Xochimilco tequila tasting boat tour review
Rated 5.0 from 378 reviews at MX$752.50 pesos a head, and the only other tour here besides the party boat that leaves from a dock the city government itself lists. The oddity is what the reviews are about. This is sold as a tasting — unlimited tequila, seven expressions, a pulque tasting, a shot glass to keep — and across ten reviews nobody mentions the drink at all.
Ten reviews, no tequila
Read them and the subject is staff and games. Names, energy, whether the guide got the boat going. The tasting that the product is named after does not come up once.
“Our tour was a lot of fun! We had amazing guides Gloria, Evee, and Alan. They made everything so inviting and brought the energy. The different games we did definitely opened everyone up and got people into the energy. Definitely would recommend this tour to another person visiting!”
“Very good. The girls have an excellent attitude. Great. Highly recommended.”
That is the finding, and it cuts both ways. If you are booking for the tasting, the people who went are not telling you the tasting was good; they are telling you the hosts were. If you are booking to be looked after by somebody who can get a boat of strangers talking, ten out of ten reviews say exactly that.
“Excellent tour, Alan and El Cachetes, excellent tour guides”
The French speaker is real
This and the party boat are the two tours here that list a French-speaking guide alongside English and Spanish, and one reviewer confirms it landed.
“Alan Armando and Alan the French speaker were amazing!!! So much fun this tour and everything included I swear the best experience in Mexico City!!”
What I can and cannot tell you about the alcohol
Two things, stated separately, because joining them would be inventing. A rule published in the Gaceta Oficial and in force since 30 January 2020 limits what passengers bring aboard a trajinera to one bottle of up to a litre of spirits per boat, or three 355 ml beers per adult. This operator advertises unlimited tequila and beer served on its own vessel. I have found no source that says how that rule applies to a licensed operator serving its own drinks, so I am not going to imply anything about it in either direction. The same rule also says visibly intoxicated passengers are returned to the dock.
The price coincidence, which means nothing
MX$752.50 per person is almost exactly the MX$750 the alcaldía charges per hour for an entire eighteen-person boat. That is a coincidence of two unrelated numbers and I mention it only because it is the sort of thing that gets mistaken for a rate. It does tell you the shape of the trade: one seat here costs what a whole hour of boat costs, and what the extra buys is the drink, the host and a boat that is already full.
What works
- 5.0 across 378 reviews — a real sample, not a handful
- Leaves from Embarcadero Las Flores Nativitas, a dock on the city government’s own venue list
- Guides in English, Spanish and French
- Unlimited tequila and beer, a pulque tasting and a shot glass are in the price
- Restrooms at the dock, which matters more than it sounds on a 2.5-hour trip
Worth knowing
- Not one of the ten reviews mentions the tasting the tour is named for
- Live music and tips are excluded — mariachi runs MX$300 a song under the official tariff
- Getting to the dock is on you
- All ten reviews in the pool are five stars, so the sample cannot show you the downside
- A quiet trip this is not; the reviews are unanimous about the games
If the tasting is the reason you are booking, ask the operator through the booking chat what is poured and when. The reviews will not tell you, and I would rather say that than fill the gap myself.
Who it suits
Couples and solo travelers who want the party version without the party-boat price, and who are fine being brought into a group game by a host with a microphone. Louder and busier is the boat party review. Quieter and on the water at sunrise is the kayak review.
The obvious alternatives
The party boatMexico City: Xochimilco Boat Party with Unlimited Drinks
Cheapest & best ratedXochimilco: Traditional Boat Sightseeing Tour, Culture and Fun
The quiet oneMexico City: Kayak Experiences in Hidden Xochimilco
Frequently asked questions
Is the tequila tasting on the Xochimilco boat unlimited?
The operator advertises unlimited tequila and beer plus a pulque tasting. I can report what is advertised and what reviewers say; none of the ten reviews in the pool mentions the drink at all, so I cannot corroborate the pour from traveller feedback.
Where does the tequila boat tour leave from?
Embarcadero Las Flores Nativitas, which is on the Mexico City government’s own list of docks — a traditional-route dock established in 1993. It and the boat party are the only two tours here whose meeting point can be matched to an official source.
Can you drink on a trajinera in Xochimilco?
A rule in force since January 2020 caps what passengers may bring aboard at one bottle of up to a litre of spirits per boat, or three 355 ml beers per adult. How that rule applies to a licensed operator serving drinks on its own boat is not something I could find a source for, so I do not state it either way.
Is the tequila boat tour in English?
Yes — the live guide works in English, Spanish and French, and one reviewer specifically mentions the French-speaking guide.