tour to Merida?

We are debating between doing the Autoprogresso tour to Merida and just riding their bus up and touring on our own. Our concern with the tour is that they only allow an hour on our own. Is that enough time to eat lunch and shop? Thanks.

No it isn't. We have decided to "self tour" and eat lunch in Merida on our own. We are going to catch the Autoprogresso bus to and from the port, as that will give us the most time to shop, eat, and enjoy.

We got a private cab to Merida for $70 total for 4 of us.. Fernando , our driver, took us there , and waited for us..To me this is the only way to go, as you can do as you like, stop for beer on the way,etc.WE visited the square, where we had lunch also in a restaurant overlooking the square.Fernando was a super great driver and guide. We tipped him $20 and you would have thought he went to heaven.

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Is there a walking map to use to make the town tour easier?

AS far as the square area where I think most of the tours go , it is pretty simple. We walked all over with no map, no problems.

Is there only one restaurant overlooking the square or do you know the name of it and what did you eat? The picture looks delicious.

I wish I could remember what the dish was on the menu...It was basically tortilla, beans , meat, and guacamole, but it was really good. However they seasoned it was a lot of it.The restaurant I believe, was on the northwest corner of the square. Fernando, our driver told us about it. I wish I were more help..I don't remember seeing another with an upstairs. We had a couple of beers each, the four of us,and the food, and I think it ran around $40 total. It was a really nice place to sit , as it rained some, and was a really nice view.

Is there a walking map to use to make the town tour easier?

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We are debating between doing the Autoprogresso tour to Merida and just riding their bus up and touring on our own. Our concern with the tour is that they only allow an hour on our own. Is that enough time to eat lunch and shop? Thanks.

We were just there on December 19 and faced the same decision, which to do. After talking to a couple of reps from AP and getting pretty straight answers, we decided to take the AP Tour of Merida. Our tour only had six people total on it, as a result we did the tour in an air-conditioned van (it was 88 that day). Think of the tour as giving you a sampler of what the entire city of Merida is about. We got the history of the area as we headed into the city and then got the history of the growth of Merida as we entered the city. We were able to see many of the Spanish colonial mansions that are have either been refurbished to their glory or are in total disarray. Because we were in a van we were also able to go down some streets that normally you would not have seen, including the large market places. Of course, we hit all the tourist places on our way in. Once in the city center, we took a brief tour of the Cathedral, there as a service going on, and then we were released on our own. We had time for lunch and time to walk the entire city center, at least 2 hours.

The next time we are in Progreso, we plan on hiring a cab to go back to Merida and hit some of the places we saw, similar to what CENTEX did. BTW, I believe the restaurant that they ate in is called Banderas. Also, when you are in the city center make sure you do not miss Helados Colon for the hands down best sorbet you will ever have, they have been making it since 1907. When its hot, the Limon really hits it.

Either way have a great cruise and visit to Merida!

. After talking to a couple of reps from AP and getting pretty straight answers, we decided to take the AP Tour of Merida.

Thanks for all that info! How did you initiate the contact with the AP reps? Did you set this up before the cruise, or was it done on the spot? Thanks!

Thanks for all that info! How did you initiate the contact with the AP reps? Did you set this up before the cruise, or was it done on the spot? Thanks!

We did it when we got to Progreso. We also got off the ship early so that we could walk around Progreso for a while, before it gets crazy.

When you get off the ship, you'll walk through a shopping area to get to the buses that take you to Progreso (The pier is about 4 miles long). When you reach the buses there will be a couple of AP reps there selling their tours, you can talk to them for their opinions. Once the bus gets you to Progreso an AP rep will give a short sell on their tours and then when you get off the bus there will be four or so AP reps there taking reservations and answering questions. Funny side, when we asked one of the women about taking the AP bus to Merida (it runs all day everyday), she looked at us kind of funny and said, "You want to take the bus we take home?"

Have a great trip.

Is there a walking map to use to make the town tour easier?

Here is a good map of the central plaza (Plaza Mayor) area with some of the landmarks. AP's bus depot is down in the left corner, its a short walk. The city is very safe.

PM, is there any way to post a link to that map? I would like to print it full size, thanks!

I saved the map to my computer and then enlarged it and printed it out. It worked well. Thanks so much everyone for this information. We are leaving on the 12th and can't wait! I think with this information, we should be able to find that restaurant fairly easily. I guess we will just wait to book our autoprogresso tour when we get there.

PM, is there any way to post a link to that map? I would like to print it full size, thanks!

Here is a link to my Picasa Merida Album. The map is in there. Have fun everyone!

Merida

Thank you for the map and the link to your pics. I think this is exactly what we willing be doing when we go in March.

Thank you PM!

There is a our on AP website called "walking tour of Merida" for $10 for adults and $5 for kids. They give you a map and phone number in case you need assistance. It says their buses return to port every 10 mins so you can go back whenever you want. I like the time frame on this one and the fact that we will have more time in the city to do what we want. This is what we will be doing in March.

Question~~ Has anyone paid in advance thru AP and has anyone noticed if the prices go up when you purchase at port??

Will be right behind you doing the exact same thing in April. Hope to see you at Al T's on the 30th! Lets talk some cruizin' !

Will be right behind you doing the exact same thing in April. Hope to see you at Al T's on the 30th! Lets talk some cruizin' !

It would have to be on the 29th for Al T's for supper maybe. Hope to be eating lunch on the lido deck on the 30th

We just returned and decided on the guided tour. We were so glad we did. Our guide was great and gave a lot of information. Plus, if we had not taken the tour, we feel we would have missed a lot. Merida is a lot bigger than we thought it would be. The bus also dropped us off at the ship instead of in the town.

Did you have an opportunity to go shopping or eat while in town?

Is it easier to take a taxi to Merida and do your own thing. Then when you're ready to leave catch another taxi back?

Is it easier to take a taxi to Merida and do your own thing. Then when you're ready to leave catch another taxi back?

Check out AP website. It has a tour for $10pp. Called the Merida walking your. They bring from Progresso to Merida and you walk around on your own and whenever you are ready you just go back to their bus area and they bring you back. Check out the website, it explains it all.

I wish I could remember what the dish was on the menu...It was basically tortilla, beans , meat, and guacamole, but it was really good. However they seasoned it was a lot of it.The restaurant I believe, was on the northwest corner of the square. Fernando, our driver told us about it. I wish I were more help..I don't remember seeing another with an upstairs. We had a couple of beers each, the four of us,and the food, and I think it ran around $40 total. It was a really nice place to sit , as it rained some, and was a really nice view.

I'm glad to see Plaza Serenata Restaurant is still there...at least that's what it was called in 2007. We went there and sat at the same table back in 2007 and had a wonderful lunch and Margaritas. We haven't decided yet what we're going to be doing this August but I'm sure if we go to Merida again we'll be stopping by there again.

Is there only one restaurant overlooking the square or do you know the name of it and what did you eat? The picture looks delicious.

Plaza Serenata is what the restaurant was called in 2007. Trip Advisor makes me believe that's still the name.