Hosted party boat
A booked trajinera ride with unlimited tequila and beer, music, games and a food stop on a chinampa island.
Worth knowing Mariachi songs and vendor purchases are extra. Check-in is 10 minutes before the start.
Choosing a boat
Four ways onto Xochimilco's canals
Public trajinera
A boat hired at an embarcadero. Mexico City's tourism site says the price is fixed per boat and per hour, for up to 18 passengers.
Worth knowing You bring or buy your own food, drink and music, and you set the pace.
Guided sightseeing tour
A guided boat ride with drinks, sweets, a snack stop on a chinampa and a talk on tequila and the canals.
Worth knowing Alcohol is still included. Reviewers say more history would help, and live music costs extra.
Island of the Dolls boat
A two-hour direct boat to the Island of the Dolls with a guide. The booking page says it is not a party boat.
Worth knowing The booking page lists intoxication and bachelor or bachelorette groups as not allowed.
Along the canal
The party boat, stop by stop
The order below follows the organiser's description of the ride. Departure times are in the booking calendar; once aboard, the hosts set the pace.
The organiser can change the itinerary, and the route follows the option you pick. Mariachi songs, souvenirs and drinks bought from passing vendors are paid for separately.
- Check-in
Wait under the grey arches
Check-in takes place 10 minutes before the start. You wait under the grey arches, where your guide meets you. Where exactly you gather shifts with the option you choose, so check the details for your date.
- First round
Meet the hosts and pour the first drinks
Local hosts greet the group, the first drinks come out and the music goes on before you step aboard a boat that has been prepared for the ride. Tequila comes as blanco, reposado and flavoured, with cold beer, soft drinks and water alongside.
- On the canals
Cruise past floating gardens and mariachi boats
The trajinera moves through Xochimilco's canals, passing floating gardens and boats carrying mariachi bands. A speaker plays music on board for the whole ride. Live music comes only from independent vendors on other boats, and it is paid for separately.
- Games
Play traditional Mexican games
Hosts run traditional Mexican games and teach local slang between rounds, and the boat mixes travellers from different countries. Reviewers say the hosts keep the energy up from the first round to the last.
- The island
Stop on a chinampa island for food
The boat pulls in at a chinampa, one of Xochimilco's artificial farming islands, for a traditional Mexican dish, photos and a restroom break. Extra food or drinks cost more, because the stop is an independent restaurant. Tell the hosts about dietary needs in advance.
- Souvenirs
Head back with a souvenir
The ride ends with special souvenirs from the hosts. Depending on the option you choose, you finish at one of two drop-off points. Nothing is arranged afterwards, so plan your own way onward.
Behind the party
What Xochimilco is, behind the party
A name that means flower field
Wikipedia says the name Xochimilco comes from Nahuatl and means flower field. Today it is a borough in southern Mexico City, and Wikipedia calls its canals, chinampas and trajineras the main tourist attraction.
Farming islands, not floating gardens
Chinampas do not float. Wikipedia describes artificial islands made by weaving reeds around stakes in the shallow lakebed, heaping in mud and water plants, and anchoring the plot with trees such as the willow ahuejote. It dates the earliest securely dated fields to the Middle Postclassic period.
A World Heritage setting
Wikipedia records that the canals and their surroundings were declared a World Heritage Site in 1987, under the name Historic Centre of Mexico City and Xochimilco. It also says the United Nations designated the chinampa system a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System in 2018.
Boats made to be pushed
A trajinera is a flat-bottomed wooden boat. Wikipedia says traditional ones are moved through the shallow water by a boatman, that they carry colourful decoration and often a woman's name on the canopy, and that they began as transport across the lake before becoming mainly tourist rentals.
Money, groups and small print
Six points to settle before you pick a date
What the booking page says about money, groups and rules, in short.
- The drinks are unlimited, other spending is not
- The ticket covers tequila, beer, soft drinks and water. Mariachi songs, souvenirs and drinks bought from vendors, and any extra food at the island stop, are paid for separately, so bring some cash.
- Arrive under your own steam
- Transport to the meeting point is not included. Arrive 10 minutes before the start. The hosts wait up to 15 minutes after the start time, then the ride begins without you, and no-shows are not refunded.
- Rain or shine
- The ride runs whatever the weather, on covered boats. The organiser suggests a camera, comfortable clothes and hand sanitiser or tissues.
- Children and dietary needs
- Children are welcome with an adult, and the organiser asks you to say so in advance. A traditional Mexican dish is included, so tell the hosts about any dietary restriction before the day.
- Group sizes
- A standard group is up to 50 people. A private option for just your group, up to 100 people, is also on the booking page.
- What is not allowed
- Fishing, snorkelling, fireworks, diving and audio recording are not allowed on the ride.
