You’re reading this article because you’ve booked a trip to Mérida, Mexico and now you’re looking to find the very best day trips from Mérida, right?

Great! Let’s dig in and ensure you find the best day trips for you. We’ll consider a number of different options and we’ll also look at how to manage your day trips around Yucatán. I’m passionate about Yucatán and discovering the very best it has to offer so I’m excited to share my favourite day trips with you in this article.

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How to take day trips from Merida

You have options when it comes to arranging your day trips from Mérida. You can:

🚗 Rent a car and drive yourself around. This is always my preference as it allows the freedom to come and go as I please without having to worrying about schedules.

🚌 Public Transportation – you can take public buses. I don’t really recommend this unless you’re backpacking around Mexico and have plenty of time. While, yes, buses are the cheapest option, they’re also the most restrictive in terms of timetables and locations.

🚂 As of early 2024 it’s possible to take the Tren Maya around the Yucatán Peninsula. This is a fun way to get around the region but it won’t be possible to see everything this way as trains obviously only run on their tracks (thanks, Cassie, for pointing that out 🫠).

🚍 Guided tours are great if you can afford them. Local guides will generally be keen to share their knowledge of their homes and by using them you’re adding to the local economy too. With a tour you’ll often find you cram a lot more into a day than you might be able to alone.

➕ If you’re wondering about Valladolid as a base for exploring the region, it’s also great – there are numerous excellent day trips to take from Valladolid.

Day trips from Merida:  Archaeological sites

Obviously, Yucatan is home to dozens of archaeological sites so choosing one or two to visit is difficult. Let’s look at the very best Mayan ruins to visit from Mérida.

Chichén Itzá

This iconic Maya ruin is one of the seven wonders of the world and of course, one of the most popular places to visit on the Yucatán Peninsula. Handily it is an easy day trip from Mérida. Tours to Chichén Itzá generally include a swim in a cenote, lunch and a quick trip into the gorgeous city of Valladolid or Izamal.

🚗 It’s possible to do all of this on your own if you have a rental car – note that cenote Ik Kil is the most visited cenote in the Chichén Itzá area but there are dozens of wonderful cenotes that you could choose from.

I recommend starting out early so you beat the majority of the tours. Be at Chichén Itzá by 9 am, spend 2 – 3 hours exploring the site (don’t miss El Castillo, the observatory, the ball courts or the cenotes) then go for lunch and a swim in a cenote (Yokdzonot is my favourite) before nipping into Valladolid or Izamal for an hour or two after lunch. It’s a long day but it’s worth it.

⭐️ Cassie’s Tour Recommendation

Mayapan

Note: Mayapan was closed in Feb/March 2024 so it’s worth asking around before driving out here.

Mayapan is less than an hour from Mérida and is an archaeological site that often doesn’t make the guidebooks and as such is generally pretty empty. Adults and kids alike can have a great day out here, climbing, exploring and wowing over the views.

After exploring Mayapan, find a cenote for a good cooling swim. I recommend Yaal Utzil or Noh Mozon.

🚗 Driving to Mayapan is very easy from Mérida. Just be sure to tell your GPS you want Mayapan ruins not Mayapan village. After you’re done at the ruins, head into Telchacillo if you need to buy water.

Mayapan is good if you’re after a shorter, less gruelling day trip. Pack snacks, sandwiches and plenty of water and head out from Mérirda after a leisurely breakfast. Do note that the cenotes around here are nicely wild and you may need to let a local guide show you the way. (they’ll find you, don’t worry!)

Uxmal

South of Merida is the incredible Uxmal UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is one of the most popular of all Mayan ruins in Yucatán and with good reason. The sorcerer’s pyramid that greets you as you enter the site will take your breath away.

Just across the road from Uxmal is the gorgeous Choco-Story Museum, which is well worth an hour or two of your time if you’re interested in the history or chocolate and strolling around a beautiful hacienda grounds.

If you have any energy left, you could stop for a cenote swim on the way back to Mérida. If you don’t fancy a cenote swim, head to Muna to eat at the delicious Finca Puuc restaurant, my favourite restaurant in the area.

🚗 Uxmal is an easy drive from Mérida (1hr15), which leave plenty of time to see the ruins, the museum and either have a leisurely lunch at Finca Puuc (take your swim stuff as they have a pool) or a cenote (Kankirixche) swim on the way home.

⭐️ Cassie’s tour recommendation

Xcambo

Close to Progreso is Xcambo, a small jungle ruin site that very few people ever visit, which makes it a perfect choice for people who have already visited the bigger name sites and are looking for something a little off the beaten-path.

🚗 If you visit with a rental car, be sure to stop to see the salt flats and stop to watch the flamingos along the Laguna Rosá. You could also go for lunch and a kayak at Sayachaltun (one of my favourite spots in this area), or head to the beach anywhere along the coast here. Consider having lunch in Progreso, seeing the meteor museum, or the dinosaur walk, or having swim in the cenotes at El Corchito. There are many great options if you’re going solo for this day.

