From its vibrant colors to its Spanish architecture, Valladolid is easily one of the most fascinating destinations within Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.
Although this charming colonial city is often overshadowed by nearby attractions such as Chichen Itza and Cancun, it remains one of the last beacons of authenticity in the region. That is to say that Valladolid is not overrun by tourists like many other destinations in southern Mexico. In fact, there aren’t many tourists at all.
Instead of spring breakers and tour groups, travelers visiting Valladolid Mexico will find locals casually going about their daily lives. It’s a city that allows you to experience culture, history, and adventure all at the same time.
With this in mind, let’s take a look at everything that Valladolid has to offer.
Valladolid Location
It probably makes sense to start off by answering this question: where is Valladolid?
If you pulled up the directions from Cancun to Chichen Itza or vice versa, you would see Valladolid positioned along the route. The city is located 45 minutes east of Chichen Itza and 2 hours southwest of Cancun.
For context, all three of these locations are situated in southern Mexico within a region known as the Yucatan Peninsula.
Now that you have an idea of its geography, you might start to realize just how strategic this location truly is. If you head west, you’ll stumble upon fascinating locations like Chichen Itza, Merida, and Izamal. If you head east, you’ll find stunning beachfront destinations such as Cancun, Tulum, and Playa del Carmen.
To put it simply, Valladolid allows you the freedom to explore many different areas throughout Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.
Valladolid History
I’m a firm believer that learning about the history of a destination before visiting is always a good idea. So let’s take a moment to do just that.
Valladolid was founded by Spanish conquistador Francisco de Montejo on May 27th, 1543. The city was originally positioned about 30 miles north of its current location. However, many Spaniards disliked this location due to its extreme humidity and abundance of mosquitoes. After petitioning for the city to be moved further inland, Valladolid was finally relocated on March 24th, 1545.
Valladolid later became the center of the Yucatan Caste War, which erupted in 1847. Although this was a very complex conflict, it could best be summed up as a general revolt by native Maya people against their European-descended counterparts. After 54 years of violence, the war came to an end in 1901 when the Mexican army finally subdued and occupied many of the Maya strongholds throughout the Yucatan Peninsula.
Moving forward to the current century, Valladolid was listed as a Pueblo Magico in 2012. Pueblo Magico is a term that means Magic Town in English and is rewarded to locations in Mexico that are regarded as containing natural beauty, cultural richness, or historical significance. Basically Pueblo Magico means that it’s an incredible destination. As of 2020, there are 121 Pueblo Magicos in Mexico.
Things To Do In Valladolid
Although Valladolid isn’t a huge city, there’s quite a lot to do in the area. Here are some of the best things to do in Valladolid:
- Visit Ek Balam
- Visit Chichen Itza
- Visit Rio Lagartos
- Swim in Cenote Zaci
- Take a day trip to the coast
- Explore the city’s colorful neighborhoods
Visit Ek Balam
Ek Balam is a fascinating archaeological site located only half an hour north of Valladolid, which makes it a great option for a quick adventure.
Similar to Chichen Itza, Ek Balam contains the ruins of an ancient Mayan city. However, the main difference between these two ruins lies in the fact that Ek Balam is almost completely devoid of tourists. Additionally, you can climb to the top of most structures within Ek Balam whereas you can hardly touch anything in Chichen Itza.
Ek Balam is fascinating because it wasn’t even excavated until the very end of the 20th century. On top of this, only a very small fraction of Ek Balam has actually been excavated, which means that there are likely numerous other structures hidden beneath the jungle.
So, how does one visit Ek Balam?
Well it’s actually very easy. Although you could take a private taxi and it probably wouldn’t be too expensive, my recommendation would be to find what’s known as a colectivo.
Colectivos are shared taxis that help to reduce the cost of transportation for each member. There’s a street near the center of Valladolid (ask your hotel/hostel for the name) where the colectivos all line up and wait for passengers. If you wait for all four seats to be filled, you can pay somewhere in the range of $2 or $3 for the half hour ride to Ek Balam.
You can then tell the driver how many hours you plan on staying if you would like for that same driver to pick you up. Alternatively, you can also walk to the parking lot when you’re ready to leave and simply wait for a colectivo to show up.
Overall, Ek Balam is definitely one of the best day trips from Valladolid.
Visit Chichen Itza
As I previously mentioned, Chichen Itza is only 45 minutes away from Valladolid, which makes it another great option for a day trip.
Although Chichen Itza is certainly more crowded than Ek Balam, this doesn’t make it any less impressive. The ruins are spread out along a large area and they contain a wide range of influences that suggest that this ancient city was in contact with other Mesoamerican civilizations.
In 2007, Chichen Itza was voted as one of the 7 Wonders of the Modern World, which has since heightened the fame of this impressive archaeological site.
Although I visited Chichen Itza while staying along the coast, I’m certain that you can catch either a colectivo or a cheap bus to the park’s entrance from Valladolid. Alternatively, you can certainly sign up for a tour that will pick you up at your hotel or hostel in Valladolid.
Visit Ria Lagartos
Ria Lagartos is a biosphere reserve located an hour and a half north of Valladolid. The main attraction within Ria Lagartos are the pink Flamingos that congregate within the biosphere. Although there are Flamingos present throughout the entire year, the months of March through June are the best time to visit as this is their breeding season.
