If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the sheer amount of activities on offer in Yucatán, Mexico and worrying about how to fit it all into your Yucatán vacation, you can stop panicking because we’re here to help. The Mexican state of Yucatan is a perfect vacation destination precisely because there’s so much to see and do.

Let’s take a look now at how to help you have an amazing 10 days in Yucatan with this awesome itinerary.

Is 10 Days in Yucatan Enough Time?

Yes, actually, we think 10 days in Yucatan is enough time to see a good amount of the state. You won’t get to see everything, of course, but you’ll see a lot. We promise you’ll leave already planning your next Yucatan vacation!

If you’ve only got one week in Yucatan, that’s also ok, as it’s enough time to sample the highlights of Yucatan.  And if you have 2 weeks, then you are in for an absolutely wonderful time!

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Highlights of Yucatan

⭐️ Many who come to the region are expecting inclusive resorts, but those are more of a Quintana Roo thing. Yucatán is the place to come if you’re looking for Mayan history, natural beauty and fabulous local restaurants.

❓ Are you wondering whether to visit Mérida or Valladolid on your trip around Yucatán?

The highlights of Yucatan, of course, are many but the experiences you really can’t miss are:

Cenotes

There are plenty of cenotes around Mérida, and Valladolid many of which are cenotes suitable for nervous first timers or small children. One or two will even allow pets on the grounds

You’ll probably be able to visit one or two during your 10 days in Yucatan.

Beaches

The gorgeous Yucatán coast offers the visitor gentle beaches, fishing villages such as Rio Lagartos, Las Coloradas, and Celestun, and the bigger beach town of Progreso.

⭐️ Don’t expect all inclusive hotels on Yucatán’s Costa Esmeralda. Instead, think low-key boutique hotels and Airbnbs.

⭐️ If you’re travelling with kids, know that Yucatán’s beaches are some of the most family friendly in all of Mexico.

Archaeological Sites 

Yucatan is home to some of the most well known archaeological sites such as Chichén Itzá, and Uxmal as well as far less well known Mayan ruins such as Xcambo and Mayapan.

Try to visit one or two to really get a feel for this region.

🏆 5 of the top 10 archaeological sites on my list of the top 10 to visit on the Yucatán Peninsula are in Yucatán.

Colonial Cities and Pueblos Magicos

The cities and towns of Yucatán are full of color, personality and tradition. Mérida and Valladolid are the state’s two biggest cities. Both are well worth a visit.

Pueblos Magicos include Izamal, Motul and Sisal.

Yucatecan Food

If you think you know Mexican food you may well still find Yucatecan food a delicious surprise as much of it is different to typical Mexican dishes. Think cochinita pibil, papadzules, salbutes and marquesitas!

Even the street food is delicious in Yucatan.

Yucatecan Culture

Yucatecans are rightly proud of their culture and history and see themselves as having a separate culture from Mexico. You may well hear people speaking Mayan even in bigger towns and you’ll see people wearing traditional dress everywhere you go.

Is Yucatán Safe?

Yes. Yucatan is as safe as it gets. It’s the safest state in Mexico and in fact, it’s one of the safest regions of all of North America. We won’t get into the specifics here as we’ve written about this at length elsewhere.

Driving in Yucatan

As we said, Yucatan is safe and we include driving in Yucatan in this statement. The roads are safe and well maintained and the cops aren’t going to pull you over and demand bribes in this part of Mexico.

🚗 Check rental car options here

Best Time to Spend 10 Days in Yucatán

🔆 Warm and Dry: November – March. The weather is just about perfect for exploring. Why not consider a spring break trip to Yucatán?

🔆 Hot: April – May. The temperature rises dramatically and can regularly reach over 40C in April and May.

🔆 ☔️ – Hot and Wet: June – September. Most days are extremely hot and humid and there are regular aguaceros (heavy rain storms) for an hour or so in the afternoons.

💨 October – November are also officially known as hurricane season. Yucatan doesn’t really get many hurricanes but there are often tropical storm warnings in this season.

Assumptions Made While Crafting This 10 Days in Yucatan Itinerary

➡️ We are assuming you’re arriving and leaving via Merida International Airport (MID). If this is not that case and you’re flying into the peninsula’s largest airport, Cancun International Airport you can simply start this itinerary at Day 5 in Valladolid since Valladolid is a quick and easy bus ride or drive from Cancun. 

