Valladolid, Mexico Travel Guide

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Valladolid, Mexico is a beautiful Pueblo Magico located in Yucatan, about halfway between Merida and Cancun.

I recently spent five days in Valladolid exploring the different things to do, awesome day trips to enjoy, and all of the delicious foodie spots and cool cantinas.

The city is well located for exploring the dozens of cenotes and Maya ruins that surround it. However, it’s well worth visiting in its own right and has plenty to see and do for a few days within the city limits.

How to Get to Valladolid

The easiest way to get to Valladolid if you are flying into Mexico internationally is to arrive at Cancun Airport. From the airport, you can take an ADO bus directly to the center of Valladolid.

Valladolid is also connected by bus to Tulum, Playa del Carmen, and Merida if you are coming from or heading to one of these destinations during your time in Mexico.

If you are adding Valladolid to a longer Quintana Roo or Yucatan itinerary, you may want to consider renting a car from the airport. This will give you far more freedom to hop around the different cities and towns at your leisure.

You can also now take the Tren Maya to Valladolid from other destinations around the Yucatan Peninsula.

Getting Around

You can easily walk around most of Valladolid. The traffic in the city center is pretty congested during the day and parking can be a problem, so it’s best to avoid driving downtown unless absolutely necessary.

If you are planning to use Valladolid as a base for exploring more of Yucatan, you can rent a car for a few days of your trip from local rental companies right in Valladolid.

I used a company called Car Rental Sisu. They brought the car right to my Airbnb and then picked it up a few days later when we were ready to return it. It’s simply a man with a few cars and I contacted him directly on Whatsapp using the number listed on Google.

It was 1200 Pesos per day or roughly $60 and this price included all third-party insurance, so there were no other fees to pay.

The other car rental company in town that gets good reviews is Vallarent. They didn’t have any more cars available when I was visiting, but they do also have scooters to rent if you want to have something small to get around locally.

Things to Do in Valladolid, Mexico

Valladolid has a beautiful downtown area to explore and plenty of fun things to keep you busy for a few days.

• Cenote Zaci: a freshwater sinkhole located right in the center of town where you can cool off from the humidity. This is the perfect place to spend a hot afternoon. It’s nothing fancy like some of the other touristy, expensive cenotes, but it’s absolutely stunning and so easily accessible.
• Casa de los Venados: One of the best museums in Valladolid, this is actually a private residence. However, the owners are Mexican folk art collectors and throughout the home there are over 3,000 pieces of art. You have to make a reservation for one of the tours which run several times a day. Head here first thing in the morning, knock on the door, and schedule onto one of the tours.
• Museo San Roque: This museum is one of the best places in town to come and learn about the history of Valladolid, dating back to before Spanish occupation up until close to present day. All of the plaques are in Spanish, so you’ll want to come with Google Translate downloaded onto your phone, but it’s completely free to enter and has some cool artifacts as well.
• Parque Valladolid: Located right in the center of town and across the street from the main cathedral, this park is where so much action in the town is. Sit here and enjoy people-watching on one of the kissing chairs, eat a marquesita from one of the many stalls around the park, or browse the souvenir stalls inside the park. 
• Templo de San Servacio: This is the main church in Valladolid and like many of the cities around Mexico that were part of the Spanish conquest, the church is built from the stones of the Maya temples that once stood in its place. It is simply adorned inside, but take note of the serpent-like shape above the main entrance to the cathedral. The Maya people who were forced to build this church added this detail in the hopes that Kukulkan, the Serpent God would protect them and perhaps even cause the church to crumble (alas he did not help them in such a way).
• Convento de San Bernadino de Siena: Constructed between 1552 and 1560, the convent was built directly over the top of a sacred cenote. The cenote can still be seen from one of the outbuildings behind the convent. The building is beautiful and the gardens behind it are a lovely and quiet place to spend some time. It’s only $2 for entry and there is some interesting history here.
• Parque Sisal: Located in front of the convent, this is where you’ll find the colorful letters that spell out Valladolid. It’s also a place where locals come with their kids and dogs. There are a few vendors selling crafts like embroidered shirts and handmade purses and keychains.
• Calzada de los Frailes: This diagonal street was the original path that led from downtown Valladolid to the convent. Now it is a colorful street with tons of cafes, artisan shops, restaurants, and bars. It’s a lively place to come and do some shopping, take pictures under the fluttering papel picado, and to have a drink at one of the many outdoor cafes and bars.

Where to Stay in Valladolid, Mexico

Valladolid has so many hotel and apartment options available at every price point. When compared to other cities around Yucatan, Valladolid is one of the most affordable places to base yourself.

Budget Options

• ​Hotel Gayser​
• ​Hotel Casa Bamboo​
• ​Hostal Tunich Naj

Mid-range Options

• Casa Pakal​
• ​Hotel Waye​
• ​Casa Valladolid Boutique Hotel

Luxury Accommodation

• Casa Tia Micha​
• ​Hotel Colonial Zaci​
• ​Meson del Marques

Where to Eat in Valladolid, Mexico

Valladolid has many of the same dishes that you might find in Merida, including specialties like Poc Chuc, Sopa de Lima, Cochinita Pibil, Lomitos, and Relleno Negro.

