What to do in Valladolid and how to plan your trip
Valladolid is about 160 kilometres from Cancun Airport on the toll motorway, and it is the easiest base for Chichen Itza, about 40 kilometres away. It has a cenote right in the centre, a convent from 1552, and it runs one hour behind Cancun.
- 1transport zone
- 160 kmfrom the airport
- 41 kmto Chichen Itza
- UTC−6one hour behind Cancun
Everything to know about Valladolid
Valladolid was founded in 1543 by Francisco de Montejo and has been a Pueblo Magico since 2012. It is a colonial city of about 56,000 people in eastern Yucatan, with painted houses around the main square, the convent of San Bernardino de Siena, from 1552, at the end of the Calzada de los Frailes, and Cenote Zaci a few streets from the plaza. For travellers, its value is location: Chichen Itza is about 41 kilometres away, Ek Balam about 27, and there are enough cenotes nearby for several days. And one detail that trips up a lot of people: Yucatan runs one hour behind Quintana Roo.
Getting to Valladolid
- Cancun Airport (CUN)About 160 kilometres on the toll motorway. The transfer drops you at your hotel door, with no connections.
- Tren MayaThe Cancun Aeropuerto station is not at the terminals, and the Valladolid station is outside the city; both have connecting shuttles. There are only a few departures a day, so check the timetable before counting on it.
- Merida Airport (MID)The other gateway, about 170 kilometres to the west, with fewer international flights than Cancun.
Good to know
- LanguageSpanish, and Yucatec Maya in the region. English in hotels and at tourist sites, less so at the market.
- CurrencyMexican peso (MXN). The cenotes charge an entry fee, some charge extra for life jacket hire, and cash is the easy way to pay.
- Time zoneUTC−6 all year: one hour behind Cancun and the Riviera Maya.
- Power127 V, 60 Hz, flat two-pin US-style plugs. Bring an adapter from the UK.
- WaterDrink bottled water.
- Emergencies911 nationwide.
Transfers from the airport to every zone of Valladolid are a fixed price per vehicle, with the driver waiting at the exit. See availability.
Things to see and do in Valladolid
The colonial centre, the cenotes around it and the two archaeological sites less than an hour away.
Right in the centre, on Calle 36: a semi-open cenote with deep water reached by stairs, a few streets from the main square.
Built in 1552 in the Sisal neighbourhood, at the end of the Calzada de los Frailes.
The street linking the centre to the convent, lined with painted colonial houses. It is the classic Valladolid walk.
A colonial mansion in the centre turned into a museum of Mexican folk art.
About 8 kilometres east: a cavern with a stone platform in the middle of the water and light falling through an opening in the roof.
The two cenotes at Dzitnup, side by side, a few minutes from the city. Both are caverns, with roots reaching from the ceiling down to the water.
About 41 kilometres west, around 40 minutes by car. Leaving from Valladolid, you arrive at opening time, while tours from the coast are still on the road.
About 27 kilometres north, with an Acropolis roughly 30 metres high. INAH opens it from 08:00 to 16:30, with last entry at 16:00.
Next to Chichen Itza: a deep open cenote with vines hanging down to the water. It pairs well with a visit to the ruins.
When to visit Valladolid
Inland there is no sea breeze: what changes from one season to the next is the heat.
The coolest time of year inland: pleasant mornings for walking round the centre and for touring Chichen Itza. Also the busiest season.
Dry and getting hotter; April and May are the hottest months in inland Yucatan. Cenotes are the afternoon plan.
Afternoon rain, usually short, and high humidity. The countryside turns green and the cenotes stay the same.
The quietest time of year, in the middle of hurricane season. In late October and early November, Yucatan celebrates Hanal Pixan, its Day of the Dead.
Getting around Valladolid
The centre is walkable; for the cenotes and the ruins you need wheels.
The ADO station is in the centre, with coaches to Cancun, Merida and the coast, and buses every hour to Piste, the town next to Chichen Itza.
Cheap within the city and handy for nearby cenotes like Suytun or the ones at Dzitnup. Agree the fare before you get in.
The station is outside the city, with a connecting shuttle to the centre. Useful for Chichen Itza or Merida without a car, with few departures a day.
The main square, the Calzada de los Frailes, the convent and Cenote Zaci are all walkable.
How we get you to Valladolid
From the airport to your hotel door in Valladolid, at a fixed price per vehicle.
Tips from our local team in Valladolid
What travellers ask us most, answered by the people who live here.
One hour behind Cancun
Yucatan is on UTC−6 and Quintana Roo on UTC−5. If you book a tour or a train with Cancun time in your head, do the maths.
Get to Chichen Itza at opening time
From Valladolid it is about 40 minutes. Leave early and you arrive at opening, ahead of the groups coming from the coast.
Cenotes charge separately
Each cenote charges its own entry fee and some charge extra for life jackets. Bring pesos in cash.
The motorway has tolls
The fast road from Cancun to Valladolid is the toll motorway. On our transfer the tolls are included in the price.
The train doesn’t leave from the terminal
The Cancun Aeropuerto station is separate from the terminals, and the Valladolid station is outside the city. With luggage, that is two more connections than a direct transfer.
Ek Balam closes early
Last entry is at 16:00. If you want both Chichen Itza and Ek Balam, do them on different mornings.
How to get to Valladolid from the airport
A fixed price per vehicle, tolls included, with your driver waiting at the exit with a name board.
Transfer prices per zone in Valladolid
| Transport zone | Journey time | Passenger van8 8 | Airport taxi3 3 | Luxury SUV5 5 | Group van15 15 | See availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valladolid | 2 h | $280 | — | $567 | $871.12 | See availability |
One way in USD per vehicle, taxes, tolls and luggage included. Return is the total for both legs. Journey times are estimates without traffic, worked out from distance and speed limits; those marked ≈ are approximate.
The prices shown are the Economy fare. Many services also have a Premium fare in the same private vehicle, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before and free changes up to 12 hours before; Economy includes one change with 24 hours’ notice. You choose between them when you see availability.