14 Reasons You Need to Visit Valladolid, Mexico

Valladolid: the small Spanish colonial town on the Yucatán Peninsula is an afterthought to most Mexico-bound travelers. It’s time you rethink that, though. This city provides a unique blend of history, culture, and enough adventures to satisfy any explorer!

Where is Valladolid?

Valladolid is located smack dab in the middle of the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. The town lies 156 km west of Cancún and 159 km east of Mérida, to be exact.

Why you need to visit Valladolid, Mexico:

If you’re on the Yucatán Peninsula, it’s time to rethink that bus ride from Cancún to Mérida and make a pit stop in Valladolid. Here’s why:

1. The ease of getting there

Buses from all of the major travel destinations are departing to Valladolid on the regular. Cancún, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, and Mérida all provide service to the city and it doesn’t take much longer than two hours.

Search for departure times and ticket prices at Busbud.

Not a bus person? Search for the cheapest car rentals locally or internationally at Discover Cars. It’s our favorite way to find rental cars when traveling.

2. It’s becoming more popular for travelers

When me and my longtime friend, Bekkah, visited back in 2018, we could only find about three hostels on Hostelworld for the entire city. Looking today, there’s MANY more options!

Is that a good or bad thing? I’d say that’s for the people of Valladolid to decide.

Regardless, most of the hostels are new to the area! Meaning, you visiting and leaving a great review would help them immensely! Check them out on HostelWorld.

3. To visit the city center and Iglesia de San Servacio

Like most Mexican colonial cities, the center of the city is a small plaza with a magnificent Catholic Church. Valladolid is no different.

The church, the Iglesia de San Servacio, is a stunning glimpse into the culture and history of the area!

As for the plaza, it’s great place to relax on a bench, do some people watching, or visit the local market. There’s usually always something happening!

4. To eat at authentic taquerias

One of the most important aspects of travel, if not THE most important, is to eat like a local! Food is often wrapped in cultural significance and Mexico is surely no different.

Valladolid has plenty of Madre and Padre taqueria’s serving up some of the most delightful eats you can find on the Yucatán.

5. AND to eat delicious street food

Not to mention, everybody’s favorite delicacy: street food! Some of the best tacos I’ve ever eaten came from street food stands in Valladolid.

6. To visit the Convent of San Bernardino of Siena

A great place to spend an hour or two is the Convent of San Bernardino of Siena. It’s a historical area with a church and museum that rests over an old cenote.

Valladolid itself sits on top of an old Mayan city – each Mayan city was strategically placed near cenotes for a variety of reasons, mainly religious. The Convent of San Bernardino of Siena is one of these locations.

They’ve even uncovered centuries old artifacts in the cenote!

7. Gaze at the Spanish Colonial Infrastructure

The Spanish took control over the once Mayan city in 1545. Hundreds of years later the Spanish influence is still ever present.

Whether or not history says this colonial influence is good or bad, the beauty of the infrastructure is indisputable to the traveler’s eye.

8. To swim in Cenote Zaci

For just a few pesos in the middle of town is the cenote zaci. Spend an hour or two jumping off the rocks and enjoying the natural spring water.

9. To rent a scooter for easy travel around the city

We rented a scooter from Scooter Valladolid near the main public square. The pricing was fair and the owner was an extremely nice and trustworthy guy.

The town itself is a great place to scooter around as it’s much less busy than the larger cities in Mexico. We actually took our scooter FAR beyond town to explore the surrounding area to even greater depths.

Don’t hesitate renting with this company!

10. Also to see the nearby cenotes: Suytun, X-Keken and more

If you haven’t heard, the Yucatán Peninsula is covered in beautiful cenotes. There’s no other place on earth like it. And Valladolid is no exception.

Take a local Colectivo, a short cab ride, or rent a scooter to visit these popular cenotes:

• Cenote X-Keken
• Cenote Samula
• and the insta-famous Cenote Suytun

PRO TIP: Arrive to ANY of these sites early in the morning to beat any potential crowds. Honestly, it’s just a good rule of thumb!

11. You can beat the crowds at Chichén Itzá

Valladolid is one of the nearest cities to the historic site (42 km). Beat the crowds by getting up early, taking an AM bus or even better, rent your own scooter!

WARNING: If you’re visiting Chichén Itzá, you NEED to go early. I cannot stress that enough.

We were able to beat the insane crowds that literally get dropped off in the busloads coming from Cancún and Playa del Carmen. All of it was made possible by renting our own scooter to get to the park as soon as they opened.

Chichén Itzá is worth seeing, without a doubt, but it needs to be done in a smart way to not ruin your entire day! Avoid the tourist buses and just get your own scooter. You won’t regret it!

12. You’ll even see other less trafficked Mayan Sites too

Within close driving distance are a few other Mayan sites that are (almost) equally as striking as Chichén Itzá.

We went to Ek’ Balam just a quick 35 minutes north of Valladolid by scooter. Unlike Chichén Itzá, you’re allowed to climb the ruins! I was like a kid in the candy store!

SIDE NOTE: Another close Mayan Ruin to Valladolid, Mexico is Cobá. This site lies about halfway between Valladolid and Tulum – so either would serve as a good launching point.

13. Valladolid can be a launch pad to other small towns nearby

We turned our scooter north and took off to see what we could find for the day. Here are a few towns we passed through:

• Temozón: just 12.5 km north of Valladolid. Known for its restaurants specializing in meat! Yum!
• Tizimín: you’ll spend some time navigating the one ways in this sizable city. It’s 52 km north of Valladolid so give yourself enough time!
• Rio Lagartos: As north as north can get on the Yucatán Peninsula. 106 km from Valladolid to be exact. This was a loooong day, trust me.

Just west of Rio Lagartos are some beautiful stretches of sand commonly used by sea turtles for nesting! Through the months of March and October, sea turtles emerge from the turquoise water to lay their eggs so watch your step!

14. If you’re feeling really adventurous, you can even make it to Las Coloradas

Somehow, someway, we rode our scooter all the way to Las Coloradas – the Instagram famous location with flamingos and pink water! It was totally worth the trip but boy oh boy was this a LONG day.

I’ll recommend going this far only for those intense adventure seekers. The ride back to Valladolid took us nearly three hours in the dark! Yikes!

Oh and if you’re wondering why the water is pink? It’s due to a combination of red-colored algae, plankton, and brine shrimp living in the salty water!

Fun Fact: these are the same organisms flamingos eat that give them their pink color!

Headed to Valladolid, Mexico?

We want to hear from you! Planning your trip or have you been to Valladolid? Let us know if we missed anything or want any info on anything else! Comment below or contact us!