You’ve either heard about the Mexican city of Merida from friends or you keep coming across travel articles and blog posts about the place and now you find yourself wondering whether this is just a bunch of hype around a new tourist destination or is Merida really worth visiting? 

The quick answer is, Merida is absolutely worth visiting, in fact, it is on my list of the best places to visit on the Yucatán Peninsula.

⭐️ I’ve lived in Merida, on the Yucatan Peninsula, for six years but my history with the city goes way back. I started visiting the region 16 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.

In order to fully answer your question, “Is Mérida worth visiting?”, we’re going to cover

➡️ Mérida Highlights

➡️ Safety in Mérida

➡️ Best time of year to visit Mérida, where and how long to stay

➡️ Brief history of Mérida

➡️ What to do in Mérida

➡️ Festivals to not miss in Mérida

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

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“Is Merida Worth Visiting” – The Highlights 

✅ Location, Location, Location

Merida is relatively easy to access from most places in Europe and the Americas. And within the peninsula, Merida is at an easy distance from pretty much everything: beaches, archeological sites, pueblos magicos. It’s even less than a 20 minute drive from the nearest airport, putting it within easy reach of Mexico City and other travel hubs.

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.

🚌 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 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.

⭐️ Mérida is an ideal starting point for a longer holiday around the peninsula or to use as a base for day trips.  ⭐️

✅ Something for Everyone

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 something for you and yours. 

✅ History

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. There are also 20 odd museums in Mérida.

Perhaps you are keen to learn more about Spain’s history of colonisation and its impacts on the region. If you are someone who prefers history on a geological timescale, the nearby site of the Chicxulub meteor impact makes this area a must-see. 

✅ Food and Drink

Along with all the Mexican favourites you would expect to find, Yucatan 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. The 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.

Mérida also has also a vibrant nightlife and many excellent cantinas, cocktail bars and speakeasies. 

✅ 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 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.

Is it Safe to Visit Merida?

✅ Merida is the capital of the state of Yucatan and is not only a beautiful city but also the safest city in Mexico. The state of Yucatan is the safest state in Mexico and one of the safest regions of all of North America.

Best Time to Visit Merida

🔆 Warm and Dry: November – March. The weather is just about perfect for exploring. The nights are considered cool by locals and anyone who has lived here long enough to fully adjust to tropical climes when it drops to 20C / 68F at night. Spring break is a great time to visit Mérida, before it gets too hot.

🔆🔆 Hot: April – May. This is the hottest time of the year. High temperatures are the norm and regularly reach over 40C / 104F. 

🔆 ☔️ 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.

💨 Technically, the Atlantic hurricane season starts in June and lasts through early November. Yucatan doesn’t get many hurricanes and Merida is inland so you would be more sheltered if you did find yourself here on the rare occasion. 

How long should I Stay in Mérida and Where? 

📌 Ideally, I’d recommend giving give the city at least three days to really get a sense of the place. If you can manage at least a week you will really be able to explore the city and take some trips to see what else the state of Yucatán has to offer.

📌 If you really only have 24 hours to spend in Mérida, we’ve figured out your best itinerary.

🐾 Because Mérida is such a pet friendly city, there are plenty of pet friendly hotel options available to visitor.

Before moving here, I booked a two month summer trip with my little girls, rented a place just outside of the city centre and used Merida as my hub to explore the rest of the state. We were never bored.  

Merida has an abundance of great boutique hotels, converted haciendas, hotels and apartments that range from cheap and cheerful to luxurious as well as reliable international chains such as the Fiesta Americana.

There are also a number of great spas where you can get incredible facials (my favourite is Tai Spa for facials), a killer mani-pedi, or full body massages.

➡️ Find your ideal Mérida hotel now

Brief Look at Merida’s History

📌 Merida is a colonial city built on top of an ancient Maya city: T’ho (pronounced Tihoo). It was renamed in 1542 by Francisco de Montejo. The newly named Mérida served as the Spanish base to conquer the Maya and then as their administrative and commercial center. 

📌 Often referred to as the White City, it is said that Francisco de Montejo dubbed it thus because of the white limestone which was predominantly used in Spanish building there. 

📌 During the 19th century, the economy boomed thanks to the haciendas growing and producing henequen. While today, many haciendas are beautiful buildings that tourists love to visit, we must acknowledge that Yucatán hacienda history has an extremely dark side to it. The haciendas either pushed indigenous people off their lands or made them work in slave-like conditions.

With the advent of synthetic fibres post World War II, the demand for henequen plummeted. Nowadays most of the Haciendas are either derelict and abandoned or have been converted into uber-luxurious hotels and restaurants.

📌 One of Mérida’s main central boulevards is the Paseo de Montejo named after the “founding father” of Merida. At one end of this boulevard is a statue commemorating the two Montejo conquistadors (father and son). A governor in the 1930s did try to rename the boulevard after a Mayan fighter but the name didn’t stick. 

Is Merida Worth Visiting – Exploring the City

📌 A great way to get to know Mérida is by taking a walking tour or a bus tour. This is a great way to 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

📌 There are many 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.

➡️ See free event listings here

Is Merida 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 Merida with kids and want to make sure you are choosing kid friendly activities be sure to check out our special kid-friendly edition of Merida Fun and don’t forget to pick up a copy of Cassie’s best selling book, Yucatán with Kids.

Is Merida Worth Visiting: Festivals

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 Los Muertos in Merida

📌 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.

📌 If you’re planning on visiting Mérida over this period 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 in Merida

📌 Christmas is a great time to visit Merida as the weather is warm, beaches are empty and everyone is gearing up for fun.

📌 The city of 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

Exploring Beyond the City: Excursions and 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 Yucatan 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. 

➡️ Best cenotes to visit from Merida

➡️ Kid friendly cenotes

➡️ Best cenote tours

🔎 Archeological Sites / Mayan ruins

➡️ 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

➡️ The Mayapan ruins and cenote makes a great day out from Mérida

➡️ 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

➡️ Chichen Itza can be visited from Mérida just as easily as from Cancun

➡️ Read more about the many archaeological sites / Mayan ruins 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 Merida

There are soooo many beaches on Yucatan’s gorgeous Gulf of Mexico coast. You can easily go to the beach on a day trip from Merida. 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.

You may end up wanting to spend a few more days at the coast. Either way there are many beach options beyond Progreso as well, including the famous pink lakes at Las Coloradas.

➡️ Explore all the Yucatan beach options here

For those with an extreme sport addiction. On the west side of Progreso and the next beach over, Yucalpeten, you will find a number of kit 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. 

🔎 Other Towns and Cities to Visit from Merida

➡️ Valladolid – a gorgeous colonial city in the centre of the Yucatan Peninsula

➡️ Izamal – the famous yellow city, an Instagrammer’s dream

➡️ Campeche – a beautiful colonial city in the south of the peninsula

A Final Note on the Question, “Is Merida Worth Visiting?”

In this article we’ve discussed the question, “is Merida worth visiting” at length and we hope you’re persuaded that Mérida is a gorgeous city that is well worth visiting not only for the awesome day trip adventures but also for what the city itself has offer.

So, what are you waiting for? Book your tickets and let us know what you’re going to do in Mérida in the comments!