18 Best things to do in Merida

Best things to do in Merida – 2022

1. Stroll Paseo Montejo

Paseo Montejo is a 3.2 km (2 miles) walkable street. It is one of Merida’s most famous streets, with no shortage of things to do, see and eat. This three-line street, often compared with the Champs-Élysées in Paris, is full of history and some of the most beautiful buildings in the city.

Paseo Montejo was the place where wealthy aristocrats once built their giant mansions. Some of those have since been turned into museums or other public spaces.

Three of the most beautiful ones are Palacio Canton, Casas Gemelas, and Quintana Montes Molina.

On Sunday mornings, Paseo de Montejo is closed to cars for the BICIRUTA (Bike Route), when Mérida families flood the streets on bikes, trams, and rollerblades. There is a couple of bike rental companies where you rent a bike to enjoy the fun (Note: some renters require a passport and others some sort of ID like a Driver’s License).

Paseo Montejo has several monuments to admire. The most famous is the Monumento a la Patria (Monument to the Mother/Fatherland), located at the northern end of Paseo Montejo. Unlike many monuments, you can go right up to this one to check out the details.

This monument was created by Colombian sculptor Romulo Rozo. It features more than 300 hand-carved figures chronicling 700 years of Mexican history (from the establishment of Tenochtitlan to the present day). The monument is beautiful during the day but is covered with multi-colored lights at night.

2. Admire El Pinar (The Pine Grove) 

This pink Mansion is one of the most popular spots for photo enthusiasts visiting the Capital of Mérida. 

El Pinar was one of the flagship mansions of Merida’s golden years. It is one of the few mansions that remains virtually intact to this day. In 2019 El Pinar started offering private tours at elpinar.com.mx, where the owners show the original details of the building, built during the Porfiriato period.

3. Visit Mansions transformed into museums

Museo de Regional de Antropología de Yucatán, Palacio Cantón (Regional Museum of Anthropology of Yucatán, Canton Palace). This Mansion was built in the first decade of the 20th Century and served as General Francisco Canton’s family residence. Currently, the museum hosts a small collection of Mayan Artifacts.

Casa Montejo is a historical and architectural jewel dating back to the 16th Century. It was built in the heart of Mérida’s historic downtown by the conquistador of Yucatán, Francisco de Montejo. It is the only Renaissance-style house in México that has survived its nearly five centuries of existence.

On the Paseo Montejo, between Calles 45 and 43, two homes catch the eye of everyone who passes by. The Casas Gemelas are a pair of French-style mansions built in the early 20th Century.

While the two houses are not entirely alike, at first glance, they would appear to be. Therefore, in allusion to their almost identical resemblance, they were named the Casa Gemelas (twin houses).

They each have 10 bedrooms, eight bathrooms, a basement and a half basement, an office, and a living room, among other spaces.

One of the properties was left unfinished until it was acquired by its current owner, Mario Molina. The second property was bought by Fernando Barbachano, whose family turned it into a museum. Today, the Mansion is known as Montejo 495. The space is open to the public, offering guided tours

4. Go Plaza Hoping

Almost every neighborhood in Merida has a Plaza (Central Square) that always includes a park, a church, shops, restaurants, street-food vendors, art markets, and live entertainment. Merida’s plazas are very well-planned, impeccable, and clean. 

Plaza Grande, located in Downtown Merida is the Main Plaza or the Main Square called Zocalo. Here you will find some of Merida’s impressive colonial buildings, including the Palacio de Gobierno (Government Palace) and la Catedral de San Ildefonso (San Ildelfolso Cathedral), which is the oldest church on the American continent.

Other plazas worth visiting are Plaza Santa Lucia and Plaza Santa Ana. These plazas are full of life at night with live music, dancing, and light shows.

Best things to do in Merida

5. Tour Merida’s Centro Historico (Historical Center)

The Centro Historico (Downtown City Center, or Historical Center) never gets old. Here you can walk without agenda and admire colorful homes, vintage cantinas, beautiful colonial architecture, bougainvillea bushes, street food vendors, pretty parks, shops, and many things you can photograph.

Best things to do in Merida

6. Take a free walking tour

The Merida Tourism Office offers free one-hour and a half walking tours from Monday to Saturday. Guides are multi-lingual. Tours start at 9:30 but try to be at least 15 min earlier. You can meet your Guide on the first floor of Palacio Municipal, the pink building in Plaza Grande.

Don’t forget to tip your Guide; it’s customary to tip from $100 to $200 pesos ($5 – $10 USD) per person in your group. The Merida tourism office doesn’t have a website

Best things to do in Merida

7. Relax in Merida’s parks

Merida has several beautiful parks that are great for taking a break from walking around. In Parque Santa Lucia, you will find the most famous white giant and instagramable “Tu y Yo” (You and I) kissing chairs; it is the perfect place for a photo. In addition, you will find smaller versions of the chairs at various locations across the city. 

Parque Santa Lucia comes alive after the sun goes down. At night. there’s often live music and dancing, and all the restaurants are open — transforming this unassuming park into the perfect place to enjoy dinner al fresco, listen to music and people-watch

Other renowned parks worth visiting are Parque Hidalgo and Parque de la Madre.

Best things to do in Merida

History of Yucatan’s Kissing Chairs

You will find kissing chairs all over Merida, but their true origins are unknown. However, a widely-accepted theory is that hundreds of years ago, an overprotective father created the chairs so his daughter and the young man courting her could sit together and talk — without touching one another — and in the most modest way possible.