From Wikitravel

Mérida is the capital of the state of Yucatan in Mexico. It has a population of about 750,000.

[edit] Understand

Merida is a city of contrasts. You will find elegant hotels, restaurants and malls in the northern part of the city. Downtown, there are hotels and restaurants to suit every budget. A large central market and numerous small shops are found all around the main plaza. Merida has a rich cultural life which also reflects its diversity. Many free concerts, performances and other events are held daily.

The city's ambiance is colonial and the climate is tropical. The daytime temperature varies; in January, it is about 75 degrees Fahrenheit (24 Celsius) and in June, about 95 F (35 C). To beat the heat, most people are busiest in the mornings. They have lunch and siesta, then go back to work for a few hours in the late afternoon. The cool breezes from the Gulf of Mexico drift into Mérida in the evenings and this is when many of the residents spend their time outdoors. You can see them visiting and talking as they stroll along the streets, sit in the plazas or dine in the many sidewalk restaurants.

From Merida, it is easy to take day trips to a vast array of destinations: archaeological sites, ecological parks, typical villages, caves, beaches, colonial missions and more. Take your time and really explore the Maya sites… walk for miles along the Gulf of Mexico… attend a village festival… photograph the wildlife… crawl through a cave or swim in a cenote...

[edit] Get in

[edit] By plane

• 'Manuel Crescencio Rejón International Airport (IATA: MID) (ICAO: MMMD) with direct flights to Mexico City, Houston, Miami, Las Vegas and Europe. Travelers can also get to Merida by flying into Cancun and driving west on the carretera for 3 hours.

[edit] Get around

Organized tours are also available from a variety of companies, including Tours Aldebaran [1] ,Chichen Services [2] and Iluminado Tours[3] that will help you explore the many interesting places on the Yucatan Peninsula (Ek Balam, Celestun, Rio Lagartos, Merida, Chichen Itza, Uxmal, Aldea Maya, Cenotes, etc.).

Rent a cheapo VW Beetle from México Rent-a-Car for around US$35 a day. Calle 57a between 58 and 60. They have strange opening times, but just ask at the restaurant next door. The man and his super friendly mother will tell you how to get out of town, and throw in some sight seeing tips.

[edit][add listing] See

• Yucatan Discovery Tours, Calle 54 #476 x 55 & 57 Centro (Corner of Calle 54 & 55), ☎ 923-4711, [4]. 9 am - 6 pm. Visit mysterious ancient Mayan ruins, Chitchen Itza, Uxmal, grand haciendas, pristine beaches, Merida city tours, day trips, ecotourism, adventure travel in Yucatan, Mexico. from $35.00 US per person per day.  edit

• Yucatan Today, [5]. The leading tourist guide to Yucatan - online and monthly print edition. Be sure to pick up a copy when in Yucatan for maps, information, and lots of articles. The web site has even more info and a weekly events column - featuring everything from the Yucatan Symphony Orchestra to the baseball schedule. edit

• Chichen Itza is a large pre-Columbian archaeological site built by the Maya civilization, located in the northern center of the Yucatán Peninsula, present-day Mexico. The main edifice, the Castillo or Pyramid of Kukulcan, was voted one of the new Seven Wonders of the World in 2007.
• El Paseo Montejo is a beautiful, tree-lined street, lined with houses developed by the henequen-industry barons. It's a great place to walk in the evening. Have a dish of ice cream, look at the houses. Make sure to go to the bakery at the Plaza de La Bandera circle (across from the McDonald's). The baked goods are delicious. Right outside, a family sells tamales (and has been for decades). The tamales are cheap, fresh and absolutely delicious.
• Mayapan Mayapan is a Pre-Columbian Maya site in the state of Yucatán, Mexico, about 40 km south-east of Mérida and 100 km west of Chichen Itza. Mayapan was the political capital of the Maya in the Yucatan Peninsula from about the late 1220s until 1440s.
• Uxmal is a large pre-Columbian ruined city of the Maya civilization in the state of Yucatán, Mexico. It is 78 km south of Mérida, Yucatán, or 110 km from that city on Highway 261 towards Campeche, Campeche)

