Honestly, we’d heard really mixed things about the city of Campeche, Mexico before we visited & whilst some of them were true & it is quite touristy we still really enjoyed our time there. We have put together a list of things to do in Campeche to inspire you to get out there and explore!
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Campeche – Things To See And Do
Take In The History
There’s a ton of history to the city & we felt that the impressive fortified walls just spoke that history right to us! From the Spanish invasion to the numerous attacks by pirates, the city has seen all sorts.
There are lots of museums & galleries in town detailing the city’s complex background. We especially loved the Museum of Mayan Architecture which is located at Baluarte de la Soledad, it’s quite small & we got around it in about 1 1/2 hours but in that time we got a lot of insight into the Mayan empire & the methods the Maya used to build it.
We also scaled the city by entering the pirate museum at Avenida Baluartes, it was a great way to get up & see it all! It was quite an adventure walking along the walls & looking out at each baluarte & made us think back to the days of pirates invading.
View The Amazing Architecture
Campeche is an UNESCO world heritage site & has been beautifully restored.
So much so that some of the buildings are almost fairy tale like! We really enjoyed just wandering around from plaza to plaza & just taking it all in!
The most impressive building for us was the Catedral de Campeche, a striking structure that looms right over the main plaza. The main plaza itself is also a lovely place to sit & watch the world go by, complete with old-fashioned & still active shoe shine stands & a bandstand!
Meet The Entertainment
Campeche has various forms of evening entertainment, all of which are normally held in the Plaza De La Independencia & most of which take place over the weekend.
Whilst we were there a band played one evening & on another evening we were treated to a spectacular show on the history of the Yucatan. This was definitely one of our favourite things to do in Campeche! The film was great & was projected right onto the front of the huge arch fronted library complete with colourful lights & dramatic music. The whole thing was very captivating & we would highly recommend going to see this!
Enjoy The Food
There is a great choice of food in Campeche, Mexican & international with al fresco dining along Calle 59 (aka Calle Antes América). All of the restaurants have their seating outside with candlelight on this particular Calle making it a very romantic dining experience.
We treated ourselves here & ate dinner at a lovely Argentinian steak house called Bavit We also couldn’t resist trying a place that was recommended to us called Chocol Ha & were not at all disappointed with their yummy milkshakes, made with real Mexican chocolate!
Absorb The Chilled Vibe
For a city Campeche, although a little busy had a really laid back feel. We always think it’s nice to go somewhere you can amble around & just chat with the locals when you have been travelling around a lot & engaging in lots of activity.
The Malecon was the perfect place to chill for a few hours, a 7km long water front promenade complete with a colourful city sign & stunning sunsets. We loved our evening strolls here!
Our Campeche Experience Wrapped Up
How long we stayed: 4 nights.
Hostels in Campeche: We stayed at Viatger Inn – A quiet but fab little hostel with breakfast included, knowledgeable & helpful staff & a kitchen to make your own meals. We would definitely recommend staying here.
You can also checkout the other great places to stay in Campeche here.
Our Money Saving Campeche Tip: Head out of the city walls & over to the market for fresh produce & some great Mexican street food.
Our Highlight: The history of the Yucatan film.
All in all we would say that if you would like a few chilled days of history & culture then all these things to do in Campeche should definitely be part of your Yucatan itinerary.
We hope you have enjoyed our Campeche – Things To Do In The UNESCO City Of Pirates! Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below 🙂
Happy travels
Kelly & Adam x
That looks amazing there guys.
I can’t wait to get there myself.
We loved it Toby, so much culture & history. Do you have any plans to go at all?
Absolutely!
I’m not sure when though, I’ll have to wander my way over from this part of the world (Thailand) first.
Mexico is such a beautiful country, we loved it!
Would like to get back to Asia at some point though, so much to see!
We checked out your blog yesterday too, awesome stuff!!