My Month in Merida
¡Hola desde Merida!
I spent a month in Merida in January 2021 and below are the highlights from my time there! Note I was working on school throughout and there were some restrictions because of the pandemic so I probably would have done more if I visited another time. It was hit-or-miss with attractions such as museums and theaters being open, so most of my experiences here was just being in the city. I could walk around this city every day forever and never get bored.
My AirBnb was located near the city center and was walkable to everywhere. Would definitely recommend the place as it was secure, clean, and a good distance from main points of interest.
The overall vibe was very tranquil and relaxed. A very friendly city, but felt somewhat “older” and “family friendly”. A little hard to explain, but it didn’t feel like a typical tourist destination which I liked because it felt more like living there than visiting. Again, the pandemic probably played into this, but it is not the hustle and bustle of a Cancun if that is the vibe you are looking for.
Must See:
Chichén Itzá and other Mayan ruins
Chichén Itzá is the most popular being one of the new 7 Wonders of the World. As with most tourist attractions, I would recommend getting there close to opening. I arrived around 10am which worked well, but as I was leaving, it was pretty crowded
Sounds obvious, but everyone crowds around the front of the pyramid when first walking in so if you want pictures without people in them, just walk around to the other sides….
There are many ruins throughout the area, but below are a few other recommendations, they are not as dramatic as Chichén Itzá, but smaller, less crowded sites
Dzibilchaltún (near Merida)
Uxmal (near Merida)
Ek Balam (near Valladolid)
At the center of the city, this park is surrounded by main sites such as the Cathedral, the Governor’s palace, Museo Casa Montejo and the tourism center
A long avenue lined with museums, restaurants, and cafes
Parque Hidalgo
My favorite park in the city—I would come here often to do schoolwork and people watch
Parque de Santa Lucía
Another popular park with restaurants and on Thursday nights there is dancing
Must Do:
Cenotes!
Most people associate cenotes with Tulum, but there are thousands throughout the area. I took a tour through AirBnb and was perfect to have a local show their favorites while sharing some history of the area. I like the experiences usually through AirBnb since they are small groups, a local’s perspective and not the scheduled big tour companies that are strict on a schedule
We visited Cenote Yaal Utzil and Cenote Kankirixche and both were amazing in their own ways—uncrowded and gave a great experience for an “open” and “semi-open” cenote!
Progresso and Sisal beaches
Spanish school at Hola
Not a “must do”, but since I was going to be in Mexico for a few months, I decided to take some classes since my high school Spanish was not going to help me much. Definitely improved a lot and made basic conversations at stores and restaurants much easier
Must Eat/Drink:
A few of my favorite restaurants were
La Negrita Cantina—cheap and good drinks and food with live music every night
El Marlin Azul—great seafood! It is a small dive and I would have never tried it if it hadn’t been recommended to me
Typical Yucatecan dishes differ from the classic Mexican food you’d think of and would recommend trying them! Some of my favorites included Poc-Chuc and Cochinita Pibil (different types of marinated pork) and panuchos (bean stuffed crispy tortillas with choice of meat)
Safety:
Merida is named the second safest city in all of North America, and the safest city in Mexico. My experience mirrors that statistic as I did not feel uncomfortable during my time there. With safety, a lot is common sense with not drawing any unnecessary attention to yourself, but I did not feel like I had to be on extreme guard and caution while in Merida. A solid level of caution was enough to feel safe. My AirBnb also was gated which also added to that feeling.
With that said, people can also be extra friendly, especially in the tourist areas. What I mean by that, is as a white female walking alone during the day in the center of town, it is an automatic “that’s a tourist” flag. People (mostly men) would approach with the intent to try to sell me something—this is not uncommon in Mexico, but in Merida they “try to get to know you” more and ask a million questions before trying to get you to shop in their shop or take their tour. Most other places I experienced in Mexico, they went straight for the sales pitch, so it was easier to fend off(I could have just got used to it though). This is also different than vendors approaching which is even more common— I am more referring to people not holding anything to sell coming up to you out of the blue.
While at first it threw me off, I soon realized it was the norm and as long as I kept a guard up and did not answer too many questions, they would move on. Also, it mostly happens in the tourist areas, especially the Plaza Grande. There is no “casually strolling and window shopping” in Merida, at least in my experience.
Overall I really enjoyed my time in Merida.
Would I go back?
Most likely not, but for me I am more open to visiting somewhere similar rather than visiting the same place again. Unless I really fall in love with a place, I will most likely move on from there and won’t return.
Next stop on the list is a very “touristy” spot—Tulum!