Travel tips

Weather

Mexico uses the metric system for all measurements. All weather forecasts are in Celsius (°C). Summer in Mexico can be rainy. We recommend that you check the local weather forecast before your departure, and bring an umbrella or rain jacket.

HOTEL ADDRESS

Hilton Mexico City Reforma
Av. Juárez 70
Cuauhtemoc
Centro
06010 Ciudad de México, D.F., México

Transportation

Please refer the Local transportation section for information about the various options.

Registration will be on second floor foyer, Hilton Hotel.

• Wednesday, July 15 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
• Thursday, July 16 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
• Friday, July 17 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
• Saturday, July 18 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
• Sunday, July 19 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Keep up to date

Sign up for wikimania-l mail list! This will be the official channel to make last minute changes and announcements https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimania-l

Social media

Be social, share your experiences and please use the hashtag: #Wikimanía in all your posts! Also follow Wikimanía '15 in Facebook: Wikimanía 2015 Twitter: @Wikimania2015

Instagram Contest

The official Instagram account will be @Wikimania2015. Share your best photos of the event and stay until July 18 at 23:00 pm, local hour. The best photo that the team chooses will receive a special prize :)

Food/Drink/Medication

Even though the water in Mexico is clean and potable, it is recommended that you don't drink from the tap outside of the hotel premises.

Pharmacies are numerous and you can obtain antacid and other over the counter drugs. Antibiotics can only be obtained with a prescription.

Currency and exchange

In Mexico dollars or euros or any other foreign currency are not accepted to pay for products and services. Change to pesos upon your arrival at the airport. The currency of Mexico is the peso (MXN), divided into 100 centavos.

The symbol used for pesos locally is the same as for US dollars ($), which can be slightly confusing. Prices in dollars (in tourist areas) are labeled "US$" or sport an S with a double stroke. As of June 2015, the exchange rate hovered around MXN16 to USD1.

Other currencies such as the Euro, Pound sterling, and Swiss Franc are generally not accepted by merchants, and even banks headquartered in Europe may refuse to accept Euros for exchange.

If you have brought cash in USD or €, the best place to change your money is when you arrive at the airport, where many money exchange offices are readily located in the arrival hall. You can also compare some exchange rates and choose the most convenient, and normally, at airports, the exchange rate is better than in other places.

There are numerous ATM machines everywhere accepting commonly Master Card and Visa. There is an ATM machine in the reception of Hilton.

Electric outlets

The most common electrical outlets are NEMA 1 and 5, or "North American", both grounded and non-grounded. Please consider that the voltage is 110 V. Outlet adaptors can easily be bought at the airport when you arrive.

SIM phones and roaming

Obtaining SIM cards is a hassle in Mexico, due to the government's strong regulations about phone registration. If you do want to purchase a Mexican SIM card, you will need to unlock your IMEI in your country with your carrier. You will then need to go to a Telcel or Movistar office, provide them with a photocopy of your passport and purchase the SIM card. Their staff do not usually speak English so this can be a difficult process. We recommend that you purchase a Data Plan in your home country before arriving. The mobile operators closest to the venue are:

• Centro de Atención a Clientes Telcel: Eje Central esquina Avenida Madero, five blocks to the east from the Hilton, in the first floor of Torre Latinoamericana.
• Centro de Atención Movistar. Av Francisco I. Madero 20, Centro, Cuauhtémoc, 06600 Ciudad de México, D.F.

Se habla español

Although there are people who speak English in many tourist places, most Mexicans are not bilingual. However, people are friendly and do appreciate your engaging them. Here is a Basic phrases in Spanish manual.

Safety

Mexico's emergency number is 066, call this number for any emergency service: such as police, medical, fire, etc.

Please review the US Department of State’s Travel Warning for Mexico, which provides updated and detailed information about security issues affecting the country on a state-by-state basis. Millions of international people visit Mexico safely each year. However, crime and violence affect many parts of the country, urban and rural. Remain alert and be aware of your surroundings at all times.

Mexico City, like any major metropolitan city, does have street crime, ranging from pickpocketing to armed robberies. Do not display jewelry, cell/smart phones, cash or credit cards. Use them discreetly and put them away as quickly as possible. It is suggested that you avoid the eastern portions of the greater Mexico City metro area. The Mexican government makes a considerable effort to protect foreign visitors traveling to major tourist destinations. As a result, resort areas and tourist destinations in Mexico generally do not see high levels of violence and crime. The areas where the hotel and touristic sites are located have a lot of police on patrol.

Local Customs

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in Mexico have expanded in recent years, in keeping with worldwide trends. Mexico City offers gay friendly and safe spaces.

Compared with other countries, in Mexico, personal space is relatively small, it is very common for friends to greet each other with a kiss or an embrace. If you feel uncomfortable with this, a handshake is ok.

When anyone, even a total stranger, sneezes, we always say ¡salud!, means bless you! or more literally, "your health!".

Respect Mexico's laws. Offering a bribe to an official could get you into trouble. Also drinking alcoholic beverages in the street is totally forbidden, and the Mexico City Laws set a penalty of 72 hours arrest even for foreigners. Smoking is forbidden in all the public spaces and in the Wikimania venue. You can smoke freely in the street, outside the venues or in designated areas.

Mexicans have a somewhat relaxed sense of time so be patient. Arriving 15 minutes late is common.

Cost of living

You will really enjoy your stay because the cost of living is really low in Mexico. If you are a long time Wikimaniac we can tell you without a doubt: this Wikimania will be the cheapest for you. Even though it might seem so, the low cost of living doesn't translate to poor quality of life.

Product	MXN<	USD
One ride on subway/metro	5.00	0.32
A Big Mac	48.00	3.07
A Big Mac combo	71.00	4.54
One Coca-Cola can (355 ml.)	9.00	0.57
Mineral water bottle	12.00	0.8
Corona beer	15.00	1.1
Starbucks Frapuccino Venti	45.00	2.8
Average restaurant meal	200.00	13.69
Affordable three course meal with soup, rice, beans, meat, salad and water (Comida corrida in Spanish).	40.00–50.00	2.73–3.4
Music CD	180.00	12.32
Gasoline, 1 liter	13.39	0.91

All prices are quoted on USD based on an exchange rate obtained in Oanda.com, June 10, 2015