New Hostels Open in Mexico City

It’s easier for budget adventurers to explore one of the world’s largest cities now that Mexico City has opened two new centrally located hostels.

Hostel Catedral stands in the Zocalo (or central plaza), in the heart of the city’s main historic district. It is behind the Roman Catholic cathedral and close to the Great Temple of the Aztecs, where excavation began in 1981.

The hostel is one block from the Zocalo subway station, from which you can reach other key tourist sites, including the Anthropology Museum, Chapultepec Park (lakes, woods, museums and zoo) and the Zona Rosa (the fashionable area of downtown).

The hostel, opened earlier this year, has 170 beds available (in shared rooms with four to six beds). Early next year, 209 beds should be ready. The restaurant serves Mexican and Italian specialties, and there is a kitchen for guests, plus six Internet-enabled terminals, laundry facilities and a travel agency.

Until Jan. 1, an overnight stay costs $9, which includes breakfast. After Jan. 1, the price increases to $12. Credit cards are accepted.

Hostel Catedral is at Guatemala 4, Colonia Centro, Mexico City; telephone 011-52-5-662-8244, fax 011-52-5-663-1556.

Less than a five-minute walk from there is the affiliated Hostel Home, a cozy 20-bed facility at Tabasco 303, Colonia Roma, Mexico City, tel./fax 011-52-5-511-2698.

It costs $8 a night and has 24-hour access, a kitchen for guests, a TV room, tourist information and bicycle rentals.

Photos and details on both hostels are available at Internet https://www.remaj.com. Both are affiliated with Hostelling International. From either, you can make reservations for other affiliated hostels in Mexico.

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Lucy Izon is a Toronto-based freelance writer. Internet https://www.izon.com.