Mérida's free offerings
- A guided walk through the historic center, offered free by the city government; it lasts about an hour and a half and leaves from the Centro Cultural Olimpo (check the schedule).
- A guided visit along Paseo de Montejo, also run by the city.
- The Biciruta, with routes that change by date.
- The city's weekly cultural program, with free events.
- Walking downtown: squares, churches, parks and old neighborhoods.
How to spend wisely on day trips
Profeco, Mexico's consumer protection agency, recommends setting a budget, deciding in advance how you'll pay and comparing prices before choosing. For day trips, compare the total cost: the tour price plus whatever's extra (entry fees, food, boat). Tours like the Santa Bárbara cenotes or Izamal with cenotes include lunch and entry; others, like Chichén Itzá, don't include site entry.
We have a full guide to comparing budget tours.
Groups as a strategy
If you're traveling with friends or meet people at your hostel, team up: a private transfer is priced per van, so the more of you there are (within capacity), the less each person pays. Plus, from this page, groups of 4 to 20 get a per-person coupon on Bacalar, Isla Mujeres and Tulum, which tend to be the priciest trips.
More ways to save
- Book ahead: Profeco warns that prices and availability change.
- Bring your own water bottle and biodegradable sunscreen from Mérida.
- Pay the deposit with a method that doesn't charge you fees.
- Carry cash for entry fees and food: many small places don't take cards.
Fun facts
- Mérida's city government offers free guided walks through the historic center.
- Mérida's Biciruta has both daytime and evening routes.
- Some tours include lunch and entry fees, which cuts down on surprise costs.
Related tours
Cenotes · 7 h
The four cenotes of Santa Bárbara
Four different cenotes and a lunch made by hand
from $1,450 MXN per person
See itinerary
10:00 AM – 5:00 PM · daily
- 10:00 AM Departure from the office — An hour on the road to Homún, through the ring of cenotes.
- 11:00 AM Cascabel cenote — Closed, cave type. You descend inside and the water sits in half-light: the most striking of the four.
- 11:30 AM Chaksikín cenote — Semi-open. You go down between limestone walls painted with Maya-themed murals.
- 12:00 PM Xooch cenote — Semi-open, with a shaft of light that falls straight onto the water mid-morning.
- 12:30 PM Pool Cocom cenote — Open and surrounded by vegetation. You swim along a channel out to the wide part.
- 1:30 PM Regional lunch — Home cooking with hand-made tortillas. Plenty of time to eat without rushing.
- 4:00 PM Back to Mérida — An hour back, arriving around five.
Included: Transport, Certified guide, Entry to all four cenotes, Regional lunch
Not included: Drinks with lunch
Towns · 9 h
Izamal and two cenotes
Izamal’s yellow first, then two cold cenotes
from $1,300 MXN per person
See itinerary
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM · daily
- 8:00 AM Departure from the office — An hour on the road. The guide uses it to explain where Izamal comes from before you arrive.
- 9:00 AM The yellow town — The convent and its atrium, among the largest on the continent, the baroque altarpiece, and then free time around the streets.
- 10:20 AM On to the Homún ring — Forty more minutes to the cenote area.
- 11:00 AM Yaxbacaltún cenote — The first swim, landing right after the morning’s walking.
- 12:15 PM San Antonio cenote and lunch — A semi-closed cenote that feels nothing like the first one, and lunch served right there.
- 3:15 PM Back to Mérida — Back to Mérida, arriving around five.
Included: Transport, Guide, Entry to both cenotes, Lunch
Not included: Drinks
Beach · 8 h
North Coast and Isla Columpios
Wooden swings driven straight into the sea
from $1,250 MXN per person
See itinerary
10:00 AM – 6:00 PM · daily
- 10:00 AM Departure from the office — An hour and a quarter to the Chuburná harbour, where the boat leaves from.
- 11:30 AM Isla Columpios — Turquoise water barely past your knees, swings and hammocks over the sea, and mangrove all around full of birds.
- 1:00 PM Chuburná dunes — White sand mounds shaped by the wind, with nobody around. Good for walking and for photos.
- 2:30 PM Puerto Progreso — Free afternoon: eat on the seafront, walk the pier or stay on the beach.
- 5:30 PM Back to Mérida — Half an hour back, arriving around six.
Included: Transport, Certified guide, Boat and Isla Columpios entry
Not included: Food, Drinks
Coupon −$300 MXN per personCaribbean · 17 h
Bacalar, the lagoon of seven colours
Seventeen hours for water that changes colour every metre
from $2,800 MXN per person
See itinerary
5:00 AM – 10:00 PM · daily
- 4:45 AM Boarding — We leave from the downtown office. If your accommodation is on the way, we collect you there — agreed beforehand on WhatsApp.
- 5:30 AM Drive to José María Morelos — Two hours. Fifteen minutes there for toilets and to stretch your legs.
- 7:30 AM Drive to Bacalar — Two and a half hours more, now crossing into Quintana Roo.
- 10:15 AM Boat trip on the lagoon — Pirates’ Channel, Cenote Negro, Cenote Esmeralda and Bird Island, with an explanation of the stromatolites and the ecosystem.
- 12:15 PM Lunch — Lunch in the town, beside the lagoon.
- 1:30 PM Bacalar magic town — Three and a half hours free: the San Felipe fort, the square, the piers, the cafés and the crafts.
- 5:00 PM Back to Mérida — Five hours back, with a stop halfway. Arriving around ten.
Included: Transport, Guide, Boat trip, Lunch
Not included: Drinks
Frequently asked questions
What can you do for free in Mérida?
The city's guided downtown walk, the Paseo de Montejo visit, the Biciruta and the weekly cultural program.
What's the cheapest day trip?
It depends on what's included. Compare the total cost including entry fees and food; the catalogue on this page shows current prices.
Is traveling as a group worth it?
Yes: transfers are priced per van and there's a per-person group coupon on Bacalar, Isla Mujeres and Tulum.
Do I need cash?
It's a good idea to carry cash for entry fees, food and small purchases.
