The 15 Best Mérida Tours & Yucatán Day Trips

1.Merida Walking Food Tour. Authentic & Local Cuisine

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 451 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $70Our pick

Walk from Plaza Grande through Mérida’s San Benito and Lucas de Galvez markets, sampling gorditas, salbutes, fruit, cochinita pibil, tacos, tamales, drinks, and frozen treats. Guides such as Fernando, Laura, Marcos, Annette, and Sylvie explain local food and Maya traditions. The group is limited to 10 people.

“Laura was one of the best tour guides I have ever had. She had a personal interest in each and everyone of us taste the unique and exquisite tastes of Merida. Her knowledge of the food and the Mercados was above and beyond. I would recommend this tour to everyone.”

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2.Merida Street Food Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 417 reviews · 3 to 4 hours (approx.) · from $69

Start near Mérida’s cathedral at 10:30 a.m. and walk with a bilingual guide such as Gisell, Luz, or Zulma through Lucas de Gálvez Market. You’ll sample fruit, cochinita pibil, panuchos, sweets, local drinks, ceviche, and handmade gelato. The food is generous, the group is capped at 15, and the market can be hot and crowded.

“Laura was delightful and an excellent guide. We really enjoyed the market, and having a guide made it so much more interesting. She introduced us to individual vendors, we learned about their products, and she made sure we got the best prices on things.”

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3.Chichen Itza, Private Cenote/Food Experience & the magic Izamal

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 385 reviews · 10 hours (approx.) · from $95

Leave Mérida before sunrise with guides such as Delio or Hernan, reach Chichén Itzá at opening, then swim in a private family cenote and eat a homemade Yucatecan meal. Finish in yellow Izamal. The air-conditioned van carries no more than 10 people, with coffee, a sandwich, water, and a life vest included.

“Dalo was a wonderful guide and driver. They helped with a phone issue just prior to leaving! Excellent!”

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4.3-Hour Walking Food Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 287 reviews · 3 hours · from $69

Meet your English or Spanish-speaking guide at Mérida’s Plaza Grande for three hours of local food and city stories. In a group of up to 10, you’ll try gorditas, poc chuc, salbutes, tamales, fruit, tacos al pastor, and carnitas, with market visits and drinks included. Guides such as Laura, Marcos, Annette, and Manuel bring local insight to each stop.

“I loved the entire tour. Laura was a really fun guide and I would highly recommend her.”

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5.Panoramic Sightseeing Tour Bus Ticket with 2 Routes

★★★★★★★★★★3.7 · 246 reviews · from $8Best value

Explore Mérida by red Turibus with two panoramic circuits, Norte and Barrios. Ride past the cathedral, Paseo Montejo, Monument to the Homeland, historic neighborhoods, parks, and Mérida Zoo. The Spanish audio guide adds local context. You can change routes during the ticket’s 11-hour validity, but Barrios does not operate Sundays.

“Was good to see the city with out walking in the hot sun.”

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6.Chichen Itza On-Site Guided Tour with Certified Local Expert

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 184 reviews · 1h 30m · from $52

Meet your certified guide at Chichén Itzá’s Parador Turístico for a 90-minute walk through El Castillo, the Temple of Kukulcan, the Great Ball Court, and the Sacred Cenote. Choose a shared English-Spanish tour or a private Spanish, English, Italian, or Portuguese guide. Expect clear stories about Maya astronomy, rituals, architecture, and plenty of help with family photos.

“Very good tour. Lots of information was given and we especially liked the use of the iPad to show the recreations of what it would’ve looked like in the past.”

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7.Guided tour of Uxmal, Kabah and Cenote with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 156 reviews · 9 to 10 hours (approx.) · from $94

Spend a full day visiting Uxmal and Kabah, two important Maya sites on the Puuc Route, then cool off at small Cenote Peba. An English and Spanish-speaking guide such as Francisco, Allan, or Irwin leads the group, with lunch and downtown Mérida pickup included. Bring pesos for entrance fees and expect plenty of walking.

“Both sets are ruins were fascinating. Our guide was very knowledgeable.. The lunch was delicious and they showed us a traditional Mayan oven. The cenote was small but very pretty and refreshing.”

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8.Uxmal, Cenote and Kabah Archaeological Site Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 139 reviews · 7 hours · from $83

Travel from Mérida to Uxmal and Kabah with a bilingual guide such as Miguel, Glendi, or Hector. You get guided visits to both Maya sites, a swim at Cenote Sámbula, regional lunch, chilled water, and air-conditioned transport. Entrance fees are extra, and the day suits visitors who can walk comfortably in the heat.

