Your local expert answers: “Is Mérida worth visiting?”
Either you’ve heard about the Mexican city of Mérida from your friends who just won’t shut up about it, or you keep coming across travel articles and blog posts (like mine 😉) that are massively bigging up the city. And now you find yourself wondering whether this is just a bunch of hype around a trendy tourist destination or is Merida really worth visiting?
The quick & dirty answer is that Merida is absolutely worth visiting, in fact, it is on my list of the best places to visit on the Yucatán Peninsula.
Cordelia – your local expert
I’ve lived in Merida for eight years but my history with the city goes back even further. I started visiting the region 18 years ago, and when my family had the opportunity to move back from South East Asia to this part of the world, we chose to move to Merida. I know this city, I love this city and I’m excited to share with you just why I think it’s absolutely worth visiting.
There are affiliate links in this article. If you click and make a purchase I could make a small sum at zero cost to you. Thank you!
In order to fully answer your question, “Is Mérida worth visiting?”, we’re going to breakdown the article in to the following sections
🧭 Location
🏨 🌮 Accommodation & cuisine
🔎 History & culture
🌳 What to do in Mérida
🎉 Festivals you won’t want to miss in Mérida
Is it safe to visit Merida?
Before we begin, let’s just confirm that Mérida, the capital of the state of Yucatán, is not only a beautiful city but also one of the very safest cities in Mexico. The state of Yucatan is one of the safest states in Mexico and one of the safest regions of all of North America.
✅ Location, Location, Location
🚘 Within the Yucatán Peninsula, Merida is at an easy distance from pretty much everything: beaches, archeological sites, pueblos magicos. There are very few places like Mérida in the world: this is a gorgeous, historical city within easy reach of perfect, tropical beaches.
✈ Merida is relatively easy to access from most places in Europe and the Americas. It’s also less than a 20 minute drive from the nearest airport, putting it within easy reach of Mexico City and other travel hubs.
🚌 One of the reasons I think Merida is worth visiting is that is it jam-packed full of great things to do, and it is also super easy to get around. Whether you are walking around centro, catching an Uber or Didi, or hopping on the new Va-y-Ven electric access-friendly buses, you will never find yourself stranded in Merida.
🏝️ If you’re staying in Cancun, Playa del Carmen or Tulum and wondering if Merida is worth visiting, we are firmly of the opinion that it is definitely worth your time and attention.
🏠 👧🏽 Many people considering moving to Mexico with kids have Merida firmly at the top of their potential new home lists.
📌 Check agencies offering day trips to Mérida from the Riviera Maya
🚌 Check public transportation timetables in English or Spanish
🚗 Check rental car options and consider driving to Mérida
➕ Read the MexicoCassie guide to renting cars and driving in Yucatán
→ Read the full MexicoCassie guide to getting around Mérida
→ Read the full MexicoCassie guide to living in Mérida and homeschooling in Mérida
Amazing accommodation options
Whether you’re looking for the swankiest of hacienda experiences or the most humble hostel bunk bed, there’s something to fit your needs & budget in Mérida
🏨 MexicoCassie’s favourite elegant hotel: Caza Azul Monumento Historico – If pure traditional elegance is what you’re looking for, look no further than this gorgeous slice of Mérida’s history. Price includes a wonderful breakfast.
→ Check rates and availability now
🏨 🦜 Best Quirky Boutique Hotel: Casa San Ángel – this is an absolute gem of a hotel, perfectly located at the Remate de Montejo within walking distance of everything you’ll want to explore. This isn’t a ‘swanky’ hotel, rather it’s a deliciously quirky place and definitely one of the most interesting hotels in town. There is A.C in every room and a nice outdoor pool.
→ Check rates and availability now
🏨 ♻️ Best Eco Hotel: Kuka Y Naranjo – if ethical living and a serious commitment to sustainability matter to you, then you can’t beat this small, boutique hotel in Mérida. With just 8 rooms in the main hotel and 3 more in their second space, you will feel immediately relaxed here. There is a lovely outdoor eco-pool and every room has A.C. The funky hotel restaurant serves up delicious vegan takes on local cuisine.
