The Metro, or subway, is clean, quiet, user-friendly and a bargain to boot. It is also the quickest way to zip from the heart of the Centro Historico (Zocalo, Allende or Pino Suarez stations), to the Zona Rosa (Insurgentes station), ChapultepecPark, or University City. A single ticket, sold at booths inside the station (which also offer free subway maps), costs two pesos.

Stations are marked with an "M" logo, and you can transfer between nine lines at no additional cost. Trains run from 5 or 6 a.m. (7 a.m. Sundays and holidays) to half past midnight (1:30 a.m. Saturdays) and each station displays a map of the network indicating where you are and how to get to where you're going. Subway guards can help. At peak morning and afternoon hours the most trafficked lines are so packed that separate cars are provided for men and women. Avoid the subway during rush hour and watch your wallet or purse when taking any public transit.