• Explora Mexico Offers Cultural Tours of Mayan Ruins such as Chitzen Itza, Tulum and Merida city tours. They drop you off and pick you up at the airport.
• Iluminado Tours Offers Spiritual Tours of various Yucatan Peninsula locations such as Chitzen Itza, San Gervasio on Cozumel and various sites around Merida. Tours include visits, ceremonies and rituals with Mayan shamans. [6]

[edit][add listing] Do

• Carnaval de Merida is an annual event every February. Merida has of the five most important Carnivals in Mexico.[[7]] Yucatan Living has a video of the Carnaval in 2006.
• The 'Ayuntamiento de Merida' (City Hall) sponsors many cultural events during the week, free of charge. Almost every night visitors and residents alike can enjoy outdoor concerts or dances in one of the many downtown parks and squares. Check here for weekly events listings.

• Those who have time to spend several months in Merida, will also encounter many opportunities to become a volunteer — helping women, children, the disabled, the elderly, the sick and the illiterate. Places to volunteer include PPPNfor helping disabled children and AFAD for helping unwanted dogs and cats find health and new homes.

• If you are interested in learning Spanish, learning about Latin America and learning more about yourself in the process, Merida is an excellent place to do so. Yucatan Living has an article and list of the Spanish schools in Merida.

• Merida has a growing number of art museums and art galleries. Be sure to see the MACAY gallery just off the zocalo next to the Cathedral. Galleries include Artists in Mexico and Galeria Merida.

[edit][add listing] Buy

• Merida is a great place to pick up a good quality hammock.

However, be specially aware of shops called "Casas de Artesanías". They are supposed to be government owned shops where local artisans can sell their handicrafts at fair price. But some shops are clearly abusing the name and simply selling handicrafts to tourists at sky high prices (for example, "hammocks in sisal, a natural mosquito repellent, that lasts more than 15 years" at US $300 while in fact it is just a plain cotton hammock that is sold at US $25 in the real "Casa de Artesanías").

[edit][add listing] Eat

D'Al a wonderful local hangout for lunch, menu includes very inexpensive tasty fare, specialties are seafood & local cuisine. Try the shrimp cocktail, delicious. Great specials & soups. Located on the corner of Calle 54 & 53, downtown, historical section.

Las Palomas Bistro is a great place to have romantic dinners in downtown. The restaurant is located within the hotel "Casa del Balam", near the Peon Contreras Opera House just two blocks from the Main Plaza. The menu offers international and regional cooking with some very creative choices of the chef. Perfect romantic ambiance at night in an open terrace where embraced by lush tropical plants.

La Parilla on Paseo Montejo is a great outdoor restaurant. Be sure to have the Sopa de Lima, which is a chicken soup flavored with lime.

Villa Maria on Calle 59 at the corner of Calle 68 is an elegant restaurant with a relaxed attitude. The restaurant is inside an elegantly restored colonial building with a full bar and European menu. The ambiance is quiet and authentically Yucatecan. The most beautiful place to eat downtown. No need to dress up or make reservations. Villa Maria

