Mexico City with Gail Simmons

April 6 - 10, 2025 | One Exclusive Departure

Savor Mexico City

Experience Mexico City’s vibrant culture and flavors with Gail Simmons

April 6 - 10, 2025 | 5 Days, 4 Nights

“I was blown away by how flawlessly Modern Adventure executed this trip. You exceeded my every expectation.”
Joan P.

Questions? Text or call us
+1 (855) 219-8018

$8,000

Per person based on double occupancy.

Food Expert, Author & Top Chef Judge, Gail Simmons

A hand-drawn graphic collage for Mexico City featuring a map silhouette, a plate of street tacos with lime, ornate traditional pottery, and craft cocktail tools. This gold and black illustration captures the diverse culinary and artisanal highlights of a Mexico city guide.

You’ve just wandered into the local market, yet somehow, it feels like you’ve stumbled upon a different dimension — one in which color and texture reign supreme. Here, line cooks flash in lightning-fast streaks, while towers of marzipan vie for space with sticky tarugos and mangos the color of the sunshine. This week you’ve met chefs and artisans at the peak of their craft; you’ve contemplated Aztec stone sculptures and wandered the halls of Frida Kahlo’s candy-colored home. Later today, you’ll float alongside mariachi bands in Xochimilco’s ancient canals, but right now, immersed in the electric hum of market life, you feel it deep in your bones: this is Mexico City, exhilarating, intimate, and exquisitely high-definition.

Trip Highlights

  • Cruise the Xochimilco canals
  • Visit Frida Kahlo's Casa Azul
  • Tour the capital's markets with Gail
  • Experience the fine dining scene
  • Take a historical food tasting tour
  • Cook authentic Mexican recipes with Gail
  • Artisanal mezcal tasting
  • Lucha Libre fight

3 Reasons to Travel with Gail Simmons

For fans of Bravo’s Top Chef, watching Gail Simmons critique a dish on national TV can feel like a conversation you might share over lunch with your smart, food-obsessed BFF. She’s real; she’s funny. She “gets it.” As an award-winning TV host, executive producer and forever judge on the #1 food show in U.S. history, Gail has helped shape the way Americans eat, cook, and think about food for 20 years.

The Past is Prologue

Gail is forever amazed by the sophistication of Mexico’s regional cuisines. With her, we’ll see first-hand how chefs and home cooks transform simple ingredients like masa, rice, tomatoes, chiles and chocolate into complex, fascinating plates, blending centuries of culinary tradition with modern ideas of what food is and can be.

The Potluck Club

Over her long career at the top of the food media landscape, Gail has nurtured friendships with some of Mexico City’s best chefs, media personalities, and designers. We can’t wait to get to know this vibrant, cosmopolitan city with Gail and her brilliant, delicious community.

Connecting the Dots

Gail has spent her career thinking and learning about food — what distinguishes an extraordinary dish from one that’s “just great?” How do world cultures, weather patterns and waves of migration mingle with flavors and people’s lives to create new cuisines? Where better to continue the exploration than in Mexico City?

Day by Day

*On rare occasions, this itinerary may change.

Day 1: Mexico City

April 6, Sun

Bienvenidos a México! Our exploration of the captivating capital—CDMX—kicks off at our stylish basecamp nestled in the heart of the Reforma district, a neighborhood distinguished by Bosque de Chapultepec, the city’s largest park.

After settling in, we’ll hit the streets in search of the city’s best tacos, beer, and mezcal. We’ll sashay through iconic neighborhoods like San Rafael, Anzures, La Roma, and La Condesa and dip into diverse taquerías, trying taco styles from ‘al pastor’ to regional specialties. The final stop unfolds at Mexico City’s first ever mezcal bar, where you’ll savor smoky, sweet, and herbal flavors with the help of a resident mezcalero.

It’s a prefect moment to cheers the beginning of this incredible journey together.

Tastemaker Moment: Gail will toast our journey together and share her love for Mexico City.
Hands holding clay cups and an orange slice with chile salt for a mezcal tasting, Oaxaca

Day 2: Mexico City

April 7, Mon

Today is all about celebrating Mexico City’s most cherished culinary traditions. We’ll begin our morning at the neighborhood market, weaving our way through stalls bursting with gem-toned produce and fresh, leafy herbs. As a special treat, Chef Alfredo Chavez—a trailblazer in the city’s dining scene—will guide us through the market’s unique ebb and flow, introducing us to their favorite vendors and sharing their tips for choosing the choicest ingredients.

