The Thorough Guide to Uxmal

The Cheapest Way To Get To Uxmal, Mexico, Itinerary From Mérida + Interactive Map.

One of the reasons to stay in Mérida is to visit Uxmal, a well-preserved ancient Mayan city with some of the best ruins in Mexico. Uxmal is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is way less touristy than other historical Mayan locations in Mexico due its remote location. This means it’s a lot harder to get to without taking a tour – but not impossible! There’s a lot of contradictory information online about how to get to and from Uxmal and most of the information on other websites is outdated. We visited Uxmal from Mérida and continually update this article to be the most up-to-date information you’ll find about how to visit Uxmal on a budget.

Time needed: 1 day.

When to go: Take the first bus of the day and arrive early before it gets too hot.

Weather: High humidity with low chances of rain year round. The hottest months are between April-June with highs of 40°C (102°F). June-August tends to be wetter, with around 8 days of rain a month. Winter is more pleasant, with highs of 32°C (92°F).

Language: Spanish, but English is widely spoken too.

Currency: Mexican Peso.

What is Uxmal?

Uxmal is a well-preserved ancient Mayan city, considered just as impressive as Chichén Itzá (Mexico), Tikal (Guatemala) and Xunantunich (Belize). It is located about an hour south of Mérida, meaning it is a bit harder to get to without a car or taking a tour.

Uxmal (meaning “built 3 times”) was built approximately 700 AD and is considered to be one of the most important archaeological sites on the Yucatan peninsula. At its peak, it was home to around 25,000 inhabitants, known as the Puuc people, but archaeological evidence has been found which indicates the area was inhabited as early as 800 BC. Uxmal is part of the Ruta Puuc (literally translated to Route of the Puuc, which meant hill), which includes several other Mayan sites near Mérida.

Interactive Uxmal Map

The cheapest way to get to Uxmal

Hiring a car and driving to Uxmal is definitely the easiest way to get there. But the cheapest way to get to Uxmal is by bus from the closest town of Mérida. A colourful city with lots of colonial mansions and a varied schedule of weekly events, Mérida is a great base for any visit to Yucatán. A trip to Uxmal from the Riviera Maya area, which includes popular holiday locations like Tulum and Cancún, will cost a lot more and you’ll waste a lot of time in transit. There are lots of very expensive Uxmal day tours from Mérida on offer but, if you’re on a budget or just looking for a bit of independence, getting to Uxmal yourself is a much better and more affordable option.

You’ll need to start at the ADO Centro TAME bus station, which is a 10 minute walk from Mérida’s centre.

Taking the bus to Uxmal

The bus from Mérida to Uxmal goes from Gate C in the ADO Centro Histórico TAME station. You can buy tickets the morning of but the queue can be quite long and slow so we’d recommend booking in advance. Go in person a day or two before your trip. The ticket person will show you a list of times on their computer screen for your date and you can just choose one. Google translate can help if your Spanish isn’t great and it’s a good idea to have the date and time written down so you can just show it to the staff member if communication is difficult. You can check the timetable on the ADO website or on Busbud.

The bus ticket from Mérida to Uxmal costs 85 pesos (~£3.40/$4) each, but is loaded to the prepaid Ahorro bus card, which is 100 pesos. The only bus to Uxmal goes at 09:00 but the timetable shifts slightly seasonally, so double check when you buy your ticket.

On the day of your trip, make your way to Gate C (Sala C) about half an hour before the bus is due to depart. We found that the bus wasn’t displayed on the tv screen timetable so just ask, ask and ask again until you’re pointed in the right direction. The bus you’re looking for is the green and yellow Sur bus. Boarding begins about 15 minutes before it is due to depart and it takes around an hour to drive from Mérida to Uxmal. The bus was mainly filled with locals but, on the day we went, there were quite a few tourists who were headed for Uxmal too.

When you arrive at Uxmal, the bus will drop you off on the main road. It’s likely the driver will shout “Uxmal” (pronounced oosh-mahl) to let you know it’s the right stop, but it should be pretty obvious from the bus emptying of tourists too. It’s a 5-10 minute walk to the entrance where you can buy Uxmal tickets.

How do you know when the bus returns from Uxmal to Mérida?

Getting to Uxmal is actually the easy bit. Getting back from Uxmal is a little harder and might require a bit of spontaneity. The return bus to Mérida should pick up from the opposite side of the road to where you were dropped off sometime between 15:00-16:00 but, as the timetable shifts seasonally, you’ll have to do some sleuthing to find out exactly when.

You should ask the staff at the ADO terminal when you buy your ticket what time the return bus is. Then ask your bus driver when you get on the bus, and again when you get off. You can also ask the staff staff at Uxmal when the bus to Mérida is expected to pass by. You’ll likely get contradictory answers but a better idea of the time, as it will be the time you get told the most. More on this in a bit.

