Mérida & the Yucatán

Overview

The Yucatán Peninsula is a flat limestone shelf split among three states: Yucatán, with its capital Mérida; Campeche, on the Gulf side; and Quintana Roo, the Caribbean coast where Cancún and Tulum sit. This page covers the inland Maya heartland and the quieter Gulf and southern edges. For the Caribbean resorts, see Cancún, Riviera Maya, Tulum and the islands.

There are no rivers on the surface here. Rain drains through the rock into underground channels, and where the roof of a cave has collapsed you get a cenote, a freshwater sinkhole you can swim in. The ancient Maya built their cities around them, and thousands dot the peninsula today. Add some of the most important ruins in the Americas, colonial towns painted in ochre and yellow, and a cuisine unlike the rest of Mexico, and you have a region many repeat visitors prefer to the beach.

Maya culture is alive here: Yucatec Maya is spoken in markets and villages, and women in embroidered huipiles are an everyday sight. The pace is slow and the people famously courteous.

Mérida

Mérida is a city of about a million people with a large, walkable historic center, a strong arts scene and one of the best food cultures in Mexico. It is also home to a sizable community of American and Canadian retirees and remote workers. Use it as your base: Chichén Itzá, Uxmal, Izamal, the cenotes, Celestún and Progreso are all day trips.

Centro

Start at the Plaza Grande, the main square. On its east side stands the Catedral de San Ildefonso, finished in the late 1500s and one of the oldest cathedrals on the American mainland. On the north side, the Palacio de Gobierno is free to enter and holds a cycle of huge murals by Yucatecan painter Fernando Castro Pacheco on the history of the Maya and the Spanish conquest. On the south side, the 16th-century Casa de Montejo, built for the conquistador family, has a carved stone facade showing soldiers standing on the heads of the conquered. It is now a free cultural center.

From the plaza, walk the grid. Streets are numbered: even numbers run north–south and odd numbers east–west, so an address like "Calle 60 x 55 y 57" means Calle 60 between 55 and 57. Calle 60 north of the plaza leads past the Parque Hidalgo, the Teatro Peón Contreras and the Parque de Santa Lucía. The barrios of Santa Ana, Santiago and Santa Lucía each have their own church, park and evening food stalls.

For markets, the Mercado Lucas de Gálvez, a few blocks southeast of the plaza, is the big, crowded municipal market: fruit, chiles, hammocks, guayaberas and stands selling cochinita pibil from early morning. Go before 11 a.m. and watch your pockets. The smaller Mercado de Santiago is a calmer place for breakfast.

Paseo de Montejo

North of the Centro, Paseo de Montejo is a broad boulevard laid out in the late 1800s, when Mérida grew rich on henequen (sisal fiber) and planters built French-style mansions. Walk it in the late afternoon. The Palacio Cantón houses INAH's regional anthropology museum (MX$210, about $11, for foreign visitors in 2026). Several other mansions have become museums, banks and restaurants. On the northern stretch, the Monumento a la Patria is a giant carved stone panorama of Mexican history.

Farther north, the Gran Museo del Mundo Maya is the best introduction to Maya history and culture in the region, worth a couple of hours before you visit the ruins. Check its hours before you go, as it closes one weekday.

Free events every night of the week

Mérida's city government puts on free cultural events almost every evening, a tradition that goes back decades. They are aimed as much at locals as at visitors, and they are one of the best things about staying here.

There is also a night Biciruta on the first Saturday of the month and an audiovisual show, Isla de Luz, at the Monumento a la Patria on the first and third Saturdays. Schedules shift around holidays and during the Festival de las Ánimas (October 24 to November 2 in 2026), when the candlelit Paseo de las Ánimas procession of people painted as skeletons runs from the General Cemetery toward the Arco de San Juan; in 2026 it was scheduled for October 30. Check the city's tourism events page for the current week.

