It may sound overdramatic, but Mexico City spring is genuinely magical for me. Every walk outside brings new little joys: nooks and crannies filled with bougainvillea, climbing nasturtiums, and shady canopies of jacaranda. The other day, I took a ride down the segundo piso, the city’s raised highway, heading south. The high platform affords you panoramic views of the city, but this time, all I could look at were the purple tops of the jacaranda trees. Thousands of them bloom in every corner of the city during March and April, and I enter my personal heaven.
Let’s be honest — it’s spring in Mexico City all year round. But “real spring,” after a sunny and dry winter, does bring an amazing abundance of new blooms and clear skies. Here, I’ve narrowed down the best spots to experience Mexico City spring. Enjoy (I urge you, unironically and enthusiastically), the magic!
1. Botanical Garden of the Bosque de Chapultepec
Nestled just off busy, flower-lined Reforma Avenue, this Botanical Garden is the best place to see a lovely variety of spring flowers. It’s inside the Bosque de Chapultepec, Mexico City’s Central Park, so really the garden is an oasis within an oasis. The plant varieties change throughout the seasons, and spring brings an explosion of blooms from around Mexico and the world.
2. Parque México
For Mexico City locals, springtime means one thing: jacaranda trees. These purple-hued flowering trees are so prolific in the city, many think they’re native plants. In fact, jacarandas most likely came to Mexico City from Manaus, Brasil. The tree arrived at the gulf port of Veracruz, slowly making its way from garden to garden, all the way to the capital!
Today, its spectacular purple blooms carpet the city every spring, and make my heart very, very happy. In leafy Parque México in the La Condesa neighborhood, dozens of jacaranda trees line the street, littering sidewalks and grass with their petals until the whole park is purple. Spend a lazy weekend afternoon here, with a coffee and a good book on the patio at Caffé Toscano. You will not regret it.
3. The Side Streets of Coyoacán
For me, often the best way to enjoy a warm spring day is to pick some place in the city I know, start walking in whatever direction looks prettiest, and see where I end up. That’s how I found myself on Francisco Sosa Avenue in Coyoacán one March afternoon. I’ve always loved Coyoacán, the southern neighborhood where Frida Kahlo lived, for its small-town, bohemian atmosphere. But when I stumbled onto this street and its surroundings, I arrived at another level of beauty and charm.
From the center plaza (Jardín Centenario) of Coyoacán, head west along Avenida Francisco Sosa, towards the Viveros de Coyoacán. You can explore the Viveros, a lovely park that grows many of the young trees and plants that end up in other parks. But don’t miss the side streets themselves. This part of the neighborhood really does feel like an old, colonial village, riddled with narrow cobblestone alleyways. Bougainvillea and lush vines spill over everything, while plenty of jacarandas provide shade from the spring sun.
4. The Alameda Central
Nowhere evokes classic, turn-of-the-century Mexico City more than the Alameda Central. Among the stately trees and monuments, you can easily imagine elite defeños (those born in Mexico City) strolling down the main promenade in centuries past. In fact, the Alameda is the oldest public park in the Americas! The park forms a long, splendid walkway through downtown, in between Juarez and Hidalgo Avenues. The area was once an Aztec marketplace, and after the Spanish conquest, Mexico City’s new rulers established the park in 1592. They named it for the álamos, or poplar trees, that fill the park.
But for many decades now, the Alameda has been best known for the other famous tree that grows here: the jacaranda, of course. This is one of the undisputed best spots to see the purple blooms, and aerial shots of the Alameda show the full, spectacular effect.
5. The Bosque de Tlalpan
Finally, I encourage you to experience the wilder side of Mexico City spring and get a bit off-the-beaten track at the Bosque de Tlalpan. This expansive protected forest sits in the south of the city, providing much-needed green space among the fresh air and foothills. The Bosque de Tlalpan is best-beloved for its towering bougainvillea plants, showering the paths with magenta petals. On Sundays, head to the church at the entrance of the forest for a weekend market, pick up some fresh produce and homemade ice cream, and venture in for a spring picnic.
This is not a comprehensive list by any means — there are hundreds of fantastic spots to experience Mexico City spring. But I hope these inspire you to explore: just pick a Point A and start walking!