→ Check rates and availability now
🏨 MexicoCassie recommended great value hotel: Hotel La Piazzetta – located on Plaza Mejorada, this is a gorgeous little hotel with beautifully appointed rooms, and incredibly kind and welcoming owners
🏨 Best Hostel: Che Nomadas – this long standing popular hostel in Mérida remains my top pick for hostels thanks to its great location, clean rooms (private & shared), fab atmosphere, great bar and good pool.
→ Check rates and availability now
🐾 Because Mérida is such a pet friendly city, there are plenty of pet friendly hotel options available to visitor.
🗺️ Or, if none of these work for you, you can use the interactive MexicoCassie accommodation finder
Eclectic cuisine choices
This city’s reputation as a foodie destination has been won fair and square. Come prepared to eat: from street-food to fine dining, Mérida has something for everyone. Whether you’re looking for super traditional or international cuisine, whatever your budget, you’ll be able to find something to suit your appetite in Mérida. High end sushi? No problem. 9 course tasting menu? You got it. Burger on the side of the road at 3am? Not hard to find. Tacos for breakfast? Absolutely. Italian, Peruvian, Hawaiian, Middle Eastern? Yes, yes yes.
And along with all the Mexican favourites you would expect to find, Yucatán has some delicious and unique dishes you will be hard pressed to try anywhere else but here such as cochinita pibil, and sopa de lima.
Mérida also has also a vibrant nightlife and many excellent cantinas, cocktail bars and speakeasies.
→ Use the MexicoCassie guide to Mexican drinks to figure out your favourite tipple.
MexicoCassie’s favourite places to eat in Mérida
(These aren’t the places you might see in most articles about Mérida because they’re not super trendy and ‘cool’ but they are my favourite places in my favourite city)
🌽 Breakfast: Pancho Maiz – in my opinion this is the overall best breakfast in Mérida (they are open all day but I’ve only been for breakfast). Everything here is perfection and the staff are really friendly and helpful. I recommend reserving a table.
🌯 Traditional Yucatecan: Manjar Blanco (as seen on Netflix) – star of the Taco Chronicles was known to locals as an excellent restaurant long before TV found it. It remains a hot spot in Mérida and I definitely recommend having lunch here. The cochinita pibil is particularly great. (pictured above)
🌯 Traditional Yucatecan: Cafe Habana – for a low-key, super local experience, you can’t beat Cafe Habana. Honestly, it feels as if nothing has changed in here since the 1980s and I mean this is a good way.
There’s so much to do in Mérida
Whether you like nature, ambling through the streets, architecture, art, watching live music performances, if your trips are all about the food, or you want to delve into history, Merida has so much for you to enjoy.
✅ History & culture
If you are a fan of Mesoamerican history in general or specifically Maya history then this is the place to visit. Don’t forget, Chichén Itzá, the UNESCO World Heritage Site and modern wonder of the world is just down the road from Mérida and it is just one of many ruins worth visiting while you’re in Merida.
⭐️ A great way to get to know Mérida is by taking a walking tour or a bus tour. It’ll help you get a sense of the city, the main square, cathedrals, local markets, historic buildings and colonial architecture.
→ There is a free walking tour of Merida offered by the ayuntamiento (local government) but places are limited
→ Check other Mérida walking tour options
→ Check Mérida bus tour options
➕ If you’re exploring Mérida with children, you could use this scavenger hunt to make it more fun for them.
📍 We don’t recommend taking a real horse and cart ride around Mérida as the horses are not always well cared for but the newer electric carriages are a fun and ethical alterantive
🔎 There are over 20 excellent museums in Merida. The most famous is the Gran Museo del Mundo Maya (the Mayan World Museum). In addition to its regular exhibitions, it regularly features special exhibits, making it a museum we happily visit every time we have guests in town.
🖼️ If you are less into museums and more into small galleries and street art, Merida has you covered here too.
🆓 And if you love free events then Merida is a perfect destination for you as there are free cultural events pretty much every day of the week.
✅ Folkloric culture
Mérida is proud of its heritage and culture. In addition to annual events and festivities, you can take in local culture nearly every day of the week thanks to free cultural events hosted by the city. Mérida wasn’t voted the American Capital of Culture twice for nothing!
🛍️ There are great options for souvenir shopping, whether you are in the market (or mood) to buy from street vendors or from the bougie boutique stores.
