Best Things to do in Merida Mexico

We find the beautiful city of Mérida, in the Yucatan, a destination always ready to share with all its visitors and inhabitants the great number of riches it treasures, its many traditions, the human quality of its people, and, above all, the beauty that surrounds the vast majority of its streets and each of the enclosures.

Mérida in Yucatán is a city that perfectly combines the magic of the past with the modernity of the present, characteristics that exalt it and make it worthy of the title of a very noble and very loyal city of Mérida.

Surrounded by colonial buildings and a sun that never ceases, in Mérida, the largest city in the Yucatan, as well as a city in which, thanks to the many indigenous people who live in the city, you can still feel a strong influence of the once important Mayan culture. Mérida is an ideal destination to explore on foot and enjoy its streets full of historical buildings, museums, and a large number of cultural activities.

Take a look at the information we share in this new article on our travel blog Best Cultural Destinations. Take a look at some of the Best Things to do in Merida Mexico. We hope they inspire you to plan your next vacation to Merida or a weekend getaway to Merida! You will not regret it.

Often known as Ciudad Blanca or Mérida Blanca - due to all the buildings painted white and the use of bricks and limestone tiles that decorate much of the exteriors -, the largest city in the Yucatan, where you will surely find some White buildings, it is a destination in which there are fewer white houses than you might imagine from the name and there are many houses with bright colors.

Mérida is not like any other colonial city in the Yucatan Peninsula. Yes, like many other (colonial) cities in the area, it has a large square in the historic center with the imposing cathedral, colorful streets (we cannot even count the number of colored houses we saw on our first visit to Mérida in the Yucatán), a splendid architecture, a market - as in many other cities - very lively, cenotes and Mayan ruins around.

The Mérida Tourist Office, on the ground floor of the Municipal Palace (right on the main street of Mérida), offers a free walking tour of Mérida every morning at 9 AM The tour lasts about 90 minutes and is highly recommended to have a great feel for the city.

The free tour of the old town of Mérida usually begins in the Plaza del Parque de Santa Lucía, where you can see two gigantic white chairs, and ends next to the Church of the Nuns, another of the essential Catholic temples in Mérida to know more about the past of this city.

Merida is a vibrant and beautiful city; the Paseo de Montejo was the home of the sisal kings who hired Parisian architects to build the Paseo based on a replica of the Champs Elysees, Paris.

Located in the Historic Center of Mérida and surrounded by colonial limestone buildings, the Plaza is a tumult of pastel colors and the favorite meeting place for Meridians of all ages.

The Plaza Grande is home to an artisan market on Saturday and Sunday, not to mention the wonderful and colorful folk dance performances that take place on Sunday in front of the Palace, with a live orchestra.

One of the most captivating features of Mérida is its architecture. The cathedral, built in the 15th century, is the oldest of its kind on the entire continent. It is located in the city center just in front of the Plaza Grande, the main square of the city. The entrance is completely free if you dare to visit her on Friday night, you can enjoy the fantastic spectacle of light and sound that is projected on its facade. Did you know that the frontispiece, on the façade of this temple consecrated to Saint Ildefonso, reveals interesting clues about the city's Spanish past?

Some more tips that we can give you so that your visit to the Cathedral of San Ildefonso in Mérida, Yucatán, is complete include: do not forget to take a look inside the cathedral to see the place where the Pope blessed this colonial building, give a Stop by the church and take some photos of the Altar of the Black Jesus and the small private niches for the Virgin Mary or be sure to see the beautiful cross that hangs in the front of the Church, a gift from Canada to the city.

Built-in the late 1800s, the Mérida Government Palace was and is a great place to wander. It houses some large and impressive murals that represent the history between the Mayans and the Spanish, by the artist Fernando Castro Pacheco. And it's FREE, for now.

And if you go to see it at night, you will be surprised when you see it illuminated, it lights up every night to give light to the square, and you listen to the musicians who usually perform from the balconies.

The cenotes are sinkholes formed thousands of years after the collapse of the roofs of the caves. Mérida may not have rivers or streams, but these natural trenches make up two of the longest groundwater systems in the world.

The Mayans believed that these caves were the connection to the underworld, and today many of these ecosystems are protected by the Mexican government. Yucatan has more than 6,000 cenotes, and you can find at least a good dozen of them around Mérida. Get away from the ever-present heat and take a dip!

Be that as it may, you cannot visit Mérida and not take a walk along Paseo de Montejo, try a " marquesita ", or take a refreshing bath in a cenote ( natural pools of Mérida ).