PASEO DE MONTEJO
CENTRO HISTÓRICO
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Catedral de San Ildefonso (the first cathedral in the Americas)
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Palacio de Gobierno
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Palacio Municipal
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Parque de la Madre and the Iglesia de la Tercera Orden
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Ermita de Santa Isabel and the colonial neighbourhood
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Parque de Santa Lucía
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Fundación de Artistas - art gallery and shops
MUSEUMS
Museo de la Canción Yucateca (Barrio de la Mejorada)
1 HR 35 BY CAR · 119 KM One of the New Seven Wonders of the World, and the most famous Maya site in Mexico. El Castillo, the Ball Court and the Observatory are all here. Arrive at opening, 8am. By eleven it's crowded and the heat is punishing. Pair it with the Ik Kil or Yokdzonot cenote afterwards.
1 HR 15 BY CAR · 79 KM Quieter than Chichén Itzá and, we'd argue, more beautiful: all soft curves and intricate stone latticework in the Puuc style. Climb the terraces of the Governor's Palace for the view. Stop at Hacienda Temozón Sur for lunch on the way back. There's an evening light show if you'd rather go late.
2 HR 15 BY CAR · 177 KM The one where you can still climb to the top. The Acropolis is enormous, and near the summit there's a remarkably preserved stucco frieze of winged figures. Far fewer visitors than Chichén Itzá. The X'Canché cenote is a short walk or bike ride from the entrance.
1 HR 35 BY CAR · 105 KM A string of small Puuc-style sites (Kabah, Sayil, Xlapak and Labná) along a quiet road south of Uxmal, usually visited as one loop. Add the Loltún caves, the largest cave system in Yucatán. Best combined with Uxmal as a full day. Bring water; there's very little shade.
25 MIN BY CAR · 17 KM The easiest ruins to reach, about 20 minutes north of the city on the way to Progreso. Small but atmospheric, with the Temple of the Seven Dolls and a wide, swimmable cenote right on the site. Perfect for a half day if you don't want to commit to a long drive.
A 1 hora en coche · 68 km La ciudad amarilla, donde todos los edificios están pintados del mismo tono ocre intenso. Construida sobre y alrededor de pirámides mayas, y con un enorme monasterio del siglo XVI en su centro, es uno de los lugares más fotografiados de México. Medio día es suficiente. Almuerza en Kinich y haz una parada en Taller Maya.
A 2 horas en coche · 159 km Una ciudad colonial de calles en tonos pastel y plazas arboladas; es el punto de partida ideal si te diriges a Chichén Itzá o Ek Balam. Recorre la Calzada de los Frailes hasta el convento de San Bernardino y visita La Casa de los Venados, una residencia privada que alberga una de las mejores colecciones de arte popular mexicano. Para comer, prueba Zaci (cocina yucateca y cuenta con su propio cenote), desayuna en Los Portales o visita El Mesón del Marqués, situado en la plaza principal. Aquí también encontrarás Coqui Coqui, donde podrás comprar perfumes y textiles.
Hacienda y Cenote Mucucyché
50 MIN BY CAR · 61 KM Beautiful restored haciendas, with two connected cenotes: one open, one a cathedral-like cavern hung with stalactites. The tour covers the grounds, both cenotes and lunch. Numbers are capped and it sells out, so book online well in advance.
33 MIN BY CAR · 32 KM A working henequén hacienda, still processing sisal the way it was done a century ago. The tour includes the machine house, a ride on the rail carts and a swim in a private cenote. The closest of the haciendas to Mérida, and the best one for understanding where the city's wealth came from.
25 MIN BY CAR · 37 KM Left almost exactly as it was: faded, unrestored and quietly extraordinary. You wander through the rooms at your own pace, past furniture and machinery still in place. Short visit, big impression. Easy to fold into a trip to Uxmal.
42 MIN BY CAR · 43 KM A restored hacienda turned luxury hotel, and winner of the 2017 Prix Versailles for best luxury hotel in the world. Worth the trip for lunch or dinner alone: the restaurant, Ixi'im, serves a menu by Jorge Vallejo in a former machine house lined with tequila bottles. Book ahead.
20 MIN BY CAR · 12 KM Just north of the city, and the shortest hacienda trip you can make. Best known for its restaurant, which does an excellent Yucatecan nouvelle cuisine: one of the nicest dinners near Mérida without leaving the area.
1 HR BY CAR · HOMÚN Three cenotes on one property, reached by horse-cart or bike, with lockers, showers and a restaurant on site. The most organised cenote day in Yucatán, and the easiest if it's your first time or you're bringing children.
1 HR BY CAR · 52 KM Three cenotes reached the traditional way, on a horse-drawn rail cart running along old henequén tracks. Bumpy, rustic and a lot of fun, though less polished than the organised spots. Bring cash; card payment is rare out here.
1 HR BY CAR · 56 KM A whole village built above an underground river. There are dozens of cenotes here, most on family land, each a little different. Go with a guide or just follow the signs and pick one. Rougher around the edges than Santa Bárbara, and all the better for it.
1 HR BY CAR · 56 KM Just outside Homún, and one of the prettiest of the group: a wide open pool with roots dropping through the roof and a platform to jump from. Quieter than its neighbours. Easy to combine with another cenote in the same afternoon.
1 HR 45 BY CAR · 110 KM A large, well-set-up cenote park with an on-site restaurant, gardens and space to spend the whole afternoon. A good option if you want the cenote experience without the rough edges.
1 HR 30 BY CAR · 90 KM A biosphere reserve on the Gulf coast, and home to thousands of flamingos. February is peak season. You go out by boat through the mangroves to see them, then through a freshwater spring on the way back. Lunch on seafood at Los Pámpanos.
3 HR 30 BY CAR · 222 KM The pink lakes: salt flats coloured deep rose by the algae in the water, set against white banks and turquoise sea. A long day out, and best combined with Río Lagartos for the flamingos and the boat trip. Go for the light in the early afternoon.
4 HR DRIVE TO CANCÚN, THEN A 20 MIN FERRY A small island off Cancún, crossed end to end in a golf cart. Playa Norte is the draw: shallow, glass-clear, warm water and some of the softest sand in Mexico. Busy by day when the boats come in, and lovely once they leave. Two or three nights is right.
3 HR 30 DRIVE TO CHIQUILÁ, THEN A 30 MIN FERRY A car-free island of sand streets, hammocks strung over shallow water, and almost nothing to do, which is the point. Barefoot and unhurried. Worth knowing: the whale sharks Holbox is famous for arrive in summer, so you won't see them in February.
4 HR DRIVE TO PLAYA DEL CARMEN, THEN A 45 MIN FERRY The diving island. Cozumel sits on the Mesoamerican Reef, the second largest in the world, and the drift dives along the Palancar walls are among the best anywhere. Excellent snorkelling too if you don't dive. Less of a beach-lounging island than the other two.
1 HR BY CAR · HOMÚN Three cenotes on one property, reached by horse-cart or bike, with lockers, showers and a restaurant on site. The most organised cenote day in Yucatán, and the easiest if it's your first time or you're bringing children.
5 HR 30 BY CAR · 475 KM The furthest of these, and our favourite. A freshwater lagoon so clear it shades through seven distinct blues, with almost no development along it. Spend a day on a sailboat, swim off a wooden dock, and see the stromatolites, living rock formations among the oldest lifeforms on earth. Quiet, and worth the drive.