Baskets brimming with market finds, we’ll move next to the kitchen, rolling up our sleeves for a hands-on cooking class. As the drinks flow, we’ll help Alfredo prepare a full spread of fresh appetizers, traditional mains, and decadent regional desserts. Each course is a fascinating glimpse into Mexico’s rich culinary history and a dazzling component of the family-style lunch we’ll tuck into afterwards.

The evening is yours to embellish. See you in the morning.

Tastemaker Moment: Gail will collaborate with Alfredo for a truly stunning meal.
Blue corn tortilla with shredded meat, avocado, and pickled onion.

Day 3: Mexico City

April 8, Tue

This morning, we dive straight into the heart and soul of Mexico City with a food-centric exploration through the city’s historic center. Alongside our expert local guide, we’ll wind through sweeping plazas and marvel at the city’s most iconic monuments, popping into local cantinas and buzzing markets as we go. Between bites of Aztec-inspired fare and street-food favorites, we’ll chat with some of the city’s most beloved makers and chefs, learning their stories and gleaning their best food tips.

Feeling inspired from the morning’s bites and sites, we’ll head back to the hotel for a little siesta. Just make sure you set an alarm because a Lucha Libre fight awaits us in the evening. After two hours of cheering for our heroes and whistling at the heels, we’ll go our separate ways for a night on our own.

Masked Lucha Libre wrestlers mid-match in a wrestling ring at Arena México in Mexico City

Day 4: Mexico City

April 9, Wed

Today, we head south through the city to Coyoacan, the dreamy tree-lined neighborhood that Frida Kahlo once called home. We’ll pay homage to the iconic artist with a tour of Casa Azul, the cobalt blue residence Frida shared with her husband, Diego Rivera. It’s a heartfelt, deeply personal ode to the artist’s legacy, and we’ll wander through intimate exhibitions of folk art and memorabilia to gain a profound understanding of Frida’s life and inspiration.

Afterwards, we’ll continue in Frida’s footsteps with a stop at her favorite shopping spot. Inside Coyoacan’s two-story marketplace, stalls overflow with artisanal crafts and all matters of mouthwatering bites, from tostadas piled high with ceviche to mangos carved into intricate roses.

We’ll all but float to our next destination: In Xochimilco, we’ll trade land for water, hopping aboard colorful gondolas to glide through canals built by the Aztecs. As michelada vendors float past and mariachi music sails through the air, we’ll learn more about the historic agricultural islands that continue to feed the city today.

Our farewell dinner is truly stunning. Set above the Paseo Reforma and curated by an all-star chef, our traditional meal is the perfect exclamation mark to an exceptional adventure.

Tastemaker Moment: Gail will lead a round of farewell toasts
Brightly painted trajinera boats floating along the canals of Xochimilco, Mexico City

Day 5: Departures

April 10, Thu

Alas, all beautiful things must come to an end. We’ll say our farewells and cherish all the new connections we’ve made, filling up on one last exquisite breakfast before private transfers to the airport. Hasta la proxima!

A sunlit view of contemporary urban architecture in Mexico City, featuring the striking hexagonal-tiled exterior of the Museo Soumaya alongside sleek glass skyscrapers. This scene in the vibrant Polanco neighborhood captures the fusion of art, culture, and modern design that defines a luxury Mexico city tour.

