What To Do In Campeche
The preservation of the architecture here is what earned Campeche the status of a UNESCO World Heritage site. Besides being another cool UNESCO site to knock off your list the city is also filled to the brim with gorgeous colonial architecture with colorful pastel facades.
Check out the Plaza, or main town square. This is the center of the city, and right across from the Cathedral (where Maxi y Andrea will be married!) is a great museum about the history of Campeche. Check it out!
Fuerte de San Miguel offers a bit of a better view and includes a cool drawbridge, moat, and view of the coastline through the top of the fort. Dating back to the end of the 18th century you can admire the yellow architecture and old canons on display here. It’s definitely worth the small admission it costs to enter.
Both forts are closed on Mondays, both forts close by 5 pm on the rest of the days.
A nice thing to do in Campeche is go down the promenade, or Malecon that runs parallel with the coast. With walking paths that cover the 2 mile stretch of the Malecon, one can rent bicycles, or enjoy by foot to discover little stops with workout equipment, or several restaurants offering a waterfront view. Currently under renovations, the future promenade featuring new sculptures and fountains will be in debuted just in time for the wedding!
One of the best things to do is stroll through the cobblestone streets; be amazed by one building after another. What we love is that Campeche is off the circuit and unassuming, yet each street is as picture perfect as the next.
Casa de Artesanias Tukulna. This is one of the best places for handicrafts, and traditional wears in the city. Prices are controlled by the city so as to ensure artisans receive fair pay. It is well priced!
One of our favorite things to do is wander into all the “plazas” or courtyards of the various buildings in Campeche. The town is small enough that you can get to post of them and they’re really wonderful representations of Colonial Architecture.
Fuerte San Jose Alto is also a not to be missed thing to do in Campeche. While the view isn’t as nice as Fuerte San Miguel, it still offers a peek at the coastline and cool museum exhibits including treasures and jewelry found at sea!
The entire little city of Campeche is surrounded by fortress walls that were meant to keep out pirates and buccaneers from invading the inside of the city walls which worked for the most part but not always. The walls were built after two devastating attacks and massacres, the worst being in 1663 the worst attack from pirates happened where they the city walls and destroyed just about everything and killed everyone in sight. The Spanish colonizers built the fortification walls and nine bastions which warded off most attacks.
Calle 59. Like NYC, Campeche is also on a grid system. ”This one long strip known as “Calle 59” or 59th Street” is the social hub of this small fortified colorful city. Blocked off by cars, this is a pedestrian area only, so you’ll often find visitors dining here alfresco. Dining Calle 59 is one of the best things to do in Campeche. There are tons of little restaurants to choose from that have seating out on the cobblestone streets, which is the best atmosphere in town.
We love “La Parilla Colonial” – it’s our favorite! Great place for “dinner at leisure” on Thursday night. Other great recs are: Marganzo Restaurante (have the black ceviche), Canek (great for the after-party too), La Palapa del Tío Fito, La Pigua, La Parroquia (for late night), El Rincón Colonial (will be Sunday brunch spot).