TWO SMALL TOWNS THAT YOU MUST VISIT IN YUCATAN

Yucatan’s capital has a lot to offer: museums, events, gastronomy, dances and people. The culture itself is thrilling. But one of the things that we love the most about the city is the great location. You can jump on a bus and quickly be somewhere else. Maybe an hour or two, and you still get to be back to Merida for dinner. The city is like a meeting point, it’s Yucatan’s heart.

Here are the two mystical towns to visit from Merida, Yucatan. A guide to travel by bus to other sites nearby. They are the perfect destination for a day trip.

Izamal

Only by looking at the pictures you can tell this town has something special. The Yellow Town, as many people call it, is known for its yellow covered walls and grand convent. Only an hour drive away from Merida, get ready to delight yourself with a day in this lovely small town.

What can you do?

First, you must visit the St Antony of Padua Ex Convent. In 1533, the Spanish decided to tear down a Mayan temple to build this historic convent. You can visit it any day from 6 am to 8 pm, see some of the remaining stones from the Mayan temple, take a walk inside and out the convent and learn more about it. 

We suggest getting there early in the morning so you can beat the crowd and be one of the first people to visit the town. Once you finished with the convent, head to Coqui Coqui “Casa de los Santos”, a worldwide known boutique hotel that combines Polynesia and Yucatan. This amazing hotel also offers delicious breakfast with freshly squeezed orange juice, own-blend coffee, delicious homemade granola and a selection of toast and Mayan honey.

If you are looking for lunch restaurants, visitors suggest Kinich, a Yucatecan flavour guarantee. Here you will find options like Papatzules, Lima Soup, Deer Dzic (a classic) and lemonade with chaya. Everything tastes delicious.

Valladolid

Recognized as the capital of the Mayan East, this next magic small town is barely two hours away from Merida. Fall in love with the streets of this town and its colourful houses.

There is so much to do here! You can start Downtown at the central plaza where you will find the stunning St Servacio Church (picture above). You can also look out from the balconies of the City Hall. If you are around during the evening, you will spot the street vendors. Getting a marquesita and churros from them is a must.

You can continue your day by visiting the Former Franciscan Convent of St Bernardin of Siena. This is the second biggest convent in all Yucatan, the first one is in Izamal. For only 30 pesos, take a tour around the Church, the Chapel and the museum. The convent offers an amazing music video and projection mapping around 9 pm.

Another great location in Valladolid is the Calzada de los Frailes, a colourful street that invites everyone to stroll around. Here you will find restaurants, small shops and more. But if you want to learn the history behind this town, head to the St Roque Museum. It was initially built as a Chapel but it was then turned into a hospital and later into a convent. You will be surprised to learn a lot of historic episodes that occurred here.

Last but not least, our culinary recommendation is Valladolid is the Local Food Market, a great option for everyone as it has a lot of small restaurants with different fresh food and beverage options. From traditional Yucatecan food to traditional Mexican dishes. And of course, don’t forget to get your delicious agua fresca.

We hope this information convinced you to visit these magical small towns. We are sure you won’t regret it! Tell us in the comments which one was your favourite.


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