We had a blast walking the market and sampling more than half a dozen different treats. The ride in the canal during that beautiful day will be something I always remember about the tour. I highly recommend and would do another tour from Eat Mexico the next time I’m in Mexico.
XOCHIMILCO FOOD TOUR & BOAT RIDE
1-Hour Canal Ride
Try Locally Grown Ingredients
Small Town Feel
The borough of Xochimilco, located about an hour’s drive southeast of Downtown Mexico City, is most known for its farms and canals—they’ve carried produce to the city center since ancient times. On this tour, we’ll not only ride on the canals while enjoying a michelada, but you’ll get an inside look at the local food culture.
Highlights
Visit Xochimilco’s famous downtown market, which carries produce grown on local farms
Taste some of the best street food and market stalls
Float along Xochimilco’s ancient canals
Click the tabs to find out more
Trip Details
Price
Adults: $109USD ($1,960MXN)
Children: $45USD ($807MXN)
Young children (0-7): free
Private per adult: $128USD ($2,299MXN)
Departure time
Daily at 11AM
Meeting point
Reloj Central de Xochimilco
Reloj Monumento, Av. Guadalupe I. Ramírez, El Rosario, 16070 Ciudad de México, CDMX
Availability
Monday through Friday
Duration
4 hours
Group size
Minimum 2 people, maximum 8 people. Traveling with a group larger than 8? We’ve got you covered. You can book a private tour by emailing us at hola@eatmexico.com
Participation requirements
Participants should be able to walk for around two hours, with some stops to rest and should also be aware that this is a food tour with a boat ride, not a “party boat” type experience.
Included
- All the food you can eat (enough for a big breakfast and lunch)
- One michelada or regular beer
- Pulque tasting (ancestral Mexican beverage that contains alcohol)
- Agua fresca
- Generous tips for vendors
Not included
- Transport to/from the meeting and end points of the tour
- Souvenirs
- Tip for your guide
- Additional personal beverages, outside what’s included on the tour itinerary
What to bring
- Comfortable walking shoes
- An appetite
- Water to stay hydrated
- Tip for your guide if desired (we also offer the option of pre-paying the tip at checkout)
- An umbrella during the rainy season months of June through October.
- Tote bag for purchases, if desired
Staff on tour
You’ll be accompanied by one of our local, bilingual culinary guides. Each has a degree in gastronomy and/or has worked in local kitchens. They’ll enrich your experience by sharing their
Xochimilco is famous for its canals—a network that used to stretch to the city center in ancient times. But it’s a fabulous place to eat, too, filled with produce that’s more vibrant and delicious than what you’d see elsewhere in Mexico City. On this tour, we’ll take you to the best spots to eat, and open your eyes to this region’s unique food culture and identity.
You’ll tour the bustling market, where women sell handmade tortillas and tlacoyos in long rows, and where farmers sell produce grown nearby. Walk around eating our curated selection of local snacks such as barbacoa, quesadillas, aguas frescas, chileatole and more. We will stop at a pulquería, one of the last truly traditional ones in the city, where you’ll try a taste of the ancestral Mexican beverage made with fermented maguey sap.
After all the eating and walking, we will take a relaxing ride in the “trajinera”, the famous colorful boats that float around the canals of Xochimilco. Enjoy the one hour ride with a beer or a michelada prepared with salt, lime juice and chamoy (a salty, sweet and sour salsa added to the rim of the cup).
You’ll learn the history of Xochimilco and why it was so important in the founding of Mexico City.
If you’re looking for a different kind of experience in Mexico City, one that takes you out of the urban heart and into an area with a more small-town feel, this is the tour for you!
Some of the foods you’ll try on this tour include:
Elotes
This steamed corn-on-the-cob is dusted in grated cheese, chile powder, and a slathering of mayonnaise. If you think you already know corn on the cob, this will change your mind completely!
Flan with Local Milk
It’s customary in Xochimilco for women to set up in long rows, selling local cheeses, clotted cream, and desserts made with milk from nearby Milpa Alta. You’ll try a creamy homemade flan with caramel.
Barbacoa tacos
In this region barbacoas tacos are prepared only with lamb that has been cooked in an underground oven for over 8 hours.
Pulque
An ancestral Mexican beverage, pulque is an example of living Mexican history and heritage. It’s made from fermented maguey sap and contains alcohol. At the pulquería you’ll visit in Xochimilco, you’ll see and try seasonal flavors such as mango, guava, marigold and more depending on the time of the year.
Plus several more items!
- This tour doesn’t include transport. You’ll need to get to the meeting point on your own. See our FAQ below for detailed instructions on how to get to Xochimilco.
- The tour is conducted rain or shine.
- We like to blend in with the locals. Dress in comfortable clothing, and leave any flashy or expensive clothes and jewelry at home. Note: Mexico City can be chilly in the mornings and warmer in the afternoon, so it’s best to dress in layers.
- This tour includes a lot of food. We recommend arriving hungry.
- Vegetarians can be accommodated on this tour, but meat and vegetables will be cooked on the same surface.
- Feel free to bring your own water bottle.
- Mexico City sits at nearly 7,300 feet high. This means you’ll feel more tired than normal if you’re not used to the altitude. Don’t do this tour if you haven’t gotten any sleep the night before, or if you’re arriving at the airport on the same morning.
- If you’d like to make any purchases (see our FAQ on souvenirs), bring cash and a small tote bag. Credit cards are not accepted here.
- This tour is not a Party Boat tour. The objective of the tour is to get to know Xochimilco, its food, its market and to relax on the trajiera ride.
It takes about 50 minutes to an hour to get to Xochimilco from Central Mexico City (Centro Histórico/Reforma/Roma/Condesa/Polanco). The easiest way to arrive is using a rideshare service such as Uber, just type the location of the meeting point: “Reloj Central de Xochimilco”. We don’t recommend street taxis since sometimes they do not listen to the address you give them but take you to where they think you should be going (and this generally IS NOT the meeting point!). If you have any questions on how to get there, please email us at hola@eatmexico.com and we’ll tell you all you need to know.
3 1/2 to 4 hours.
Yes, it will start and end at Reloj Central de Xochimilco. Reloj Monumento, Av. Guadalupe I. Ramírez, El Rosario, 16070 Ciudad de México, CDMX If you need help getting back to your hotel at the end of the tour, your guide will help you find the nearest subway station or an Uber.
Yes! You can eat as much as you want in each of the stops. Our guide will let you know how many stops remain so you can pace yourself. No one knows your appetite better than you!
If you plan to tip your guide, you should bring enough cash to cover that. You may also choose to bring a bit extra for any market souvenirs. All the food you can eat, plus at least two drinks are covered by us.
No, please bring cash if you plan on buying anything outside of what’s included on the tour.
Not really. It is a good place to buy food or Mexican ingredients. The market does not carry items such as colorful ceramics, Mexican textiles or folk art. But you can buy excellent tortillas, local cheeses, and other food items you may want to snack on at your hotel or lodging.
- Of course! Our guides are culinary experts and speak perfect English.
We usually require a two-person minimum on our tours. If you’re a solo traveler, you’re welcome to book the date of your choosing—if it has other guests, you’re good to go. If three days prior to the tour date, the tour does not have any other guests, we will reach out to you about choosing a different date or refund your ticket.
Mexico City is an enormous place and pickpocketing can happen. If you wear plain clothing, leave your jewelry at home, and keep your wallet and cellphone tucked away, there should be no problem.