➡️ This itinerary is possible with public transportation but it was written assuming the freedom of a rental car. 

🚗 Check car rental options now

🚌 Check bus timetables now: ADO (Spanish) or Busbud (English)

🚂 The Maya Train should be operational in early 2024, which offers yet more exciting experiences in this region

➡️ This 10-day itinerary for Yucatan is written with the assumption that it’s a road trip BUT it’s actually entirely possible to do all these trips from a home base in Mérida or Valladolid if that’s your preference. Both make a perfect place to base yourself while exploring the state of Yucatán. 

See, we’ve thought of everything and everyone!

➡️ This article provides a 10 day itinerary for the state of Yucatan, not the whole of the Yucatan Peninsula. The outcrop of land creating Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula of Yucatan is made up of three states: Yucatan, Campeche, and Quintana Roo, home of the Riviera Maya (Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Isla Mujeres and Tulum).

10 Days in Yucatan – Itinerary

Days 1 – 3: Mérida

Merida is the capital of the state of Yucatan. And as in any capital there is plenty much to do and see. In Mérida, think museums and art galleries, folk dancing and markets. You can visit cemeteries, walk the colonial streets, eat incredible food and so much more.

➡️ Have you ever asked yourself the question, “Is Mérida worth visiting?” – if so, know we of are the firm opinion that it is absolutely worth visiting.

No matter what day you fly into Merida, there is always a free cultural event happening every day.

🐾 Figure out how to visit Mérida with your pet with our useful guide to exploring Mérida with dogs.

What to do in Mérida

📌 Street Food Walking Tour

📌 Explore Paseo de Montejo and Mérida’s historic center

📌 Visit the Catedral de San Ildefonso, one of the oldest cathedrals in the Americas

📌 Explore the Mercado Lucas de Galvez and take a cooking class

📌 Take in one or two of the excellent museums in Mérida. Do take note that as of October 2023,  the museum of Arte Popular is currently closed for renovations. There is no scheduled reopening date at this time. 

➡️ Read up on how to spend a perfect 24 hours in Mérida

📌 Eat ALL the street food

➕ If you’re exploring Mérida with children, you could use this scavenger hunt to make it more fun for them.

➡️ Day Trip from Mérida to Uxmal and the Choco-Story Museum

Use one of your Mérida days to visit Uxmal. Set off early to beat both crowds and the heat. Spend a few hours walking around the fabulous UNESCO World Heritage Site, Uxmal. When you’re finished, head across the road to the Choco-Story Museum where you’ll learn all about the history of chocolate, its role in indigenous culture and have the opportunity to try traditional chocolate too. 

If you’re not interested in the chocolate museum (it’s really excellent by the way), choose from any one of Yucatan’s extraordinary cenotes between Uxmal and Mérida for a refreshing dip on your way back. 

Day 4: Hacienda Sotuta de Peon

You can either visit Hacienda Sotuta de Peon for the day or you can stay overnight and really have a special experience at this gorgeous hotel.

Why Visit Sotuta de Peon

Sotuta de Peon is the only example of a working hacienda remaining in Yucatan. Whether you visit for the day or splurge on an overnight stay, you will learn all about the history of haciendas and the region’s huge sisal industry, which made Yucatán one of the richest places in the world in the 19th century. You can also indulge in local delicacies and swim in the hacienda’s pool and cenotes and explore the magnificent grounds.

Days 5-7: Colonial Town of Valladolid and Central Yucatán

Valladolid, Yucatán’s second city is a beautiful colonial city with a gorgeous pedestrian friendly old part of town. Valladolid is officially a pueblo magico and is wonderfully located in the centre of the Yucatán Peninsula, making it a great base for anyone who wants to explore the Maya ruins and cenotes in this area.

What to do in Valladolid

📌 Wander around this small colonial city

📌 Check out the museums

📌 Swim in Cenote Zaci, a large, open air cenote right in the centre of Valladolid

📌 Explore the Calzada de los Frailes with its boutique shops and great restaurants

📌 Watch the video mapping on the old convent

📌 Visit the magnificent cenotes and Mayan ruins including Chichen Itza, Ek Balam and Coba as day trips from Valladolid

Day 8: Izamal & Tixkokob

If you’ve seen any images of Yucatan then you’ve probably seen photos of Izamal, the incredible yellow city, pueblo magico and UNESCO World Heritage Site. If Instagram wanted to design the perfect pueblo for pictures, it couldn’t have done a better job than Izamal. 