Eating in Mérida

Yucatecan food leans on sour orange, achiote (annatto), charred chiles and slow cooking in pits. You will eat better here than almost anywhere in Mexico for the money. Dishes to look for:

• Cochinita pibil: pork marinated in achiote and sour orange, wrapped in banana leaves and pit-roasted. A breakfast and Sunday dish; the best stands sell out by late morning.
• Panuchos and salbutes: fried tortillas (panuchos stuffed with black beans) topped with turkey or chicken, pickled red onion and avocado. Evening food in every barrio park.
• Sopa de lima: chicken broth with the local sweet-sour lime and crispy tortilla strips.
• Relleno negro, poc chuc, papadzules and queso relleno: charred-chile turkey stew, citrus-marinated grilled pork, egg-stuffed tortillas in pumpkin-seed sauce, and an Edam cheese stuffed with spiced meat.
• Marquesitas: crisp rolled crepes with Edam cheese and Nutella or cajeta, sold from carts in the parks at night.

Hot sauce here means habanero. The green or orange salsa on the table is often far hotter than anything at home, so taste a drop first.

For more on regional dishes and food safety, see food.

Chichén Itzá

Chichén Itzá was one of the great Maya cities of the Late Classic and Postclassic periods, roughly A.D. 600–1200, and it is the most visited archaeological site in Mexico. The 98-foot (30 m) pyramid of Kukulcán (El Castillo), the Great Ball Court, the Temple of the Warriors with its forest of columns, the round Caracol observatory and the Sacred Cenote are all on the main circuit. It is 75 miles (120 km) east of Mérida, about 1 hr 45 min by toll highway, and about 2.5 hours from Cancún.

Tickets and fees in 2026

For years you had to stand in two lines at Chichén, one for INAH's federal fee and one for the Yucatán state fee, long paid at a separate window run by the state's tourism agency, Cultur. Since March 27, 2026, there is a single ticket sold at the visitor center (Centro de Atención a Visitantes, or Catvi) at the entrance.

On Sundays, entry is free for Mexican nationals and for foreigners with Mexican residency who show their card. That makes Sunday the most crowded day of the week. Tourists do not get the Sunday discount. Children under 13 and people with disabilities are exempt from the fee, and the law also exempts seniors 60 and over, students and teachers with valid credentials; bring your passport and any student card and ask.

The state portion is tied to an official index that rises each February, so expect a small increase in 2027. Carry enough pesos to cover the ticket and parking in case the card terminals are down, which happens at rural sites.

Hours and how to beat the crowds

Ticket windows open at 8 a.m. and sell the last tickets at 4 p.m., which is also the last entry. Some areas, including the Great Ball Court, the Thousand Columns, the Osario and the Observatory, close to visitors at 4 p.m. The older southern section, called Chichén Viejo, and the site museum (Gran Museo de Chichén Itzá) are sometimes closed during special operations.

• Be at the gate at 8 a.m. Tour buses from Cancún and the Riviera Maya start arriving around 10:30–11, and by noon the main plaza is packed and the heat is brutal.
• Sleep nearby. Stay the night before in Pisté (the town at the entrance), at one of the hotels next to the ruins, or in Valladolid, 26 miles (42 km) east. Driving from Cancún or Mérida the same morning means arriving with everyone else.
• Skip Sundays, Mexican holidays and the equinoxes. Around March 20–21 and September 21–22, crowds come to see the shadow of a serpent appear along the pyramid's stairway in late afternoon. It is a fine sight and a mob scene.
• Walk the outer areas first. Most groups go straight to El Castillo. Head to the Sacred Cenote or the Caracol early and work back.

By train from Mérida

On Sundays, the Tren Maya runs a restaurant-car day trip (the Janal service) from Mérida's Teya station to Chichén Itzá, leaving at 8:20 a.m. and arriving at 9:43, with the return at 4 p.m. reaching Teya at 5:23. Since Sunday is the busiest day at the ruins, it suits people who want an easy day out more than an empty site. Regular trains also stop at Chichén Itzá station, some distance from the ruins; ask about the connecting shuttle when you book, or take a taxi.

Guides and the light show

Licensed guides wait at the entrance and charge per group, with prices that vary by language and length. A good guide makes a real difference here, because most of the site's signage is minimal. Agree on the price and length before you start.

