I wrote this with friends that will soon be visiting Merida in mind. It’s not intended to be a “best of” or a comprehensive list, but a suggestion on things to do to get a good taste of the city. I would love to hear your options in the comments.
Note: At tremendous personal sacrifice I re-visited many of these places to make sure the recommendation still held true. Whereas some give sweat & blood for their art, I put up with testing cocktails and eating great food to bring this to you!
First our house and the city.
The House:
If you are staying at Casa Jessica or another Airbnb you will have a similar experience. There are wall unit ACs in the rooms but electricity is expensive and the units are not intended to be run all day. Use them as needed but turn them off when not at home. Also use open doors for breeze vs AC in the evenings and mornings.
Don’t drink the tap water. Bottled water is supplied. Also remember to take a cup or bottle up to the bathroom for teeth brushing.
Our house is on a septic that can’t handle paper products. If it did not come out of your body then please use the trash can for disposal. Which leads to another important topic - pay attention to what days are trash pick-up (it’s in the house manual). Consolidate the house trash in a bag, seal, and leave out front the evening before pick-up.
The City:
The city of Merida is set up by barrios with a square and church in the center of each (Paseo de Montejo is an exception as it is a large road and pedestrian area). Casa Jessica is on the edge of Santiago and Plaza Grande. It’s a very walkable city with Calle 60 y Calle 62 being the two main North to South streets. For navigation purposes it is handily to remember that east - west streets are odd numbers and north-south are even numbers. Also (although this is not completely accurate) they go from 1 & 2 in the North East to 99 & 100 in the South West. The Plaza Grande is at Calle 60 & Calle 61.
To get a feel of the place, I’d recommend a stroll along Calle 60 from the Grand Plaza to Santa Ana as one of your first outings. A couple of things to notice on this first walk:
- The different architecture from the 16th century churches to the colonial houses. Even the streets show a history whether it’s old cobble stones or hints of the old street train tracks. Bonus points if you can spot the two Mayan pyramid blocks reused to build the church at calle 59 & calle 60,
- One of the things I find magical is what’s behind the doors and walls. Sometimes an unassuming old door and lead to a huge open courtyard or large mansion. When walking, glance up every now and then and you’ll notice huge tree growing from what, at street level, looked like a standard business.
- At many street corners keep an eye out for red and white signs with a symbol and title. This is a nod back to when the locals navigated by nicknames of the specific corner. See https://gazsoup.blogspot.com/2021/04/esquinas-de-merida.html
- The final thing to notice is sweat. It can be hot and humid out here and especially in the day you will be introduced to places on your body that you didn’t think could sweat that much. Try not to let it bother you and stay hydrated.
Monday
So let’s assume you caught the flight from Mexico City and arrived in Merida early in the afternoon. Let’s kick things off right with some traditional Yucatan food with lunch at Chaya Maya (the location on the south side of Parque San Lucia). They are not obvious on the menu but the margaritas here are pretty good. Also they should bring you some chips and dips - their sikil pak (pumpkin seed dip) is very good. Because I look muy gringo, I have to ask for the salsa picante in order to get their habanero sauce.
After lunch, stroll down Calle 60 and take in some of the scenes including the symphony center, the Jesuit church, and the Cathedral at Plaza Grande. The Plaza Grande is like the living room of the town with many benches and “you and me”* chairs for people to sit and take in the environment. Depending on your energy level you can head back to the house for siesta aka pool and cerveza time**) or visit a museum on the square. The two I’d recommend are the gallery of murals presenting the plight of the Mayan’s and the reconstruction of Montejo’s house.
The gallery is on the second floor of the building on the north/east corner. The entrance is usually guarded by a couple of police officers but they’ll just wave you in (and depending on the current rules, make sure you are wearing a mask and use hand sanitizer). It’s an impressive gallery and it is free. Your visit should take between 30-60 minutes.
The Montejo house is on the south end of the square and is also free to enter. This is the house that was built in 1542 by the “founders” of Merida. It stayed as the family home for 300 years and now a portion has been restored to show what living conditions were like.