– Note you can either stay an extra night in Valladolid or stay one night in Izamal.

What to do in Izamal

📌 Visit the famous yellow convent and explore the old yellow city

📌 Climb the pyramid Kinich Kakmó

📌 Enjoy shopping in the well renowned and excellent souvenir shops

📌 Eat the famous venison tacos in the market or visit everyone’s favourite restaurant Kinich

Why Add Tixkokob to Your Day

📌 Tixkokob is known both for its hammock makers and its pibil dishes. (Pibil, means they are slow roasted with achiote) 

📌 Eat at the famous Pueblo Pibil. This restaurant also has a branch in Merida but the one in Tixkokob is the original and locals love to take a drive out to this gorgeous town to eat here. (Be sure to go into the garden to see how the pibil is cooked)

Days 9 – 10: Beach Time

If you’re more into beaches than this itinerary allows for, consider skipping one of the pueblos or cut your Valladolid days down to spend more time enjoying the fabulous Yucatecan coast, the Costa Esmeralda. We offer two gorgeous beach town options in this article, one larger than the other. 

Top Tip: On your way to the beach from Valladolid/Izamal/Tikxkokob, stop in the pueblo magico of Motul for breakfast as this is home of the famous Mexican breakfast dish: Huevos Motuleños.

Which Beach: Progreso or Telchac Puerto?

Telchac Puerto is a small town some thirty minutes east of Progreso. It’s very laid back and has beautiful beaches and nice small hotels.

Progreso is the biggest beach town in Yucatán, it has more facilities than other towns and fishing villages along the coast. It’s also where cruise ships dock when arriving in Yucatán. 

Why Choose Telchac Puerto

📌 Quiet beaches with fewer people around than in Progreso (anywhere around Telchac Puerto is gorgeous). Simply drive along the coastal road and stop whenever you feel like it

📌 La Dulceria Chay – This is a small, green house that is famous for its coconut sweets. These include the famous coconut bolis (i.e. a sort of coconut ice in a bag that you suck on, an absolutely authentic Yucatecan experience), coconut cookies of all sorts, coconut flan, coconut pies and more

📌 Xcambo is a small archeological site situated near the Laguna Rosada. Every time I’ve gone, I’ve had the entire site to myself and if the time of the year is right, you will also see flamingos in the estuary as your drive the area

📌 Proyecto Santa Maria – This project rescues and rehabilitate local parrots that have been captured and mistreated. It is a truly moving project. Book a visit to the sanctuary to learn more

📌 Go kayaking on the estuary at the Eco-Sayachaltun. The restaurant here is also excellent

Why Choose Progreso

📌 Beach Clubs – there are a few beach clubs in Progreso such as Silcer and El Hay Guay, where you can get a lounge chair as long as you order food and drinks. I highly recommend trying an “ojo rojo”, particularly if tequila or mezcal was enjoyed copiously the night before. This amazing drink is what a Bloody Mary’s cousin would be if it shacked-up with beer instead of vodka 

📌 Explore the beaches and Malecons – Progreso is a gorgeous place to walk. Stroll along the Malecon (Mexico’s equivalent to a boardwalk), and the recently pedestrianised coastal road, walk to the piers, and along to the new Malecon. Locals love to walk here at night when the temperature has dropped and the air is cooler

📌 Enjoy the street food, the trendy new container cafes and the excellent traditional beach-side restaurants in Progreso

📌 Enjoy people watching, chilling on the beach, watching the kite surfers fly and loop across the water

📌 Visit El Corchito cenotes and nearby pueblo of Chicxulub, site of the meteor impact that changed the course of history

Alternative Itinerary Suggestions

If there is anything in this itinerary that really doesn’t work for you, consider swapping in:

➡️ a day trip to Celestun with a boat ride to see the pink flamingos (depending on the season)

➡️ take a day trip to Homun’s cenote circle via the ruins of Acanceh or take a cenote tour to Mucuyuche or Hacienda Santa Barbara.

Final Thought on this 10 Days in Yucatan Itinerary

I hope you’ve found our itinerary helpful in planning your next Yucatan vacation, we’ve obviously been to everywhere included and are sure that this 10 days in Yucatan plan will help you to create your perfect vacation.

Wishing you a very Buen Viaje!