Piste: what to see, where to stay and how to get around
Pisté is the village at the gate of Chichén Itzá, and sleeping here means walking in at opening time, hours before the day trips from Cancún arrive. The ruins need a long morning; in the afternoon the sacred caves and cenotes around them explain what the Maya came here for. Wear a hat and carry water: there is little shade on the great plaza. The site no longer lets anyone climb El Castillo.
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The ten best sights in Piste
1Chichén ItzáThe great Maya city, 5 minutes from Pisté; be at the gate when it opens, before the coaches from Cancún
2Ek BalamSmaller Maya city north of Valladolid, with superb stucco figures on the acropolis
3Convent of San Bernardino de SienaFranciscan convent in Valladolid; light show on its walls some evenings
4Church of San ServacioValladolid's main church on the square, which oddly faces north
5Casa de los VenadosPrivate house full of Mexican folk art in Valladolid; guided tours in the morning
6Church of Santo Domingo, UaymaVillage church with a richly decorated façade, on the back road to Valladolid
7Sacred CenoteThe sacrificial well inside Chichén Itzá, at the end of a causeway from the main plaza
8Cenote Ik KilDeep round cenote with vines hanging to the water, 3 km from the ruins; busy at midday
9Balankanché CavesCave with Maya offerings still in place, 6 km east; tours on the hour
10Cenote YokdzonotOpen cenote run by the village, 15 minutes west; quieter than Ik Kil
Scan with your phone camera to open the map there
What is an audio walk?
Tours in Piste →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 Piste:
Free walking tours in Piste
City of the Itzá
Pisté is the village at the gate of Chichén Itzá, and sleeping here means walking in at opening time, hours before the day trips from Cancún arrive. The ruins need a long morning; in the afternoon the sacred caves and cenotes around them explain what the Maya came here for. Wear a hat and carry water: there is little shade on the great plaza. The site no longer lets anyone climb El Castillo.
- Chichén Itzá · El Castillo has 91 steps on each of its four sides; with the top platform that makes 365, one for each day of the year. At the spring and autumn equinoxes the afternoon sun casts a serpent of light down the northern stairway.
- Sacred Cenote · Between 1904 and 1910 the American consul Edward Thompson dredged this well and pulled out gold, jade and human bones, sending most of it to Harvard's Peabody Museum; part has since been returned to Mexico.
- Hacienda Chichén · Thompson bought the hacienda in 1894 with the ruins on its land. In the 1920s the Carnegie Institution used it as the base for its long excavation of the city.
- Balankanché Caves · In 1959 a local guide broke through a sealed wall and found incense burners and offerings left by the Maya around a stalactite shaped like a sacred tree. Archaeologists recorded them and left them where they were.
- Cenote Ik Kil · The water is about 26 metres below the rim and the cenote has hosted the Red Bull Cliff Diving series, with divers jumping from a platform at the top.
- Chichén Itzá Station (Tren Maya) · The Maya Train reached Chichén Itzá in December 2023, on its first stretch from Campeche to Cancún.
Valladolid
Forty minutes east, Valladolid is the colonial town the ruins lack: pastel streets, a Franciscan convent and a cenote in the middle of town. It was also where the Caste War, the long Maya uprising of 1847, began. Walk it in three or four hours, from the old friars' road to the market. Go in the late afternoon and stay for the evening on the square.
- Convent of San Bernardino de Siena · The Franciscans built the convent in the 1550s over a cenote, which gave the friars their own water supply inside the walls.
- Calzada de los Frailes · The 'Friars' Road' was laid out to link the convent with the town centre, and its colonial houses are now painted in the colours that made Valladolid a Pueblo Mágico.
- Church of San Servacio · In 1703 two officials who had taken refuge in the church were dragged out and killed. The church was torn down and rebuilt in 1706 facing north instead of west, as a penance, and it still does.
- Casa de los Venados · Its American owners, John and Dorianne Venator, filled the house with thousands of pieces of Mexican folk art; the name, 'House of the Deer', is a play on their surname.
- Cenote Zací · The Spanish founded Valladolid in 1545 on the Maya town of Zací, which had grown up around this cenote.
- Mercado Municipal de Valladolid · Valladolid is known for its longaniza, a smoked pork sausage seasoned with achiote; the market stalls sell it by the string.
Cenotes and a stucco city
The land between Pisté and Valladolid is riddled with cenotes, sinkholes where the limestone collapsed into the underground rivers that were the only water the Maya had. This day hops between swimming holes in caves and in the open, past a village church, and ends at Ek Balam, a ruin you can still climb. A full day by car, about 150 km. Bring swimwear, a towel and biodegradable sunscreen, or none.
