Mexico City Flights

Welcome to the largest city in North America – built on the dry bed of Lake Texcoco and surrounded on three sides by mountains and volcanoes. More than 20 million people call Mexico City home and at 2,200 metres above sea level, it can provide a heady experience in more ways than one.

Metropolitan Cathedral

Amid the city's sprawl – and below the gradually-diminishing layer of smog – there are swathes of poverty next to well-to-do areas, but very generally, the middle and upper classes tend to live on the western side of the city. Large ethnic districts welcome Cubans, Spaniards, Americans, Japanese, Chilean and Lebanses Mexicans.

National Museum of Art

Downtown Mexico City has been an urban area since the pre-Colombian 12th century and has buildings from each era since. Here's a quick guide to things to see and do:

• Visit Plaza de la Constitución – this is one of the largest squares in the world, rimmed by historic buildings including City Hall and the cathedral
• Go to the top of Torre Mayor – Latin America's highest building, affording unrivalled city views
• See the National Museum of Anthropology – enjoy sculptures, jewels and handcrafts from ancient Mexican cultures
• Live through the Day of the Dead (1–2 November) – see a city paying homage to its deceased loved ones, exchanging skulls made of sugar and chocolate and parading to local cemeteries

Grab a flight to Mexico City to be one of the thousands who visit annually, search for a holiday package