Mexico City: Day of the Dead Original

Handcrafted sugar skulls for Dia de Los Muertos

Traditional Pan de Muerto bread eaten on the Day of the Dead in Mexico

This cultural festival will have you spooked in all the right ways

Feel the mystical vibes of the weird and wonderful Dia de los Muertos, or the annual Day of the Dead festival, on this five-day cultural exploration of Mexico City. Sample tasty street food at the open-air Mercado San Juan, join a calaveritas de azucar (sugar skulls) workshop and take part in a traditional Day of the Dead ceremony. This festival is all about rituals, so you’ll dive straight into the spiritual (and sometimes spooky) ceremonies that have made this tradition so famous.

4.7

18 reviews

Trip code: QVSO

Start: Mexico City, Mexico

End: Mexico City, Mexico

Duration: 5 days

Group size: 1 to 12

Minimum age: 15 years old

Style
Basix: Simple accommodation, local transport and lots of free time
Original: Tourist-class hotels, some meals included and a great mix of included activities and free time
Comfort: Comfortable accommodation, with a relaxed pace of travel and many included meals and activities
Premium: Our best accommodation, exclusive inclusions and our most experienced leaders: Original

Theme Our themes categorise trips based on a common interest or activity, while showcasing the highlights of a destination.: Festival

Physical rating Indicates how physically exerting a trip is, and how fit you will need to be to enjoy it. More info on physical ratings

From

ZAR 21,095

Why you'll love this trip

Take part in the rituals and festivities of the Day of the Dead, like making your own traditional altar offering.
Discover how sugar and chocolate calaveritas (sugar skulls) are made during a workshop at Calazucho. Hear the stories of this tradition before making your very own sugar skull!
Visit Tlahuac Cemetery to see the graves that have been decorated with colourful flowers, photos and food. Then, watch the Day of the Dead ceremonies in this spooky setting.
Sample tasty street food at the open-air Mercado San Juan, where people come to buy everything they need for the Day of the Dead, including the famous pan de muerto sweet rolls.
Join a walking tour of Mexico City’s historic centre. Pass the Zocalo, Metropolitan Cathedral and Palacio de Bellas Artes and see the city come alive with decorations as locals prepare for the festival.

This itinerary is valid for departures from 01 January 2026 to 31 December 2026.

View the itinerary for departures between 01 January 2025 - 31 December 2025

Itinerary

Day 1 • Mexico City

Day 2 • Mexico City

Day 3 • Mexico City

Day 4 • Mexico City

Day 5 • Mexico City

Inclusions and activities

Destinations

Mexico

Meals

4 breakfasts

Transport

Private vehicle, Metro

Accommodation

Hotel (4 nights)

Included activities

Tlahuac - Cemetery visit in Tlahuac
Tlalocán - Day of the Dead altar creation
Mexico City - San Juan Market visit
Mexico City - City Tour
Mexico City - Calaveras de azucar (sugar skulls) workshop

Optional activities

Mexico City - Frida Kahlo Museum (entrance fee) - MXN320
Mexico City - Torre Latino 360° Lookout (entrance fee) - MXN200
Mexico City - Boat ride through Floating Gardens of Xochimilco (Approx. per boat per hour) - MXN700
Mexico City - Palace of Fine Arts (Palacio de Bellas Artes) (entrance fee) (Closed Mondays) - MXN95

This trip generates 21 kg of CO₂-e per person per day

Learn more about our climate commitment.

When you travel with us, The Intrepid Foundation gives you more opportunities to support important causes in destinations you visit.

Before you book you should know

Hotel Bristol
Plaza Necaxa No. 17 Cuauhtemoc District. Mexico City Z.C. 06500 MEXICO

Instructions

Intrepid offers a pre-arranged arrival transfer service from Mexico City International Airport [MEX] at an additional fee. If you have pre-booked this service, please ensure you provide your flight details to your booking agent at least 14 days prior to travel so the transfer can be organized.