The Noches de Kukulkán show, run by the state tourism agency Cultur, is a video-mapping projection and night walk at the pyramid, held Wednesday through Sunday at 7 p.m. The narration is in Spanish. Buy through Cultur's official ticket page, and only stay for it if you are sleeping nearby, since the roads back to Mérida or Cancún are long and dark.

Cenotes near Chichén

Ik Kil, 2 miles (3 km) from the ruins, is a deep, round cenote with vines hanging to the water. It is gorgeous and is also the stop on most bus tours, so go early or late. Quieter choices include Yokdzonot, a cenote run by a village cooperative west of Chichén on the free road toward Mérida, and the cenotes around Valladolid below.

Valladolid, Izamal and Ek Balam

Valladolid

Valladolid is a compact colonial town 100 miles (160 km) east of Mérida and 26 miles (42 km) from Chichén Itzá, which makes it the best overnight base for the ruins. It is a Pueblo Mágico, the federal designation for towns of special cultural value. Walk the Calzada de los Frailes, a street of painted houses leading to the fortress-like 16th-century Convento de San Bernardino de Siena. Swim in Cenote Zací, right in town, or drive 4 miles (7 km) west to the cave cenotes of Dzitnup (X'Kekén and Samulá) and nearby Suytún. In the evening, Cultur runs a light show called Noches de la Heroica. Valladolid also has a Tren Maya station and frequent ADO buses to Cancún and Mérida.

Izamal

Izamal, 45 miles (72 km) east of Mérida, is the "yellow city": nearly every building in the center is painted the same egg-yolk yellow. The Franciscan Convento de San Antonio de Padua, begun in 1549, sits on top of a Maya platform and has one of the largest enclosed atriums in the Americas. A few blocks away, the huge pyramid of Kinich Kak Moo, free to enter as of mid-2026, gives a long view over the town. Eat at Kinich ($$), known for its Yucatecan classics. Izamal is an easy half day from Mérida or a stop on the way to Chichén.

Ek Balam

Ek Balam, 17 miles (28 km) north of Valladolid, is smaller than Chichén but has one of the finest stucco facades in the Maya world: a winged figure and a giant monster mouth on the Acropolis, preserved under rubble for a millennium. Admission is MX$709 (about $39) for foreign visitors in 2026 (INAH plus the Yucatán state fee), and it is open daily from 8 a.m. with last entry at 4 p.m. Visitors have long been able to climb the Acropolis for a jungle panorama, but climbing rules at Mexican sites change with conservation work, so check at the gate. The nearby cenote X'Canché, run by the community, makes a good swim afterward.

Uxmal and the Ruta Puuc

South of Mérida the land rises into the low Puuc hills, home to a group of Maya cities known for their elaborate stone mosaics and masks of the rain god Chaac. Many people find Uxmal more beautiful than Chichén Itzá, and it is far less crowded. It is 50 miles (80 km) south of Mérida, about 1 hr 15 min by car.

The oval Pyramid of the Magician greets you at the entrance. Behind it, the Nunnery Quadrangle, the Governor's Palace and the Great Pyramid show Puuc architecture at its peak. The Pyramid of the Magician is off-limits for climbing. Admission is MX$604 (about $33) for foreign visitors in 2026 (INAH plus state fee), MX$275 for Mexican nationals, and parking is MX$124. Hours are daily from 8 a.m. with last entry at 4 p.m. The evening video-mapping show, Ecos de Uxmal, runs on several nights a week; check Cultur for the current schedule.

The Ruta Puuc

Beyond Uxmal, a quiet road loops past four smaller sites that you will often have almost to yourself. These charge only INAH's federal fee:

The full route with Uxmal makes a long day from Mérida. It is better as an overnight: stay in or near Santa Elena, the village between Uxmal and Kabah, then do Uxmal at opening and the Puuc sites before the midday heat. Add Mayapán, the last great Maya capital, on the way back to Mérida. There is little shade and few services on the route, so carry water and cash.

