Jacaranda walking tour CDMX

Jacarandas in Polanco

March to April is a beautiful time in Mexico City, when the jacaranda trees turn a jewel-coloured purple, colouring the city from parks, to busy highways to walking paths. Here is a 4.5 km walking tour of Polanco via jacarandas in bloom.

In 1892 a Japanese gardener named Tatsugoro Matsumoto came to Mexico on his way to Peru. While in Mexico, he fell in love with the people and the city, so after his South American tour he took a position as a gardener for a wealthy miner in Hidalgo. This lead to work with the elite of Condesa and eventually with President Porfirio Díaz who commissioned Matsumoto to do flower arrangements for Chapultepec Castle and the surrounding forest. President Pascual Ortiz Rubio asked Matsumoto to plant cherry trees throughout the city to add some colour, but Matsumoto said cherry trees would never survive the climate, however the jacaranda of Brazil would.

Starting from the Museum of Anthropology in Chapultepec Park, you can see many trees in bloom over the arts and crafts stalls, in front of the museum and even inside the courtyard of the museum by the fountain.

Continue from the museum up Schiller towards the Campos Eliseos roundabout where there are a cluster of trees in the middle of the roundabout next to Bakers cafe where you can sit outside under the jacarandas. Continue up Campos Eliseos to the next roundabout, by Saks restaurant where there are more trees. Turn right on Lamartine until you come to Horacio and turn left on Horacio. Walk along the boulevard towards Parque America.

In Parque America there are many trees surrounding the park, benches, fountains and the church. Continue up Horacio, looking down side streets as you go for splashes of purple!

Walk up Horacio to Av. Moliere, turn left on Moliere then right on Av. Ciceron where trees line the boulevard, side streets and stately homes.

When Ciceron ends, turn right on Cuernavaca. You will see a pedestrian bridge on your left. Take a detour by turning left and going up the bridge so you can get up close to the blossoms, then walk back down the bridge, as you actually want to go right on Cuernavaca. Continue on Cuernavaca along the rail road tracks.

Keep walking along the train tracks for a few blocks until you come to Cervantes Saavedra and the Aquarium and the Museo Soumaya. There are many beautiful trees in this area, but some of the nicest ones are actually blooming outside the Costco car park! This ends the 4.5 km walk, you can have a taco at one of the many outdoor stalls or check out the museum. Or, as I did, off to Costco for all the groceries!