Packing list for Mexico City and the highlands
Mexico City sits at 2,240 meters: strong sun, mornings around 46°F (8°C), afternoons around 75°F (24°C) and a hard rain at about 5 p.m. from June to September. What to bring for the capital, Oaxaca and San Miguel.
On a phone with Waystop installed, the button adds the list to your trip as a bag you can tick off. Otherwise copy it and paste it into Waystop’s Chat with “add this to my packing list”.
Checked October 10, 2026.
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0/4What the weather is like
At 2,240 meters, afternoons are 72 to 79°F (22 to 26°C) all year and nights fall to 46 to 54°F (8 to 12°C). November to April is dry; May to October brings a hard rain most afternoons around five. Oaxaca sits lower, at about 1,550 meters, and runs warmer by day; San Miguel and Guanajuato are near 2,000 meters.
- ShortsAlmost nobody wears them in the city. Light pants fit in and handle the evening chill.
- A heavy coatA jacket over a sweater covers the coldest night.
- The habit of drinking tap waterEveryone here drinks bottled or filtered water, including locals.
- Bottled waterEvery OXXO has it. Keep a large bottle in the room.
- A rebozo or a serapeMarket stalls sell them for a few hundred pesos, and one doubles as the layer for terrace dinners.
- ElectrolitOXXO and pharmacies sell this Mexican rehydration drink cheaply, and it is the local fix for an altitude headache.
Worth knowing
- Take day one slowly and drink water. Altitude headaches are real for the first two days.
- Take an Uber after dark and ride the metro by day with your phone in a front pocket.
- Museums close Mondays. Frida Kahlo books out two weeks ahead, so keep the confirmation on your phone at the door.
Trips to pack this for
Never leave the charger in the hotel again.
Waystop keeps a list for each bag and each person. On the morning you change hotels it walks you through a quick pack-up check, and Chat can suggest items to add when you ask what to bring.