Things To Do in Campeche
Campeche Attractions
With beautiful surroundings, friendly people, and an easy pace of life, Campeche is made for walking. Its more than 1,000 refurbished facades and renovations, grand mansions, monumental buildings, and ornate churches can be sampled in half a day or savored, along with a few day trips, over a week.
Inside the City Walls
The natural starting point is the modest but exceedingly pretty zócalo, or Parque Principal, bounded by calles 55 and 57 running east and west, and calles 8 and 10 running north and south. On Saturday nights and Sundays, streets close down and bands tune up in the gazebo. People set up tables in the streets, and an exuberant street party ensues. Construction of the cathedral on the north side, whose crown-shaped bell towers dominate the square, began in 1650 and was finally completed 150 years later. A pleasant way to see the city is to take the tranvía (trolley) tour leaving the plaza approximately every hour between 9am and 1pm and 5 to 9pm. The cost is 80 pesos for a 45-minute tour.
Outside the Walls: Scenic Vistas
Malecón -- Not everything Campeche has to offer is lodged in the past. The flurry of renovation also lined about 3km (1 3/4 miles) of the waterfront with this broad, palm-lined sea walk, encompassing fountains, cannons, exercise stations, gardens, and monuments. The jogging and bike path bustles with energetic locals in the cool of early morning and late-night hours. Join them as the day's heat breaks for a sunset you won't soon forget.
- Landmark
Baluarte San Juan
The city's smallest bastion holds an exhibition on the history of the baluartes and an old underground dungeon. The only remaining chunk of the old city wall connects San Juan with the Puerta de Tierra. The short walk between the two offers incomparable views of the new and old city. - Park/Garden
Botanical Garden
The Jardín Botánico Xmuch'haltún is a riot of some 250 species of exotic and common plants, including an enormous ceiba tree, in a tiny courtyard surrounded by the stone walls of the last bastion Campeche built (Baluarte de Santiago). - Historic Site
Casa no. 6 Centro Cultural
Some rooms in this remodeled colonial house are decorated with period furniture and accessories. The traditional stucco and terra cotta kitchen is arranged just as many Campechanos use them today. The patio of mixtilinear arches supported by simple Doric columns is striking. The… - Landmark
Mansion Carvajal
Another remarkable colonial mansion, built by one of the Yucatán's wealthiest hacendados in the early 19th century, has been put to more prosaic contemporary use for state offices but is open to the public on weekdays. It is most famous for its massive Carrara marble stairway,…
