Renowned for its striking cerulean exterior, Casa Azul was the home and creative sanctuary of Kahlo and her artist husband Diego Rivera. This beautifully preserved house-turned-museum offers a glimpse into their world and showcases their impeccable taste in folk art, textiles and pre-colonial heirlooms. 

While much of Kahlo's artwork is in the hands of American collectors, the museum’s courtyard garden, canary yellow kitchen and Kahlo’s painstakingly illustrated spinal casts are well worth seeing. For those fascinated by 20th-century history, the Leon Trotsky House Museum, where Trotsky lived in exile and was eventually assassinated, is just around the corner. This preserved refuge, along with photographs on display of Kahlo and Trotsky as friends and comrades, will not disappoint. 

This museum and former home of Mexican architect Luis Barragán synthesises the traditional with the modern and is essential viewing for design aficionados. Everything has been frozen in place since Barragán’s death in 1988: overflowing kitchen cabinets filled with collectible chinaware, sanded mahogany floorboards and pistachio-coloured couches. The fuchsia- and ochre-painted walls are striped with light cascading in from the floor-to-ceiling windows and even his Cadillac still sits in the garage. 

Commissioned by President Porfirio Díaz, the Palacio de Bellas Artes unifies neoclassical and art nouveau styles in a stunning example of early 20th-century architecture. Diego Rivera’s towering communist murals are free to see on the third floor and the stained-glass concert hall below offers opera and orchestral performances at a reasonable price. 

Look out for Churrería El Moro, a short walk from the Palacio, which comes alive in the early evening with local families getting their fix of sweet, chocolatey churros. 

We recommend ASMALLWORLD members stay at The Four Seasons Hotel for its stunning pre-Hispanic architecture and central location. Alternatively, the Sofitel Mexico City Reforma boasts superb views of the city and is a short stroll from Michelin Guide restaurant Cariñito, which serves mouthwatering tacos with a Southeast-Asian twist.

Of course, you can find all these hotels and more on ASMALLWORLD Collection.