Boats, canals and chinampas
Trajineras, canals and chinampas in Xochimilco
Photographs of Xochimilco's boats, canals and vendors. Each description names what the photograph shows and where it was taken. None of them is this party boat or its hosts.
Four ways onto the water
Boats on the canals, by style
The first card is the party boat this page describes. The other three are different boats on the same canals: a guided sightseeing tour, a tequila-tasting party boat and a direct boat to the Island of the Dolls.
Xochimilco party boat with unlimited drinks
A hosted trajinera party with tequila, beer, music, games and a food stop on a chinampa island.
Traditional boat tour with tastings
A guided trajinera ride with drinks, sweets, a snack stop on a chinampa and a talk on tequila and the canals.
Tequila-tasting party boat
A 2.5-hour boat with unlimited tequila and beer, karaoke, games and a pulque tasting.
Direct boat to the Island of the Dolls
A 2-hour guided boat straight to the island. The booking page says it is not a party boat.
Other things to do around Mexico City
Getting the day right
Before you go
Save the meeting point
Two starting points exist, and the one you get follows your option. Look it up for your date, then wait under the grey arches for your guide.
Getting to Xochimilco
Mexico City's tourism site says most international visitors reach Xochimilco by the light rail station, which is reached from Metro Tasqueña. The borough is in the south of the city, so leave extra time.
What to bring
The organiser lists a camera, comfortable clothes, cash and hand sanitiser or tissues. Cash covers the mariachi songs, souvenirs and extra food that the ticket does not.
House rules afloat
Mexico City's tourism site says passengers on public boats stay seated, keep hands and feet inside, take life vests and keep rubbish on board. Ask your hosts what applies on the party boat.
Changing a booking
Reservation changes or extra guests have to be requested through the booking platform and depend on availability. A full refund is possible until 24 hours before the start.
Choosing a language
Guides lead the ride in Spanish, English or French. Switch this site to your language before you read the guides, then book.
Worth reading first
Six guides to Xochimilco's boats
- The short answer
Xochimilco party boat worth it
Is the Xochimilco party boat worth it? Yes for a hosted, all-inclusive boat party; no for quiet canals or history. What it includes and what costs extra. See the guide → - Compared
Party boat vs regular trajinera
How a hosted Xochimilco party boat differs from a regular trajinera hired at an embarcadero, a guided boat tour or a direct boat to the Island of the Dolls. See the guide → - The place
What is Xochimilco, exactly?
What Xochimilco is behind the painted boats: a Nahuatl name, chinampa farming islands, a World Heritage setting and canals that outlived a lake. See the guide → - Before you go
Getting to Xochimilco
How visitors reach Xochimilco from central Mexico City: Metro to Tasqueña, the light rail to the Xochimilco terminus, and the landings beyond it. See the guide → - On the water
Mariachi, vendors and etiquette
What to expect from mariachi boats and vendors on the Xochimilco canals, what the party boat ticket does not cover, and the rules afloat. See the guide → - Beyond the party
Island of the Dolls, axolotls
The Island of the Dolls and the axolotl, two things visitors ask about on the Xochimilco canals, and how to see the island by boat. See the guide →
FAQ
Questions before you book a boat
Is the Xochimilco party boat worth it?
Yes, if you want a hosted boat with drinks, music, games and a food stop included. Its booking page averages 5.0 from 1,869 reviews. Skip it if you want quiet canals, a history talk or your own pace.
What does the ticket include?
The organiser lists a trajinera ride, unlimited tequila (blanco, reposado and flavoured), cold beers, soft drinks and water, a traditional Mexican dish, games, music, souvenirs, local hosts and restrooms at the dock and the island.
What costs extra on the boat?
Mariachi songs, souvenirs and drinks bought independently, plus personal expenses and optional purchases. The island stop is an independent restaurant, so extra food or drinks cost more there. Transport to the meeting point is not included.
How is it different from a regular trajinera ride?
A regular ride is a public boat hired at an embarcadero, priced per boat and per hour, with your own food and drink. The party boat is a booked programme with hosts, games, drinks and a food stop. The comparison guide has the detail.
How long is the ride and when does it start?
It lasts 2 to 2.5 hours. The booking calendar shows start times, and check-in is 10 minutes before the start, under the grey arches.
Can children come along?
Children are welcome with an adult, and the organiser asks you to say so in advance. The ticket also covers a traditional Mexican dish, soft drinks and water.
Is transport included?
No. Guests get themselves to the start, and nothing is arranged for the trip home. The booking calendar gives the start point for the option and date you pick.
Can I cancel?
A full refund is available through GetYourGuide until 24 hours before the start. The hosts wait up to 15 minutes after the start time, and no-shows are not refunded.
A hosted party on a painted Xochimilco trajinera, with the tequila, music and games included.
Book the Xochimilco party boat ↗The fare for your date shows in your own currency once you pick it.