largest and most layered cities in the world, and a short trip only scratches it.

Staying in Mexico City? Book the area before the hotel

Picking the month is half of the decision. The other half is the area, because that is what sets how far you walk and what a room costs. We have no area guide for Mexico City yet, so start here:

Compare all hotels in Mexico CityLive rates for the dates you picked
  • Free cancellation on most rooms
  • No booking fee
  • Prices on Trip.com

Continue Planning Your Trip

Photo credits (2)

Photos via Wikimedia Commons, used under their respective licences.