Xochimilco and Coyoacán trip review
4.0 from 357 reviews. That is the lowest rating on this site, and the tour keeps its page. A comparison that lists only winners is not a comparison. At MX$887.01 pesos for five hours it is the second most expensive city day trip here, and the single most useful line in its reviews is a traveler who timed the boat.
Somebody timed the boat
“Our guide and driver was great. Friendly, funny, and provided good information. The drive to Xochimilco is quite long due to heavy traffic. The boat ride lasted about 30 minutes. It was beautiful. It’s a must-do in Mexico City. Then, the village of Coyoacán was nice too.”
Thirty minutes. That is one reviewer’s account of one departure, not a published figure, and I have no operator statement on how long the canal segment runs. But set it beside the numbers I do have: a dedicated trajinera tour puts you on the water for two to two and a half hours and costs MX$260.81 less per person. If the canals are the reason you are going south, this is an expensive way to see half an hour of them.
The word that gives the day away is “lucky”
“Eduardo was prompt, informative and thoughtful. It was a great introduction to Mexico City. The boats are a long way out of town so we saw a lot of the suburbs. The boats were lovely colourful and enough time as it was busy on Sunday. We then went to Coyacan and had time to walk around the main square. The timetable was strict so we could have spent more time but we saw lots. We were lucky and were dropped near the Anthropological museum on our way to home which was very helpful.”
A strict timetable and a drop-off that happened because they got lucky. Both are honest descriptions of a coach day, and neither is a promise. Note also that this reviewer rated the trip five stars while describing the two things most likely to disappoint somebody else.
The exclusion that catches people: pickup is not hotel pickup
The operator includes pickup from the meeting point and excludes hotel pickup. It lists them separately, which means they are two different things and only one of them is yours. The meeting points are city-centre hotels — the InterContinental Presidente, the Royal Reforma, the Zócalo Central — so if you are staying at one of those the distinction is invisible, and if you are not, you are making your own way to somebody else’s lobby. Admission fees and a bilingual guide are included. Food, drink and gratuities are not.
The gap between the ten and the 357 is the widest here
All ten reviews in the pool are five stars. The average is 4.0. Of the eight products on this site that is the largest distance between what the sample shows and what the aggregate says, and it is the reason I would not book this on the strength of the quotes.
“For the price we paid, we found the tour to be excellent. Even though the van broke down, it was very close to our hotel and we just walked the remaining way. David and Ricardo were excellent.”
“Excellent tour at a very good price. Our driver/guide made us very welcome by translating everything into English and we really appreciated it! We learnt so much about the history of Mexico and it was fun to try the foods and buy souvenirs when we were on the canal boat. I would recommend this tour to anyone!”
A van breaking down survives inside a five-star review. Whatever pulled 357 ratings down to a 4.0 is not visible from here, and I am not going to guess at it.
What works
- Admission fees and a bilingual guide are in the price
- Xochimilco and Coyoacán in one five-hour block, with the driving handled
- Reviewers rate the guides and drivers highly and by name
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours
- Cheaper and shorter than the ten-hour Frida Kahlo day
Worth knowing
- 4.0 across 357 reviews is the weakest rating on this site
- Hotel pickup is excluded; only pickup from the listed meeting point is included
- One reviewer timed the canal segment at about thirty minutes
- The timetable is strict, and the drive south is long in traffic
- Food, drinks and gratuities are excluded
If a coach day is what you want, compare it against the ten-hour option before you book, and if the canals are what you want, book a trajinera tour and travel down separately. Do not buy a five-hour day for a thirty-minute boat ride.
Who it suits
Somebody on a short city break who wants Coyoacán, wants to glimpse the canals, and values not organising the transport — and who has read the 4.0 and decided it is a risk worth taking. Anyone whose priority is the water should read the traditional trajinera review instead.
Compare it with these
Most reviewedTransport from the city includedCDMX: Xochimilco, Coyoacán with Frida Kahlo & Optional Lunch
Cheapest & best ratedXochimilco: Traditional Boat Sightseeing Tour, Culture and Fun
Frequently asked questions
Why is a 4.0-rated tour still on this site?
Because leaving it off would make the other seven look better than they are. It is the lowest rating here, its card says so, and this page says so. What you do with that is your call.
How long is the boat ride on the Coyoacán trip?
The operator does not publish a figure for the canal segment. One reviewer, rating it five stars, writes that the boat ride lasted about thirty minutes. That is a single account of a single departure, and it is the only number anyone has put on it.
Does this tour include hotel pickup?
No. Pickup from the meeting point is included and hotel pickup is excluded — the operator lists both, separately. The meeting points are city-centre hotels, so check whether yours is one of them.
Is it better than the Frida Kahlo day trip?
They are different lengths at similar prices: five hours here against nine to ten, and 4.0 across 357 reviews against 4.4 across 3,894. Neither is a boat tour. If the trajinera is the point, both are the wrong purchase.