People Love MO/AD's Mexico

Mexico 2020_Artistic gourmet dish served on a turquoise ceramic plate, topped with edible flowers, seeds, cream, and caviar, showcasing modern Mexican cuisine.
Mexico 2020_Tall cacti and spiky palm trees stand under a clear blue sky, capturing the dry, sunny landscape typical of southern Mexico.
Mexico 2020_Two women enjoy a lively conversation while sitting on a bright yellow and red wooden boat along a calm canal, surrounded by greenery on the banks.
Mexico 2020_A beautiful historic church with twin bell towers and a pink-trimmed white facade, framed by leafy green trees against a clear blue sky.
Mexico 2020_A striking street mural of a man’s face with colorful circles in the background, while a man rides past on a bicycle in the foreground.
Mexico 2020_Large tropical green leaves growing in front of a rustic terracotta-colored wall, with small vines hanging above.
Mexico 2020_Ornate golden baroque altar inside a grand cathedral with towering stone columns, high vaulted ceilings, and visitors seated on wooden pews.
Mexico 2020_A woman in a pink apron grilling meat over open flames at a bustling market stall, with fresh cuts of meat displayed behind glass.
Mexico 2020_Two smiling women in vibrant purple and orange dresses perform a traditional folkloric dance, twirling their skirts in a lively street celebration.
Mexico 2020_A hand holds a refreshing cocktail in a clear glass, garnished with a curled cucumber slice and a sprig of herbs, served in a lively social setting.
Mexico 2020_A collection of pre-Hispanic clay figurines with expressive faces and outstretched arms on display in a museum, showcasing traditional Mesoamerican artistry.
Mexico 2020_A contemporary Mexican gourmet dish plated on a white bowl-shaped plate, featuring a piece of fish topped with herbs, seeds, and edible flowers, with a green sauce base for an artistic presentation.
Mexico 2020_Colorful trajineras, traditional Mexican flat-bottomed boats, lined up along the canal with people enjoying a ride, surrounded by trees and festive decorations.
Mexico 2020_Taquero slicing meat from a large trompo al pastor inside a taquería, with flames roasting the marinated pork.
Mexico 2020_Tabletop view of people sharing a traditional Mexican meal with grilled meats, tortillas, guacamole, and salsas in a lively communal setting.
Mexico 2020_Colorful trajineras navigate the canals of Xochimilco as people enjoy boat rides surrounded by vibrant decorations and greenery.
Mexico 2020_Blue corn quesadilla served on a rustic stone plate with a side of fresh guacamole, accompanied by traditional drinks on a wooden table.
Mexico 2020_Entrance to the Mercado Artesanal Mexicano with arched gates, colorful facade, and people walking by on the street.
“
“The amount of culture and history our local guide provided surpassed my expectations. I learned more in four days than I would have with a month on my own.”
Chris S.
“
I loved how incredibly knowledgeable our local guide was.
Stephen F.
“
Being in a like-minded group of curious travelers pushed me outside my comfort zone to try new foods, explore new perspectives and even fly in a hot-air balloon over the pyramids!
Laura A.

Where We Sleep

A chic oasis in the heart of Mexico City, our hotel is luxuriously intimate and the ideal portal to the thriving metropolis below.

*On rare occasions, our hotels will change. Our standards for luxury and authenticity will not.

A sleek indoor infinity-style pool in Mexico City featuring modern dark textured walls, wooden decking, and large windows overlooking the city. This high-end wellness space captures the sophisticated urban retreat experience available during a Mexico getaway.

Sofitel Mexico City

Reforma District

Brimming with stylish details and out-of-this world views, Sofitel epitomizes the French art de vivre from Mexico City’s most enviable zip code. Sumptuous rooms come equipped with elegant marble bathrooms and all the luxuries you'd expect, while the rooftop bar and 38th-floor pool add to the sublime experience.

Brightly painted trajinera boats floating on the canals of Xochimilco, Mexico City

Book Mexico City with Gail Simmons

Number of Travelers

Payment

Reserve your spot today with a $1,500 per-person deposit plus room supplements (if relevant). Please see our terms and conditions for full payment details.

$8,000

Per person based on double occupancy.

Can't travel on these dates?
Call us at
+1 (855) 219-8018

Looking for a Private Trip?

In addition to our Tastemaker trips, we also design some of the most incredible private travel experiences available. We are a full service agency and our travel designers are ready to craft your next adventure.

Design Your Trip

Questions?

That’s OK, we have answers.
Read our FAQs below. Or text or call us at +1 (855) 219-8018 to speak with a Modern Adventure Trip Specialist.

  1. What does the price include?

    Four nights at unique 5-star boutique accommodations; private travel for all day trips and excursions; arrival and departure airport transfers; private tours with local guides and cultural experts; exclusive VIP access and tastings; guided activities, adventures and expeditions; entrance fees; daily breakfasts, most lunches and dinners; local beverages with meals.