“Ricardo our Guide was great and had a lot of interesting facts and stories to tell and on top he let us sleep on the bus ;)”

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9.Chichen Itza, Izamal & Cenote with Buffet Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 131 reviews · from $84

Leave Merida early for a guided visit to Chichen Itza, with cooler temperatures and fewer crowds. Swim at Xcajum Cenote, eat a Mexican buffet lunch, then tour yellow Izamal, including the Kinich Kak Moo pyramid and San Antonio de Padua Convent. English and Spanish guides include Fredi, Raul, Julian, and Miguel.

“Amazing trip with an excellent, friendly guide. Highly recommend!”

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10.Tour to Uxmal Kabah and Chocolate Museum from Mérida

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 102 reviews · 10 hours (approx.) · from $81

Spend about 10 hours visiting Uxmal and Kabah with a Spanish-English guide, then enjoy a three-course Yucatecan lunch and Choco Story’s cocoa exhibits, gardens, animal shelter, and Mayan chocolate ceremony. Guides such as Saúl, Mauricio, Pedro, Michelle, and Anel have received strong praise, but bring cash, water, snacks, and sturdy shoes.

“Great trip to the site. Long day but well worth it. Would certainly recommend it. Note that extra cost to enter.”

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11.Mérida Cooking Class, taste of Yucatan

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 82 reviews · 5 hours · from $95

Spend five hours exploring Mérida’s downtown and Lucas de Gálvez Market before riding a local bus to a Yucatecan home kitchen. With an English or Spanish guide such as Luz, Laura, or Don Diego, you’ll shop for produce, cook dishes from scratch, and sit down to a three-course meal with drinks. Vegetarian options are available with advance notice.

“Such an amazing experience! Zulma was a fantastic guide. Def recommend this activity for cultural immersion while enjoying amazing food!”

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12.Chichen Itza Cenote, Food Experience & Izamal

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 71 reviews · 10 hours · from $110

Leave Merida early with a small group of up to 10 for Chichen Itza, a private cave cenote, a home-cooked Yucatan lunch, and Izamal. Guides Hernan and Delio are praised for clear storytelling, careful timing, and friendly service. The early start helps you beat the heat and long queues.

“If there was such a thing as a 6-star rating, this tour deserved it! Hernan was an absolute delight. Not only is he very knowledgeable and friendly, but you can also tell he likes sharing that knowledge and making sure we're engaged with the tour! We were literally the first in line in Chichen Itza, so you can take your photos without anyone else in the frame. The cenote was so breathtaking, that just for it alone, this tour is worth it! It's a private cenote so you won't find any tourists aside from the ones in your tour (which aren't that many as you go by van). The lunch…”

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13.Cook Yucatán Food with your Merida Mom! (PDF Included!)

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 62 reviews · 6 hours · from $92

Meet guide Gustavo in central Mérida, explore the city’s oldest traditional market, sample local flavors, then ride to his mother Lilia’s home to prepare and eat five Yucatecan dishes. The six-hour, small-group experience costs $92 and includes ingredients, transport, vegan and vegetarian options, and a recipe book.

“This was one of the best things we did in our whole time in Mexico. Gustavo was a brilliant host, so knowledgeable, friendly and passionate. Going through the market with him was a great experience, and it was a real privilege to be invited into his mother's home to cook for the afternoon. The food was all absolutely delicious and our two daughters (14 and 10) loved getting involved in the cooking. I could not recommend it more.”

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14.Hacienda Sotuta de Peon w/ Cenote & Henequen Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 62 reviews · 3 - 4.5 hours · from $58

Spend 3 to 4.5 hours at Hacienda Sotuta de Peón, about 45 minutes from Mérida. An English or Spanish guide leads you through henequen production, a traditional Maya house, and the old factory before a mule-pulled rail ride to Cenote Dzul Ha. Bring swimwear and a towel. Transportation from Mérida is worth considering.

“The most informative and interesting tour I have taken in the Yucatan! Well worth the price, would recommend it to anyone who is interested in the history and economy of the area. Three hours seems long, but there are various live demonstrations with the original machinery, and then 1.5 hours is devoted to getting to the beautiful totally enclosed cenote, changing, swimming, and coming back for a nice snack. So nice to swim in a cenote with a small group.”

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15.Uxmal, two Amazing Cenotes & Local Food Tour from Mérida

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 59 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $89

Leave Mérida at 7:30 a.m. for Uxmal, where an official guide explains Maya architecture and culture. Then enjoy a local lunch in Muna before swimming in an open cenote at Abalá and a turquoise cave cenote at San Antonio Mulix. English-speaking guides may include Jorge, Sergio, Eric, or Jesús. Groups are capped at 12.

“Very well organised and put together tour. Our guide Sergio was very helpful, attentive and knowledgeable about the places we went and drove by. Told us a lot about local culture, cuisine, history etc. Never felt rushed or pressed for time, focus was simply on the activities.”

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