Campeche’s colorful streets, beautiful boardwalk, nearby Edzna Mayan ruins, and intriguing pirate history make it a great place to visit!

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I must admit, I knew very little about Campeche. I basically only knew that a) it existed, and b) its location on the map.

Shame on me, I know.

I was clueless about its history, its culture, its food and what there was to see and do there.

Destiny took us there during a trip from Calakmul to Mérida. We didn’t plan on staying in Campeche very long, however we ended up extending our stay multiple days. Why? Because of its colorful streets, its pirate history, its boardwalk, and its chocolate tamales. Yum!

In this blog I’ll give you a quick list of 5 amazing things to do and see in Campeche.

Mérida is only about 2.5 hours away from Campeche. For details on exploring Mérida and its surroundings, check out Mérida Day Trips: The Beauty of Yucatán.

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1. Learn about Campeche’s rich history

Campeche was founded in 1540 by the Spaniards, as they were conquering the Yucatán Peninsula. During the colonial period (i.e., after the Spanish conquest, but before the Mexican Independence), Campeche was an important port that exported hardwoods, agricultural products, dyewood (textile popular in Europe), as well as gold and silver.

It was the products that got exported and imported into this rich port that enabled the city to thrive. It quickly gave rise to a small, rich colonial Spanish city. This style is what adorns the city’s historic center today.

The success of this port didn’t go unnoticed. Campeche became the center of English and Dutch pirate attacks in the early 1600’s. This caused the city to find means of protecting itself, which you can still see and admire today through its fort and its iconic surrounding wall.

2. Visit El Fuerte de San Miguel

If you’re constantly getting attacked by pirates, you will want to build a fort (Bacalar knows all about this 😊). In the late 1600’s, the city began to fortify itself. One such structure is El Fuerte de San Miguel, which is found about 10 minutes by car from the historic city center.

At the fort you can enjoy the view from the top, alongside some of the canons that protected the city. There, you get a clear view of the sea, and you can almost see how the locals would strategically use it to get a direct view of the attacking pirates. You can most definitely visualize how a defense was fronted from this place!

But wait, there’s more…

The fort also hosts a very complete museum with Mayan artifacts. The museum has 10 exhibition rooms, including funeral masks from the tombs from Calakmul, an estela (elongated rock with historical inscriptions) from Calakmul, among other interesting pieces from the Mayan culture.

Check out the magical town of Bacalar if you want to visit another town in the peninsula with pirate history, including a defense fort and an amazing lagoon

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3. Explore the wall surrounding Campeche

As part of its fortification, Campeche decided to build a wall around the city to protect itself from the pirate attacks. Yes, remnants of this wall still exist today. Very cool!

The original wall was about 2600 meters (1.6 miles) long, forming an oval slash irregular hexagon around the main part of the city. The wall hosted eight defensive bastions on its corners.

What is a bastion?

a projecting part of a fortification built at an angle to the line of a wall, so as to allow defensive fire in several directions.

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In addition, the wall surrounding the city hosted two main entrances: Puerta de tierra (or “Land Gate”) and Puerta al mar (or “Sea Gate). You can still visit both of these gates today.

Puerta de tierra is a tourist attraction today. There is a small, pirate room replica, a large canyon, and also access to the top of the wall. You can get some neat views from up there.

As part of this large piece of the wall by the Puerta de tierra, you will get to visit the Baluarte de San Juan (baluarte means bulwark, which essentially means ‘defensive wall’).

4. Edzná archaeological zone

Edzná is 45 minutes away by car from the Campeche historical downtown center. This makes for a pleasant, easy drive to and from the archeological zone.

Edzná existed around 400 BC, and was abandoned approximately in 1500 AD. It was governed by Calakmul.

Its centerpiece temple stands 40 meters (130 feet) high. The site also features a ball court. You can cover the entire site in about an hour, 2-3 hours with a guide.

Check out My list of top 10 archaeological sites in México!

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5. The Boardwalk at Campeche

Campeche has a scenic boardwalk facing the gulf. This is an amazing place for a walk or jog. There are a few monuments, a giant flag, and, at its far north end, a few restaurants. Note that the boardwalk is right next to the city center, so it is within walking distance if you’re staying within the walls.

How to visit Campeche: Logistics

Getting there: Campeche has an international airport. However, the airport with the cheapest international flights is Cancún, but it is about 6 hours away by car. Don’t get me wrong, there are many great stops along the way…

Campeche is about 2.5 hours away by car from Merida, which is another airport to consider.

Hotel: We stayed at the Balam Ku hotel. This was a pretty solid choice. It was low cost, inside the walls protecting the city. We felt safe from the pirates, plus the breakfast was very good too. It tasted homemade. Don’t expect Hilton-like rooms, though. The staff was very friendly. You can jog from here to the boardwalk. A+

Food: Chocol’Ha, which is a block away from the hotel, will have delicious cacao (chocolate) as well as chocolate tamales. YUM! I had some of the best shrimp ever at “El Sábalo” by the edge of the boardwalk. You get a great view of the water. Note that since there’s multiple restaurants in that area, you may get mobbed by waiters as you pull into the parking lot that will try to convince you to go to their restaurant :-/ You’ll have to keep on driving…

I love hitting the road. Check out my Top five road trips through Mexico.

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In short, Campeche did not disappoint. It is a recommended place to visit!

As always, please feel free to share your experiences with me if you’ve visited Campeche…or feel free to ask me any questions in the comments section. I’d be more than happy to share any information from my side!

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