Campeche and its surroundings

The walls, the bastions and the two hilltop forts tell the story of a city that defended itself against pirates. Outside the walls:

• Hacienda Uayamón is around half an hour away;
• Edzná, the great Maya city near Campeche, an hour.

Campeche built its walls at the end of the 17th century to defend itself against pirates. Inside remain:

• the colonial street grid;
• houses with flat façades painted in the historic palette;
• the bastions that protected it.

UNESCO inscribed it as a World Heritage Site in 1999. It is a quiet Gulf city, best understood by sleeping inside the walls.

All the casonas are inside the walls. On foot you can explore:

• The streets of the historic centre, the cathedral and the main square.
• The Baluarte de la Soledad, next to the square. It houses the Museo de Arquitectura Maya, with architecture and sculpture from the state’s Petén, Río Bec, Chenes and Puuc regions, and texts explaining Maya writing.
• The malecón, facing the Gulf, at dusk, for the sunset.

Times on this page are approximate and measured from the historic centre.

• Fuerte de San Miguel. About 5 km, a few minutes by car or taxi.
  • On the hill southwest of the centre.
  • It houses the Museo de Arqueología Maya, with the jade funerary masks of the rulers of Calakmul and figurines from the island of Jaina.
  • It looks out over the Gulf.
• Fuerte de San José el Alto. About 5 km, a few minutes. Northeast of the centre, it houses the Museo de Arqueología Subacuática, devoted to underwater archaeology.

Campeche’s cooking is a port cuisine: pan de cazón, papadzules and other dishes of the peninsula. Casonas MX arranges private dinners and events at the casona with local chefs and restaurants.

• Edzná. About 63 km, an hour.
  • Its Building of the Five Storeys, on the Acropolis, rises about 31 metres in five levels of vaulted rooms.
  • Inscriptions from the years 649 and 830 name its rulers.
  • Allow two or three hours and arrive early.
• Hacienda Uayamón. About 29 km, around half an hour. A former hacienda in the low forest, now a hotel. Check beforehand whether it receives visitors or serves meals; if so, it can be combined with Edzná on the same day.
• Becal. About 95 km, a little over an hour. The town of jipi hats, woven in caves dug into the limestone to keep the fibre supple. If you arrive by the leg from Seyé, you can stop on the way.

If the trip continues south, the forest of Calakmul, a mixed World Heritage Site for its architecture and its forests, can be added with an extra day and night on the way to Bacalar, as the Campeche → Bacalar leg suggests. Its jade masks are on display at the Fuerte de San Miguel.

• The city on foot. The streets, the cathedral and the Baluarte de la Soledad in the morning; a siesta at the casona when the heat sets in; the malecón at sunset.
• The forts. San Miguel and San José el Alto, in a morning or an afternoon, with the Gulf in view.
• A Maya day. Edzná early and, if it receives visitors, Hacienda Uayamón afterwards.
• A night in. A private dinner at the casona, with the cooking of the peninsula.

Casonas MX publishes on its website guides to the walled city, to the best time to visit Campeche, to getting there and to the Maya architecture around the city, as well as itineraries. For the city in detail, start there.

Casonas MX’s Campeche guides (opens another website in a new tab)

• From the cenotes: the Seyé → Campeche leg, direct with a stop in Becal, via Uxmal or by Tren Maya.
• On to the lagoon: the Campeche → Bacalar leg, the longest drive of the route, with Becán on the way or an extra day for Calakmul.

Do you need a car in Campeche?

Not for the city: it is explored on foot. For the forts, a taxi; for Edzná and Uayamón, a car, a taxi or an arranged transfer.

How much time does Edzná need?

An hour’s drive each way and two or three hours on site: an outing of four or five hours, not counting lunch or other stops.

Can you reach Campeche by train?

Yes: the Tren Maya runs from Mérida (Teya station). Timetables and tickets from the operator.

Casonas MX is independent. Bookings, rates and policies on its official website.

About Casonas MX → · Official website (opens the official website in a new tab)

Reviewed in October 2026.