Before heading back to the house you may want to stop by a shop for any supplies you want (coffee, beer, milk, etc). Back at the house would be a good time to complete reservations for dinners (MUGY) and the walking tour (see Tuesday)
After cooling off at the house we are going to venture to a different part of Merida where there are more locals and no tourist shops. About a mile from Casa Jessica is Parque de San Sebastián (either walk or Uber) with a quaint church and park and a great food stall with (IMHO) the best al pastor in town; Taqueria Raza Chiapas. It’s located on the south side of the square and is not much more than a store front with a huge trompo of cooking al pastor. Despite claiming to be open at 3:30, they don’t seem to start serving until around 7pm. Try the Torta Al Pastor especial - it’s really great! They will wrap it up for you and you can take it into the square to enjoy on a bench just outside the church. FYI - in addition to being tasty it can also be a bit messy. (Full disclosure: I really like the experience of going to San Sebastián but my wife would probably suggest just ordering the meal to be delivered via Rappi). Another dining option is a close by very nice restaurant called Matilda (C63 C64xC62). You won’t find $35 peso tortas here but the food and presentation is very good.
After dinner and back in our neighborhood we are going to drop by El Cardinal (c70 y c c63) for a jumbo cereza and some live music on their back patio. We consider this our local cantina and although I wouldn’t recommend it for dinner it is great for drinks, snacks, and, most nights, live music.
Keep an eye on the time because at 9pm we need to be at Plaza Grande on Calle 62 for a dancing show. This is really fun! The Vaquería is the traditional dancing done by farm hands. The highlight for me is the dance they do while balancing a tray full of drinks on their heads.
* The story about the “you and me” chairs is that a wealthy man with a beautiful daughter would not give permission to suitors to take out his daughter out without him as chaperon out of concern that they might touch legs while sitting next to each other. The story has it that a clever young man devised the side by side chairs so he could converse with the daughter without risk of rubbing legs.
** Merida is hot. In the summer in the late afternoon you can usually expect stifling heat or a short but heavy rain storm. Or both. A nice place to ride out this time and freshen up before the evening is the pool. At Casa Jessica the pool on the second story balcony is only chest deep so it’s perfect to soak, cool down, and enjoy a beverage.
Tuesday
Get an early start out of the house and walk to nearby Parque de Santiago. The market here is a good place to grab fresh vegetables, fruit, flowers, & eggs. Also a couple of pesos worth of fresh tortillas will be more than enough to cover you for a couple of days. Also by the market you can grab a quick breakfast of torta lechon de horno from La Lupita. I realize you probably don’t associate a pork sandwich with breakfast but this place is good and can sell out by lunch time.
Make it quick because the walking tour meets at 10am (there’s also a 5pm one) at Parque Santa Lucia. This is a free tour but the guide expects tips.
https://freewalkingtourmexico.com/
This will take approximately two hours as the guide discusses the history of Merida and points out some sights.
For lunch I recommend walking back up to the Santa Lucia area and have lunch at Taqueria De La Union (C58/C55) They open around 1pm and have a good selection of tacos and local beer. If you’d prefer something other than tacos, then the near by Pita is good for mediterranean food. After lunch walk west on Calle 55 and one block past the park you will find Pola for an ice cream treat.
Now let’s walk north on Calle 60 and head to Parque de Santa Ana. If you didn’t get lunch earlier or you are still hungry, there is a popular restaurant on the south of square called Manja Blanco. Head east on Calle 47 and in two blocks you will hit the bottom on Paseo de Montejo. This is a wide road with sidewalk cafes and old mansions from the early 20th century.
There are two museums on this street that I enjoyed. The first is the Anthropology and History Museum which displays a collection on Mayan artifacts and is located in large ornamental old house. The other is The Minaret which is an old grand house set up as it would have been in early twentieth century. After paying the reasonable entry fee we were given the option for a guide at no additional cost.
