Luxury holidays in Izamal

A treasure of the Yucatán, pueblo mágico Izamal is golden indeed – quite literally, with its colonial buildings painted a bright saffron hue. No-one can say exactly why (stories range from the appeasement of a sun deity to an act of marking the 1993 visit of Pope John Paul II), but this sunny-side-of-life attitude makes it picturesque and all the cheerier to explore. Izamal’s best known for its cache of Mayan pyramids (some of which you can climb), archaeological sites, the 16th-century San Antonio de Padua Convent, and its weekly sound and light show. It's a laid-back, leafy spot, within a day-trip’s length of Chichén Itzá and various cenotes, where your day’s measured out in history hunting, market rummaging and munching on cochinita pibil-stuffed tacos.
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When to go

To experience the sunniest of Izamal’s weather, visit in February and March. Around July the city can get washed out with rain.

Getting there

  • Planes

    Mérida International Airport is the closest, about an hour’s drive away, although most visitors will transfer through Mexico City.

  • Automobiles

    If you’re just pottering about Izamal, you could do without a car; however, you’ll need one for seeing the pyramids on the outskirts, visiting tentpole sights such as Chichén Itzá, and day-tripping to Mérida.