- Cenote Yokdzonot · The name means 'above the cenote' in Maya. Villagers cleaned out the sinkhole, which had been neglected for years, and opened it as a cooperative.
- Cenote X'Kekén · Kekén means 'pig': the local story is that a farmer found the cave when his pig kept coming home wet in the dry season.
- Cenote Oxman · The cenote lies in the grounds of the old Hacienda San Lorenzo Oxman, and visitors pass the hacienda house to reach it.
- Church of Santo Domingo, Uayma · The church was burned in the Caste War and stood roofless for well over a century; its restored façade, painted with stars and flowers, is one of the most unusual in Yucatán.
- Cenote Suytún · A stone path runs to a round platform in the middle of the water, and around midday a beam of light falls through the hole in the roof straight onto it.
- Ek Balam · Inside the acropolis archaeologists found the tomb of the king Ukit Kan Le'k Tok', and the stucco façade around it, with winged figures and a giant open mouth, survived almost intact because it had been buried.
Getting to Piste and getting around
- Chichén Itzá International Airport · Small airport 20 minutes east with only occasional flights; most people fly into Cancún or Mérida
- Chichén Itzá Station (Tren Maya) · Maya Train station east of Pisté; shuttles run to the ruins
- Pisté Bus Office · Tickets for buses to Mérida, Valladolid and Cancún on the main street; colectivos to Valladolid leave next door
Cheap eats in Piste
Pisté is one long main street of restaurants for tour groups, but the village also eats for itself, and that is where the value is. Look for loncherías and taquerías with plastic chairs, and for pollo asado, chicken grilled over wood in achiote. Yucatecan food is not very hot until you add the habanero salsa, so taste it before you pour.
- Los Arcos Lonchería · Local counter for panuchos and tortas, about MX$20-60
- Super Taquería La Buena Onda · Tacos on the main street, about MX$20-35 each
- Pollería Los Pájaros · Grilled achiote chicken to take away, half a bird about MX$100-140
- La Gran Chaya · Simple local dishes and fresh juices, about MX$60-150
- Luna Café · Coffee and breakfast before the ruins, about MX$50-150
Museums in Piste
- Convent of San Bernardino de Siena · Cloister, chapel and the cenote well; evening light show
- Casa de los Venados · Folk art in a lived-in colonial house; donation goes to local causes
- Museo San Roque · Small free museum on Valladolid's history in an old chapel
- Museo de Ropa Étnica de México · Traditional dress from across Mexico, near the convent
- Ek Balam · Climb the acropolis for the stucco and the view
Nature and day trips near Piste
- Cenote Ik Kil · Swim first thing or late; lockers and life jackets
- Balankanché Caves · Hot, humid walk underground; about 45 minutes
- Cenote Zací · Half-cave cenote in the town; swim or just look
- Cenote Suytún · Go near noon for the light beam
- Cenote Tsukán · Cave cenote a short drive west of Pisté
Things to do in Piste with kids
- Chichén Itzá · Clap in front of El Castillo and listen for the echo
- Cenote X'Kekén · Swim under stalactites; a hole in the roof lets in a shaft of sun
- Cenote Yokdzonot · Life jackets and calm water; room on the platforms
- Cenote Ik Kil · Jump from the low platform; jackets compulsory
- Cenote Oxman · Swim in the hacienda cenote; pool and lunch too
Where to eat in Piste
- Las Mestizas · Yucatecan dinner on the main street, mains about MX$150-280
- Chilam Balam Restaurant · Restaurant at the west end of the main street, about MX$120-250
- Sac Beh · Dinner on the main street, about MX$120-250
- Molcajetes y Cazuelas · Sizzling stone bowls of meat and cheese to share
- Restaurant Fiesta · Large regional restaurant on Calle 15
- Pizzería Balam House · Pizza when the children have had enough tortillas
Frequently asked questions about Piste
What is there to see in Piste?
The top sights in Piste are Chichén Itzá, Ek Balam and Convent of San Bernardino de Siena. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.
How many days do you need in Piste?
Three to four days are enough to see the best of Piste without rushing, including at least one walking tour.
Is there a free walking tour in Piste?
Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Piste, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: City of the Itzá.
How do you get to Piste and get around?
The main ways are Chichén Itzá International Airport, Chichén Itzá Station (Tren Maya) and Pisté Bus Office. Full details are in the transport section on this page.
Where to stay in Piste, and for how much?
sleepntrip shows only rooms in Piste 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 Piste for your dates?
Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.