Cenotes of Homún and Cuzamá

The "ring of cenotes" is an arc of sinkholes that marks the edge of the crater left by the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs. Two villages about an hour southeast of Mérida sit on it and have built a livelihood around their cenotes.

Homún, about 30 miles (50 km) from Mérida, has dozens of cenotes on family and ejido (communal) land, from open pools to caves reached by ladders. Local moto-taxi drivers wait at the edge of town and offer half-day circuits of three or four cenotes. That is a good way to do it and it puts money directly into the community. Each cenote charges its own small entry fee in cash. Santa Bárbara, a group of three cenotes with bicycle rental, is the most organized.

In Cuzamá, next door, the classic outing is a ride on a truck, a horse-drawn cart on narrow rails left over from the henequen haciendas, out to several cenotes in the countryside. It is bumpy, slow and memorable.

The Gulf coast: Celestún and Progreso

Celestún and the flamingos

Celestún, about 60 miles (95 km) west of Mérida (around 1.5 hours), is a fishing town on a long, shallow estuary that is part of the Ría Celestún Biosphere Reserve. American flamingos feed here in the thousands, along with pelicans, herons and cormorants. Cultur lists December through April as the main flamingo season, though some birds are present most of the year and numbers vary.

Boat tours run from the state-run dock by the bridge at the entrance to town, and from the beach. A standard tour takes about 1 hr 15 min, takes up to six passengers per boat, and visits the flamingo flats, a mangrove tunnel and freshwater springs inside the mangroves. The dock is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Boats are priced per boat, so join up with other visitors at the dock to split the cost. Go in the morning when the light is soft and the wind is down, and ask the boatman not to push too close to the birds. Finish with fried fish and ceviche at a beachfront restaurant in town.

Progreso

Progreso, 22 miles (35 km) north of Mérida (about 35 minutes), is Mérida's beach town and cruise port. The water is shallow, calm and green, unlike the Caribbean's turquoise, and the long malecón (seafront promenade) is lined with seafood restaurants. On weekdays outside holidays it is quiet; on summer weekends and during Semana Santa it is packed with Mérida families. Look for the Museo del Meteorito on the malecón, about the asteroid that created the cenotes.

Just outside town, El Corchito is a small mangrove reserve reached by a short boat crossing, with natural pools, raccoons and coatis. Admission is MX$200 (about $11) for foreign adults, and it is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cruise passengers docking at Progreso should see our cruise ports page.

Campeche city and Calakmul

San Francisco de Campeche

Campeche, 110 miles (175 km) southwest of Mérida (about 2.5 hours), is a small state capital with a historic center ringed by 17th- and 18th-century walls and bastions built against pirate raids. It is a UNESCO World Heritage city, the center is freshly painted in pastel colors, and it gets a fraction of Mérida's visitors. Walk Calle 59 between the Puerta de Mar and the Puerta de Tierra, climb onto the walls, and catch sunset on the malecón. The Fuerte de San Miguel, a hilltop fort south of the center, holds the archaeological museum with the jade funerary masks from Calakmul, and the Baluarte de la Soledad on the wall houses a collection of carved Maya stelae.

The ruins of Edzná, 34 miles (55 km) southeast, have a five-story pyramid-palace and a Tren Maya station nearby. Try pan de cazón (layered tortillas with dogfish shark and black beans) and shrimp in coconut, Campeche's signature dishes.

Calakmul

Calakmul was one of the two Maya superpowers of the Classic period, the great rival of Tikal in Guatemala. Its ruins lie deep in the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO site for both its culture and its forest, close to the Guatemalan border. Structure II is one of the largest Maya pyramids ever built, and from its top you look out over unbroken forest. Spider and howler monkeys, toucans and ocellated turkeys are common sightings; jaguars live here but are rarely seen.

