Explore Merida
DOWNTOWN MERIDA
- Plaza Grande
- Parque Santa Lucía
- Mercado Lucas de Gálvez
- Municipal Palace of Merida
- Merida Cathedral
- Shopping
- Restaurants
CENOTES
An antique wooden buggy cart pulled by a horse is the mode of transportation used as you travel through a sisal plantation with three refreshing cenotes along the way. We suggest you go on a weekday to avoid crowds. You simply drive to Cuzama and turn right at the Plaza and travel down that road toward the hacienda and stop when you see carts. Someone will quickly adopt you and take you away! Bring towels, bug spray, and snacks, and wear shoes that are good for going up and down a ladder. Fear of heights is not recommended. This is a 2–4-hour trip.
Located in Homun, Santa Barbara can be a bit touristy but fun, especially for a family as the three cenotes have varying types of entrances for all ages and abilities. You can choose to transport via a horse-drawn cart or bike rental. They have a large palapa restaurant with decent-priced food and drinks that is quite good and included in your entry fee.
This is a great place to wander, enjoy the peaceful surroundings, and climb the structures. Dzibilchaltún is also a unique National Ecological Park. Xlacah (which means “old village”) cenote is within the grounds for a refreshing swim. This cenote is open to the public until 4 PM. It tends to get a little busy on weekends. To get to Dzibilchaltún, take the Merida Periferico north and then turn right onto the Mérida-Progreso highway north. After 11 km you will see the sign to turn right.
BEACHES
The closest and most convenient option for Merida Beaches is Progreso. This place can get very windy, which can be a good thing in the summer, in winter it can make it too cold to swim (unless you are a hardy northerner!). The most obvious of things to do in Progreso is rent a palapa (big thatched open-sided Gazebo) on the beach. You can rent a palapa for the whole day for 200 pesos (for 4 to 6 people total), and you can bring your own drinks in a cooler. Or you can walk over to the convenience store to get a beer or pay one of the waiters to get you drinks or food.
There are a lot of mid-price places along the beach mostly doing good food. We recommend these places:
Crabster Seafood & Grill
- Almadía
- La Antigua Progreso
Our favorite beach is sadly the furthest away from Merida. Most people travel to Celestun to visit the biosphere reserve and see the thousands of flamingos that feed there. But the beach itself is the cleanest of all options, with perfect white sand, and sunset facing. The restaurants and bars are right on the sand, so it is the perfect place to enjoy a drink and listen to the waves. It is far less busy than Progreso.
Pampanos is our choice for seafood – The Prawn Spaghetti with butter has the biggest prawns (depending on the season) we’ve seen almost anywhere in the world (sourced very locally).
Sisal is the smallest and typically quietest of the list, with long stretches of empty sand, but with very limited restaurant options. It is closer to Merida than Celestun (It takes only 40 minutes to get from Mérida to the fishing village of Sisal). The main difference between Sisal and its more popular neighboring beach towns is the very fact of its isolation. It rarely appears on maps or guidebooks as a destination. This fact alone has protected Sisal from the out-of-control growth that we see on other beaches on the coast. In between Celestún and Sisal is the Natural Reserve of “El Palmar”.
ARCHEOLOGICAL SITES
Travelers from near and far come to experience Yucatán’s well-preserved Maya archaeological sites. Seventy-five miles east of Merida lies Chichén Itzá, one of Mexico’s most impressive and visited ruins due to its designation as a new wonder of the world.
Uxmal, another UNESCO-listed Maya ruin located an hour and fifteen minutes south of Merida, is celebrated for its precise construction and ornate stone carvings. The towering Pyramid of the Magician is in remarkably good condition, as are the surrounding structures, which can be enjoyed with much fewer crowds than Chichén Itzá.
GASTRONOMY
Travelers from near and far come to experience Yucatán’s well-preserved Maya archaeological sites. Seventy-five miles east of Merida lies Chichén Itzá, one of Mexico’s most impressive and visited ruins due to its designation as a new wonder of the world.
Uxmal, another UNESCO-listed Maya ruin located an hour and fifteen minutes south of Merida, is celebrated for its precise construction and ornate stone carvings. The towering Pyramid of the Magician is in remarkably good condition, as are the surrounding structures, which can be enjoyed with much fewer crowds than Chichén Itzá
MUSEUMS AND ART
The Gran Museo del Mundo Maya de Merida is a must. Full of interesting artifacts and information, the museum puts Yucatán’s ancient history and more recent colonization into context as you explore the region. The Museum of Anthropology and History, housed in a stunning mansion on Paseo Montejo, showcases photography and Maya relics, while the Popular Art Museum features objects and art from around Mexico including typical dresses and ceramics. For more of-the-moment art, check out Coqui Coqui hotel’s adjacent gallery dedicated to exhibitions from emerging artists.
TOWNS NEAR MERIDA
All the colonial buildings are famously painted a golden yellow. the best thing to do in Izamal is simply to wander around the cobblestone streets and get lost in the maze of yellow. Kinich Izamal is a recommended authentic restaurant in Izamal, famous for Sopa de lima, Poc chuc, Panucho, Papadzules, and Salbute.
Valladolid is worth visiting. It is a charming small city with colorful homes and historic colonial churches. Valladolid is authentic Mexico at its best.
KITE SURF
If your stay with us is a little longer than usual, then we totally suggest you try some kite surfing classes. Its not a easy sport since it will demand you attention and micro movements from your hands and arms in order to not lose control from the kite. If you feel like trying it, we can contact you with the kite surf school. 12 hours of classes are suggested to be able to navigate properly.
CENOTE DIVING
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