In Mexico City, Christmas ends on 6 January, with Dia de Reyes, Three Kings Day, when children wake to gifts from the Three Kings and families gather to share a rosca de reyes.
Wednesday 6 January 2027 is the fixed feast of Epiphany, and one of the warmest days of the Mexican calendar to land in. Bakeries fill their windows with ring shaped bread, and the city slows down for one last holiday.
What is happening
Dia de Reyes, Three Kings Day, is celebrated on 6 January in Mexico. It is Epiphany, the twelfth day after Christmas, marking the day the Wise Men, Melchor, Gaspar and Baltazar, are believed to have visited the Christ Child. Mexican children receive gifts from the Three Kings, sometimes placed in shoes left out overnight, with hay left as food for the kings animals.
The centerpiece is the rosca de reyes. Rosca means wreath and Reyes means kings: a sweet bread shaped in a wreath, topped with candied fruit, with a small figurine of a baby baked inside, now plastic, once porcelain or tin. Family and friends gather to share it, usually with hot chocolate, coffee or atole, each person cutting their own slice. Whoever finds the figurine becomes the symbolic godparent of the child and hosts the party on Dia de la Candelaria, Candlemas, on 2 February, when the food is tamales. Bakers now hide several figurines, so the duty can be shared.
The symbolism runs through the bread itself. Its shape stands for a crown, the crown of King Herod, from whom Mary and Joseph hid the infant Jesus. The dried fruit on top are the jewels on that crown, and the figurine is the baby in hiding. In Mexico City, bakeries named for a good rosca include El Globo, Pasteleria Ideal in the Centro Historico, and La Vasconia, which has a restaurant section too. Roscas sell from the days after Christmas into the second week of January, so buy on arrival rather than hope for leftovers.
Getting there after you land
Most visitors land at Benito Juarez International, MEX, about 13 km east of the Zocalo, with two terminals linked by a free shuttle and the Aerotren. Felipe Angeles is a different airport 50 km north. See our Mexico City airport to center transfer guide for every option, priced and compared. On 6 January, expect a holiday rhythm: bakeries busy from morning, and the evening rosca cutting as the main event.
Metro Line 5Cheapest
From Terminal Aerea station by Terminal 1, with a transfer into Centro. Tough with big luggage, unbeatable on price.
Metrobus Line 4
Direct from both terminals to the Centro Historico and Buenavista in dedicated lanes, with room for luggage.
Uber and DiDi
Usually the cheapest door to door option, with the price locked in the app. Meet the driver at the designated pickup zone.
The full first hour: Mexico City guide
The ride in, the first ticket and the first meal, plus where to stay in Mexico City.
Where to stay, and getting back
For a Splurge, Gran Hotel Ciudad de Mexico, at 16 de Septiembre 82 in the Centro Historico, is an Art Nouveau landmark on the Zocalo with a Tiffany stained glass ceiling and a rooftop terrace facing the Cathedral, a short walk from the big Centro bakeries. For Mid-range, Hotel Historico Central, at Simon Bolivar 28, is a colonial era mansion whose 24 hour cafe has breakfast, coffee and snacks included around the clock. For Budget, Hostal Amigo, at Isabel la Catolica 61-A, is a backpacker base with dorms, private rooms and a free breakfast buffet.
Centro is the right base for this feast: the bakeries, the Zocalo and the museums are all on foot. For getting back, Metrobus Line 4 serves both terminals from about 04:30.
The first hour, sorted
Sort data before you leave the terminal, because rideshare pickups, maps and translation all depend on it: the guide names an Airalo eSIM for Mexico, installed before you fly, with Saily as the alternative and Telcel starter packs at the airport OXXO stores. Use an ATM inside the terminal for your first pesos and decline its conversion offer. Cards work in most Centro and Roma restaurants and hotels, while markets, street stalls and many taquerias are cash only, so carry small bills, not least for a bakery queue.
For a first meal, the guide sends you to El Cardenal on Calle Palma 23 for breakfast: hot chocolate whisked at the table, warm conchas with nata and chilaquiles done properly. On 6 January, buy the rosca early, while the full range is still on the shelves. Book timed tickets ahead: the Casa Azul sells its slots online only, and INAH museum entry runs about $210 MXN for foreign visitors.
Take the altitude seriously on day one. The city sits at 2,240 meters, so let the first outing be a gentle walk from the Zocalo to the Palacio de Bellas Artes.
Dia de Reyes is a feast you join rather than watch: buy the bread, cut your own slice, and hope your luck holds until February. This post is listed on the events calendar, and plan your trip lines up the days around it.
Xochimilco, Teotihuacan and the airport run, for the days around the feast.
Get the Mexico City first hour checklist by email
The ride in, the first ticket and the first meal, in the Mexico City guide PDF you can read on the plane.
The checklist, free, from After You Land.
What else is on
The events calendar tracks every guided city, strikes and stoppages included.
Events calendarLine up the rest
Plan your trip pulls the guide, the stays and the bookings for this trip into one place.
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