Campeche City

Campeche earned its United Nations World Heritage designation primarily for its network of city walls, bastions [1], and forts [2], and visiting them is high on travelers’ lists; most have been meticulously restored and contain small but excellent museums.

It’s also worth just wandering around the central plaza and city center, where you’ll find a number of historical churches and buildings worth peeking into, and can soak in the colorful facades and cobble-stoned streets along the way.

Getting There

Campeche City is on the Gulf Coast, 190 kilometers (118 miles) southwest of Mérida [3], and is a natural stopover on your way to (or from) the states of Chiapas [4] or Tabasco [5].

By Air: Campeche’s tiny airport, Aeropuerto Internacional de Campeche Alberto Acuña Ongay (CPE, Carr. Campeche-Chiná, tel. 981/816-5678) lies about two kilometers (1.25 miles) northeast of the city. There are no convenient bus routes to or from the airport. To get there, a taxi costs about US$8 and takes about 15 minutes; from the airport, taxis meet most flights and charge a bit more.

Aeroméxico (airport tel. 981/816-3109, toll-free Mex. tel. 800/021-4010, www.aeromexico.com [6]) is the only airline regularly serving Campeche City.

By Bus: Campeche has two bus terminals—the first-class ADO station, known as la terminal nueva (the new terminal) and the second-class station, known as la terminal antigua (the old terminal). There’s also a stop for Autobuses Ejidales, which has service to Edzná archaeological site [7].

By Car: Two good highways link Campeche City and Mérida [3]. Highway 180 is known as the vía corta (the short route) and goes north from Campeche through Hecelchakán [8], Bécal, and Umán, while Highway 261 is known as vía larga (the long route) because it veers east through Hopelchen and then north through Santa Elena [9] and the Puuc region [10]. Driving time is about the same (2–2.5 hours) their monikers notwithstanding. If you’re driving to Uxmal [11] and the Puuc region [10] (and aren’t planning to stop at Edzná [7]), take Highway 180 to Hecelchacán and cut across to Highway 261. With fewer towns to pass through, you’ll save about 45 minutes.

South from Campeche, you can take Highway 180-Cuota (toll road) or Highway 180-Libre (free road). The former is a wide, fast highway and costs US$4.75; the latter goes nearer the ocean (but not always right alongside it) and passes through several small towns with their ubiquitous speed bumps. At Champotón, you can continue on Highway 180 to Tabasco [5] state, or take Highway 261 farther south to Escárcega [12], where you turn right for Palenque [13] and the highlands of Chiapas [4] or left for Calakmul [14] and eventually the Caribbean coast.