Things to do in Mérida

16 activities, venues and outings in Mérida, from theatres and live music to parks and tours.

Ranked with the travel guide's picks and well-known places first.

Do
Centro Cultural Olimpio
A cultural center where dance performances are staged most evenings. Information on upcoming performances is available in the entrance. These performances are very popular – it is best to arrive early. Shortly before the performance people without tickets gather in a queue stretching sometimes to over 100m, in the hopes that paying audience members leave the performance early and thus vacate a seat.
Do
Dzibilchaltún
The site has been continuously occupied for thousands of years. Its most famous structure is the Temple Of The Seven Dolls (El Templo de las Siete Muñecas), 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; it is the first stop on the Ruta de los Cenotes. Also on the site are the ruins of a 16th-century Spanish church, as well as a museum displaying Mayan artifacts from the site and the region.
Daily 08:00-17:00 (site), Tue-Sun 09:00-16:00 (museum)M$68 (adults), M$39 (Mexican adults, non-Mexican children under 12)
Do
Estadio Carlos Iturralde
15,000 seat mixed-use stadium that is home field for the Venados de Yucatan, a professional soccer (futbol) team that is part of the Expansion League.
Do
Hacienda Sotuta de Peón
A former sisal plantation which has been restored and opened up to the public. Sisal, the rope made from the fibers of the henequen plant, put Mérida on the map in the 1900s and made millionaires out of many landowners of that time. The rope came to be known by the name of the port town, Sisal, where it was shipped from to places around the world. Henequen was (and still is) planted throughout the Yucatán Peninsula. The industry crumbled after about 30 years for various reasons, leaving many haciendas in ruin. Today many of those haciendas have been restored, and Sotuta de Peón is an example of one which can be visited without spending the night.
Daily tours at 10:00, 13:00Tour only M$430/215 (adults/children), Combo (transport, tour and lunch) M$870/460 (adults/children)
Do
Hacienda Yaxcopoil
Another good example of a hacienda kept in a state of arrested decay as a museum.
Mon-Sat 08:00-18:00, Sun 09:00-17:00; by apptM$75 (adults), free (children)
Do
Hospedaje Barsa
M$150 with ventilator, M$250 with air conditioning. Latest possible check-out at 24:00.
Do
Hospedaje Canada
M$100 with ventilator, M$200 with A/C. Latest possible check-out at 23:00.
Do
Mayapan
A compact, well-preserved pre-Columbian site, Mayapán was the political capital of the Maya in the Yucatán Peninsula from about the late 1220s until 1440s. Unlike at other Mayan sites, climbing of pyramids is permitted, and worth the effort. Hourly buses to Mayapán can be picked up at Terminal Noreste (listed above). Tell the driver you'd like to go to the 'ruinas', and he will drop you off at the beginning of the dirt road; from here it's a 5-minute walk to the entrance. There are toilet facilities but no amenities, so bring your own water.
Daily 08:00-17:00M$39
Do
Parque Kukulcán Alamo
15,000 seat professional baseball stadium that is home field for the Leones de Yucatan, who play a 114-game schedule from March to August (a bit longer if they make the playoffs). The team is part of the Liga Mexican de Beisbol, Mexico's top professional baseball league. Clean, modern stadium with open sight lines.
Do
Teatro Peón Contreras
The city's grand opera house. The current structure was designed by a visiting Italian architect and opened in 1908 during the height of the boom times, replacing a less opulent earlier theater of the same name; it is still the largest theater on the Yucatán peninsula. The theater is the center of Mérida's high culture and in 2011 was renovated with a new stage and updated air conditioning. If opera, symphonies, and ballets aren't to your taste, the building is still worth a look for the impressive architecture. There is also a sizable art gallery downstairs with changing exhibits. The theater was damaged by fire in November 2022, and is expected to be closed for renovations at least through mid-2023.
Thu-Sat 09:00-18:00
Do Not mapped
Carnaval de Mérida
An annual event with a week of celebrations leading to up to Fat Tuesday. Mérida has one of the five most important carnavals in Mexico.
Date varies, ending at the eve of Ash Wed; mid-February through early March
Do Not mapped
Festival de Aves Toh
Toh Bird Festival
Established in 2001, the festival sponsors a number of birdwatching and photography tours and workshops throughout the year, culminating in a marathon bird-count (Maratón Xoc ch'ich / Bird-a-thon) held in late November. The organization also maintains a list of qualified guides throughout the Yucatán peninsula.
Do Not mapped
Merida Gay Tours
MGT
Experiences for the Gay Traveler in the Yucatan. Merida Gay Tours offers experiences and tours around Yucatán for the gay community with a mix of nature, culture and fun with a selection of hot spots of the interest for the gay traveler.
Open now · closes 5 pm100$
Do Not mapped
Mérida Fest
Sponsored by the city, this annual festival commemorates the founding of Spanish Mérida in January 1542. All arts are included, with many performers coming from across Mexico to participate. Most events are staged in open spaces and free to the public.
Entire month of January
Do Not mapped
Mérida y Yucatán Film Festival
FICMY
An annual weeklong festival devoted to Mexican as well as international cinema. Films are screened at several venues across Mérida.
Late January
Do
Gran Hotel 67
M$180 with ventilator.

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Mérida (CC BY-SA 4.0).