Valladolid, Mexico: Best Places to Visit with a Bike

Valladolid, Mexico is one of Tripadvisor’s Best Places to Visit and it’s not hard for us to see why! Valladolid is a charming city to visit. It has a rich history and many beautiful spots to enjoy during your time there. 

There is plenty to do and see while visiting Valladolid, including bike tours, museums, cathedrals, restaurants, and parks. Valladolid is also close to other popular nature and cultural destinations on the Yucatán Peninsula. For these reasons and more is why BRAG includes Valladolid in our upcoming Riviera Ma cycling trip in January.

Valladolid, Mexico is a colorful colonial town on the Yucatán Peninsula.

Valladolid is a beautiful colonial town in the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. The town was founded in 1543 by the nephew of Spanish conquistador Francisco de Montejo and was named after Valladolid, Spain, which was at the time the capital of Spain.

Locals in Valladolid, Mexico.

Today, Valladolid, Mexico is widely known as a popular tourist destination due to its historical architecture, vibrant streetscapes, and proximity to other amazing destinations. It has about 46,000 inhabitants.

Valladolid is an ideal base for visiting Chichen Itza and nearby cenotes.

If you want to get away from the crowds of Cancun and Talum, but still be close enough to explore Chichen-Itza and other natural wonders, Valladolid is the perfect place to base your journey. 

Chichen-Itza is a “Can’t Miss” destination on the Yucatan Peninsula.

Chichen-Itza is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, so it’s worth it to make the effort to visit. When you get there, don’t miss the pyramids at Kukulcan and El Castillo. These ancient structures are impressive and give you an idea of what life in this area must have been like centuries ago. BRAG Riviera Maya in January features a bike ride to Chichen-Itza.

Also nearby to Valladolid are plenty of cenotes for swimming, hiking, and picnicking in nature’s beauty. Cenotes are natural sinkholes that formed when limestone was dissolved over thousands of years by acidic rainwater percolating through the rock below ground level.

We visit a couple of different cenotes during the BRAG Mexico trip in January. During our time in Valladolid, we first travel to Cenote Secreto Maya where we swim and also learn to make an authentic Mayan tortilla meal. After lunch, we bike a few short miles to Cenote Xcanahaltun to cool off and relax. After the cool waters of the underground river have lowered our temperatures enough, we bike into the city of Valladolid.

Valladolid Cenotes are Yucatan’s best kept secrets.

These beautiful hidden cenotes are popular spots in Mexico for swimming or snorkeling — especially among divers because they often feature underwater tunnels that lead to other caverns deep within the earth.

Valladolid is a great place to explore by bike.

​​Valladolid is a very walkable city. You can easily get around on foot, or use the bus system to see even more of the city and surrounding areas. Alternatively, a bike ride through Valladolid’s historic downtown streets provides the best perspective of Valladolid’s most famous landmarks while you cover a lot of ground. 

Bike riding streets in Valladolid.

You can take advantage of the city’s great bike trails. Valladolid is a bike mecca. The city’s extensive network of bike paths gets you out into nature while still you close to downtown, where you’ll find plenty of hotels and restaurants that cater to cyclists. 

Our bike tours on the BRAG Riviera Maya trip are led by local guides who are well-versed in the history of Valladolid and its surrounding area, so you’ll learn about everything from its colonial past to modern politics. You’ll also get exercise while seeing all that this wonderful city has to offer!

Colorful street decorations can be found throughout Valladolid.

Valladolid is a beautiful city with a lot of history and is a great jumping-off point for adventures in the surrounding areas. We love to visit Valladolid because there is always something new to discover. We know that you can fall in love with Valladolid too!

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