Looking for the best things to do in Progreso, Mexico? Whether you’re visiting on a cruise, visiting as part of a 1 week Yucatan vacation, exploring on a day trip from Merida, or making Progreso your base for a few days, the small city has a surprising amount of things to do.

Every year Progreso welcomes a diverse selection of visitors: cruise ship visitors who come in for a day or two, snowbirds escaping the cold of northern North America, backpackers, foreigners and Mexican visitors who flock to the region in the summer months. And while it may not look, upon first glance, as if it has huge amounts to offer people looking for things to do in Progreso, that first glance is very much mistaken.

After spending years living just up the road in Merida, I’ve had plenty of time to explore Progreso and discover what’s so special about this port city.

What’s Special About Progreso, Mexico?

For starters, our coastline is not covered in sargassum like the beaches of Playa del Carmen and Tulum, and while the beaches around Progreso may not be that sparkling blue water with pure white sand, we do have stunning green seas and white sandy beaches, which in my opinion, are beautiful and incredibly relaxing.

➕ Progreso is definitely one of the most family friendly beaches in Mexico.

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In order to really enjoy exploring things to do in (and around) Progreso, you’ll be best off renting a car or hiring a driver for the day.

Where Is Progreso, Mexico?

Progreso, Mexico is a port city located in the Yucatan Peninsula. It’s one of Mexico’s most popular cruise ship stops.

🚗 30 minute drive from Merida (wondering if Mérida is worth visiting? It is)

🚗 3 and a half hours drive from Tulum

🚗 4 hours from Cancun by car

➡️ Let’s talk safety in Yucatán for a second. Yucatán is Mexico’s safest state, making it a perfect spot for a vacation. If you’re interested in reading more about whether Yucatan is safe and how to look after yourself while in Yucatan, you know I’ve got you covered!

Things To Do In Progreso, Mexico

Whether you’re visiting Progreso for a day or six months, you’ll find something to do, I promise. There is so much to do, see and explore around Progreso. Mérida is just thirty minutes away and offers a fabulous array of activities, sights and sites and is well worth taking the time to check out.

Progreso is always gorgeous, over spring break, in mid July when it’s baking hot and even on a wintry January day.

⭐️ If you’re visiting with kids then our Mexico with kids packing list will come in handy.

Explore the Progreso Beaches

Progreso, being a city with a beach, has plenty of activities for everyone. All along the beach front you’ll find Instagram-friendly spots, palapas and restaurants, exercise spaces, and a disability access point.

Progreso is the main hub town along the north Yucatan coast and there are beaches worth visiting all the way along the stretch of Yucatan’s coastline.

If you start in Progreso town, the beach can be split easily into ‘to the right of the piers’ and ‘to the left of the piers’.

🏖 Right of the Piers

To your left when walking along the malecon (esplanade) between the piers and the Progreso letters (approximately 1km walk) is the primary beach area of Progreso. In the summer this beach is thronging with people; restaurants have their palapas and tables out, small shops set up, massages are offered (some are genuinely very good as the staff come from local massage parlours and are highly trained). In the winter months it is much calmer. (See below for winter and summer shots)

🏖 Instagram Fun on the Beaches

📌 As you explore the Yucatán coastline look out for beach swings and fun Instagram friendly points such as the bench sculpture on the pier and this fun photo frame.

🏖 The Progreso Piers

There are technically three piers in Progreso:

📌 Muelle de Pescadores

📌 Muelle de Chocolate

📌 Muelle Fiscal (the cruise ship pier). I have never been on Muelle Fiscal but I believe it’s the longest pier in the world

📌 There is a brand new museum, The Meteor Museum, by the piers.

One of my favourite things to do in Progreso is to sit on the Muelle de Pescadores around dusk watching the locals fishing, the pelicans waiting for their catch and the sun setting. 

🏖 Left of the Piers

Walk the Malecon

To the left of the piers you can walk along the Malecon Internacional. Here you’ll find various sculptures, play areas for little kids and one for bigger kids, a carousel, and plenty of snacking options

Beach Snacks

🍿 Across the entire Progreso beach area you’ll find both stationary and mobile street food sellers offering esquites (corn), marquesitas and more.