Getting there takes planning. The access road leaves Highway 186 near the village of Conhuás, about 37 miles (60 km) west of Xpujil, and runs about 37 miles (60 km) south through the forest to the ruins, a drive of about 1.5 hours each way at low speed. You pay three times, in cash: a community road fee near the start, the biosphere reserve fee at the reserve gate at kilometer 20 (MX$225, about $12, per person per day as listed by CONANP; seniors and children under 12 are exempt), and INAH's site fee at the ruins, MX$210 (about $11) for foreign visitors in 2026. CONANP lists reserve entry hours of 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the ruins close at 5 p.m. with last entry at 4. Fuel up beforehand, start early, and leave the site by mid-afternoon so you are off the reserve road before dark. Forest trails inside the reserve can only be walked with a certified guide.

• Where to base: the village of Xpujil, about an hour east of the turnoff by car, or eco-lodges along Highway 186. Both have a Tren Maya station nearby (Xpujil and Calakmul), and local tour operators run day trips to the ruins.
• Nearby sites: Becán, Chicanná, Xpujil and Balamkú are smaller Río Bec-style ruins along the highway, each worth an hour.
• At dusk: near the reserve road, millions of bats pour out of a sinkhole cave known as the Volcán de los Murciélagos. Local guides can take you.

Bacalar and its lagoon

Bacalar, a Pueblo Mágico 25 miles (40 km) north of Chetumal and about 2.5 hours south of Tulum, sits on a freshwater lagoon about 26 miles (42 km) long whose white limestone bottom turns the water seven shades of blue. It is in Quintana Roo, so our Level 2 note below applies, and so does the state's Visitax tourist fee, about MX$290 (about $16) per person in 2026, paid online (see entry). Because it is a lake, it has no sargassum seaweed, a real plus when the Caribbean beaches are affected.

The town has the 18th-century Fuerte de San Felipe, built against pirates and now a small museum, and Cenote Azul, a huge, deep cenote just south of town. Most visitors spend their time on the water: kayaking or paddleboarding at sunrise, or taking a sailboat or launch tour to the Canal de los Piratas, the Isla de los Pájaros (seen from the boat) and the shallow white-sand areas.

Lagoon rules

The lagoon contains stromatolites, rock-like formations built over thousands of years by microbes, among the oldest forms of life on Earth. They have been badly damaged by tourism, runoff and sediment from new construction, and the lagoon has lost its color for months at a time after heavy rains in recent years. Local authorities and operators enforce rules to protect it:

• Do not stand on, touch or sit on stromatolites. Swim or float over them.
• Skip sunscreen and insect repellent before going in the water, even "reef-safe" brands. Cover up with a long-sleeve rash guard and a hat instead.
• Book with registered operators, and favor sailboat, kayak and paddleboard tours, which do the least damage. Follow your guide on where you may swim and stop.
• Bring no single-use plastic. Quintana Roo bans plastic bags, straws and foam containers.
• Do not land on the Isla de los Pájaros, a bird sanctuary viewed only from the water.

The Tren Maya stops at Bacalar station, outside town. For the rest of the Caribbean side, see Tulum and Riviera Maya.

The Tren Maya

The Tren Maya is the government's 965-mile (1,554 km) passenger railway around the peninsula, completed in December 2024. It has 34 stations, from Palenque in Chiapas through Campeche, Mérida, Chichén Itzá and Valladolid to Cancún Airport, then south via Playa del Carmen, Tulum and Bacalar to Chetumal Airport and back west to Escárcega. It is run by a company owned by Mexico's armed forces.

Routes and trains

Trains run as a handful of point-to-point services. In the October 2026 timetable, the busiest corridor, Cancún Airport to Mérida (Teya) via Valladolid and Chichén Itzá, had five departures a day from Cancún and six from Mérida, taking about 3 hr 10 min to 3 hr 40 min. Two trains a day ran Mérida–Campeche–Palenque (about 7.5 hours end to end; Mérida–Campeche takes 2–2.5 hours), and one through train linked Palenque with Cancún in about 11 hours. On the Caribbean side, two trains a day each way ran Cancún–Chetumal (about 5 hr 15 min) via Playa del Carmen and Tulum, and a southern link ran Chetumal–Escárcega–Palenque. Check the official timetable before you plan around a train. Seats come in two classes, Turista and Premier, and some services use the Janal restaurant train or the long-distance P'atal train with sleeper cabins.

