No stadium on earth carries more World Cup history than Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, the only venue to have hosted the tournament's opening match in three different editions, and that history is the reason many fans put Mexico City first on their list. The stadium sits in the south of a vast, high-altitude capital, so a Mexico City trip is less about a single stadium district and more about a whole city that happens to contain a cathedral of football. Plan for the scale of the place, and it rewards you enormously.

Altitude is the first practical fact to respect. Mexico City sits around 2,240 metres above sea level, so arrive a day or two early if you can, drink water steadily, take the first day easy and avoid planning a strenuous sightseeing marathon on arrival day. Getting to the stadium usually means the metro plus the light rail line towards the Azteca area, and that journey takes longer than the distance on the map suggests. Leave early on matchdays, and avoid unregistered street taxis around the stadium.

For a base, the neighbourhoods of Condesa and Roma Norte are the classic choices for visiting fans: leafy streets, cafes, restaurants and parks, with good metro connections and a walkable evening scene. The historic centre around the Zócalo is more monumental and more crowded, and it is also where the city's big fan festival atmosphere gathers, so it is worth a visit even if you sleep elsewhere. Budget travellers will find Mexico City stretches money further than most United States host cities, with strong mid-range hotels and excellent street food.

Between matches, Mexico City offers more than most host cities can fit in a week. The National Museum of Anthropology, the murals of the Palacio de Bellas Artes, the canals of Xochimilco and the pyramids of Teotihuacán, just outside the city, are all full-day or half-day trips in their own right. Do not try to pack them all into a match week: pick two, and leave room for the unplanned pleasures of markets, taquerias and neighbourhood walks.

Food deserves its own plan. Mexico City is one of the great eating cities of the world, and the best meals are often the cheapest: tacos from a busy street stand, a market lunch, or a family restaurant in Roma Norte. Ask locals and follow queues rather than eating only near the stadium, where prices rise and quality falls. If you are sensitive to altitude or to rich food, eat lightly on your first day and build up.

The Zócalo fan festival is the natural gathering point for ticketless fans, with big screens, music and a crowd that reflects the whole tournament. It is free, it is loud, and it is the place to go when you do not have a stadium seat. Keep your phone and wallet secure in any big crowd, agree a meeting point with your group before you arrive, and carry only what you need for the day.

Finally, treat Mexico City as the anchor of a Mexico-only itinerary if you want to keep logistics simple. Guadalajara and Monterrey are short flights away, and the three Mexican cities together cover the tournament's Mexican leg without a border crossing. Check the official schedule before booking onward travel, buy tickets only through official channels, and remember that Mexico's resale rules differ from those in the United States and Canada.

If you have one more free morning, visit Coyoacán, the leafy southern neighbourhood of cobbled streets, markets and the famous blue house museum. It is quieter than the centre, it is full of cafes and street food, and it gives you a sense of the residential Mexico City that most stadium visitors never see. Go early to avoid the longest queues, and combine it with a wander through the neighbourhood's plazas rather than rushing back to the centre.