Mexico City Health and Safety

Mexico City is often portrayed as an extremely crime-ridden city, so first-time visitors can be astonished to find how safe and human it feels. While the incidence of street crime remains too significant to deny the risks - express kidnappings, car thefts and muggings are a daily occurrence - there's no need to walk in fear whenever you step outside. A few precautions greatly reduce any dangers.

Robberies happen most often in areas frequented by foreigners, including the Bosque de Chapultepec, around the Museo Nacional de Antropología and the Zona Rosa. Be on your guard at the airport and bus stations, and remember to keep your bag between your feet when checking in. Avoid empty pedestrian underpasses. Crowded metro cars and buses are favorite haunts of pickpockets. Stay alert, keep your hand on your wallet and you'll be fine.

Unless absolutely necessary, avoid carrying ATM cards, credit cards or large amounts of cash. Most importantly, if you become a robbery victim, don't resist. Hand over your valuables rather than risking injury or death.

A far more immediate danger than muggings is traffic, which statistically takes more lives in the capital than street crime. Obvious as it sounds, always look both ways when crossing streets. Some one-way streets have bus lanes running counter to the traffic flow, and traffic on some divided streets runs in just one direction. Never assume that a green light means it's safe to cross, as cars may turn left into your path. It's useful to take the 'safety in numbers' approach, crossing with other pedestrians.