How much is the Uxmal entrance fee?

While a day tour might set you back $100, going on your own is considerably cheaper. Uxmal tickets costs 495 pesos per person (~£20). This is considerably higher than ruins in other parts of the country – Teotihuacán in Mexico City only costs 85 pesos pp (~£3.50) to enter. You can pay with cash or card, but the government tax (which is part of the 495 pesos and contributes considerably to the higher price), must be paid in cash.

The Uxmal entrance fee is about half the price for Mexican Nationals, who can also enter for free on Sundays. This might seem unfair at first glance but is actually part of an initiative to get locals to learn more about their history and culture. Without the lower prices, these attractions would be inaccessible to a large part of the population, who simply wouldn’t be able to afford the Uxmal entry fee. The theory is, if tourists have the money to travel to Mexico, they can afford the higher entry price. It’s also believed (maybe somewhat naively) that the higher price goes toward to the upkeep of the site and improvements to the facilities. Regardless, £20/$25 is is a very normal price to pay for entry to historic sites in Europe and America. And Uxmal is 100% worth it!

Backpacks and large bags are not allowed on-site and must be left in a guarded room at the entrance. You will be given a ticket that corresponds to the one attached to your bag so you can pick it up at the end of your visit. You can take what you like in your pockets. We’d recommend taking any valuables you’d be worried about leaving like passports, phones and wallets, as well as suncream, water and your camera. The room is guarded and locked when not in use, so you really have nothing to worry about.

After your tickets are checked you can pass through the security barriers and into the site. If you need to buy any water or snacks, do it at the entrance as there are no facilities inside. Toilets can be found within the grounds opposite The Pyramid of the Magician.

How long does a visit to Uxmal take?

A visit to Uxmal takes an average of 2 hours to complete. You could stretch this to 3 hours if you stop for breaks a lot. It is a relatively small site but with some of the best Mayan ruins in Yucatan, Uxmal has some amazing details to look out for.

What should you take to Uxmal?

The sun at Uxmal can be very strong and we’d recommend you factor this into your trip. If you’re planning to take a bag which will have to be left in the cloakroom, try to wear an outfit with pockets. Very small handbags and bumbags are likely to be allowed in.

Don’t leave anything in your bag that you might need. This includes medication, a hat, suncream, water and snacks. Also, if you bring a camera, charge your batteries and try not to forget your SD card like we did! Cash can be very handy for paying the Uxmal entrance fee, snacks, the bus, taxis or a colectivo too.

What is there to see at Uxmal?

As you enter the site you’ll be met by The Pyramid of the Magician, the tallest and most recognizable structure in Uxmal. Its western stairway faces the setting sun at the summer solstice while the front looks over the Quadrangle of the Nuns. The Quadrangle of the Nuns (Cuadrangulo de las Monjas) is a courtyard surrounded by four palaces. It earned its name in the 16th century as it resembles a convent.

The Great Pyramid used to be the most popular building in Uxmal due to the fact you could climb it for splendid panoramic views of the site. However many temples in Mexico, including Uxmal’s Great Pyramid, have been roped off for the last couple of years due to COVID-19 policies and there’s rumour they will not re-open to climbers to better preserve the structures. Atop the Great Pyramid you can see the Temple of the Macaws, a decorated wall that rises from the jungle. A Dovecote lies nearby.

The Governor’s House or Governor’s Palace (Palacio del Gobernador) was our favourite structures in Uxmal. This low, long building features intricately carved designs and well-preserved facades. The two headed Jaguar Throne sits on a plinth in front of it.

On this hill you can also find The Temple of the Turtles, which offers stunning views over the rest of the site. When you descend the stairs you come to the Ballgame Court (Juego de Pelota), where the Mayan sport of Pok Ta Pok would have been played.

What facilities are there at Uxmal?

At the entrance you’ll find toilets, a café, snack stands, souvenir shops and the main car park. There’s nothing within the grounds except toilets at The Pyramid of the Magician. Often local guides will wait at the entrance and offer private guided tours for around $50 USD. Uxmal has a wheelchair-friendly route.

Between Uxmal and the main road there’s a restaurant called Coole Chepa Chi, which offers traditional Mexican food. If you forgot your packed lunch or have a few hours to kill, this can be a good spot to have lunch.

What else is there to do near Uxmal?

Over the road from Uxmal is an open-air museum called Choco-Story, featuring exhibitions about the chocolate trade history of Mexico. Tickets are 165 pesos per person and there are performances and demonstrations throughout the day. You can also try Xocolatl, a traditional Mayan cocoa drink also known as Aztec hot chocolate. It’s very bitter and can be sweetened with sugar, cinnamon, or chilli. The site also has several enclosures with animals, such as spider monkeys, a jaguar and crocodiles. It’s very clear that it is not a zoo and there are informative boards about each animal and how they came to live there. All the animals are rescues and, due to the abuse they received previously, are unable to be released into the wild.

