Campeche

Restaurante Bar Solë

This restaurant bar is located on the seafront and is a favorite haunt among locals because of its laidback and informal atmosphere. On the weekend it usually closes late after a night of live music and karaoke for more the extrovert. Its menu includes traditional Mexican dishes along with cocktails and other drinks.

Malecón de la ciudad. Tel: 811 53 57

Laffite’s

This night club, located in Hotel del Mar, is a great way to spend the night. It serves a broad range of drinks, including cocktails, and plays the very latest dance tracks in a casual setting.

 Boulevard Café, interior Hotel del Mar, Av. Ruiz Cortinez. Tel. 01 (981) 622 33

La Pigua

Seafood is an absolute must when you visit this port and this restaurant serves a range of local seafood dishes in a stylish and friendly setting. The delicacies include squid, prawns, whelks, octopus, fish and caviar, all prepared by La Pigua’s expert chef. The restaurant’s decoration includes a number of paintings and photographs, in an ambience characterized by soft colors and wood finishes. This pleasant location is a great place for sampling the exquisite seafood of Campeche.

Av. Miguel Alemán no. 179A, Campeche, Camp. Tel: 981/811-3365. www.lapigua.com.mx

Casa Vieja

This restaurant, the oldest in town, was built in the colonial style with arches to bring out its local character, and offers a selection of Mexican and Caribbean cuisine. Its terrace affords an outstanding view of the cathedral and square, while the decoration gives its name meaning (Casa Vieja is “Old House” in Spanish) with the wonderful old Mexican and Central American handcrafted items and ornaments. Its subtle lighting at night makes it ideal for a romantic and sensual dinner set to the sound of jazz.

Calle 10 no. 319, Campeche, Camp. Tel: 981/811-1311 

Cenaduría Portales

Cenaduría Portales, one of the most popular restaurants in Campeche, offers the traditional home-made cooking of this part of the country at very affordable prices and without any excessive pomp or ceremony. It stands under the arches in front of Plaza San Francisco offering a typical range of local fare such as sincronizadas, panuchos and turkey soup.

Calle 10 no. 86, Portales San Francisco, Campeche, Camp.  Tel: 981/811-1491

Hacienda Puerta Campeche

The Seventeenth Century colonial houses that comprise this first class hotel in front of Puerta de Tierra were refurbished to provide the most exclusive accommodation in town. Its suites and rooms flank the swimming pool and gardens. The floors of the rooms consist of tiles, while hooks for hanging hammocks have been driven in its thick stone walls. On the outside, its walls are interspersed by arches and painted in soft tones.

Calle 59 71, Campeche, Camp, 24000. Tel: 981/816-750

Hotel Francis Drake

This small three-floor hotel, named after one of the most famous pirates in history, is located in the Historic Center and provides an affordable alternative to the big luxury hotels. The medium-sized rooms are decorated in a fun and pleasant style, while the suites are more spacious with stylish decorations and furniture.

 Calle 12 no. 207, Campeche, Camp, 24000. Tel: 981/811-5626; 981/811-5627

Hotel del Mar

This hotel boasts a magnificent view of the Gulf of Mexico. Its facilities and services are excellent and include a restaurant and cafeteria with a terrace that are ideal for a romantic dinner. It is decorated in a vibrant and comfortable style, and its spacious rooms feature king size or double beds (in the case of double rooms). The hotel also has a swimming pool, a gym, sauna, business center, nursery, laundry service, car hire and even tours to Edzná.

 Av. Ruiz Cortines 51, Campeche, Camp, 24000. Tel: 981/811-9192; 981/811-9193

Catedral

The first foundations of this World Heritage site were laid down in limestone and pebbles and crowned by a palm roof. Building work first began in 1540 but it has since undergone numerous refurbishments and extensions, the main ones taking place in 1650, 1758 and 1850. The current architecture of the façade is neoclassic with carved stone. The nave is divided by freestone arches with the presbytery standing at the end with the main altar above it in the form of a pyramid surrounded by cherubim-shaped lamps. The floor and some of the altarpieces are made of marble, while some of the walls and platforms feature the famous tiles of Puebla. The perfect symmetry of the cathedral can be appreciated in a frontal view of the towers from the plaza.

Calle 55, entre Calles 8 y 10 (next to the Plaza Principal or Main Square), Centro Histórico, Ciudad de Campeche

San Miguel Fort

This colonial fort stands at the top of a hill and houses the Archaeological Museum of Campeche with its collection of Mayan artifacts. It is one of the city’s typical forts, like the San José el Alto Fort, where it is quite easy to imagine the roaring of cannon next to the towers whenever a pirate ship strayed too close to the port for comfort. Now that the cannon are silent, the stunning view of the sea, which seems to merge into the sky and moist air of the coast, is perhaps the main attraction of the fort, along with the museum.

Escénica s/n, Campeche, Campeche

Casa de las Artesanías de Tukulná

This handcraft store sells items made from a whole array of materials such as ceramics from Tepakén, palm, hammocks, hats made from leaves known as jipijapa, top quality dresses, as well as objects carved from stone, wood and bull’s horns. This is the ideal place for finding out about creative expression in Campeche.

 Calle 10 no. 333, Campeche, Camp. Tel: 981/816-9088. www.tukulna.com/

Edzná

This Mayan archaeological site was one of the region’s most important cities during the late classic period. It is strategically located in a valley where this civilization used water for agriculture. The Mayas built a hydraulic system using sluices that drained the valley after it had been flooded by heavy downpours, channeling the water into a lake or using it for irrigation. But this ancient city is known more for its religious buildings. The main one is a five-floor pyramidal structure raised on a 40-meter platform, which affords a spectacular view of the lush green surrounding landscape with contrasting tones brought to life by the sunlight filtering through the trees alongside the shadows produced. Some of the walls still bear the remains of hieroglyphs engraved by the Mayans, and the plaza houses monuments dedicated to the gods and political leaders of this great civilization.