Hidalgo Metro station, an interesting 15-minute walk from Palacio de These minibuses, originally called peseros because a ride cost one peso, but now also known as colectivos or combis, shuttle along fixed routes. They're usually white with different colored stripes, mostly green or maroon. Just flag one down at the corner, if there's room for another person, it will stop.

The minimum fare is two pesos. The farther you go, the higher the fare, though never more than four or five pesos. Visitors find peseros most convenient along Reforma, as they shuttle between the Auditorio Nacional in ChapultepecPark all the way to the Basilica de Guadalupe.

To get downtown by pesero, look for one marked "Hidalgo" (destinations are posted in the lower right-hand corner of the windshield). It will leave you at the Bellas Artes, and 30 minutes from the Zocalo. Returning via pesero is more difficult. You can take the subway from the Zocalo to the Hidalgo station and take a pesero from there.