Izamal: what to see, where to stay and how to get around
Izamal calls itself the City of Three Cultures: the Maya built pyramids here, the Spanish built a convent on top of the largest one they could reach, and the town of today, painted yellow, lives between them. Everything is a short walk apart, and none of the pyramids charges entry. About three hours, starting early before the stone heats up. Horse-drawn carriages wait by the convent if the sun wins.
A short history of Izamal
Izamal was an important Maya city, and of its pyramids Kinich Kakmo, one of the largest on the Yucatán Peninsula, still stands out. The Spanish built the colonial town directly on top of the ancient structures: between 1549 and 1561 the Franciscans built the Convent of San Antonio de Padua on a pyramid platform, and around its courtyard runs one of the longest arcades on the continent. Most of the buildings in the centre are painted yellow, which is why it is called 'the Yellow City'. In 1993 Pope John Paul II visited, and in 2002 it was named one of Mexico's 'Pueblos Mágicos'.
The ten best sights in Izamal
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1Convent of San Antonio de Padua
The yellow Franciscan convent on top of a Maya pyramid, with a huge arcaded atrium; free to enter
2Centro Cultural y ArtesanalFine collection of Mexican folk art in an old house on the square, with a shop and café
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3Museo Comunitario Itzmal Kauil
Small museum on the town's Maya and colonial past, near the pyramids
4AkéMaya ruins with rows of tall columns, next to an old sisal hacienda
5KimbiláVillage known for embroidered blouses and shirts, sold from shops along the road
6MotulMarket town 35 minutes north-west, home of huevos motuleños
7Kinich KakmóThe biggest pyramid in town, a few blocks from the convent; steep steps, wide view
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8Itzamatul
Second big pyramid, quieter, with a fine view of the convent at sunset
9HabukOne of the smaller pyramids south of the convent, often empty
10El ConejoA low pyramid on the east side of town; free, like the others
Scan with your phone camera to open the map there
What is an audio walk?
Tours in Izamal →A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Izamal:
Free walking tours in Izamal
Three cultures
Izamal calls itself the City of Three Cultures: the Maya built pyramids here, the Spanish built a convent on top of the largest one they could reach, and the town of today, painted yellow, lives between them. Everything is a short walk apart, and none of the pyramids charges entry. About three hours, starting early before the stone heats up. Horse-drawn carriages wait by the convent if the sun wins.
- Kinich Kakmó · The name means 'sun-faced fire macaw': legend says the sun god came down at noon as a macaw to burn the offerings. With a base of about 200 by 180 metres, it is among the largest pyramids in Yucatán by volume.
- Kabul · In 1842 John Lloyd Stephens and Frederick Catherwood came through Izamal, and Catherwood drew a stucco face more than two metres high on the side of this mound. The face has since disappeared.
- Itzamatul · The pyramid was dedicated to Itzamná, the Maya creator god of writing and healing, and the town's name comes from him too.
- Convent of San Antonio de Padua · The friar Diego de Landa had the convent built from 1549 on the platform of a Maya pyramid, using its stones; its atrium is said to be the largest closed atrium in the Americas. Pope John Paul II met indigenous leaders here in 1993.
- Centro Cultural y Artesanal · The collection was put together by Fomento Cultural Banamex, the cultural arm of a Mexican bank that has spent decades buying folk art from craftsmen across the country.
- Mercado de Izamal · Breakfast here is panuchos and salbutes, which look alike but are not: a panucho tortilla is stuffed with black beans before frying, a salbute is puffed and plain.
Sisal country
A century ago the fields around Izamal grew henequen, the sisal fibre that made rope for the world's ships, and the haciendas that processed it made Yucatán rich. This drive goes west through the villages of that boom, past the new Maya Train, to ruins beside a working hacienda and to cenotes reached on the old cart rails. A full day by car, about 120 km in all. Bring swimwear and cash for the carts.
- Kimbilá · Almost every house on the main road sells embroidery, and the village works for shops across Yucatán, making the white huipil dresses and guayabera shirts by machine and by hand.
- Izamal Station (Tren Maya) · The Maya Train opened its first stretch, through this station, in December 2023, on a route that loops around the whole Yucatán Peninsula.
- Aké · A Maya causeway, a sacbé about 30 km long, once ran straight from here to Izamal. Next to the ruins the old hacienda still strips and dries henequen fibre with its original machinery.
- Tixkokob · This is Yucatán's hammock town: families weave them at home on upright frames, and the fine cotton ones take weeks to finish.
- Santa Bárbara Cenotes · Homún lies on the Ring of Cenotes, the arc of sinkholes that traces the buried rim of the Chicxulub crater left by the asteroid that ended the dinosaurs.
- Cenotes of Cuzamá · The carts run on the narrow rails once used to move henequen from the fields to the hacienda, pulled by a single horse between the cenotes.
