The “perfect” Mexico (Yucatán) itinerary

Mexico is such a large country that due to our time constraints we only managed to travel the Yucatán peninsula for 11 days. I would absolutely love to visit the rest of Mexico and if u have the time I old highly recommend you do so. However, in this post I will detail our 11 day itinerary of the Yucatán peninsula, describing where we went, stayed and what to do.


Cancún- 2 nights

Accommodation– Nomads Enigmatic Hostel (incredible hotel with good common areas and lovely rooms)

What to do– We mainly came here as it’s where our flight arrived into from the UK. Didn’t feel like there was loads to do apart from eating good food and the nightlife here is good too! We stayed in downtown Cancun so didn’t visit the beaches but we heard they are a nice place to chill out for the day. I wouldn’t recommend staying too long here but it’s a good start point for your Yucatán adventures!


Isla Mujeres- 2 nights

Accommodation– Selina Hostel (wonderful hostel in a good location right on the beach with nice dorms)

What to do– There are some lovely beaches (pretty busy however) on the South of the island which were nice to visit, but the North of the island has more dramatic scenery and some nice beach clubs to spend the day. Generally a very chilled out place really close to Cancun (just a 40 minute boat ride) and feels like proper Caribbean vibes.


Valladolid- 2 nights

Accommodation– Ariche Hostel (lovely hostel right in the centre of town)

What to do– The main reason people come here is to visit Chichen Itzá, which is pretty cool to see one of the wonders of the world. However, I felt the actually city of Valladolid was great too, with some incredible colonial architecture and good cafes and bars to visit. Visiting the central square and watching the world go by was one of my favourite activities here. We also went to a cenote (underground cave) which was amazing.


Bacalar- 4 nights

Accommodation– Zayali Guest House (nice place with good private rooms and lovely hosts)

What to do– The best thing to do here is to explore and relax by the lagoon. We hired kayaks for the day which I would highly recommend as it’s a great way to see the lagoon independently.There are some great pubic docks in the town where you can sit and relax by the lagoon. The main square is also great with some good bars and restaurants dotted around.


Chetumal- 1 night

Accommodation– Hotel and suites Arges (nice hotel with spacious rooms and in a good location)

What to do– We came here to catch the ferry to Caye Caulker (Belize), however we arrived too late or check in so had to get the ferry the next day. If you’re getting the ferry from Chetumal to Caye Caulker make sure to get there an hour and a half before departure. So we ended up staying the night and didn’t really do too much. However a walk along the sea at sunset and visiting the night market are great options if you find yourself spending time here.


If I had more time I definitely would have visited other parts of Mexico such as Mexico City and Oaxaca, however the Yucatán peninsula is incredible and highly recommend visiting. Overall, my favourite places we went to were Valladolid and Bacalar and if I was to go again I probably wouldn’t go back to Chetumal or Cancún.


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