History Buffs
Enjoy ancient architecture of the Maya and historic buildings built by the Spanish Conquistadors.

Shoppers
Great deals can be found on Mayan art and clothing.

Transfers
Transfers are available to your Mérida hotel with vacation packages.

Taxi
Throughout Mérida, taxis are plentiful, and are considerably less expensive than in Cancún.

Bus
Colectivos service the main areas of Mérida, especially the area around the main plazas.

Walk
Mérida's tree-lined boulevards and many plazas make it an ideal city for walking.

Restaurants in Mérida are focused on traditional cuisine and customs. Restaurants catering to locals serve a traditional dish according to the day of the week, and traditional seafood restaurants are only open until 6pm.

• Cafeteria Pop
  You can enjoy familiar American or Mexican dishes for breakfast, lunch, or a light dinner at reasonable prices.
• Café Montejo
  Enjoy wonderful International and Yucatan cuisine for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. You can also listen to nightly piano music in an elegant atmosphere.
• El Borrego Acurrucado
  Dine on traditional Mexican dishes in a beautiful atmosphere. If you're feeling a bit daring, try the restaurant's namesake and specialty, goat wrapped in cochinita pibil (banana leaves).
• Hacienda Teya
  Open between noon and 6 pm, Hacienda Teya offers traditional Yucatan dishes in a restored hacienda dating from the 17th century.
• Peregrina Bistro
  A charming hacienda-style setting for delectable Yucatan and international cuisine.
• Muelle 8
  Open between noon and 6 pm for most of the year, or noon and midnight November through March, Muelle 8 is a delicious seafood restaurant surrounded by an elegant atmosphere.
• La Casona
  One of Mérida's most beautiful restaurants, La Casona is housed in a restored mansion with period furnishings, veranda, and garden, and features a wonderful Italian menu.

Bohemian and romantic music in Mérida are closely linked to the music of Cuba and Colombia. In the evening, nightclubs, plazas, and saloon bars are filled with the music of pianos and guitars. For late-night action, head to La Hach, Pancho's, Plaza de Santa Lucía, Spasso, or the Vatzya Rock House.

Mérida has open-air markets selling craftwork and souvenirs. Among the most popular articles are the hammocks that are perfect for relaxing. An open-air market is set up on Sundays opposite the Palacio Municipal where you can buy wooden, shell, leather, and pottery handicrafts as well as traditional candy. Several popular shops include:

• La Poblana
  A popular shop that ships hammocks all over the world.
• Marie Soleil
  Yucatan clothing for women that combines European styles with regional fabrics.
• Mercado Municipal
  Negotiable prices on hammocks, Panama-style hats, and huipils.

Carnaval
February/March. A weeklong celebration before Lent with outlandish parades, floats, dance contests, fireworks, and outdoor dances. Known for its flamboyant parades in which the whole city participates by dancing through the street for days on end.

Equinox
March and September. At the Mayan archaeological site of Chichén-Itzá, a phenomenon of light and shadow displays the pattern of a serpent, symbolizing the great plumed serpent deity Kukulcán, slithering down the steps of the Pyramid of Kukulcán. Thousands attend this remarkable display of Mayan astrology and mathematics. Occurs on the vernal and autumnal equinox.

Day of the Dead
November. A festive celebration honoring deceased relatives and friends.

Autumn Cultural Festival
October. Enjoy an opera, symphony, and other cultural pursuits.

Los Santos Inocentes
December 28. Mexico's answer to April Fool's Day. A common prank is to ask for a valuable item or cash. If that gift is given, the prankster gets the right to keep the item for one year.

Snorkeling/Scuba Diving
Just a short car ride outside of Mérida is the village of Progreso where you can take a boat out to the Alacranes Reef and explore the impressive marine architecture in the sea's crystalline waters.

Archaeological Sites
A vacation to the Yucatan Peninsula isn't complete without a visit to the ancient sites of the Maya. Chichén-Itzá and its Pyramid of Kukulcán is the most well-known. Once the site of a Mayan temple, it was built with such precision that on the spring and fall equinoxes, thousands of people still gather today to watch the shadow of the feathered serpent-god Quetzalcóatl make its way down the steps of the pyramid.

Free Concerts
Mérida features free concerts every day of the week, and really goes all out on Sundays. A full day of entertainment can be had in and around the main plaza with numerous bands, a flea market, book fair, comedy acts, and more!

Uxmal
A UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its great beauty and outstanding universal value, Uxmal is a picturesque Mayan city that was founded more than 1,300 years ago and offers some of the best examples of Puuc architectural style, considered the finest among many archaeologists. Be sure to bring a hat, good walking shoes, and plenty of sunscreen.

Free Guided Tours
Free tours of the Centro Historico of downtown Mérida are available every day at 9:30 am. Go to the tourist office on the ground floor of the Municipal Palace to take advantage of this opportunity to learn more about Mesoamerican culture.

Watersports
Mérida is definitely not a beachfront destination, but that doesn't mean you have to go completely without watersports. A few miles outside Mérida stands Puerto de Progreso, a major resort for water-skiing and snorkeling.

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