Like any natural history museum worth its salt, this relatively small but impressive collection offers a fascinating glimpse into Earth's history with minerals, meteors, and dinosaur skeletons, all housed in a beautifully preserved, historic building that truly feels like stepping back in time. One of my personal favorites as a dinosaur aficionado, the architecture, curation, and contents make this a highly underrated and lesser-known experience.

Jumex in Polanco features artists like Damien Hirst, Andy Warhol, Jeff Koons, Cy Twombly, and David LaChapelle. Located in a striking, minimalist building by British architect David Chipperfield, it focuses on vanguard (albeit occasionally social-media bate-y) exhibits.

Founded in 1588 as a Jesuit college, San Ildefonso later became part of the National University of Mexico and a key cultural institution. It is closely linked to figures like Diego Rivera and houses important murals by Rivera, Orozco, and Siqueiros. The colonial building now hosts temporary exhibitions by artists such as Louise Bourgeois, alongside its historic collections. It also occasionally presents orchestral concerts in its beautiful auditorium, making it worth following their Instagram for updates.

A bit of a favorite of mine, Franz Mayer houses one of Latin America’s finest collections of decorative arts, including intricate ceramics, furniture, textiles, and silverwork from around the world in a gorgeously restored colonial building. Franz Mayer also hosts the World Press Photo annual exhibition and sometimes features top notch temporary exhibits, like one by Dutch artist Theo Jansen, known for his Strandbeest sculptures, which are wind-powered, skeletal structures that move around like mythical creatures.

This charming, informative, and interactive museum looks at economics, finance, money printing, global markets, and sustainable development. Housed in a majestic colonial building, MIDE features hands-on exhibits that make complex concepts easy to grasp and is engaging for all ages. You can absolutely enjoy it as a geeky adult, thousgh the interactive bits are, as far as I can remember, all in Spanish.

Dedicated to Mexican folk art, Arte Popular showcases an enormous variety of crafted objects including textiles, pottery, masks, alebrijes, and the famous Vochol, a vintage Volkswagen Beetle covered in intricate and explosively colorful Wixarica beadwork. Housed in a beautifully restored Art Deco building, the museum captures the creativity and artistic breadth of Mexico’s diverse regions.

San Carlos is one of the most period drama reminiscent/ Bridgerton-esque buildings in the city. I would visit just for the stunning circular courtyard, with the solid and wonderfully curated permanent collection and temporary exhibitions being a great added bonus. San Carlos has some truly unique pieces including medieval and gothic European art and paintings by masters by Rubens, Goya, Lucas Cranach the Elder, and Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun, the trailblazing artist known for her portraits of figures like Marie Antoinette.

The Museo Nacional de Arte (MUNAL), is one of my favorite buildings, with its elegant architecture and stunning grand central staircase. Showcasing Mexican art from the 16th century to the early 20th century including works by several iconic muralists, MUNAL is housed in the former Palace for Communications and Public Works, a stunning neoclassical building designed by Italian architect Silvio Contri. Across the street from Bellas Artes and Palacio de Correos (the Postal Palace), I cannot recommend seeing the stunning interior highly enough.

The Museo de Arte Moderno includes pieces by Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and Rufino Tamayo and is conveniently located in Chapultepec Park, a short walk from both Museo Tamayo and the Anthropology Museum. I personally like but don’t love this one. If you do want to go, my must-sees would be the foyer with its cool architecture and amber-colored dome and the serene sculpture garden.

This modern art museum has hosted outstanding exhibitions in recent years by artists such as Yayoi Kusama and Ragnar Kjartansson. While not every show is a standout, the striking building in the heart of Chapultepec Park, near Reforma, makes it well worth a visit. Museo Tamayo hosts a monthly jazz night on the last Wednesday of each month, including a drink and a guided tour. The surrounding lawns are perfect for a picnic, and the museum shop is excellent.