I’d recommend Lou’s for dinner (C55 C66xC64). It’s a nice comfortable restaurant with decent food (although not Yucatan) and cocktails (I liked the Verano). It’s run by two brothers from the USA; the head waiter and bartender. If you get the option, ask them about how they ended up in Merida owning a restaurant. It’s a touching story.
On the walk home make a small detour via Parque de Santiago. Unless it’s raining, each Tuesday at 8:30 locals and visitors gather in the square and have a large dance to a live band. It’s not only fun to watch but also fun to join in!
Wednesday
The Mayan ruins in Uxmal are really impressive and I suggest setting aside some time to tour them. There are different options including a private tour or a group tour. They will typically leave Merida early to avoid the heat and crowds (especially if groups come in from the cruise ships). It’s about 1.5 hours to the site and the visit will take about 2 hours at the low end. Many tours also have an additional stop or stops for lunch, a visit to the chocolate museum, or an additional Mayan site. The tour will take most of the day.
I’ll give you two options for the evening. The first would be dinner at Carboni (C64 y C55). This is an Italian place run by immigrants from Italy. Their passion for their menu is infectious and the food is very good (tell the owner, Claudia that Gareth sent you. She might remember me as “Gareth con esposa no esposo”. Its a funny story for another day.) If you feel like a beer before or after dinner the place across the street, Cuerno de Toro, brews some good beers. Then head north one block to the bar Dzalbay. This is a very cool live music place with genres ranging from blues, jazz, folk, and latin.
The second option would be to have dinner at Amaro (C59 & C60). This is a lovely courtyard restaurant with some nice options including vegetarian. After dinner make your way to the south end of Parque Grande for laser mapping at 8pm against the Casa de Montejo.
Thursday
Ok put on your walking shoes, we are heading across town (~1mile) to the main market - Mercado San Benito. I’d recommend heading from our house south until you hit Calle 65 then head east. This will give you some experience of the city other than the main square.
At the corner of Calle 65 Y 60 is bazar where you can shop. I’ve found it a good place to get guayaberas. At the corner of Calle 65 and 56 is the Museo de la Ciudad de Merida. This free museum is definitely worth the visit. The ground floor provides a quick history of the city and the top two floors is an art gallery. You decide whether you want the museum before or after the market as the market is just across the street.
From the museum, cross the street and head south into the market entrance. It’s hard to find words to property describe this place but it is an amazing (and borderline overwhelming) market selling a huge variety of items from shoes, produce, pets, haircuts, meat, hardware, and more. Walk through the different indoor & outdoor areas and take in the sights (and smells)
After the market if you are looking for somewhere calm to sit and grab some refreshments, I’d suggest walking a few blocks north & east to Salon Gallos (C63 y C52). They open at 1pm most days. Their food and drinks are really good but for me it’s the funky location and atmosphere that does it. You feel like you are walking into an industrial area until you come to a multi-building compound that contains a restaurant, bar, movie theater, and live music area. This renovated oatmeal factory with worth a visit.
If you have the energy I would suggest a visit to Palacio de la Musica in the afternoon. This is a newer museum that covers the history and impact of music in the Yucatán and Mexico. It’s not free but at $100-200 its a fun and interactive stroll around the single floor exhibit.
Just outside the museum to the west is the Iglesia de Jesus. Take some time to look at the souther wall (along Calle 59). Over time, as the plaster facade wore away, stones that had been taken from the Mayan pyramid to build this church became visible. This includes 6 or more where the Mayan inscriptions and decorations are visible.
For dinner, make reservations at Apoala in Parque Santa Lucia. Tell them you want to see the show so you will get a later seating (7:30-8pm) and outside. The food is good with a bit of a blend of Yucatan and Oaxaca. The show, or Sernerade, is really fun to see. It’s a mix of singers, musicians, and dancers while you finish your meal and enjoy cocktails.
Friday
Today will be another tour day with a visit to the magical city of Izamal and a stop to experience the cenotes at Santa Barbara.
