The Best Bar in Mérida, Yucatán and Campeche States

Mérida comes into its own once the sun begins to set and the heat of the afternoon gives way to the cool of the evening. The city has an active and diverse cultural life, which includes free government-sponsored music and dance performances many evenings, as well as sidewalk art shows in local parks. On Thursday at 9 pm Meridanos enjoy an evening of outdoor entertainment at the Serenata Yucateca, held in Parque Santa Lucía (Calles 60 and 55); you'll see trios, the local orchestra, and soloists performing compositions by Yucatecan composers. On Saturday evenings after 7 pm the Noche Mexicana (corner of Paseo Montejo and Calle 47) hosts different musical and cultural events. More free music, dance, comedy, and regional handicrafts can be found at the Corazón de Mérida, on Calle 60 between the main plaza and Calle 55. From 8 pm to 1 am, multiple bandstands throughout this area (which is closed to traffic) entertain locals and visitors with an ever-changing playbill, from grunge to classical.

On Sunday, six blocks around Plaza Grande are closed off to traffic, and you can see performances—often mariachi and marimba bands or folkloric dancers—at Plaza Santa Lucía, Parque Hidalgo, and the main plaza. For a schedule of current performances, consult the tourist offices, the local newspapers, or the posters at the Teatro Peón Contreras and Centro Cultural de Mérida Olimpo.

The city center and Paseo Montejo area are largely safe at night with throngs of people out enjoying themselves. (Standard precautions about watching your things apply, of course.) Restaurants and nightspots are happy to call you a taxi or have a guard hail one for you when you’re ready to call it a night.