Izamal, the Yellow City: Day Trip from Mérida

An Izamal day trip is the easiest half day out of Mérida: the town sits about 70 km east of the city, roughly 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes by car, and almost everything worth seeing is within a ten-minute walk of the main square. You get a Franciscan convent built on top of a Maya platform, a pyramid you can still climb and a whole town painted the same egg-yolk yellow. Izamal calls itself the City of Three Cultures (Maya, colonial and present-day) and was named a Pueblo Mágico in 2002.

Izamal at a glance	Details
Distance from Mérida	About 70 km east
By car	1 h–1 h 15 each way
By bus	About 1 h 30 from the Terminal del Noreste
Time needed	4–6 hours in town
Main sights	Convent of San Antonio de Padua, Kinich Kak Moo pyramid, yellow streets
Best hours	Early morning for the pyramid, late afternoon for photos
Easy to combine with	Chichén Itzá, on many group tours

Izamal is one of the stops in our guide to day trips from Mérida. This post goes deeper: how to get there, what to see in what order and how to fit it into a single day.

How to get from Mérida to Izamal

By car

Driving gives you the most freedom and the best light, because you can arrive before the heat and stay for sunset. Leave Mérida on the highway east towards Cancún and turn north at the signed exit for Izamal; the last stretch runs through small henequen-era villages. The roads are flat and in good condition. Park near the convent and do the rest on foot.

By bus

Second-class buses leave from Mérida's Terminal del Noreste, in the historic centre, and take about an hour and a half because they stop in several villages. The fare is low, but the last return to Mérida can be in the early evening, so check the time of the last bus as soon as you arrive and plan the afternoon around it.

On a tour

Many group tours from Mérida pair Izamal with Chichén Itzá, which makes sense: Izamal lies north of the road between the two. You get a short stop in the yellow town, usually the convent and a walk around the square, before or after the big site. If Chichén Itzá is your main goal, read our guide to Chichén Itzá from Mérida first; if Izamal is, go on your own and give it more time.

The Convent of San Antonio de Padua

The Convento de San Antonio de Padua is the reason most people come. Franciscan friars began it in the mid-16th century on top of one of the great Maya platforms of the city, reusing its stone, so the convent stands several metres above the streets and you reach it by a long ramp and staircase from the main square. The friars chose the spot on purpose: Izamal was a major Maya pilgrimage centre dedicated to the god Itzamná, from whom the town takes its name.

The atrium and the Virgin of Izamal

The enclosed atrium is one of the largest in the Americas: a grass courtyard ringed by about 75 yellow arches. Walk the full arcade: the view from the far side back towards the church facade is the classic photo. Inside the church is the image of Our Lady of Izamal, patron of Yucatán, whose feast on 8 December fills the town with pilgrims. Pope John Paul II visited the convent in August 1993, and a statue of him stands near the entrance. The yellow paint that unifies the town is often linked to that visit, although locals give more than one explanation.

The evening light-and-sound show

On some evenings the convent hosts a light-and-sound show that tells the history of Izamal on the walls of the atrium. Days and times change, so ask at the convent or at your hotel. It is the main reason to stay the night rather than return to Mérida.

Climbing Kinich Kak Moo and the other pyramids

A few blocks north of the convent rises Kinich Kak Moo, one of the largest pyramids in the Yucatán by volume. Its name is usually translated as sun-faced fire macaw. It is built in stages: a huge lower platform, then a smaller pyramid on top. Unlike the main pyramid at Chichén Itzá, you can still climb it, and from the summit you see the convent, the whole yellow grid of the town and the flat green plain of the peninsula running to the horizon.

The steps are uneven and there is no shade, so go early, wear shoes with grip and carry water. Allow 45 minutes to an hour for the climb, the view and the walk back.

The other mounds in town

Kinich Kak Moo is not alone. Izamal was built around several large Maya structures, and some of them, such as Itzamatul and Habuk, still stand between the houses. Most visitors miss them; if you have an hour left, walk the streets around the square and look for the grassy mounds rising behind the yellow walls.

A one-day Izamal itinerary

• 8:00 Leave Mérida by car, or take an early bus.
• 9:30 Climb Kinich Kak Moo before the heat builds.
• 11:00 The convent: the atrium, the church and the arcade.
• 13:00 Lunch near the main square.
• 15:00 Walk the yellow streets, the craft shops and the other mounds.
• 17:00 Back to the convent for the late light on the arches, then drive back or stay for the evening show.

Where to eat

The restaurants around the square serve classic Yucatecan cooking: cochinita pibil, poc chuc, sopa de lima and papadzules. Lunch is the main meal here, and some kitchens close early in the evening, so do not count on a late dinner if you are staying.

If you prefer someone else to drive, compare the Izamal and Chichén Itzá combinations on our Mérida tours page. For the rest of your stay, our list of things to do in Mérida covers the city itself, and the background history of the town is summarised on Wikipedia.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Izamal worth a day trip from Mérida?

Yes. It is close, easy to visit on your own and very different from the ruins and cenotes: a living colonial town with a convent and pyramids in its streets. Half a day is enough for the highlights, a full day lets you see it in the best light.

How long does it take to get from Mérida to Izamal?

About 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes by car and about 1 hour 30 minutes by second-class bus from the Terminal del Noreste.

Can you climb the pyramid in Izamal?

Yes. Kinich Kak Moo can still be climbed. The steps are steep and uneven, so go in the morning, wear good shoes and bring water.

Can I combine Izamal and Chichén Itzá in one day?

Yes, and many group tours from Mérida do exactly that. On your own by car it is a long but manageable day; start early and visit Chichén Itzá first, while it is cooler and quieter.