Fares come in four categories. Internacional is what you pay as a foreign visitor. Nacional is for Mexicans and foreigners with permanent residency, Local for residents of Yucatán, Campeche, Quintana Roo, Chiapas and Tabasco, and Especial for INAPAM seniors, students, teachers and people with disabilities. Turista-class fares for foreign visitors reported in October 2026:

Premier seats cost more. On Sundays, the Janal restaurant train from Mérida to Chichén Itzá cost MX$220 (about $12) each way at the general rate in 2026. Prices vary by route, class and date, so check the booking site for your exact fare. Promotions come and go: for travel in November 2026, the code REGALO2026 gives a free return ticket on round trips booked by November 30.

Buying tickets and baggage

• Buy on the official Tren Maya site or app, by WhatsApp (55 7200 0052) or phone (55 9771 1000, daily 7 a.m.–10 p.m.), at station ticket windows, or at a ticket office at Parque La Plancha in central Mérida. You need your passport details to book.
• Baggage allowance is generous: up to three checked pieces weighing 50 kg (110 lb) in total, plus a cabin bag up to 10 kg (22 lb) and a personal item. You handle your own bags.
• Date changes need 48 hours' notice; refunds are only for cancellations or long delays caused by the train.

Is it practical?

The train is comfortable, clean and air-conditioned, with big windows over the forest. It is a good choice for longer legs where you would otherwise face a dull drive, such as Mérida–Campeche, Mérida–Palenque or Cancún–Mérida if you do not want to rent a car. It also makes it possible to reach Calakmul without driving.

The catch is that many stations were built on the edge of town or far outside it. Mérida's main station is in Teya, on the eastern outskirts, and stations at Valladolid, Tulum and Bacalar also need a taxi or shuttle to reach the center. With few departures, a missed train can cost you half a day, and travelers have reported delays. A derailment at Izamal station in August 2025 drew more scrutiny of the line. For short hops like Mérida to Izamal or Valladolid to Chichén Itzá, a bus or car is usually faster door to door.

Check the departure time the day before, arrive at the station early, and have a backup plan with ADO. See getting around for the national picture.

Driving or buses

Driving

The Yucatán is the easiest part of Mexico for Americans to drive. Roads are flat and mostly straight, traffic outside Mérida and Cancún is light, and the main highways are in good condition. A car lets you reach cenotes, haciendas and the Ruta Puuc on your own schedule. Rent at Mérida or Cancún airport.

• Toll vs free roads: Highway 180D, the cuota between Cancún, Valladolid, Chichén Itzá and Mérida, is fast, well kept and expensive. The free road (libre) runs through every village, with speed bumps.
• Topes: speed bumps, often unpainted, guard the entrance to every village. Slow down whenever you see houses.
• Insurance: your US auto policy is not valid in Mexico. You need Mexican liability insurance, and rental-desk insurance pitches are confusing. Read driving in Mexico before you book.
• After dark: avoid driving between towns at night. Unlit roads, cyclists, animals and topes are the real danger.
• Help: the Green Angels (Ángeles Verdes), the government's free roadside assistance, answer at 078.

Buses

ADO and its sister lines run comfortable first-class buses between Cancún (including the airport), Valladolid, Mérida, Campeche, Chetumal, Bacalar and Palenque, with reserved seats, toilets and strong air-conditioning. Buy on the ADO app or website, or at the station. In Mérida, first-class buses use the CAME terminal in the Centro. Second-class buses and colectivo vans reach smaller places such as Izamal, Celestún, Progreso and the Uxmal area; they are cheap and slower. Without a car, the Ruta Puuc and the Homún cenotes are easiest on a tour.

Inside Mérida, taxis are plentiful and Uber and DiDi both work. The city's Va y Ven buses cover the main avenues.

Where to stay

Hotel prices are per night for two. Mérida offers excellent value: restored colonial houses with pools in the Centro cost far less than comparable rooms in Tulum or Cancún.

