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    The long tezontle-red façade of the Palacio Nacional on the Zócalo, with the Mexican flag above its central balcony, Ciudad de México

    Photo by Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Palacio Nacional

    Landmark Cuauhtémoc, Ciudad de México Municipality of Cuauhtémoc Valley of Mexico

    Seat of power on Moctezuma's palace grounds, home of Diego Rivera's 'Epic of the Mexican People' murals; free guided tours with ID.

    From Toluca: 1 h 5 min by car (64 km by road) How to get there ↓

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    How to get to Palacio Nacional

    • From Toluca: about 1 h 5 min by road (~64 km)
    • Nearest airport: Mexico City (Felipe Ángeles) (NLU), 48 min by car to Tepotzotlán
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    Route, map and directions ↓

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    About Palacio Nacional

    The Palacio Nacional takes up the whole east side of the Zócalo, a tezontle-red façade more than 200 metres long, and has been the seat of power in Mexico for five centuries. It stands on the site of Moctezuma II's 'new houses', and much of its stone came from them. Hernán Cortés claimed the land and rebuilt it as his residence between 1521 and 1530; the Spanish Crown bought it from his heirs in 1562, and it became the palace of the viceroys. A riot on 8 June 1692 left it almost completely burnt, and it was rebuilt. After independence it housed presidents and Congress, and a third storey was added between 1926 and 1929. Since December 2018 it has again been the president's workplace and official residence.

    Most visitors come for Diego Rivera. Between 1929 and 1935 he covered the walls of the main staircase with 'The Epic of the Mexican People', a crowded panorama read in order: the Aztec world on the north wall, the long run of conquest, Inquisition, French intervention and Revolution in the centre, and on the south wall a socialist vision of the future, with Karl Marx pointing the way and Frida Kahlo among the figures. In the following years he painted a series of panels on the first-floor corridor around the central courtyard about the pre-Hispanic peoples, including 'The Great City of Tenochtitlan' (1945), with the bustling Tlatelolco market and the lake city behind it.

    Above the central balcony hangs the bell Miguel Hidalgo rang in Dolores in 1810, which the president rings each 15 September for the Grito. Inside, the Recinto Parlamentario recreates the chamber where Congress met from 1829 until a fire in 1872 and where the 1857 Constitution was drafted, and in the north wing are the rooms where Benito Juárez lived and died on 18 July 1872, now the Recinto Homenaje a Benito Juárez. The palace also has a botanical garden, first planted in the 18th century and re-established in 1999–2000.

    Because it is a working seat of government, visits are by free guided tour only, with a sign-up at the finance ministry's art museum around the corner. Tours can be cancelled without notice, and access is often limited around official events.

    How to get to Palacio Nacional

    Drive from Toluca: 1 h 5 min, 64 km

    The palace is the east side of the Zócalo. Metro Line 2's Zócalo/Tenochtitlan station has an exit right beside it. Tour registration is at the Museo de Arte de la Secretaría de Hacienda, Moneda 4, at the corner of the palace's north side, a two-minute walk from the station.

    Directions to Palacio Nacional on Google Maps

    Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.

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    From the nearest cities to Palacio Nacional

    Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic or stops. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.

    Before you go to Palacio Nacional: hours, prices and tips

    Hours
    Guided tours Tuesday to Sunday, with registration from 10 am. Route A (central courtyard, Rivera murals, Recinto Parlamentario) leaves at 11, 11:30, 12, 12:30, 1, 3 and 4 pm; route B (Juárez memorial and Patios Marianos) at 1:30 pm; tours in English at 10:30 am and 3:30 pm. Gobierno de México · checked Oct 2026
    Entry
    Free: all guided tours cost nothing. Gobierno de México · checked Oct 2026
    Best time of day
    Arrive early: places fill up, and you may be given a tour later in the day. Wikivoyage · checked Oct 2026
    Guide or tour
    Visits are by guided tour only. Sign up in person at the Museo de Arte de la Secretaría de Hacienda, Moneda 4; questions to [email protected]. Tours can be suspended without notice. Tours: Viator GetYourGuide INAH · checked Oct 2026
    Rules
    Adults over 18 must show official photo ID. Drinks, backpacks, bags and bulky items, caps, hats and sunglasses go to the cloakroom. Lifts give wheelchair access to the murals and the Recinto Parlamentario. Gobierno de México · checked Oct 2026

    Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.

    Visiting Palacio Nacional: what to see and do

    Climb the main staircase under Diego Rivera's 'Epic of the Mexican People' (1929–1935).
    Walk the first-floor corridor for Rivera's panels on the pre-Hispanic world, including 'The Great City of Tenochtitlan'.
    See the Recinto Parlamentario, the old chamber of Congress where the 1857 Constitution was written.
    Visit the Recinto Homenaje a Benito Juárez, the rooms where he lived and died.
    Cross the central courtyard and the Patios Marianos.
    From the Zócalo, look up at the central balcony and Hidalgo's bell.

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    Tours & activities

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    Rental cars

    Pick up a car at NLU (Mexico City (Felipe Ángeles)): about 48 min by road to Tepotzotlán, then 33 km more to Palacio Nacional, on your own schedule.

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    Flights

    The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Mexico City (Felipe Ángeles) (NLU), about 48 min by road from Tepotzotlán, the base for Palacio Nacional.

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    When to go to Palacio Nacional cool

    Palacio Nacional shares the climate of Tepotzotlán, 33 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, March, and December.

    See the month-by-month climate of Tepotzotlán

    The closest Pueblo Mágico: Tepotzotlán

    Churrigueresque facade and tower of San Francisco Javier with its atrium cross, Tepotzotlán, Estado de México cool
    Estado de México Tepotzotlán

    Tepotzotlán is the Pueblo Mágico closest to Palacio Nacional, with places to stay, food, and more to see.

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    Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.

    Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.