Best Things to Do in Merida, Mexico: A Curated Guide
There are tons of things to do in Merida Mexico, Yucatan’s charming capital. Find out what to do for the perfect trip to Yucatan.
Merida is Yucatan’s capital and the state’s largest city and often touted as Mexico’s safest but it’s definitely more than just that. When given a chance, Merida has a lot to offer from cultural activities to cenotes and beautiful historical buildings to great Yucatan food.
It’s a city with a relaxed pace of life, with the beach and several cenotes never far away. It’s a city full of friendly locals, grand colonial mansions and churches and some of the best local restaurants around.
If you’re looking to get away from the beach resorts of Cancun or Playa del Carmen in search of a more authentic side to Mexico look no further than spending a few days here and enjoying the best things to do in Merida Mexico.
You won’t need more than three days to fully appreciate Merida and due to its small and compact centre, you can fill your days with some of the city’s best museums, cultural activities and nightlife.
If you’re considering a trip to Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, make sure to factor in a few days to spend in Merida to enjoy some local culture and city vibes.
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The Best Time to Visit Merida, Mexico
Merida, just like the whole Yucatán Peninsula has a hot, tropical climate with consistent day temperatures of over 26°C/78°F all year round.
Yucatan however, unlike the Riviera Maya doesn’t have a sea breeze to keep temperatures down so temperatures in Merida and other towns in Yucatan feel much hotter than Tulum or Playa del Carmen.
The hottest time to visit is in April and May when temperatures soar to 38°C/100°F and exploring gets difficult. We visited in April and to be honest, at times the heat really was unbearable.
The rainy season runs from May until October where strong showers can quickly inundate the streets even though most showers come and go and there are opportunities for exploring in between.
The best time to visit is during the winter high season (December- February) when temperatures are at their lowest of about 29°C/84°F during the day yet days are dry and sunny. October, November and March are good alternatives.
How to Get to Merida
Bus
Merida is best reached by bus from Valladolid, Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Campeche and Tulum. From Valladolid, you can also take a shared mini-bus or colectivo and the trip takes a little under two hours.
The best bus to take is the ADO. Their buses are large, have air-conditioning, comfortable seats and a toilet on board. Tickets can be purchased in advance via their website or at your local ADO bus station.
Remember that there are two arrival stations in Merida and you’ll want to leave and arrive at ‘Merida Centro Historico’. The other one is much further out and arriving there you’ll have a long taxi ride ahead of you to get to the city center.
From the Centro Historico bus station, you can easily walk to your hotel.
Car
You can also reach Merida with your own rental car which is a great idea for exploring the surrounding area and its beaches and cenotes.
For the best car rental deals use the form below to check rates and availability for your dates.
Private transfers to Merida are also available. If you would like to book a private transfer it’s best to organise this with your hotel.
Plane
If you’re visiting from further afield, you can also fly into Merida.
Merida’s international airport is located in the southwest of the city and not too far from the city center. Most daily flights are domestic, arriving and departing to Mexico’s largest cities like Mexico City, Monterrey and Guadalajara but there are also a few direct flights from Miami, Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston.
Uber works in Merida and you can easily get around the city for a few dollars each time. We found that we didn’t even need to use it when not going out of the historic centre as almost everything is walkable.
Top Things to do in Merida, Mexico
Explore the Historical Center
Also known as the Zocalo, Merida’s historic centre is one of the biggest of all cities in Mexico and there is so much to see and do here.
Most of the best things to do in Merida Mexico are located in the historic centre so it’s pretty easy to walk between places of interest.
Merida’s historic centre is characterised by large 19th Century mansions and old, stone colonial palaces and churches that are pretty impressive.
Horse-drawn carriages take tourists for rides down the narrow streets and in the evening street vendors sell marquesitas- Yucatan’s most famous sweet treat.
You can easily walk around the historic centre in half a day but I suggest taking your time to really visit all the prettiest colonial mansions and taking it all in your stride.
Here are the best things to do in Merida Mexico in the historical centre:
↠ Plaza Grande– Merida’s main square, Plaza Grande provides the historic centre with a beautiful green space. Here you’ll find many shaded paths and benches with locals seeking refuge from the afternoon heat.
Around the main plaza, you’ll find the Merida Cathedral, a 500+-year-old cathedral built from stones pillaged by the Spanish from Mayan ruins as well as a few more noteworthy buildings.
↠ Museo Casa Montejo– this beautiful colonial mansion turned museum houses a lot of local art and artefacts from Yucatan. One of the most interesting features are the caryatids on the outer facade of the buildings and even though it’s just for adornment it’s one of the only buildings in Mexico to use this ancient Greek style of architecture.
↠ Palacio Municipal de Merida– This elaborate town hall building painted a very pretty shade of pink, is another beautiful example of colonial, stone architecture with its arched vaults and high ceilings. Make sure to go inside to check out the courtyard and the view of Plaza Grande from the second floor.
↠ Palacio de Gobierno de Yucatan– a grand, classical, mint-green building, this is the seat of the Yucatan government. Inside this government palace, you’ll find a vaulted courtyard and several murals of local, important events, past rulers and government officials.
The historical centre can be explored in two main ways. You can explore by yourself or if you prefer to learn a little bit more about the history of the area- take a local tour.
Free tours organise free walking tours of the historical centre that depart daily at 10 am in Parque Santa Lucia. Your knowledgeable guide will take you all around the historic centre and can answer any questions to might have. Make sure to give a tip of about 200 pesos at the end.
Alternatively, you can also go for this tour that will show you the whole of Merida and more in a day from the back of a Gua Gua bus.
Walk Down Paseo Montejo
Paseo Montejo is Merida’s main thoroughfare, lined with historical mansions, great leafy trees, restaurants, cafes, hotels and commerce and a walk down here is one of the best things to do in Merida Mexico.
It’s a wide avenue, modelled on Paris’ Champs-Elysee and on it you’ll find most of Merida’s most iconic buildings, owned by a small share of the noteworthy families that once lived here.
Some of the mansions are still owned by those same families that lived here in the 18th and 19th centuries and visiting them is a fascinating way to get to know Merida’s past.
You can easily spend half a day or even a full day walking up and down Paseo Montejo and visiting all the amazing mansions, museums and concept stores during the day.
You should also know that the most interesting and historic part starts at the roundabout with Calle 47 and finishes at the Monumento a la Patria.
Here are the most noteworthy places to visit going from south to north:
↠ Casas Gemelas (Casa 495)– these two twin mansions belong to one of Merida’s wealthiest families of the 19th Century and they still occupy part of the house today.
The house has only recently been made into a museum where you can visit part of it which has been vastly untouched since the mid-nineteenth century. The grandeur here is astonishing and you’ll immediately feel like part of Netflix’s next period drama. It’s well worth a quick guided tour.