Touring Amid a City's Turmoil

For three days, I put the recommendations through my own tests, traipsing through markets, riding city buses and Metro trains, navigating rows of vendors along downtown streets and negotiating several neighborhoods in the wee hours.

Of course, as with any urban destination, I also applied common-sense rules: Carry minimal cash and only one credit card, leave the bling at home, keep cameras concealed when not in use and carry yourself as if you know where you're going, even when you're lost.

In addition, I kept the telephone numbers of my hotel, the U.S. Embassy and a local contact with me at all times. Taking the hotel concierge's advice, I used only ATMs that were inside buildings, never those on the street in view of strangers. Although most service personnel in hotels, restaurants and shops speak some English, I found that using Spanish helped me blend in.

As I moved through the city, I kept my danger radar up. It went off frequently. One evening, taking an after-dinner stroll down the tree-lined stretch of the Paseo de la Reforma along the edge of Chapultepec Park, the city's magnificent answer to New York's Central Park, I spotted three men huddled together on an otherwise empty block. In a matter of seconds, I was on the other side of the street.

Choosing a Neighborhood

In a city that has at least five major tourist-oriented neighborhoods, start by choosing accommodations near the activities you want to pursue.

Like boutique shopping? Polanco, home to a Rodeo Drive-style stretch of deluxe stores, eateries, nightspots and five-star hotels, is best. If you prefer budget bars and shops, the heavily touristed Zona Rosa will suit you better. Want to see the Zocalo and shop the markets? Try the major tourist hotels along the Paseo de la Reforma, an easy subway or taxi ride away. More of a nightclubber? The smaller boutique hotels in Condesa will put you within walking distance.

All of these districts are walkable and well policed.

Areas to avoid, according to González-Román, the security specialist, are around the airport and central train station, behind the National Palace, and the Garibaldi Square, Pensil, Tepito, Buenos Aires and Santa Julia districts.

After wandering the Zocalo at night, I would add that it, too, is a place to be avoided after dark.

"It's not like you will immediately be mugged or feel unsafe in these places," González-Román said. "But according to statistics, the chances of a mishap are far greater there."

Car, Taxi or Subway?

Mapping out the best way to get around will also help hedge against crime. Security experts agree that visitors should not hail taxis -- usually green-and-white Volkswagen bugs that circulate the city -- on the street. They are usually cheaper than other modes of transport, and I hailed a couple, including one on a dark street around midnight, without incident. But in general, given the involvement of a few drivers of unregistered cabs in instant kidnappings, it's risky to flag them down.

Concierges and other hotel staff, unsurprisingly, recommended instead that guests order private cars through the hotels. But the costs of such services quickly escalate. Most hotels charge $70 an hour for a ride between the airport and central hotels and $50 an hour for sightseeing.