🍿 Don’t miss out on the fresh coconut options that include, flan, ice cream, pie and of course, drinking straight from the coconut.

🍿 You must try a sweet snack from the candy trays that are walked up and down the beaches. Generally everything costs the same amount and you’re extremely unlikely to be given a ‘foreigner’ price.

Relax at a beach club

If you don’t fancy sitting on a public beach then you do have a few options. People enjoy Silcer Beach Club, here you can grab an all-inclusive day pass and enjoy hanging out in Progreso.

I have spent plenty of time at El HaGuay, which technically isn’t a beach club but feels as if it is since there is a pool on-site, a good restaurant, a hammock area and a nice beach space. It’s away from the noise and bustle of the main Progreso beach area down by the Progreso letters.

Visit nearby beaches

It’s worth remembering that ALL beaches in Mexico are public beaches, meaning you can access any beach you wish. In reality, though, some of those beaches can be hard to get to because hotels and homes may have been built to prevent that access.

📌 Heading west, after Progreso, you reach Yucalpeten (and Pig Beach), where the beach is a bit wider, less built up and just stunning. From Yucalpeten you move into Chelem where many snowbirds like to make their home in the winter. Chelem turns into Chuburna, which ends in Chuburna Puerto and my favourite beach in this entire stretch. It’s wide and wild and just perfect when you want a bit of winter beach solitude. It’s obviously busier in the summer.

⭐️ Progreso would make for a lovely, low-key spring break vacation in Mexico ⭐️

📌 Heading east, Progreso turns into Chicxulub Puerto where the epicentre of the dinosaur-killing meteor is marked with an unassuming but worth seeing plaque. There is a Sendero Jurasico (Dinosaur Walk) just outside the entrance to Chicxulub Puerto and there is a dinosaur by the Chicxulub Puerto pier.

📌 From Chicxulub Puerto you drive along the coastal road passing houses and small villas/hotels until you hit Telchac Puerto and San Crisanto, where you’ll find also beautiful beaches.

📌 Further east are San Felipe, Las Coloradas and El Cuyo beaches. There is no coastal road that goes this far though so heading inland and back out again is the only way to reach these gorgeous beaches.

Please note that the wind regularly picks up in the afternoon on the Yucatan coast. If you are at all concerned, mornings are generally a better bet for swimming as it is calmer. Most of the coastline is shallow and great for kids when the sea isn’t choppy. There can, of course, be surprising currents and tides so pay attention and don’t assume you’re any safer here than any other beach. Always take care. 

Other Activities In and Around Progreso

Swim in local cenotes

El Corchito

📌 The closest cenotes to Progreso are found at El Corchito but this site is pretty easy to miss if you’re not specifically heading there. El Corchito is located just after the roundabout that heads into Chicxulub Puerto.

📌 El Corchito is an ecological reserve on mainland side of the estuary. To get there you take a small boat from the little jetty. The boat takes you across the water and into a little side inlet. This journey takes five minutes. Once on the other side be ready to be surprised.

📌 Here you find three small, open, cenotes where you can swim and play. All three cenotes are less than 2.5m deep. The first, cenote El Corchito, was probably my favourite as we had it all to ourselves. The second is much smaller (Cenote Venado) and shallower. The third, Cenote Pajaros, is the largest of them all.

📌 You can rent lifejackets and rubber rings on-site and drinking water is sold there too.

📌 Note: No food or sunscreen are permitted to cross the water. No food is allowed as the raccoons and coatis are really quite brave and will approach to beg. They’re cute but I wouldn’t want to annoy them by refusing to share my food with them. Sunscreen, obviously, pollutes the water.

Explore nearby Mayan Ruins

Archaeological Site Xcambó

📌 This small archaeological site is a sneaky favourite of mine, because we generally have the entire place to ourselves when we are there and anyone who has read any of my other articles about archaeological sites will know that there’s nothing my family enjoys more than the opportunity to explore a Maya site all on our own.

