Mexico City

If ancient Aztec ruins and colonial-style architecture aren’t your thing, try the futuristic Museo Soumaya instead. The spaceship-like silver building is owned by billionaire investor Carlos Slim, who in 2013 was the world’s richest man for the fourth year in a row. Though the shiny, new building went up in 2011, inside you’ll find decidedly more traditional fare, from works by European masters such as Henri Matisse and Auguste Rodin to Mexican muralist Diego Rivera.

Put simply, you would be crazy not to make exploring the vast range of culinary offerings a number one priority on any trip to this colorful capital. From tacos & tamales sold by street vendors to haute cuisine in one of the city’s posh neighborhoods, the kaleidoscopic array of authentic flavors will make you wonder how you could ever stomach another bean burrito.

From the time of the Aztecs, indigenous ingredients have been the bedrock of Mexican cooking. Feeling adventurous? Try a blue corn quesadilla with huitlacoche, a savory black fungus that grows on maize plants. Or marvel at the unique medley of chili peppers, nuts, chocolate & a dozen other ingredients that fuse together to make a dark, rich mole poblano sauce. Not feeling Mexican tonight? Don't worry. Mexico City's international range of restaurants spans from Argentine churrasco to sushi.

Mexicans love (and hate) their big, beautiful mess of a country, but Chilangos — Mexico City residents — are also internationally minded creatures. Hence you have giant events like the annual Vive Latino music festival, models who flaunt the latest trends during Fashion Week Mexico, and cutting-edge contemporary art in places like the Museo de Arte Carrillo Gil.

Then there's Mexico City's wacky side. Ever wonder what it's like to see more than 10,000 people attempt to break the record for the world's largest zombie walk? Stay awhile, and you just might find out.

The best starting point to soak in the teeming life of Mexico City is the Centro Historico, where the capital’s rich Aztec and colonial cultures collide with the modern-day bustle of a megalopolis. At the heart of the historic center is the Plaza de la Constitución, or Zócalo, one of the largest public squares in the world. There you’ll find the excavated ruins of the ancient city of Tenochtitlan just steps from a massive cathedral built by the Spanish at the height of their power.

In a city this big, there's plenty to explore outside the Zócalo as well. For art lovers, visiting the Frida Kahlo Museum in Coyoacán is practically mandatory. Along with artwork by Kahlo and her husband, Diego Rivera, it's chock full of personal items and photos from her lifetime.

Mexico City may not be the first place to come to mind for a family trip, but it has plenty to offer kids, from masked wrestlers to roller coasters. A good place to launch a day with the family is Chapultepec Park, where you can choose from spending time at the zoo, exploring pre-hispanic artifacts in the National Museum of Anthropology or enjoying carnival rides at the Feria de Chapultepec.

Mexico City is no health-obsessed Los Angeles, but like any giant city it has a niche for every activity. Hikers can scale the mountains that ring the capital below, bikers have free reign of major throughways Sunday mornings, and yogis can find their zen at studios in posh Polanco and other neighborhoods.

Shopping in Mexico City can suit anybody's wallet. If you're a bargain hunter, the city's many tianguis, or open-air markets, and small shops in the Centro Historico are where to find everything from clothing to crafts to pirated DVDs. In more fashionable establishments, such as the chic boutiques of Polanco and Roma or department stores like the Palacio de Hierro, prices for clothing, electronics and other goods can meet or surpass those in the United States.

If there's something Mexicans know how to do, it's party. Whether dancing until the sun comes up at Ragga Antara or knocking back a mescal old fashioned at Licorería Limantour, you're sure to come across those creatures of the night peculiar to Mexico's big cities: the "Mirrey," a shirt-unbuttoned wealthy party boy, and his groupies, short-skirted "lobuki" women. Think 'Real Housewives,' but decades younger and (hopefully) more attractive.

The holy grail of cool? M.N. Roy is a club so exclusive, entrance is theoretically for members only. Named after the founder of the Mexican communist party, the door is worked by a transsexual former model, actress and singer named Zemmoa.