These are some of the best places I discovered over the five days that I ate my way around Valladolid.

• La Bendicion de Dios: This is the absolute best spot (in my humble opinion), for cochinita pibil tacos, tortas, and panuchos. While many swear by the stall across the street, El Tigrillo, I much preferred the rich flavor of the cochinita here and the people were nicer too, which doesn’t make things taste better, but does make me feel better about frequenting this spot (which we did several times during our trip).
• Loncheria Canul: Located inside the Gastronomic Market located on the edge of Parque Valladolid, this is definitely one of the best spots in here to sample the local cuisine. There are a lot of stalls to choose from in this market and it can be overwhelming as they all yell to you from their counters. I sampled almost all of them and Canul was the one that we loved the most. The food is flavorful, the man running it is an absolute character, and the prices are reasonable. I highly recommend the sopa de lima, lomitos, and longaniza here.
• Mr. Taco: For juicy, chargrilled pork and beef tacos, this place is one of the best in town. They also make tortas filled with your choice of meat on fluffy bread rolls and topped with onions, cilantro, and salsa. It’s a very simple establishment that is serving up delicious food at a low price. They also serve beer, which isn’t always the case at a taco spot of this style. 
• Yerbabuena del Sisal: For a relaxing spot serving up high-quality local dishes, you don’t want to miss Yerbabuena del Sisal. Blue corn tortillas made by hand are filled with poblano peppers, zucchini flowers, beans, or meat. They have a wide selection of vegetarian and vegan dishes as well as a few non-Mexican dishes for the pickier eaters in the group.
• Tamales Valladolid: This is not a restaurant, but rather a woman sitting across the street from the ADO bus terminal with a few steaming pots of tamales. These are some of the best tamales you’ll find anywhere in Mexico and at only 25 Pesos each (about $1.50), they’re also an absolute bargain option for lunch. They have been barbecued over fire giving them a unique and delicious flavor. She doesn’t have opening hours, but is usually here from around 11am until she runs out. Choose from pork, chicken, or bean or do as we did and get all three. Have them while there hot or reheat them later in the microwave.
• Le Kaat: Every time I walked past this restaurant is was busy. From breakfast until well into the night there is a constant stream of people waiting for tables or dining at La Kaat. It is one of the few plant-based restaurants in town where you can find a nice selection of Mexican and international dishes without any meat or dairy. Even if you aren’t vegan or vegetarian, the food quality is high and the variety is nice if you’ve been overindulging in tacos for a few too many days in a row. I particularly liked their breakfast options which we had for a late morning brunch. The juices are refreshing and packed with flavor.

Bars and Cantinas

One of my favorite things about Yucatan are the little cantinas that open there doors around noon or 1pm and serve ice cold beer and free botanas, or little snacks. With every drink order, you get a few more snacks, kind of like great tapas bars in Madrid.

• La Joyita Cantina: This small cantina is one of the best traditional cantinas still left in downtown Valladolid. The bar is a u-shape that takes up most of the front of the bar with another area at the back with more tables to sit at. If you come between noon and 5pm, you can have a few beers alongside a huge selection of small plates which they call botanas. The snacks are provided for free alongside your beers or cocktails. They have things like ceviche, hot bean dip, slow cooked beef, potato salad, grilled pork, and plenty of crunchy chips to scoop it all up with.
• Bar Cantina La Mula: Have you ever been to a bar that has an actual mule hanging out in it? Well, at La Mula, you can sit out in the back garden and visit with a particularly beautiful mule who, when the bar is closed, gets a free roam of the place. I preferred sitting inside at the bar where you can watch the bartender mix up some beautiful cocktails. They serve their drinks with a nice selection of botanas. It’s definitely a more upscale cantina than some of the others in town (despite the fact that there is a mule living here).
• Mezcaleria Don Trejo: Mezcal lovers will not want to miss stopping in and sampling some of the dozen or so mezcals on offer here. There is a nice garden area here with tons of tables and on the weekends, a DJ or live band plays out here. 
• Cantina Bar Tenampa: This was one of my favorite cantinas because they served ice-cold Pacificos (most bars in Valladolid don’t have Modelo beers, only Moctezuma, which means they serve Dos Equis and Sol rather than Corona and Pacifico). They also have a nice selection of botanas that they bring you and they kept refilling our snack bowls all night long. They have a huge garden area as well as a large indoor bar area.
• Bar el Yuktko: Another more traditional style cantina, you’ll definitely be drinking with the locals here. They have a few beer options and a few mixed drinks like rum and coke, but don’t expect cocktails or wine on offer here. The snacks are abundant as well with a huge selection of various dips, salads, and stewed meats available each day. 

Watch The best Things to Do in Valladolid on YouTube