📌 The settlement seems to have been an important trading centre – sending salt and saltfish off to Chichen Itza and Izamal during its heyday of around 300-600 CE.

📌 Do note that the mosquitoes can be ferocious, take plenty of repellant.

Archaeological Site Dzibilchaltun

📌 Dzibilchaltun is another Maya site that is easy to visit from Progreso as it’s on the way into Merida. It is a popular Progreso excursion for the cruise ships to offer. The House of the Dolls (photo above) is the famous building here and if you’re around over the summer solstice 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.

See the Pink Salt Lakes and Flamingos at Laguna Rosada

📌 Head from Progreso towards Xcambó, you will turn off along the Dzemul – Xtampu bridge where you’ll immediately notice that you’re surrounded by pink water. Right by the turning to this bridge are the Charcas de Sal (Salt Ponds). You can pull over here and walk around. The ancient Maya mined their salt here and the nearby Maya archaeological site (Xcambó) was known to be an important site due to its proximity to the salt supplies. It’s free to explore but do take care and be respectful.

📌 Once you’re done marvelling at the salt,  and maybe even buying some, drive on, slowly, looking out for flamingos.  I’ve never driven along here and not found flamingos. Pull  over on the side of the road and just enjoy the sights.

Check out the view from Parador Uaymitun

📌 From Xcambó, head back over the bridge and turn left towards Progreso. Drive about two-thirds of the way until you come to Parador Uaymitun on your left. Pull over and head up the tower for a quick look at the lakes from above.

Kayak In The Mangroves (Sayachaltún Nature Reserve)

📌 With local eco-tourism group Sayachaltún, you can hire kayaks or small lanchas (with or without guides) and enjoy paddling around the water or even head into the mangroves for an awesome water-adventure. The food is also good here so be sure to make time for lunch.

Take a day trip to Merida

📌 Merida will always be one of my favourite places in Mexico and it’s less than an hour up the road from Puerto Progreso. There are endless things to do in Merida so I definitely recommend taking a day to explore.

Take a day trip to Chichén Itzá and a cenote

📌 It’s perfectly possible to take a day trip to Chichén Itzá (organised tour or self-driven) one of the seven modern wonders of the world, from Progreso. Be sure to pick yourself an excellent cenote to relax in after.

Explore Campeche

📌 Campeche is the least-visited state on the Yucatan Peninsula, which is truly a shame. If you’ve rented a car, it’s well worth taking a day or two to explore both the gorgeous city of Campeche, and if you have time even the many ruins around Calakmul.

Explore The Yellow City

📌 Izamal, known as the Yellow City, is one of my favourite Pueblo Magicos in the Yucatan. It’s a pretty easy day trip from Merida, which means it’s also easily accessible from Progreso. In fact, it’s probably one of the easiest pueblo magicos you can visit from Progreso. Well worth the drive!

Eat Huevos Motuleños

📌 Huevos Motuleños is a super popular and delicious breakfast plate that comes from Motul, a pueblo magico just down the road from Progreso. This small town has a fascinating history and is well worth an hour or two of your time.

Where to Stay in Progreso, Mexico

If you find yourself calling Progreso home for a few days, you’ll have no shortage of options. Here are a few top-rated accommodation options in Progreso.

Playa Linda Hotel

If you want beach access on a budget, Playa Linda Hotel is your best option in Progreso. Average rates are well under $100 and the property is beachfront. There’s a reason it’s one of the top-rated hotels in Progreso!

Hotel San Miguel

Hotel San Miguel is one of the best budget hotels in Progreso, with rates often under $50. Even better, the hotel is just 800 metres from the beach! Rooms are clean and spacious too.

Tecnohotel Casa Villamar

For a slightly more upscale option, consider Tecnohotel Casa Villamar. It’s just 100 metres from the beach and has both a terrace and restaurant on-site. Beautiful and modern, it’s a lovely place to spend a few days!

🐾 If you’re hoping to find pet friendly hotels, there are a few excellent hotels we recommend around the state.

Progreso Frequently Asked Questions