GoPueblos
GoPueblos Road trips

Magical Towns on the way from Mérida to Cancún

4 Magical Towns are less than 30 km from the road between Mérida and Cancún, a trip of roughly 357 km on the Mérida–Cancún highway (180D). Valladolid is right on the way.

Crossing the peninsula is the perfect excuse to see small-town Yucatán: Motul and its huevos motuleños, Izamal, the yellow city, and Valladolid with its cenotes. At the end, Isla Mujeres is a ferry ride away.

Distance
≈ 357 km
Driving time
≈ 4 h 15 min
Stops
4

Stops in order, from Mérida

  1. Illustration of Motul, YucatánKm 34
    Yucatán

    Motul

    ≈ 21 km off the road

    Birthplace of huevos motuleños and Felipe Carrillo Puerto: Yucatán's henequen country, Sambulá cenote and social history.

  2. Illustration of Izamal, YucatánKm 71
    Yucatán

    Izamal

    ≈ 9 km off the road

    Yucatán's “yellow city”: the Convent of San Antonio de Padua built on a Maya platform and the huge Kinich Kak Moo pyramid right in town.

  3. Illustration of Valladolid, YucatánKm 178
    Yucatán

    Valladolid

    Right on the way

    A colonial Yucatán town and ideal base for cenotes, Chichén Itzá and Ek Balam: San Bernardino Convent, the Calzada de los Frailes and Yucatecan food.

  4. Illustration of Isla Mujeres, Quintana RooKm 357
    Quintana Roo

    Isla Mujeres

    ≈ 15 km off the road

    A Caribbean island across from Cancún: Playa Norte, Punta Sur, the MUSA underwater museum, reefs and golf-cart island tours.

Kilometers are approximate, measured along the main highway; the detour is the straight-line distance from the road to the town, so by road it will be longer. Times are estimates: check your route and road conditions before you leave.

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