Your meeting location depends on which terminal you will arrive to:

Terminal 1 International Arrivals: From Arrivals E2, Exit 8.
Terminal 1 Central American Arrivals: From Arrivals E1, Exit 7.
Terminal 1 Domestic Arrivals: From Arrivals A1, Exits 1 & 2.
Terminal 2 International Arrivals: From the immigration exit in room P.
Terminal 2 Domestic Arrivals: From the immigration exit in room Q.

If you have any problems and cannot locate your driver on arrival, please call our Intrepid Emergency number listed under the ‘Problems and emergency contact information’ section of your Essential Trip Information document. If you don’t have a device or mobile coverage, Mexico City Airport has a free Wi-Fi connection, so you can call that same number via an online application such as Skype. There are also several information desks and tourist information desks around if you require further assistance.

Otherwise, you can travel from the Mexico City Airport to the hotel by taxi. We recommend you use the authorized taxi services organized from inside the terminal. They will charge you approximately MX$250-350 (USD$14-20) for a trip to downtown. The drive to where the hotel is located is approximately 30 minutes depending on traffic.

Alternate joining point

For trips departing on the following dates, use this joining point.
30 Oct 2026 (QVSO261030), 30 Oct 2026 (QVSO2610302), 30 Oct 2026 (QVSO2610303), 30 Oct 2026 (QVSO2610304), 30 Oct 2026 (QVSO2610305)

Hotel Benedicta (Formerly Soy Local Ciudad de Mexico)
Marsella 28 Colonia Juarez Mexico City MEXICO
Phone: +57 3114060803

Instructions

Your meeting location depends on which terminal you will arrive to:

Terminal 1 International Arrivals: From Arrivals E2, Exit 8.
Terminal 1 Central American Arrivals: From Arrivals E1, Exit 7.
Terminal 1 Domestic Arrivals: From Arrivals A1, Exits 1 & 2.
Terminal 2 International Arrivals: From the immigration exit in room P.
Terminal 2 Domestic Arrivals: From the immigration exit in room Q.

If you have any problems and cannot locate your driver on arrival, please call our Intrepid Emergency number listed under the ‘Problems and emergency contact information’ section of your Essential Trip Information document. If you don’t have a device or mobile coverage, Mexico City Airport has a free Wi-Fi connection, so you can call that same number via an online application such as Skype. There are also several information desks and tourist information desks around if you require further assistance.

Otherwise, you can travel from the Mexico City Airport to the hotel by taxi. We recommend you use the authorized taxi services organized from inside the terminal. They will charge you approximately MX$250-350 (USD$14-20) for a trip to downtown. The drive to where the hotel is located is approximately 30 minutes depending on traffic.

Dates and prices

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Important notes

1. Your adventure begins with a welcome meeting at 6 pm on Day 1. There are no activities planned for the final day so you may depart at any time.

2. A single supplement is available if you’d prefer not to share a room on this trip. The single supplement applies to all nights on your trip and is subject to availability. Please speak to your booking agent for further information.

3. Traffic in Mexico City during this festival is very busy. This at times may hinder drive times and sitting in traffic.

4. The Day of the Dead parade date is only announced a few weeks before this trip departs- unfortunately we can't predict if the parade will occur over the days our trip departs, but we will do our very best to ensure you have the opportunity to experience the parade if it occurs during your trip. The parade occurs in late October or early November.

5. We will be operating multiple departures of this tour so it is possible that more than one group will be at some locations or activities at the same time. However, each group will have a maximum of 12 passengers with its own dedicated tour leader. Please advise us of any travel companions that are not booked on the same file.

Essential Trip Information

Want an in-depth insight into this trip? Essential Trip Information provides a detailed itinerary, visa info, how to get to your hotel, what's included - pretty much everything you need to know about this adventure and more.

Read Essential Trip Information

Reviews

4.7 . 18 reviews

Lauren

Traveled October 2024

Sarah

Traveled October 2024

Kittithat

Traveled October 2024

Neelam

Traveled October 2024

Annie

Traveled October 2024

Reviews for all trips

Mexico City: Day of the Dead Original

• From

ZAR 21,095