The elegant capital of the Yucatán
Mérida is the cultural capital of the Yucatán Peninsula, a colonial city of pastel-coloured houses and shady plazas. The Plaza Grande is flanked by one of the oldest cathedrals in the Americas, and grand mansions line the Paseo de Montejo. There's free music and dance in the squares most evenings. The food is its own tradition: cochinita pibil, sopa de lima and panuchos. Mérida is an ideal base for the ruins of Uxmal and Chichén Itzá, swimming in cenotes, restored haciendas and the pink lagoons of Las Coloradas.