  2. What does the price not include?

    International roundtrip airfare; travel insurance; activities not included in the trip itinerary; hotel incidentals including room service, laundry service and hotel bar tabs; food and beverages not included in itinerary; gratuity for tour leader.

  3. Where does the trip start and end?

    Our adventure begins and ends at the Galería Hotel in Mexico City, Mexico. The closest airport is Mexico City International Airport (MEX). On our final day, Modern Adventure will organize a complimentary transfer to MEX airport for all guests with flights departing at 12pm or later from MEX airport.

    Detailed arrival and departure guidance is provided in your post-purchase trip materials, including recommended routes, transfer options, and timing considerations. If you have specific questions before booking, our team is always happy to help.

  4. What travel documents are needed?

    US citizens are not required to have a visa to enter Mexico for stays up to 180 days. The only requirement is a valid passport. We recommend that your passport is valid for 6 calendar months beyond your planned departure date from Mexico. On arrival at the airport, you will be issued a visitor’s permit, known as a FMM (Forma Migratoria Multiple).

    Not a US citizen? Please check with the Mexican Embassy or Consulate for information and requirements.

  5. Do I need to pay a solo traveler supplement?

    For solo travelers, there is a $2,500 single-supplement fee—paid at the time of booking to secure a private room. These spots are extremely limited; we recommend booking early to secure single accommodations.

  6. Who is going on this trip?

    Our adventures typically have between 10 and 20 guests, and our Modern Adventure Team. Our experiences are fun and inclusive and you can expect to be joined by a diverse group in terms of age, background and interests—including solo travelers, couples and friends traveling together. This adventure is for travelers age 18 and above.

  7. Who is leading this trip?

    This trip is led by an expert Modern Adventure trip leader. They’re an experienced travel guide, a representative of Modern Adventure and your go-to person for questions or concerns on the trip. We’ll be joined throughout our adventure by local, expert guides who are deeply knowledgeable with respect to local cultures, customs and history and are passionate about sharing that with us.

  8. Do I need Travel Insurance?

    We highly recommend purchasing travel insurance. Travel insurance allows you to seek reimbursement for your trip costs; if your trip plans change for unforeseeable reasons, or if you need to get medical help, emergency transport, and for theft, loss or damage of items while traveling. For best coverage, always insure the full trip cost within two weeks of your initial trip deposit and note that most ‘Cancel For Any Reason’ policies must be purchased on the date of your initial deposit.

  9. What is the cancellation policy?

    We understand plans can change. Here’s how cancellation fees are incurred depending on when you let us know:

    • More than 150 days before departure: $1,500 per person deposit
    • 150–121 days before departure: 50% of the total trip price
    • 120 days or less before departure: 100% of the total trip price

    For the full details, please see our terms and conditions.

  10. When will my final balance be due?

    Your payment schedule depends on how far in advance you book your trip:

    • At the time of booking: Pay your $1,500 deposit per person.
    • 180 days before departure: 50% of your trip cost is due.
    • 120 days before departure: Full balance is due.

    We’ll send you secure payment links and reminders before each due date to make the process easy. If you book within 120 days of your trip, the remaining balance is due within 10 days.

  11. Is this trip the right fit for me?

    Modern Adventure trips are active, immersive small-group experiences. Our itineraries often involve sustained walking and standing throughout the day, including stairs, uneven terrain, cobblestones, unpaved paths, and moving between experiences at a pace that keeps the day flowing for the group.

    These experiences are not suitable for travelers who require physical mobility assistance, personal care support, or significant itinerary modifications in order to participate. In many destinations, accommodations for significant physical limitations may not be possible without materially altering the experience for the individual traveler or the group.

    All travelers are responsible for informing Modern Adventure of any physical limitations, medical considerations, or concerns before booking, or as early as possible before departure. Please don’t hesitate to contact us before booking if you have any questions. We want every traveler to feel confident, comfortable, and fully prepared for the journey ahead.

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“I’d had Oaxacan food before, but few restaurants served meals like this—'celebration food' worth the effort only for births and weddings. And, apparently, for Modern Adventure.”

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