As a bonus, you can also visit the Las Coloradas pink lakes, located about 10 miles east of Ria Lagartos, during this trip. Las Coloradas is a series of lakes that have an extremely vibrant pink hue due to the large-scale salt production that takes place within the lakes. Honestly, you’ll probably never see water this pink ever again in your lifetime.
To reach Ria Lagartos and Las Coloradas, you’ll have to take a bus from Valladolid to Tizimin and then catch a colectivo from there to Ria Lagartos. If that sounds difficult, it’s not. Just be sure to talk to a receptionist at your hotel or hostel before leaving to confirm all of the details.
On a side note, the biosphere is spelled Ria Lagartos whereas the nearby town is spelled Rio Lagartos. Weird right?
Swim In Cenote Zaci
Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula is filled with natural sinkholes called cenotes. These sinkholes form when limestone collapses and exposes the groundwater underneath.
Now in case you didn’t already know, Mexico is hot. And I mean really hot. Odds are that you’ll be sweating within five minutes of walking outside on any given day.
With this in mind, there’s no better way to cool off than by swimming in a refreshing cenote.
While visiting Valladolid, you should definitely consider swimming in Cenote Zaci, which is located only a few blocks from the central plaza. For less than $2 you can gain access to this cenote in Valladolid and spend as much time there as you want.
The water in Cenote Zaci is incredibly clean and there are even ropes that you can hold onto if you’re not a strong swimmer. Once you’re done swimming, you can visit the on-site restaurant for snacks or drinks.
Overall, swimming in Cenote Zaci is one of the easiest and most rewarding activities to do in Valladolid Mexico.
Take A Day Trip To The Coast
Although Valladolid is inland, that doesn’t mean that you’re too far to visit the coast.
From Valladolid, it would take you about two hours to reach Playa del Carmen and about an hour and a half to reach Tulum. Both of these destinations have very nice beaches but Tulum is much quieter and more relaxed than Playa del Carmen.
Since it’s a bit of a journey, you could consider spending a night or two along the coast before returning back to the charming colonial city of Valladolid.
The best way to reach the coast is to take an ADO bus from Valladolid to one of the two locations mentioned above. ADO is the main method of transportation in southern Mexico and it’s both reliable and affordable.
You can simply walk into the Valladolid ADO station and purchase a ticket on the spot to the coastal destination of your choice. It’s really that easy.
Explore The City's Colorful Neighborhoods
Last but certainly not least, you should take the time to simply walk around Valladolid and explore the colorful neighborhoods that make up this beautiful city.
While doing this, you’ll stumble upon unique houses, elegant churches, local parks, and small stores called tiendas. You may have seen the central plaza many times but it’s certainly worthwhile to go out and explore the outskirts of Valladolid.
As an aside, Valladolid is probably one of the safest cities in Mexico so there’s no need to worry about anything happening to you while walking around. Just don’t flash valuables or do anything that would make yourself an easy target for petty crime.
Read more tips on traveling Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.
Where To Stay In Valladolid
Now that you know what there is to do in Valladolid, let’s talk about where you should stay.
If you’re looking to save money by staying in a hostel, I would highly recommend reserving a room in Hostel La Candelaria.
This hostel is located just a few blocks from Valladolid’s central plaza and it’s definitely the best hostel in the city. The staff are quite friendly and they will be more than happy to help you arrange tours and give recommendations for activities in the area. Also, a free breakfast is included with your stay every morning, which is absolutely delicious!
While I personally love staying in hostels, they’re certainly not for everyone. So, what about hotels in Valladolid?
The top rated hotel in Valladolid is Hotel Posada San Juan, which is also located just a few blocks away from the central plaza. It’s honestly hard to find anything to fault with this hotel as they have beautiful rooms, a lush garden, a pool, and free breakfast included with your stay. The prices are also extremely reasonable!
While there are many other options for accommodations in Valladolid, it’s hard to go wrong with either of the properties mentioned above.
How Many Days Should You Spend In Valladolid?
Sometimes it’s difficult to know how many days you should devote to a specific location. Although this really depends on personal preference, I’ll try to give you an idea of how long you should spend in Valladolid.
Most people only spend a day or two in Valladolid before moving on to another location within Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. However, I would recommend spending at least three or four days in Valladolid if you plan on doing some of the activities mentioned above.
While Valladolid has a small town feel about it, there’s something very rewarding about truly immersing yourself in an authentic location like this. Not only are there a lot of activities to do but there are also countless restaurants that you may want to try during your visit to Valladolid.
In short, spend as much time in Valladolid as you can afford to. It may be the case that you’ll regret not spending more time in this authentic and quaint Mexican city.
Plan Your Trip To Valladolid
Accommodations: We recommend using Booking.com and Hostelwo
Our favorite accommodations in Valladolid:
Flights: We recommend using Kiwi to find cheap flights. Their interface is user friendly and they help you find the best deals on flights to any destination.
The closest airport to Valladolid is the Cancun International Airport:
Travel Insurance: We recommend purchasing travel insurance from World Nomads. They’re one of the most trusted travel insurance providers and their plans cover a wide range of claims from overseas medical care to emergency evacuation. World Nomads will even allow you to purchase a plan if you’re already traveling abroad.
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It’s always so nice to visit an authentic city when you’re on vacation; the history and culture is so different from our own that it’s like visiting another world. In my experience, some of the best places to stay are where you can’t find a single tourist.
I couldn’t agree with you more Matt, thanks for the comment!