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My husband and I got married in Mexico, and after exploring around the Mayan Riviera, we wanted to see more of Mexico. We returned to Mexico again, this time doing road trips and exploring different cities on the Yucatan. There is plenty to see in and around the city of Valladolid.

Getting There

From the Cancun airport, Valladolid is just over two hours. There are plenty of buses that go there, but I don’t believe there is a car rental place in Valladolid.

On our last few trips, we rented a car from Avant Car Rental and began our journey. Valladolid is easy to get to, and we use Google Maps to navigate.

We did not have any issues driving in Valladolid. It does get busy and there are lots of motorcycles, but in general the driving was fine.

Accomodations

There are plenty of places to stay in Valladolid. We stayed at Hotel el Meson del Marques right on the center square, because it was a convenient location with parking provided. When looking for accomodations, you may want to consider how close it is to the center of the city, and if there is convenient parking. Not only did we not want the hassle of street parking, we didn’t want leave our car on the street and worry about theft of our belongings out of the car.

Things to Do

There are lots of things to do right in Valladolid, as well as right outside the city.

Check out my post on Things to do in Valladolid.

There is no shortage of things to see around the city, from the center square to the outskirts of town.

The Center Square is a nice place to relax and see the sights. There are the famous kissing chairs, street food, paleta carts, and more.

Check out authentic parts of the city

Take some time to explore the city, and not just tourist destinations. Just walking around, it is interesting to see the different parts of this city.

We visited the large local market, Mercado Municipal, and this is a good way to support the local economy.

There was also a smaller market.

During our road trip, we spent almost 3 weeks in Mexico, so we went to a Lavanderia (laundromat).

Try some street food

There is street food all around Valladolid. You can find a lot of street carts right in the center square, from paletas (popsicles) to marquesitas, but note that the center square does quiet down in the later evening.

I loved the street corn there!

Rambutan (like lychee fruit) is one of my favorites, and I enjoyed seeing these carts around town.

What to Bring

You may want to plan on doing a lot of walking around the city, so bring comfortable footwear. Other nearby attractions may also involve a lot of walking (like Mayan Ruins), so it is good to be prepared. Not only did we walk to different attractions in town, but we also went to the market, shops, and lavanderia (laundromat).

There are many cenotes in this area, which are great for swimming. Bring swimwear, water shoes, and a towel. You may also want to bring goggles or snorkel as well as an underwater camera. This is from our trip to Cenote Zaci, just a few blocks from the city center.

Bring a camera along to snap photos along the way, whether you go to Mayan Ruins or just walk around town.