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Best Things to Do in Izamal
Houses painted in bright ocher, cobbled streets, and a religious center across centuries and cultures: Izamal invites you to stroll through its streets, enjoy the calm atmosphere, and get in touch with the past and present. Once an important religious center of the Mayan culture, it’s now the center of the Catholic faith on the Yucatan. That’s why on religious holidays, the town gets suddenly more active than usual when Mexicans from the surrounding area come to visit its convent and join the festivities. Izamal is known under various names that have to do with its past: Apart from many names, Izamal has so much to offer, among them handicraft…
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Best Things to Do in Valladolid
A colonial treasure in the heart of the Yucatán peninsula: This Magical Town (Pueblo Mágico) offers great architecture along with modern boutiques and restaurants. Unfortunately, Valladolid is known by many tourists as the main transit point for tours on the way to Chichen Itza. This was also our first experience with this town: We were ushered out of the tourist bus and got 15 minutes to run around the busy main square, to get something to eat or drink, and then headed back by bus to our hotel in Cancún. If the town hadn’t been a convenient stop on our recent trip through the Yucatán peninsula, I wouldn’t have thought…
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Best Things to Do in Progreso
The world’s longest pier: Over 8 km long – sometimes size DOES matter. This landmark is one of the reasons why Progreso took over Sisal’s economic importance as Mérida’s main harbor. Built in 1871 to replace Sisal as a customs port, Progreso de Castro is a relatively young Mexican beach town at the Gulf of Mexico, and today the most important port on the Yucatan peninsula. When the henequen fiber export started to boom in the 19th century, Sisal proved to be too inaccessible. As the water in Progreso is as shallow as in Sisal, the harbor was put at the end of a long pier. Built around 1930 with…
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Best Things to Do in Sisal
The perfect beach getaway: White coral sand, gentle waves, a light breeze – and endless beaches. Sisal, Yucatan, is the right place to be if you want to spend a relaxing beach holiday away from the tourist crowds without having to miss out on amenities. The surrounding nature reserve with its mangroves is a paradise for bird lovers. Although a Magical Town (Pueblo Mágico) since 2020, the small fishing village on the Gulf of Mexico with just around 2,000 inhabitants is still one of the less crowded seaside resorts. At peak times in June/August and over public holidays, the village tends to double in size. At all other times, especially…
