Must-see attractions in Campeche

Campeche’s largest colonial fort, facing the Gulf of Mexico some 4km southwest of the city center, is now home to the most important of Maya museums, the…

A popular path for joggers, cyclists, strolling friends and cooing sweethearts, the malecón, Campeche’s 7km-long waterfront promenade, makes for a breezy…

Dominating Plaza Principal’s east side is the two-towered cathedral. The limestone structure has stood on this spot for more than three centuries and it…

Shaded by carob trees and ringed by tiled benches and broad footpaths radiating from a belle-epoque kiosk, Campeche’s appealingly modest central square…

The Baluarte de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad, designed to protect the Puerta del Mar, contains the fascinating Museo de la Arquitectura Maya. It provides…

Once the primary defensive bastion for the adjacent Puerta de la Tierra, the Baluarte de San Francisco houses a pirate exhibition in both English and…

During the prerevolutionary era, when this mansion was occupied by an upper-class campechano family, Número 6 was a prestigious plaza address. Wandering…

Directly behind Iglesia de San Juan de Dios, the Baluarte de San Pedro served a post-piracy defensive function when it repelled a punitive raid from…

Completed in 1704 – the last of the bulwarks to be built – the Baluarte de Santiago houses the Jardín Botánico Xmuch Haltún, a botanical garden with…

Faced with blue-and-yellow tiles, the Ex-Templo de San José is a wonder; note the lighthouse, complete with weather vane, atop the right spire. Built in…

On the northern (seaward) side of Plaza Principal stands a replica of the old government center, now housing the modern Biblioteca de Campeche. The…

The Puerta del Mar provided access from the sea, opening on to a wharf where small craft delivered goods from ships anchored further out. The shallow…

A block past the Hotel del Mar is a monumental sculpture of Pedro Sáinz de Baranda, a native son who played a key role in defeating the Spanish at their…

At this small museum, learn how Campeche came to be. It’s free and air-conditioned, and you get to check out old documents and maps, and watch a video (in…

The Puerta de Tierra, on the eastern side of the town wall, was opened in 1732 as the principal ingress from the suburbs. It is now the venue for a sound …

This large museum at the plaza has exhibits about the city's logwood industry and salt trading; a section is designed to make you feel like you're inside…

About 13km south of downtown, just past the port village of Lerma, Playa Bonita is the closest real beach to Campeche. Don't expect an isolated paradise…

Once the mansion of wealthy landowner Fernando Carvajal, this beautiful building now houses state offices. Visitors are welcome to take a peek inside,…

Next to the Plaza Moch-Couoh is this modern monument to the city’s four famous gates (land, sea, San Román and Guadalupe); these entrances were in the…

Just beyond the Centro de Convenciones Campeche, the girl gazing out to sea is the Novia del Mar. According to a poignant local legend, the campechana…