Valladolid was our first stop upon arrival at the Yucatán peninsula. After a long, very uninspiring drive through the jungle on the Kantunil-Cancun highway from the airport, we arrived in the center of the little town at nightfall. As we manoeuvred through its little streets, we couldn’t get pass the main square as it was filled with people performing a religious procession in front of the cathedral. What a traditional welcoming to Valladolid that was!
Perhaps you’ve read about the colonial charm of Valladolid before, but I have to say it’s not the typical over-the-top-super-cute little Mexican town you might be expecting. That is in my opinion. Coming from San Miguel de Allende, my expectations were probably a bit too high anyway.
That doesn’t mean however that Valladolid isn’t worth your time. It is quite nice to be there for a day, if only because of the many cenotes (freshwater sinkholes) in the area ánd because you can easily reach famous Chitzen Itza from here. Plus this friendly town feels much more real (aka less focused on tourists) and personal than any other city on the peninsula. Just my thoughts.
After exploring the town a bit ourselves, here’s where I’d recommend you to go!
Cenote Zaci
This downtown cenote is only a few blocks away from the main square, how great is that! As it can get really warm in Valladolid during the afternoon hours, it’s just awesome that this freshwater sink hole is just right around the corner.
As with almost every beautiful cenote in Yucatan, you need to pay an entrance fee to enter the water. But admission in here is only something like $2,- USD and the views on the cenote are for free (at most cenotes you can’t even peak for a bit)!
The cenote has a path all the way around, which is carved into the rock. If you dare you can dive into it from some of the vantage points from the walkway. However, before you take a leap of faith you might observe one of the locals how they do it. Just to be sure you’re standing on the right spot.
Here you can see the rocky ridge ↓
Although the cenote can get crowded in the afternoon, I still thought it was quite relaxing to be here. If only for the beautiful vegetation around the cenote. There are also a couple of iguanas around, so browse the sidewalks if you want to spot any of those.
In case you want to remain here for a while, fuel up in the restaurant on the edge of the cenote. You’ll find some typical Yucatan dishes over here. Next to the entrance/exit station there’s also a small, but decent art craft market, useful in case you’re on your way to the airport of Cancun and still need to buy some bracelets for your nieces.
The main square
Want to know where things are happening in Mexico? There’s always this one place where to go first: the main square!
This for sure is the case in the Parque Francisco Canton Rosado in Valladolid. If you’re a real sweet-tooth or just want to work on those sugar levels, try out the churros, fried dough covered in sugar or chocolate. Just follow your nose to know where the churros wagon’s at.
On the north side of the square there’s a patio with lots of shops. They especially sell clothes and shoes in here. On the same side – but a little further east – there’s a courtyard where you can find a couple of paper-napkins, plastic-chair kind of joints that sells all sorts of Mexican food. Great if you’re on a budget.
On the south side you’ll see the Catedral de San Servasio. It’s huge, with thick walls and it’s quite restrained on the inside. If you’re from Europe, this colonial church itself isn’t necessarily worth the detour (it’s more of a ‘been there done that’-kind of interior), but hey, why not step inside if you’re around.
The best place for people watching might be one of these chairs below, next to the church. You’re both in the shade ánd you can see what’s going on in the park. ↓
Casa de los Venados
Around the corner of the main square you’ll find a private home full of Mexican folk art. You can visit this colonial residence in the morning with a private tour.
The house and the collection is owned by an American couple and it is said that all profits go to a local charity. I only did a little sneak peek in here and the entrance already looked… promising. Colourful to say the least. If you have time to go here, let me know how it was!
Cafe del Profesor Pitagoras
By accident we walked into this little cafe right behind the main square. After days and days of tacos and tacos I was dying for something healthy. Luckily, this cafe had lots of green options and a fabulous garden to enjoy it all at. The owner was very welcoming and gave us some soup as a try-out, after I asked what the soup of the day was. There’s also a great selection of croissants, cinnamon rolls and chocolates in case you just was a sweet snack.
If you’re a vegetarian or vegan this really is the place for you to be in Valladolid! And no worries; even if you still have nightmares of those math tests in high school (like I do..), you’ll like this cafe!
Cenotes Samula and Dzitnup
I’m slightly torn whether I should include these cenotes, that are located a 20-minute drive from Valladolid, on the list. I write my articles in a way like how I would advice things to a friend and with these cenotes I’d say “yes, go. But be aware that you’re just one of many tourists over there”.
When we entered the cenotes it felt like a bit of a trap at first. When we parked our car at the huge parking lot a guy came running after us, telling us we had to pay him for ‘guarding’ our car. In general we are used to giving a little tip to someone on the streets if he acts as if he’d been safekeeping our car. But in here it felt really weird, as it wasn’t stated anywhere that you had to pay for parking (note that you’re in the middle of nowhere) plus we also had to pay (a substantial) admission fee in here.
You can also opt to include a meal into your ticket. It seemed like a sweet deal to us at first, so we decided to go for it. But only after the payment the lady behind the counter told us that we only had one hour left (it was 3 pm, so the restaurant closes at 4 pm) to consume this meal. Of course, we weren’t able anymore to get our money back. As the cenotes are open until 7 pm, we assumed it would be the same for the restaurant. But alas.
Right after paying, you have to pass two guys who are very pushy to snap your picture. They’ll tell you it’s for their Facebook page, but actually they will try to sell the photo to you after photoshopping you into the cenotes. If you decline to make the picture they become very childish.
Moreover, once you make it through this ‘picture time’, you end up in this maze of souvenir shops and you’ll wonder if you’ll ever make it to the cenotes.
Nearrrrrrr, farrrrrrrr, wherever cenotes are! My husband does a little 'titanic' in here.
We were really getting the giggles of this entire comedy show. Luckily, the cenotes itself were worth the very annoying first stage of this visit.
So let’s hop to the cenotes.
We started out at Cenote Samula ↑. Although we weren’t alone at in the afternoon, it wasn’t that busy either anymore. For the best shot however, you might want to visit this cenote around noon, when the sun is shining the brightest inside the cave.
Cenote Dzitnup ↓, also known as Cenote Xkeken, was located on the other side of the area and seemed a little bigger. The water was a lot colder in here as well though.
Count at least something like 1,5 to 2 hours for a quick swim and a walk around the area. But of course you could prolong your stay with a lot more floating in the cenotes if you want. Note however that the water can be a bit chilly, plus it’s very dark on the inside. So it’s not something like a sunny day out or so.
Calzada de los Frailles
Back to Valladolid! Calzada de los Frailles is the best street for a stroll in town. And the most gringo-like place you’ll encounter for sure, but in the end we sometimes want a bit of that as well, right?
The many colonial-style buildings are painted in all kinds of colours and you’ll find lovely (and sometimes really expensive!!) little stores and restaurants in here.
Just walk the street up and down to find your favourite menu or the best outdoor seats for a bit of people watching.
At the end (or beginning) of the street you’ll run into the 16th century Convent de San Bernardino de Siena. The building is enormous, but – again – the inside is quite modest.
Make sure to visit the square at night, as there’s a cool sound and light show is from Wednesday to Saturday at 9 pm or 9:30 pm. Ask in your ho(s)tel for the definite time. The show is firstly shown in Spanish and next in English, which is a great practice if you’re learning Spanish!
Here’s where to go in Valladolid!