✅ Great venues for luxury and personal pampering
Even if you aren’t into tourist-heavy trips and are looking to get away for some old fashioned R&R, Merida is a great choice. There are many beautiful boutique hotels, converted Haciendas and Airbnbs. And of course, the beach is just down the road.
If you’re looking for spas and pampering to ensure you return home completely rested, Mérida can provide that too (my favourite is Tai Spa for facials).
Handy list of MexicoCassie’s Mérida guides
➡️ The MexicoCassie full & comprehensive guide to what to do in Mérida
➡️ Exploring Mérida with kids
➡️ How best to use yours 24 hours in Mérida
➡️ Finding the free things to do in Mérida
➡️ Sustainable tourism in Mérida
🚗 Everything you need to know about getting around Mérida
🚗 MexicoCassie guide to renting a car & driving in Yucatán
➡️ How to visit the Mérida cemetery
👣 Book your Mérida and beyond tours here
➡️ Finding the street art in Mérida
➡️ Cenotes to visit from Mérida
➡️ Best cenote tours from Mérida
➡️ Best beaches to visit from Mérida
➡️ Breakfast foods in Mérida
➡️ How to find the best chocolate in Mérida
➡️ Where to find the best ice creams in Mérida
✅ Read all about just how safe Mérida & Yucatán are
Is Mérida worth visiting with kids?
Again, our answer is a firm and emphatic yes. We love Merida and know it’s an extremely kid friendly city. Children are welcome everywhere in Mérida (as they are across Mexico), there are plenty of kid friendly activities in Mérida and around the city.
Kids just love exploring cenotes, playing on local beaches and feeling like explorers as they visit deserted ruins. In fact, Yucatán’s beaches are some of the most family friendly beaches in Mexico. There are plenty of kid-friendly restaurants (think Los Trompos, Pollo Feliz and TGI Fridays), adventure parks, trampoline parks and more.
⭐️ If you are travelling to Mérida with kids and want to make sure you are choosing kid friendly activities be sure to check out our special kid-friendly edition of Mérida Fun and don’t forget to pick up a copy of Cassie’s best selling book, Yucatán with Kids
Day trips from Mérida
Merida is worth visiting even if you only have time for a short city-break but it’s even better when you take time to explore within an hour or two of the city.
💦 Cenotes
Cenotes are pretty much only found on the Yucatán Peninsula. These are stunning swimming holes that are beautiful, refreshing, and make for some fantastic photos. Beware they may incite major envy by friends and neighbours back home.
🔎 Archeological sites / Mayan ruins
Everyone will have heard of Chichén Itzá, the most famous of all Mexican ruins. Chichén Itzá, that modern wonder of the world and UNESCO World Heritage site, is easily visited as a day trip from Mérida but, excitingly, it’s not the only archaeological site in the area. There are dozens of Mayan ruins you can visit while staying in Mérida, some without even leaving the city!
➡️ The closest site to Merida is Dzibilchaltun, home to the famous building House of Dolls. Note, if you are in Merida around the summer solstice or either equinox, you can join others in gathering to watch the sun pass behind the temple window at dawn. It’s also believed to be one of the oldest Maya buildings still standing
➡️ Consider a trip to the ruins of Uxmal and the Ruta Puuc (five incredible and barely visited archaeological sites) are all within an easy day trip from Merida
➡️ Read the full MexicoCassie guide to the archaeological sites in Yucatan (including some secret ones actually within the city of Merida!)
🏆 Find out which of the ruins near Mérida make it onto my list of the top 10 best ruins to visit on the Yucatán Peninsula
🏖️ Beaches within easy reach of Mérida
There are soooo many beaches on Yucatan’s gorgeous Gulf of Mexico coast. A day trip to the beach from Mérida is really very easy to plan.
Progreso is the closest and most developed beach town nearby. Once a sleepy seaside fisherman’s town where locals would relax, it is now a thriving well developed area with plenty to do for everyone. In fact, it’s actually a cruise ship port and home to the longest pier in the world.
For anyone with an extreme sport addiction, we recommend heading to the far west of Progreso and the next beach over, Yucalpeten, you will find a number of kite-surf schools. Around Progresso, you can rent Hobie Cats and Windsurfers. Recently I’ve seen some people with foil sails. In short, there is great wind in the Yucatan.
