Mexico City's Turibus is an economical way to see the sights

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In April, I took my yearly trip to Mexico City to visit family, when my sister announced she wanted to ride the Turibus, a red double decker bus we've seen around the city on many occasions. I thought, "Oh, no way I'm going to be one of those wide-eyed tourists that seem lost in the big city riding the big red bus!"

After all, she has lived in the city for more than six years and I had visited over a dozen times. What else was there to see?

As it turned out, a lot.

The view from atop the bus revealed sights most visitors would otherwise miss.

If this is your first visit to Mexico City, the hop-on, hop-off Turibus is a must to get the lay of the land and shake off any fear of this enormous city.

The service has two routes: One covers the downtown area that includes the historic center, a few residential neighborhoods and Chapultepec, the vast park in the middle of the city. The second route covers the south side of the city with stops at many shopping malls and museums.

The two routes meet at the Plaza Cibeles, which showcases an enormous fountain depicting the Greek Earth goddess. There, you can transfer buses and take full advantage of the two circuits.

Keep in mind that this is one of the largest cities on the planet, and despite Turibus claims that the downtown tour takes three hours, it may last much longer because of the traffic.

During our visit, we had to wait over an hour because President Barack Obama was visiting and many streets were closed.

Turibus stops are clearly labeled, and there are well-informed English-speaking attendants and security personnel.

Once onboard, we paid -- cash or American Express only -- and were handed bracelets that serve as a day ticket. We also received earphones so we could listen to a narration (available in six languages) of the points of interest along the way.

You can get on and off as many times as you want. And because my group included children and two elderly parents, we had to make a few stops for lunch and bathroom breaks. This allowed us to see a few areas we usually don't visit, like the tree-lined Condesa neighborhood, which offers a wonderful respite from the relentless sun. This neighborhood is famous for its bohemian lifestyle and has countless coffeeshops, restaurants and shops.

he best views of the city come from above. To get there, head to the Zocalo, Mexico City's central square.

Surrounded by colonial buildings and remnants of an Aztec temple, this is the very heart of the country. The presidential palace on one side and the main cathedral on the other have been standing since before Mexico gained independence in 1810.

The square is in what used to be the capital of the Aztec Empire. It had been surrounded by a lake that was filled in by Spanish conquistadors.

Most of the colonial buildings were built with stones taken from temples and palaces the Aztecs built and red volcanic stone. The elaborate Catedral Metropolitana de la Ciudad de Mexico -- one of the largest cathedrals in Latin America with a predominantly Baroque interior and altars in gold leaf -- is a reminder of how important this city was during the colonial era.

The Turibus route that goes through the city's southern end is quite different from the downtown route and stops at eight major museums. If you had to pick, I'd suggest the Anthropology Museum and the Museum of Modern Art. The Anthropology Museum is an overwhelming repository of artifacts from ancient cultures. The highlight is the Aztec Calendar, also known as the Stone of the Sun. The second museum houses works of art from famous painters like Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera.

This route also winds through Coyoacán, a quaint little neighborhood. The cobblestone streets and Sunday market on the central square make for a festive walk. Along the way grab some ice cream, available in many peculiar flavors such as avocado and rice pudding.

This route also stops at the university campus.

If time is a concern, stick to the downtown route. It offers the most excitement and historic places to visit in a short amount of time.

On the second to last stop downtown, we rode up to the top floor of the Sears store on Hidalgo Avenue, where a coffeeshop with a big terrace offers a sweeping view of the city -- and the Palacio de Bellas Artes across the street, a Beaux Arts building with an imposing mosaic dome that houses a theater and museum.

As we enjoyed coffee, cake and the view in the late afternoon, I thought about how wrong I was about what Mexico City has to offer.

It will always have undiscovered gems to explore and, perhaps, the best way to uncover them is from atop the big red bus.

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