[edit][add listing] Drink

[edit][add listing] Sleep

• Hotel Villa Merida [8]. The Villa is blessed with a friendly Canadian/Mexican management team who create a relaxed atmosphere in spite of the grand surroundings. There are just 7 guest rooms, all different, making it feel more like a private home than a hotel.
• B&B Casa Esperanza an exquisite romantic colonial B&B located in the heart of the historical district. Beautiful, uniquely decorated, spacious air-conditioned rooms, huge pool, lovely gardens & patios. Fabulous Gourmet breakfast, included. Casa Esperanza
• Hotel Las Arecas is a small 5-room bed and breakfast. Modest, clean and run by a local Yucatecan. Economical and well-located in the historical center. Las Arecas
• B&B Cascadas de Merida is a unique and private bed and breakfast. Four casitas built for maximum privacy around waterfalls and a filtered swimming pool. Known for their hospitality and modern conveniences. Cascadas de Merida
• Hotel Casa del Balam is an elegant Colonial boutique hotel, located across the Peon Contreras Opera House in downtown. For reservations call 1 800 624 8451 Casa del Balam
• Hotel Luz en Yucatan urban retreat, Calle 55 #499 x 60 y 58 (three blocks from the Zocalo), +11-52-999-924-0035, Luz En Yucatan has quaint fully furnished apartments, complete with kitchen and private bath, in a former nunnery. The rates vary from 350–800 pesos, depending on facilities and also how "successful" you rate yourself to be. Unique website.
• Hotel Suites del Sol are apartments for rent by the day, week or month. Calle 58 at Calle 39. Suites del Sol The apartments are spacious and have all the comforts, including full kitchens. 1 and 2 bedroom apartments. Off street parking.
• Hotel Marionetas is a small charming hotel with colonial style and modern conveniences. Calle 49 between Calle 62 and 64 in Centro Historico. Hotel Marionetas Every room is different, with unique furnishings, mosaico floor tiles and views of the inner courtyard with pool. Wireless internet, phones and A/C in the rooms.
• Hotel Los Aluxes is a great, clean, and friendly place to stay that is only a few blocks to the main plaza. Off-street, secured parking is a big help if you have a rental car. Make sure to have the cafe con leche in the cafe.
• Hotel Posada Santiago Guesthouse Calle 57 No. 552, x 66 y68 Centro +11 52 999 928 42 58 Posada Santiago a 4 room guest house featuring an international blend of the culture of the Yucatan with North American ambiance. You will experience sophisticated elegance within a friendly atmosphere in this newly renovated 19th century colonial house. Its small size assures personalized service. Guest rooms are separated from the main house, providing both privacy and quiet surroundings.
• Hostal del Peregrino at Calle 51 # 488 (between 54 and 56) is a colonial house that has been renovated into a comfortable and clean hostel.
• Hostel Zocalo, is located on Calle 63 #508 (between 60 and 62) in front of the Zocalo on the main plaza.
• Hyatt Regency Merida, Av Colon esq Calle 60 (100m from Paseo Montejo), ☎ +52 999 942 1234 (merid.reservations@hyattintl.com), [9]. 289 rooms and suites. The hotel is five minutes from the city's convention centre. edit

• Vacation Rentals are becoming more common in the Centro Historico of Merida. Some examples are Casa del Pocito and Casa del Panadero.

[edit] Get out

Several important archaeological sites are close to Mérida. Major ones that are Mexican National Parks and are described in their own articles include:

• Uxmal
• Chichen Itza
• The ruins and national park at Dzibilchaltún are only a few minutes' drive from Mérida. An admission fee is charged. The site has been continuously occupied for thousands of years. Its most famous structure is the Temple Of The Seven Dolls, so named because of seven small effigies found at the site when the temple was discovered under the ruins of a later temple pyramid by archaeologists in the 1950s. On the Spring Equinox, the sun rises so that it shines directly through one window of the temple and out the other. The temple is connected to the rest of the site by a long sacbé. The other major feature of Dzibilchaltún is its cenote, which is used as a swimming hole by local residents year round. Dzibilchaltún is the first stop on Mexico's Ruta de los Cenotes, a network of natural and cultural sites that stretches from Mérida to Puerto Morelos on the Caribbean coast south of Cancun. Dzibilchaltún also contains the ruin of a 16th century Spanish church built at the site after the conquest. The archaeological site offers a museum which houses Mayan artifacts from the site and the adjacent region.
• Cuzamá is one of the interesting sites on the Ruta de los Cenotes itinerary, with prominent cenotes (sinkholes leading to significant caves).

[edit] Photo Gallery

Arcade	Mestizas	University stadium	Old house
Casa Montejo	A plaza	Cathedral	Main plaza