➡️ Read the full MexicoCassie guide to the best beaches of Yucatán
➡️ Don’t miss the famous pink lakes at Las Coloradas
🔎 Other towns & cities to visit from Mérida
Another great reason to visit Mérida is that from your base there, you can easily visit the other main towns on the peninsula for the day.
➡️ Valladolid – a gorgeous colonial city in the centre of the Yucatán Peninsula. Here you’ll find excellent food, gorgeous boutique shops, and there’s even a cenote in the centre of the city.
➡️ Izamal – the famous yellow city, an Instagrammer’s dream. There are more ruins in Izamal than in any other town.
➡️ Campeche – a beautiful colonial city in the south of the peninsula
➡️ Progreso – a delightful small & laidback beach town
➡️ Pueblos Magicos – if smaller towns are more your style, then check out the pueblos magicos in Yucatán
⭐️ Mérida’s best according to Cordelia ⭐️
So now you know why it’s worth visiting Mérida, let’s take a look at what Cordelia, a local expert, recommends doing when you’re in town.
→ Explore Paseo de Montejo and Mérida’s historic center
→ Take in a demonstration of the ancient Mayan ball game called Poc-ta-Poc outside the Atrium of Merida’s Cathedral San Ildefonso on the Plaza Grande. This Cathedral is one of the oldest in Latin America. Use the MexicoCassie guide to free activities in Mérida to find out more about this display.
→ Explore the local markets to learn about local crafts and artisanias including the the strange Maquech Beetle and learn about the Mayan myth behind it.
→ Visit the Gastronomical Museum MUGY. At this beautiful location in the center of town you will get to enjoy local cuisine including cochinita pibil and sikil p’ak (the former is pork cooked with achiote and orange underground in a pib oven and the latter is the most delicious pressed pumpkin seed dip) as well as see how local dishes are made and enjoy a small exhibition on local food culture.
→ Stop for ice cream the Dulceria y Sorbeteria Colón, one of the most iconic places in Mérida
→ Visit the city’s colourful cemetery
→ Explore the Mercado Lucas de Galvez and take a cooking class
→Try one of the many wonderful restaurants the city has on offer. Mérida’s “gastronomical corridor” is is on Calle 47 (from the remate de Paseo de Montejo to Parque la Plancha )
→ Forget bars and go for a Cantina Crawl! There are loads of great cantinas including La Negrita, Dzalby, and Cantina Montejo. Dzalby has live performances so get there early if you want a table close to the band. Use the MexicoCassie guide to Mexican drinks to figure out what to order
Festivals in Mérida
Merida seems to always be celebrating something but there are three main festivals worth keeping in mind when planning your trip (because by now surely you’re convinced Merida is, indeed, worth visiting).
Dia de Muertos / Hanal Pixan
☠️ At the end of October/Early November, much of Mexico celebrates Día de los Muertos. Mérida and the Yucatán Peninsula celebrate their own, older version of this festival, Hanal Pixan.
We won’t pretend that Hanal Pixan isn’t one of our favourite festivals! It really is. While Mérida doesn’t celebrate quite like Oaxaca, it’s still a really special time when the city comes together.
Don’t miss the altars on the Plaza Grande, the Paseo de las Animas (Parade of the Souls) or the delicious Pib Festival.
➡️ Learn more about Dia de los Muertos in Mérida
Christmas
🎄 Christmas is a great time to visit Merida as the weather is warm, beaches are empty and everyone is gearing up for fun.
Mérida hosts a big Christmas fair in the north of the city, the Plaza Grande becomes a giant open-air nativity scene and there are decorations and trees all over the city. This is the time of the year where the cervezas de Noche Buena are available again.
➡️ Learn more about Christmas in Merida
Carnaval
📌 Yes, we too have Carnaval. If you find yourself in Merida in February, you can join locals at the dedicated Mérida carnaval ground, Xmatkuil or take a combi/ Va y Ven Bus or Uber to Progreso and enjoy it up at the beach.
➡️ Learn more about carnaval in Merida
⭐️ Check our ready made Yucatan Itineraries ⭐️
🚗 Off-the-beaten-track in Yucatan
➕ Read the MexicoCassie guide to renting cars and driving in Yucatán
⭐️ Is Mérida worth visiting? – check the answer to this question now!
⭐️ Read up on the Maya Train Route to see if it’s something you could enjoy
