Yucatán has become one of the most visited states in México, receiving at least 2 million tourists per year, attracting people from all over the world with its unique and beautiful places and variety of activities you can do.
Most of the tourists who want to explore the Yucatán Peninsula choose Mérida as the place to stay and spend the night for plenty of reasons. Here are the most important ones:
ALL YOUR NEEDS ARE COVERED
Mérida has all the attractions you may look for in a Mexican city: museums full of culture and history, amazing food in restaurants and local markets, cultural, musical and artistic events, plenty of entertainment and a great nightlife. Moreover, you will find a good internal transportation system with buses and “colectivos”, Uber, several apps for travelling and eating, convenience stores in almost every corner (believe me, you’ll see), supermarkets, malls, drugstores and more. All your needs are definitely covered.
A CITY MADE FOR LOW-BUFGET TRAVELLERS
All the activities and attractions just mentioned above are very cheap. For example, the entrance to Palacio Canton, one of the main Anthropology museums in the city, costs around 65 Mexican pesos (MXN), about 2.6 USD dollars and it is free on Sundays! There are also free events around the city every day of the week!
The food is also very cheap. In local markets, like for example El Mercado de Santa Ana, you will find gastronomical gems for only 100 MXN beverages included (4 USD dollars). Of course, is not a luxury place to go but here you will taste the real flavors of the traditional Yucatecan cuisine. If you are into something fancier, consider that a meal in a posh restaurant shouldn’t be more expensive than 600 MXN per person (25 USD dollars). If you are really on a budget, street food is the answer. There are many options like marquesitas and esquites for only 35 MXN (1.4 USD dollars).
Another example is beer, you will find them at almost any convenience for only 15 MXN (0,6 USD dollars)! If you want to enjoy a beer at a bar while having fun, expect to pay around 35 MXN (1.4 USD dollars) for “local beers” and +50 MXN (+2 USD dollars) for imported beer. Still pretty cheap! Plus, the good vibe comes for free!
THE DOWNTOWN AREA OF THE CITY
Mérida downtown has every single thing we mentioned before plus historical buildings like La Catedral de Yucatán and La casa de Los Montejo, parks, coffee shops, souvenir stores and lots more in a very short distance. You’ll find everything you need only by walking around the area.
If you are coming to the city, we highly recommend you to stay downtown, the place is full of hostels and hotels, here is and option you can look up.
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IN CONTACT WTH NATURE AND CULTURE
If all of this wasn’t enough, Mérida is just 30 minutes away from the beach where you can relax walking around the Malecón de Progreso, have a swim, chill, and enjoy a beer by the sea with the feet in the sand. Also, Mérida is surrounded by cenotes, natural pits with crystal clear waters, to refresh yourself from the heat after exploring the Mayan ruins near the city.
Our blog has much more information about these natural attractions, great travelling tips and exploring insights to discover them all.
CENTRAL LOCATION FOR MORE TRAVELLING
Mérida is the perfect place if you want to keep travelling around Mexico. You can catch a flight to other main Mexican cities like Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Tijuana, Oaxaca, Villahermosa, Veracruz and many more national destinations. You also can take a direct international flight to Cuba, the USA and Canada.
From Mérida, you can explore the entire Peninsula of Yucatán, including the State of Quintana Roo and Campeche. We have a big bus terminal and it offers a lot of connections to beautiful destinations.
CHECK OUT OUR NEWEST TRAVEL GUIDE
Here at Barrio Vivo, we are travellers like you, so we created a complete guide of must-do activities around the Yucatán Península and real insights to explore and experience Mexico like a local. You can check it out by clicking on this link.
Please feel free to contact us in case you need help planning your next trip to Mérida, we can’t wait to have you here, amigo!
