The Palacio de Bellas Artes (Palace of Fine Arts) is a prominent cultural center in Mexico City. It has hosted notable events in music, dance, theatre, opera and literature in Mexico and has held important exhibitions of painting, sculpture and photography. Consequently, the Palacio de Bellas Artes has been called the "Cathedral of Art in Mexico". The building is located on the western side of the historic center of Mexico City next to the Alameda Central park.
The first National Theater of Mexico was built in the late 19th century, but it was soon decided to tear this down in favor of a more opulent building in time for Centennial of the Mexican War of Independence in 1910. The initial design and construction was undertaken by Italian architect Adamo Boari in 1904, but complications arising from the soft subsoil and the political problem both before and during the Mexican Revolution, hindered then stopped construction completely by 1913. Construction began again in 1932 under Mexican architect Federico Mariscal and was completed in 1934. It was then inaugurated on November 29, 1934 and was the first art museum in Mexico dedicated to exhibiting artistic objects for contemplation.
Monday | Closed |
Tuesday | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM |
Wednesday | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM |
Thursday | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM |
Friday | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM |
Saturday | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM |
Sunday | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM |
Byron Boyle | Jan 21, 2018
One of the most beautiful buildings in all of Mexico. Unless you have tickets to a show the next best way to visit the building is buying tickets for the museum, which gives you access to the most of the building, but not the concert hall. On the second floor there is a marvelous collection of several murals by Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente, and Alfaro Siqueiros probably the 3 most famous Mexican painters. We tagged along on an interesting and informative free tour the museum provides, which helps bring the context and meanings behind the murals to life. Even without a tour I think the murals would still be stunning in their own right. Note: Google currently list the closing hour as 5 pm, but as of January 2, 2018 it was actually 6 pm with the ticket office closing at 5:45 pm. If this was helpful hit the "like" button below. Thanks :)
Daniel Leal | Jan 11, 2018
One if not the most beautiful building in Mexico, just to walk in and seeing it from the inside is an experience. Take the time to visit this place and take some cool photos it is totally worth it. If it is season attend to a concert or gallery. Also a cool plus the cafeteria is really nice and not that expensive. Cool for a intellectual date.
Ara Pichardo | Feb 6, 2018
It is a great place to truly get to know mexican culture and the international interventions on it. The architecture is completely breathtaking that with the murals inside, it creates a complete picture of the different sides of Mexico's culture. Since it is considered a national patrimony, the original structure can be seen which takes you back in time, creating an unforgettable experience
CJuradojr | Feb 22, 2018
The palace was full of energy and action even when we made it there in the evening. The courtyard around the Palace was full of people all different ages and all having fun with music, playing games, and socilaizing. A definite must to visit and take in a performance.
David Zabner | Feb 15, 2018
We went for the folkloric ballet which was a lot of fun. Loud, exciting and unique. The whole building is also plain beautiful and the bar is decent though I can't speak to the food.
Erin Yap | Apr 12, 2018
The paintings were nice but not worth 65 MXN if without a guide. The area with paintings by Diego Rivera was also closed. There were also no translation/ audio guides in English. Lastly, they restrict you from using cameras with or without flash, but allows to use phone cameras? Where's the sense in that? I would recommend to just take a photo of the exterior. There are far more nicer museums in Mexico City that is worth your pesos.
Murat Cetinkaya | Apr 15, 2018
Convenient location and low entrance fee. Not only the exterior is nice, but the inside is embellished with art deco items combined with aztec motifs. The exhibition was also quite interesting.
Lily Franco | Apr 13, 2018
The Palacio de Bellas Artes has a variety of beautiful and interesting exhibits as well as events. You can also enjoy it on the outside. You could have a seat while you talk to your friends or while you drink a cup of coffee.
Rakesh Kumar | Apr 11, 2018
A place in history. Must visit for tourists to Mexico, also interesting for locals to dig in their own history. Strong structure to sustain through ages.
Sandra Crespo | Apr 1, 2018
The building is beautiful inside & out. I really wish I spent more time in her (even though I was there for 2 hours) because every piece is amazing. I also enjoyed the life size recreation of Van Gogh’s painting (of course youre allowed to take pictures)
Sunil Kumar | May 30, 2018
This building is a beautiful neoclassical masterpiece with the interior very art-deco. You can visit it without seeing a show but i highly recommend you do. The theater is stunning with a glass dome and many painted scenes. I saw Ballet Foklorico De Mexico in here and it was one of the most beautiful and enjoyable shoes I've ever been to!!
Basma AB | May 8, 2018
Gorgeous building. Just amazing. The inside is filled with large paintings and the labels are in Spanish. Would recommend going inside if into art paintings. On Sundays they have Operas and a space outside where they livestream the opera. Really cute fun place
James Dillard | Jun 3, 2018
Worth it just for the Diego Rivera murals. Make sure to do a tour or bring some information to help you understand what you're looking at. The building itself is gorgeous as well and the other murals are worth seeing.
denis precheur | May 8, 2018
The traditional dance and music show is breathtaking. The performers are excellent, the costumes beautiful and the set very well done. No need to understand Spanish to fully enjoy the show. I very highly recommend
Jina Kim | Jul 11, 2018
Gorgeous architecture that takes my breath away every time I pass it by. There seems to be new details that reveal themselves every time you pass it. I was lucky enough to watch the world cup in one of the rooms where Korea destroyed Germany 😉 We paid less because the exhibitions were still being prepared but it was worth it to see the stunning murals and walk around the majestic building.
Steve Bski | Jul 13, 2018
Outstanding and a better experience than the national art museum. Amazing art. Dont let the elevator operator scare you away. Top floor is all new artist, student art which is fun.
JR | Jul 24, 2018
When in Mexico City, I always stay in the Centro Historico district. The Palacio de Bellas Artes is just beautiful. I like to walk the surrounding neighborhoods and feel very lost and happy in the midst of Mexico City.
Hobbit Merhy | Jul 11, 2018
This is a very pretty place and people always meet up here, the park is really nice and it brings me one of my best memories, but at the night it's a little bit dangerous to be alone so I'd recommend going in the morning and in the afternoon, there is a Subway close to move around and there are lot of places nearby such as restaurants, bars, and many other things,
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