For booking strategy, resort fees and taxes, see where to stay.

Safety

The State Department's Mexico advisory, last reissued May 29, 2026, rates Yucatán and Campeche at Level 1, Exercise Normal Precautions, the lowest level, with no special restrictions on US government employees. They are the only two Mexican states at that level. Quintana Roo, which includes Bacalar, Tulum and Cancún, is at Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; the advisory notes shootings between criminal groups that have hurt bystanders and advises staying in well-lit tourist areas after dark. As with every state, the entries for Yucatán and Campeche repeat the advisory's general line that there is a risk of violence from terrorist groups, cartels, gangs and criminal organizations. See safety for the full advisory.

Day to day, Mérida feels relaxed, and Americans who live here walk around at night without much thought. The common problems are mundane:

• Heat: highs near 100°F (38°C) are routine in April and May. Sightsee early, drink more water than you think you need, and rest at midday. See health.
• Mosquitoes: dengue is present on the peninsula, especially in the rainy season. The CDC recommends EPA-registered repellent and long sleeves at dawn and dusk; just don't wear repellent into a cenote or the lagoon.
• Traffic: sidewalks are narrow and high, and drivers do not always yield. Look both ways on one-way streets.
• Cenotes and lagoons: swim within your ability, wear the life jacket where it is provided, and never jump without checking depth.
• Hurricanes: the season runs June 1 to November 30, with the highest risk in August through October. See when to go.

The US Consulate General in Mérida serves US citizens across the peninsula. Enroll in the State Department's STEP program before you travel.

Suggested routes

5 days: Mérida and the classics

1. Day 1

   Mérida

   Arrive, walk the Centro and the Plaza Grande, see the Palacio de Gobierno murals, and catch whichever free evening event is on.

2. Day 2

   Uxmal

   Drive to Uxmal for opening time, then Kabah. Back to Mérida for dinner, or stay in Santa Elena and add the rest of the Ruta Puuc.

3. Day 3

   Cenotes and Paseo de Montejo

   Morning at the Homún or Cuzamá cenotes. Late afternoon on Paseo de Montejo and at the Gran Museo del Mundo Maya.

4. Day 4

   Izamal to Valladolid

   Stop in Izamal on the way east, then settle into Valladolid and swim at Cenote Zací.

5. Day 5

   Chichén Itzá

   At the gate at 8 a.m., done by noon, then Ek Balam or a cenote. Continue to Cancún (about 2 hours) for a flight the next day.

7 days: a loop from Cancún

Pick up a car at Cancún airport and drive 2 hours to Valladolid for two nights, with Ek Balam and the cenotes on day two. On day three, do Chichén Itzá at opening and Izamal in the afternoon, and reach Mérida by evening for two nights: one day for the city and one for Celestún's flamingos (December–April) or Progreso. Spend day six at Uxmal and on the Ruta Puuc with a night in Santa Elena, and drive back to Cancún (about 4 hours on the toll road) on day seven, or drop the car in Mérida and take the Tren Maya.

10 days: the grand loop

1. Days 1–2

   Mérida

   Fly into Mérida. City, markets, free events and the cenotes of Homún.

2. Day 3

   Uxmal and the Ruta Puuc

   Overnight in Santa Elena.

3. Day 4

   Campeche

   Drive about 2 hours to Campeche; walls, malecón and sunset.

4. Day 5

   Edzná and south

   Edzná in the morning, then the long drive or train to Xpujil.

5. Day 6

   Calakmul

   Leave at dawn for the ruins; Becán on the way back, bats at dusk.

6. Days 7–8

   Bacalar

   About 2 hours east. Lagoon by sailboat or kayak, Cenote Azul, slow evenings.

7. Day 9

   North to Valladolid

   A long day of about 4 hours via Felipe Carrillo Puerto, or via Tulum with a stop at the ruins.

8. Day 10

   Chichén Itzá to Cancún

   Chichén at opening, then 2.5 hours to Cancún airport.

Want help shaping a route around your dates? Try the trip builder or our custom trip planning.