Eggs, pilgrims and a cenote
North of Izamal is the town that gave Yucatán its breakfast and its most loved revolutionary; east is the village whose Christ visits Izamal every October, and a cenote run by local people. This half-day drive links them, and ends back in the Izamal market. About 140 km of quiet roads; the cenote is best before the tour buses. Motul's market is busiest in the morning.
- Motul · Huevos motuleños, fried eggs on a tortilla with beans, tomato sauce, ham and peas, are credited to Jorge Siqueff, a cook of Lebanese origin who first served them in Motul in the 1920s.
- Mercado Felipe Carrillo Puerto · The market is named after Felipe Carrillo Puerto, born in Motul, the socialist governor who gave land to Maya peasants and was shot in 1924.
- Sitilpech · Every October the image of the Christ of Sitilpech is carried in procession from this village church to Izamal, and the town holds its biggest fiesta for it.
- Cenote Yokdzonot · The cenote was cleaned up and opened by people of the village themselves, who run it as a cooperative, with a restaurant and life jackets for hire.
- El Conejo · Like the other pyramids of Izamal, it was partly taken apart for building stone after the conquest, so what stands now is the core of a much larger mound.
- Museo Comunitario Itzmal Kauil · Izamal was a pilgrimage centre long before the friars: Maya came from across the peninsula to its pyramids, and the Franciscans built here precisely to take that over.
Getting to Izamal and getting around
- Izamal Bus Terminal · Next to the convent; buses to Mérida about every hour, the trip takes around 90 minutes
- Izamal Station (Tren Maya) · The new Maya Train station, 7 km west of town; taxis meet the trains
Cheap eats in Izamal
Yucatán cooks differently from the rest of Mexico: achiote and sour orange instead of chilli sauces, slow pit-cooked pork, and habanero served on the side so you choose the fire. The quick eats are panuchos and salbutes at breakfast and cochinita tacos until they run out around noon. Izamal is small and cheap, and the market counters are the place to start.
- Lonchería La Conchita · Market-side counter for panuchos and salbutes, about MX$20-30 each
- La Carmelita · Quick tacos and tortas, about MX$25-60
- El Tizón · Grill counter for tacos in the evening, about MX$25-40 each
- K'ank'in · Snack stop off the main square, about MX$40-100
- Cafetería Hun PikToc · Coffee and breakfast near the square, about MX$50-120
- Raíces Mayas · Small café for juice and coffee, about MX$40-90
Museums in Izamal
- Convent of San Antonio de Padua · Walk the arcades, see the small museum; light show some evenings
- Centro Cultural y Artesanal · Folk art from all over Mexico; an hour, plus the shop
- Museo Comunitario Itzmal Kauil · Short visit for the town's story, between pyramids
- Aké · Columned hall and the sisal hacienda; combine with Cuzamá
- Kabul · Mound behind the square; a short climb
Nature and day trips near Izamal
- Cenotes of Cuzamá · Three cenotes by horse cart; about three hours
- Santa Bárbara Cenotes · Bicycles between three cenotes; life jackets included
- Cenote Yokdzonot · Open cenote with a wooden stair and zip line
- Itzamatul · Sunset view over the town's trees and roofs
- Habuk · A quiet mound to sit on in the late afternoon
Things to do in Izamal with kids
- Kinich Kakmó · Climb a real pyramid; hold hands on the steep steps
- Convent of San Antonio de Padua · Horse-drawn carriage rides leave from the front
- Cenotes of Cuzamá · The horse cart ride is the best part for children
- Santa Bárbara Cenotes · Easy swimming with jackets and steps into the water
- Parque Itzamná · Shady square for an ice cream break
Where to eat in Izamal
- Kinich · Yucatecan classics in a garden, mains about MX$150-280
- Restaurante Zamna · Regional dishes away from the square, about MX$120-250
- Los Portales · Under the arcades by the market, about MX$80-200
- La Cazona de Izamal · Dinner in an old house, about MX$150-300
- Restaurante Otoch · Simple local dinner a few blocks from the convent
- Los Mesozos · Casual place for a night bite near the square
Frequently asked questions about Izamal
What is there to see in Izamal?
The top sights in Izamal are Convent of San Antonio de Padua, Centro Cultural y Artesanal and Museo Comunitario Itzmal Kauil. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.
How many days do you need in Izamal?
Three to four days are enough to see the best of Izamal without rushing, including at least one walking tour.
Is there a free walking tour in Izamal?
Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Izamal, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: Three cultures.
How do you get to Izamal and get around?
The main ways are Izamal Bus Terminal and Izamal Station (Tren Maya). Full details are in the transport section on this page.
Where to stay in Izamal, and for how much?
sleepntrip shows only rooms in Izamal that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.
Looking for a hotel in Izamal for your dates?
Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.