What to do in the Mexican city of Mérida in a few hours

Government’s palace

With the Coronavirus pandemic now is not the time to travel, I know that. But the information in this post may be useful in the future. And reading about other subjects helps to get through this moment of isolation. And it helps me by writing, as well as keeping the blog updated. If you can, stay at home.

Mérida is an important city in Mexico with more than 800 thousand inhabitants and approximately 1500km from the country’s capital. Founded in the 16th century by Spaniards on the site of Mayan ruins, the capital of the state of Yucatán is known as the cultural capital of America and offers a vast program in several theaters and cultural centers as well as free performances in the streets and squares. There are also good options for historical and cultural attractions.

And from the city of Mérida it is possible to discover several historical and natural attractions such as archaeological areas, farms and cenotes. My list of places to visit was long, but I didn’t make it.

Initially I would stay at least 1 day in the city, maybe 2. But because I made changes in Valladolid my time was reduced to an afternoon. And to make matters worse, when I arrived in the city I had setbacks and only had about 4 hours to get to know a little of Mérida.

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At the bus station (in Mexico it is the bus terminal or central bus station) I immediately went to buy the ticket so I could be free, when I was informed that the bus to Palenque left from another bus station.

Well, in Mérida there were two bus stations at the time of my trip (April 19). I say they had because at the end of last year a new terminal was opened and I don’t know how it turned out. Be informed when purchasing your ticket.

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I had to go to another bus station and the girl who helped me said it wasn’t far and suggested I walk. I ended up wasting more time. It wasn’t that close, it was terribly hot, that part of the city isn’t that interesting and with my fatigue I was starting to get a terrible impression of the city and thinking that the little time I would spend there would be too much.

Unlike Valladolid, Mérida is a big city with traffic and lots of people on the streets. Just the heat.

At the other bus station, I bought a ticket, stored my luggage and went to a nearby hotel to take a shower before traveling. It was already past 4pm when I was free to have lunch, preferably in a place with good air conditioning and cold beer. I needed this before trying to visit any place in the city.

I went to the Zócalo, which is the main square in Mexican cities. There are always restaurants and attractions there.

As I walked, the appearance of the city changed. It was still hot and busy, but it had a different appearance with beautiful, well-kept buildings. But I couldn’t visit anything at that time, I needed food, drink and air conditioning.

Church of El Jesus in Parque de la Madre

I passed in front of the cathedral, along calle 60 and two blocks from there it was much quieter. I arrived at a small square (la madre park) with a beautiful church (Church of El Jesus, third order) and next to it is a very pleasant promenade (Calle 57 A) with tables and sofas, bars and restaurants. I went into the last restaurant on the street (La Casa di mi Tía), it was almost empty. There I spent some of the little time I had in the city.

There was a travel agency attached to the restaurant. I mentioned it to the waiter and he took me a catalog with the tours offered, there were many options and for a moment I thought about staying in the city to take one of those tours. But I decided to harm just Mérida and keep the rest of my itinerary as it was.

Satisfied, I went to the Zócalo to try and see some of the attractions on my list. It was already the end of the day and the square was busier, with many tourists taking guided tours.

Merida Cathedral

The Zócalo de Mérida is also known as Plaza Grande, and among the buildings around it, the cathedral stands out. It is as big as cathedrals tend to be. She is austere and beautiful, both inside and out. A San Idelfonso Cathedral It was the first cathedral built on the American continent. Open every day from 7am to 9pm Without cost.

Another large prominent building around the square, next to the cathedral, is Government’s palace of the State of Yucatán. I went there and to my surprise it was open for visitors. I thought it was cool that in Mexico many attractions are open for visitors at night too. Visits take place every day from 8am to 10pm free of charge.

Interior of the Government Palace

Inside the palace, what initially catches your attention is a large courtyard, but the highlight is the murals on the walls and paintings in the Portrait Hall on the second floor. The works are by artist Fernando Castro Pacheco, born in the city. Worth the visit. And you still have a view of the square.

Portrait Hall

I no longer had enough time to visit other attractions. So I took a walk around the shops around the square, had ice cream in a small cafe and then went to the bus station and headed towards Palenque.

Municipal Palace

Unfortunately these two places were the only ones I managed to visit. But around the large square there are other places of interest such as the Palácio municipal which is also open to visitors and on the ground floor there is the tourist information office. At your side is the Olimpo Cultural Center.

And next to the cathedral is the Fernando Castro Pacheco Macay Museum (Museum of Contemporary Art). The visit is also free from 10am to 6pm Wednesday to Monday. Surrounding the square is the museum Montejo’s House with free viewing from Tuesday to Saturday, from 10am to 7pm / Sunday, from 10am to 2pm. And at night there are cultural performances during the week.

Carriage ride

Mérida is flat and many attractions are close by, making it possible to discover them on foot. There are even walking tours promoted by the city hall that leave from the tourism office located at the city hall in the Zócalo. There is also a turibus which is a tourist bus with a stop in the square. And another way to get to know it is to take a carriage ride.

Using Mérida as a base you can visit several attractions in the region. There are cenotes, farms, villages, Mayan ruins and the beach is not far away either. The ideal for tours is to use a car, but there is an option to do so with travel agencies and in several places it is also possible to go by bus.

Izamal It is one of the “Magical Pueblos” in the region. Known as the Yellow City, a visit to Izamal is always recommended for anyone in the city.

How to get to Merida

I left Valladolid and took the Oriente bus to Chichen Itza. Then I boarded another Oriente bus to Mérida. ADO only has one timetable on these routes, but Oriente has several.

Where to eat

The city has several options. From famous and expensive restaurants to one-door cafes, as well as markets.

accommodation

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