Read next: Let’s talk about Ethical Wildlife Tourism

How to get back to Mérida from Uxmal?

Lots of articles can tell you how to get to Uxmal from Mérida, but not many have useful information on how to get to Mérida from Uxmal. The real answer is that you might have to wing it a little.

The easiest way to get back from Uxmal is to wait for the bus. As mentioned earlier, the timetable shifts seasonally so you’ll have to ask around to find out what time it’s expected to pick up on the day of your visit. Then simply get to the bus stop 15 minutes early so you can be sure you’ve not missed it.

Before our visits we’d read the return bus was 15:00, 15:15 and 15:30 and on the day of our visit were told 12:00 and 12:30. Another traveller we met had heard it was 13:15 too. Well the 12:00, 12:30 and 13:15 buses didn’t show up and we’re pretty sure they don’t actually exist. So if you’re going to get the bus back just try to plan your day around the one that comes at around 15:00.

If you want to go home early you can get a taxi to the nearest town of Muna, where you can pick up a bus to Mérida. This option might sound spontaneous, risky and more of a faff, but it’s actually much easier than you might think. If you don’t have a taxi number, there are several kind locals who can help you call a taxi, like Uxmal staff, restaurant staff, Choco-Story staff and the lady who runs the food-truck by the bus stop. It was the planetarium worker who kindly arranged a taxi for our group of 5 for 50 pesos each. As with taking a taxi in any foreign country, ask the price before you get in and pay at the end.

The taxi will drop you off in Muna where buses to Mérida run every hour. Our taxi actually dropped us off directly at a colectivo which was bound for Mérida so we didn’t even need to arrange the bus ourselves. The colectivo cost us 70 pesos each.

It’s likely that there will be other travellers hanging around the bus stop who have the same lack of information as you and are also looking to return to Mérida. If you’re unsure about doing it yourself, just chat to them and form a group of you to make your way back together.

An itinerary for visiting Uxmal

Before your trip

Pop into the ADO terminal and buy your ticket for the date you’d like to visit.

On the day

08:30: Arrive at the ADO terminal and enter Gate C.

08:45: The bus will begin boarding.

09:00: The bus will set off for Uxmal.

Around 10:00: The bus will arrive at Uxmal.

Walk to the entrance and buy your ticket.

Enjoy wandering the grounds of Uxmal.

12:30: Lunchtime

You can choose from the café at Uxmal, Coole Chepa Chi restaurant or find a quiet spot to eat a pre-packed picnic.

13:00: Head over the main road to Choco-Story.

Enjoy wandering the jungle path around Choco-Story, taking in the informative exhibitions about the history of the chocolate trade in Mexico. Be sure to visit the interactive performances and demonstrations that are held throughout the day.

14:45/15:00(/15 minutes before the return bus is scheduled to arrive that day): Head out to the bus stop to wait for your bus. Don’t be worried if it doesn’t arrive at the time you were given, Mexican time works a little differently than in other parts of the globe. So long as you are early you can be sure you haven’t missed it and that it will come eventually.

Alternatively

If you don’t want to spend all day at Uxmal, or want to skip lunch and Choco-Story, you can make your own way back to Mérida at whatever time you like. Simply take a taxi to Muna and get a bus or colectivo back to Mérida, as described above.

The best tours to Uxmal

Does this all sound like far too much faff and you’d much prefer to just let someone else worry about logistics? Consider taking a tour to Uxmal from Mérida.

Lots of Uxmal tours also stop off at other attractions, including a Hacienda (old colonial estate) and stop to swim at a beautiful cenote. Alternatively, this highly-rated Uxmal tour includes the Chocolate Museum too.

It’s also possible to take a night tour to Uxmal, offering you an entirely different perspective of this ancient Mayan site. You can enjoy the day exploring the site and Choco Story, before returning for an epic light and sound show, Echoes of Uxmal.

Uxmal FAQs

Is Uxmal worth visiting?

Yes! Everyone has heard of Chichén Itzá and Teotihuacán but Uxmal is an amazing and less touristy alternative. If you are visiting mainland Mexico this year, definitely try to make the trip – you won’t be disappointed!

How many people visit Uxmal each year?

Uxmal gets roughly 248,000 visitors per year. To put this into perspective, Chichén Itzá gets more than three times that, with 824,000 visitors per year.

When does Uxmal ruins open?

The site opens at 8:00 however the only bus leaves at 9:00 and gets there at 10:00. If you absolutely wanted to get there as it opens, then the only way to do this would be to hire a car. This is not necessary however, as the site is usually very quiet anytime before 12:00.

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