The Ruta Puuc is the name given to a group of five archaeological sites all built in the same style: Labna, Sayil, Xlapak, Kabah and Uxmal. Some of the best examples of ancient Maya architecture, are, in my opinion, found here.

Ruta Puuc means Hill Route, so called because the land starts to be marginally less flat around here. The sites are all part of a UNESCO world heritage site.

🚗 The Ruta Puuc is definitely manageable in one day as long as you’re ready for some exercise! Although Uxmal is technically part of the Ruta Puuc ruins, I’d recommend not trying to manage Uxmal and the Ruta Puuc all in one day. If you really wanted to do this, you’d be better off staying at somewhere fabulous like The Lodge at Uxmal and spending two days down here.

Oxkintok

The other sites I’ve mentioned thus far aren’t that odd or unheard of but practically no one has heard of the site of Oxkintok. You’ll find the site empty but if you speak Spanish you may be able to find a guide on site. This is one of the oldest Maya archaeological sites and the different architectural styles found here are what make it particularly interesting.

🚗 This site is just over an hour south of Mérida. After you’ve finished here, drive on into the state of Campeche for lunch in either Becal or Pomuch. Both small towns, well off the tourist trail, have much to recommend them to visitors.

Day Trips From Merida: Beach Days

Mérida is not on the beach but it is beautifully situated so that it’s perfectly possible to spend the day at the beach without too much effort. Some of my favourite beach moments in Mérida include getting up early for pre-breakfast beach walks or deciding, spur of the moment, to go to the beach for supper. That’s how easy a beach trip from Mérida is.

The closest beach to Merida is in the town of Progreso but there are some incredible beaches along the Gulf of Mexico if you’re willing to drive more than 30 minutes. Let’s check out some of the best beaches to visit on day trips from Mérida.

Puerto Progreso

Progreso is the primary beach town in the state of Yucatán. It’s a regular stop for cruise ships and it’s also home to the world’s longest pier! It’s important to know that cruise ships dock in Progreso so there are days when the beaches are more crowded than others. 

This is the beach to head to if you love a thriving, bustling beach-town scene.

Highlights of Progreso: gorgeous beaches with plenty of restaurants, piers, museums, El Corchito cenote. It’s even possible to head into the next door town of Chicxulub to see the site of the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs or into Yucalpeten to see Pig Beach.

🚗 From the north of Mérida it’s an easy straight drive up the road to Progreso, the only issue is figuring out where to park the car. There are also plenty of regular buses going to Progreso from Mérida. You can even take a cab between the two cities.

⭐️ Cassie’s tour recommendation

Take the bus or a cab to Progreso if you don’t have a car. You don’t need a tour to enjoy a day a the Progreso beach.

Sisal

Sisal is a small fishing village with a gorgeous white sand beach that will make your jaw drop. Until fairly recently very few people visited Sisal but it was named a pueblo magico a few years ago and since then it has seen more visitors.

📌 Please be aware, however, that it really does remain a fishing village with very few tourist amenities. This is part of its draw.

🚗 At just over an hour in the car, Sisal is a delight of a day trip from Mérida. Either take a picnic to enjoy on the beach or plan to eat delicious fish tacos in one of the many restaurants in town. Stroll around town, browse the few tourist shops and relax on the beach. If you can, stay for sunset, it’s worth it.

It is possible to take a bus between Mérida and Sisal.

⭐️ Cassie’s tour recommendation

Celestun

Celestun is famous for being home to much of Yucatan’s flamingo population and is always a winner with nature lovers. This sleepy fishing village does a great trade in flamingo tours on the ria (estuary). The beach itself is good for a swim and sunbathe also a good meal in one of the beachside restaurants but the real draw here is the flamingos.

🚗 Once you arrive in Celestun you have the choice to stop at the bridge or drive to the beach. You can pick up a tour at both places although the bridge is the more formalised tour option. After you’ve seen the flamingos, be sure to head to the beach for lunch and a relaxing time.

⭐️ Cassie’s tour recommendation: all the tours look very similar since all you need is transport from Mérida to Celestun. I have no idea why people are charging between $100 – $200 USD per person for this. This is outrageous.

Las Coloradas

Along the north coast of Yucatan is Las Coloradas, one of my favourite spots for a day trip from Mérida. Las Coloradas is home to the world famous pink lakes. The pink color comes from a microorganism called artemia salina (also known as brine shrimp) that makes the water pink when (and only when) they have enough sunlight. I read recently that these little dudes have barely changed in 200 million years, which is fascinating, obviously.

From here you can take a boat trip through the mangroves, commune with nature (crocodiles!) and even get a view of the famous pink lakes before heading to the beach.

