Even as tourism to the Yucatán Peninsula skyrockets, many visitors never travel beyond the so-called Riviera Maya, the heavily developed and wildly crowded coastline between Cancún and Tulum.
For travelers drawn to Mexican culture and history, Mérida — founded by the Spanish in the 1500s and constructed using the stones from Maya ruins — is an antidote to the coast’s wall-to-wall all-inclusive resorts.
Beyond colonial architecture and centuries-old traditions, Mérida is a young, artsy place best experienced with a free-spirited sensibility.
While not a late-night city, it is very safe and comes alive after dark, when there are a few hours of cooler evening air, music calling from seemingly every corner and a general sense that if you wander a few blocks in any direction, you’ll stumble upon something really special.
Persons:
Mérida —, you’ll
Locations:
Cancún, Spanish