The trip to Izamal is about 1 hour and 20 minutes from Merida. If possible, either stop or drive through the town on Hoctún to see the side by side Mayan pyramid and old catholic church. Izamal is know as the yellow city as all the buildings in the centro are painted a bright sunlight yellow. This was done for the Pope’s visit in 1993. It was also a nod to the pyramid in town for the Mayan god of the sun; Kinich. The highlights of the town include the large Franciscan monastery. Completed in 1561, the open atrium of the Monastery is still today second in size only to that at the Vatican. A climb to the top of the Kinich pyramid not only offers a workout but also an up-close view of the structure and far away views of the surrounding countryside. I also recommend getting a meal at a lovely restaurant, also called Kinich, near the base of the pyramid.
On the way back to Merida you should make a small detour through the town Homún to visit the nearby Santa Barbara centoes. Here, after you park and pay an entry fee, a horse pulled cart will take you to an area with three centoes. These underground and partially underground “ponds” are part of the vast underground river complex that’s under most of the Yucatan peninsular. It’s fun to swim there and a nice way to cool off.
For dinner tonight I recommend MUGY or Museo de la Gastronomia Yucatan (C62 y C57). As the name implies, this place focuses on the food and experience of Yucatan. The dishes are mostly traditional local foods and in the back of the restaurant is a small area that shows how some of the food would have been traditionally prepared. (Based on our recent experience, I would recommend reservations)
If you still have energy you can drop by the Mayan Pub for a mescal in their garden or visit the Plaza Grande for the Sacred Stones video mapping on the main cathedral. The show delivers a historical story of the creation of the building, built with the stones of the ancient Mayan city of “Thó”.
Saturday
Between 9am-1pm on Saturday morning there is a small farmers market called the Slow Food Market (Near Calle 72 y Avenue Colon. It’s about 1.5 miles so you can walk but you may choose an Uber or take the bikes). As well as locals, there appears to be many expats selling items such as the German bread maker and the smoked meat guy from the US. It is on the other end of the spectrum from Mercado de Galves (in terms of price, selection, and size) but its fun to see and people watch.
After the Slow Food Market you can stroll west along Avenue Colon for about .6 miles until Parque de las Americas. On the walk take note of various old mansions - some have been restored and others just left to time.
Parque de las Americas is a beautiful 4 block park in the Colonia García Ginerés. It’s fun to stroll around and see the different monuments and structures. If you are hungry there is usually a selection of food stands. I recommend the Torta Tradicional from Taqueria Don Beto. They been serving food for over 60 years, its good, and it costs about 30 pesos. Very tasty!
On Saturday night at 8pm in front of the cathedral in Plaza Grande there is a demonstration game of Pok ta Pok (the Mayan ball game). Watch for a while then catch an Uber up to Paseo 60. This is a large upscale food court with serval good restaurants and live music. I’d recommend eating at either Teya (An upscale restaurant with nice food and wine. Also a mixologist that comes to your table) or Crabster (seafood prepared with local ingredients)
Sunday
On Sunday mornings a large stretch of Calle 60 and Paseo de Montejo is closed to cars and turned into a bike path. Its a really fun event as people of all ages (and a few pets) take to the roads. The event is called Biciruta. When we were last there in June 2022 the route had been extended all the way south to Iglesia Ermita. This made for a fun bike ride along the cobbled residential roads up through the main plaza and to to the trendy Paseo de Montejo. All the route, especially on Paseo de Montejo, there are arts and crafts being sold. (Say hello to the artist Lobo if you run into him). You can use the bikes at Casa Jessica or rent them for ~30-50 pesos at various places on Paseo de Montejo.
Depending on how you feel there are a couple of options for the afternoon. You can wander around and explore the town. Perhaps visit a museum or something you may have missed, grab a final ice cream at Pola, or shop for gifts to bring home. If you have a lot of energy you might want to make the 45 minute drive north and visit the beach at Progreso. Here you can get some cold beers and enjoy the beach, swim in the gulf, and see one of the worlds longest piers.
Let’s go a bit fancy for dinner on your last night in Merida. Picheta on top of the building on the north side of Plaza Grande. Try and get a reservation on the deck around sunset to enjoy beautiful views of the cathedral and the plaza.
Comments