🚗 If you visit the Las Coloradas with your own car you can also include a visit to one of the tiny fishing villages of San Felipe or Rio Lagartos for lunch and a fun time exploring them too.

⭐️ Cassie’s tour recommendation

Days Trips From Merida: Culture

Mérida is a beautiful big city absolutely bursting with museums, art galleries and culture (much of it free to experience) but what if you are looking for interesting cultural experiences or want to see different towns? What are your options then?

Pueblos Magicos (Magic towns)

Mexico, as a means to highlight smaller, less famous towns and villages, instituted the appellation, “Pueblo Mágico” or Magic Town. This title is officially bestowed on small towns that have something interesting to offer visitors and are interested in doing so.

In the past there has been some question as to whether the title really means anything and certainly, there are pueblos magicos that are more appealing than others but recently I’ve noticed a trend where those we might think of being “less interesting” are sprucing themselves up.

The two most interesting and most famous pueblos magicos near Mérida are Izamal and Valladolid.

Izamal

The main draw of Izamal that it’s a yellow city. The majority of the buildings are yellow, including an enormous convent in the middle of the town. The city is known to have had around 12 pyramids before the Spanish arrived. Three of these have been at least partially restored and you can climb up Kinich-Kakmo, the largest of them, for free.

Izamal is well known for the quality of its artisanias so be sure to take cash or you’ll be leaving some amazing souvenirs behind!

🚗 The famous ‘Yellow City’ of Izamal is about 40 miles (just over one hour’s drive) from the centre of Merida. It’s an easy drive or you can take a bus or colectivo from downtown Merida.

⭐️ Cassie’s tour recommendation

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Valladolid

Valladolid is one of the larger pueblos magicos, in fact it’s the second biggest city in Yucatán. It’s really easy to spend a whole day in Valladolid exploring its gorgeous streets, experiencing the foodie reputation the city has garnered and shopping in small, boutique and artisan stores. Don’t forget that there’s a beautiful old ex-convent in the city, plenty of museums (including the famous Casa de Los Venados) and even a cenote right in the centre of town.

🚗 It’s an easy drive from Mérida to Valladolid (just under 2 hrs) and there’s plenty to do and see on the way should you wish to include a ruin or a cenote too. There are also regular buses between the two cities.

⭐️ Cassie’s tour recommendation

My recommendation is to take a bus from Mérida and enjoy your day if you just want to be in Valladolid. There’s enough to see in the city to keep you entertained for a day, no need to cram it into a short walk after seeing Chichén Itzá if you’re actually interested in this beautiful colonial city.

Day Trips From Merida: Cenotes

There are thousands of cenotes across the Yucatán Peninsula. Those that are easily accessible from Mérida tend to be either deep and open cenotes or cave cenotes. Should you wish to explore this fascinating part of Yucatán’s geology, you need to decide how you wish to do it.

✅ Do you want to drive out to some of the most wild and inaccessible cenotes or do you wish to take a tour to the most ‘sanitized’ cenotes (these are still, absolutely breathtaking, they just have more facilities)?

✅ Do you want to go alone or take a tour?

Homun and its ring of cenotes

Homun is a small town with many cenotes, making it a great option for people who feel like trying out different cenotes while never being too far from lunch!

🚗 Homun in an easy 1 hr drive from Mérida and once you’re there you’ll have many cenotes to choose from including some that offer lunch and hammocks for a post swim siesta. The drive to Homun takes you through Acenceh when you can stop to explore another Maya ruin that no one knows about.

➡️ Read more about the cenotes of Homun & Cuzama

Hacienda Cenote Options

If you’d like a more gentle introduction to cenotes, consider Santa Barbara, Yaxcopoil, Mucuyche or Sotuta de Péon hacienda cenote options. Here you’ll find cenotes with changing rooms, easy access to the water, and fabulous restaurants.

⭐️ Cassie’s tour recommendation

​Day trips from Mérida: Other

A few final awesome options that don’t quite fit under the headings above

​​Reserva de Cuxtal

Just on the southern outskirts of Merida is Reserva de Cuxtal. While only small sections are currently open to the public, it’s a lovely place to unwind and get away from the city for a few hours. The best way to access the reserve is through Hacienda Dzoyaxche where you can stroll around the grounds, and have a swim. This certainly isn’t a beautifully restored hacienda but it is still fascinating as somewhere local families enjoy spending time and where you’ll get a good feel for the area.

Sotuta de Péon

This is the only “living hacienda” in Yucatán. Visit here to learn about how haciendas ran, see henequen production demonstrations, swim in their incredible pool (or in the cenotes), ride horses and enjoy a fabulous traditional Yucatecan lunch.

Go kayaking on the ría

Spend the day kayaking at Sayachaltun just outside Telchac Puerto. See flamingos as you explore the mangroves and the ría. Enjoy a delicious lunch in their small restaurant.

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