17 iconic Instagram spots in Valladolid, Mexico
Let’s discover the most iconic Instagram spots in Valladolid, Mexico! The picturesque city surprised us with its colorful streets, majestic colonial architecture, mysterious underground cenotes, and ancient Mayan archaeological sites.
We stayed for three weeks in Valladolid thoroughly exploring all the beautiful places in the city and the surrounding area. From pink lakes in the North to yellow town in the West, and turquoise cenotes scattered around, Valladolid truly had it all!
In this post, you will find the best Instagram spots in Valladolid with descriptions, photos, and locations on Google Maps. You truly don’t have to look far for picturesque and charming photo spots – Valladolid is full of them! Happy exploring!
Read more » 10 most beautiful cenotes near Valladolid, Mexico
1. Temple of Kukulcan in Chichén Itzá
Have you really been to the Yucatan Peninsula if you haven’t visited the world-famous Chichen Itzá? It is the most famous archaeological site in the Yucatán Peninsula and amongst the top things to do and see in Mexico.
It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was voted as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007. Historically Chichen Itzá was one of the largest Mayan cities dating back to 600 AC.
Chichen Itza gets incredibly crowded during the day so for the perfect photo I recommend arriving in the morning before the opening time and waiting in line before they open the ticket office (it is what we did).
The most famous Instagram spot here is the Temple of Kukulcan or the great pyramid which is also known as El Castillo (the castle). The pyramid with the temple on top is 30 meters high and was built sometime between the 8th and 12th centuries.
For the best photo angle try to find a spot away from the pyramid. Most visitors will run to the pyramid up close so you will have tons of people in the photo. Although we were amongst the first ones inside, the area filled up with people very quickly.
For that reason, I recommend backing away from the pyramid straight away. When you back away the crowd will look small and you can create a more beautiful photo composition from afar like my photo examples.
Besides the Chichen Itza pyramid, other structures nearby include the Temple of the Warriors with a group of a thousand columns around it, the Temple of the Great Tables, the Ballcourt, and the Eagles and Jaguars platform.
A little bit further away you will find one of my favorite buildings – El Caracol (the snail) which is a Mayan observatory dating back to the 10th century. Next to it, there is a building complex – Las Monjas – boasting an extravagant Puuc architectural style.
Visiting the Chichen Itza pyramid site is one of the bucket list things to do in the Yucatán Peninsula. It comes with its challenges – the site is a popular destination and always gets crowded so I recommend arriving first thing in the morning.
The site opens at 8 AM, the parking next to the entrance opens at 7:30 AM. We arrived even before that so that we could be amongst the first ones in. At 8 AM there was already a long line of people so it is best if you have a car and can arrive early.
For parking, we paid more than 100 pesos (in cash) but for the entrance fee (by card) we paid more than a staggering 620 pesos each. If you want, you can hire a guide on the spot (extra fee) who will tell you the history and take you all around the site.
Location: Chichén Itzá
2. Valladolid letters at Convento de San Bernardino
One of the must-visit Instagram spots in Valladolid, Mexico is the charming photo spot of the colorful Valladolid letters in Parque Sisal park in front of the Convent of San Bernardino de Siena.
Colorful letters depicting the name of the municipality are a thing all around the Yucatan Peninsula and you will find them in basically every little town or village. Valladolid letters are especially photogenic and iconic, don’t you think?
Location: Valladolid letters
3. The colorful Calzada de los Frailes street
Calzada de los Frailes (Friars Causeway from Spanish) was one of my favorite places to visit in Valladolid, Mexico. Historically this street was built to separate the Mayan communities from the Spanish people.
Valladolid is one of the most charming colorful cities in the Yucatan Peninsula in this street is a true testament to that. Built in 1801, the little street is dotted with colorful and photogenic houses and doorways.
If you have time, I highly recommend walking this charming street all the way from one end to the other. It starts just two blocks away from the main square and ends about 600 meters later at Parque Sisal park.
If you stay somewhere in the center of Valladolid then you can combine a visit to this street with a visit to the iconic Convent of San Bernardino de Siena as well as Valladolid letters located in the same park in front of the convent.
We actually had a rental car so we drove to the parking lot next to the park and then walked all the street there to the starting point and then back to the park while stopping by the cutest doors and Instagrammable spots along the way.
Overall this street was only one of the colorful Instagram spots in Valladolid. Because we stayed in Valladolid for three weeks we got to explore many cute spots around the city. Read further to find other iconic streets in Valladolid, Mexico!
Location: Calzada de los Frailes
4. Cenote Suytun
Cenote Suytun is one of the most iconic cenotes near Valladolid, Mexico, and the whole Yucatan Peninsula. Nowhere else you will find a stone pathway leading into the middle of a large underground cenote with a hole in the ceiling right above it.
If you time your visit right, there will be a light beam shining through the hole and illuminating the whole place. Or maybe it will shine right onto the stone platform. We arrived in the morning so we did not see the light beam.
Cenote Suytun is one of the best Instagram spots in Valladolid and one of the most Instagrammable places in the Yucatan Peninsula. You have probably seen this sight with the stone platform and a stalactite hanging from above all over the internet, right?
Entrance to the cenote was 250 pesos per person when we visited. It is part of a building complex that includes a hotel, a restaurant, different facilities, and also another cenote (we did not visit the other cenote).
Once you enter the cenote there is a guard that meets you and asks you to leave your shoes before you walk on the stone pathway. We were alone there but I have heard that time for taking photos is limited if there are other people waiting in line.
It is also a nice place to go for a swim but might be a bit off-putting if there are crowds of people constantly taking photos of the cenote. But overall I loved the uniqueness of this cenote plus it is located just a short 10-minute drive from Valladolid!
Tip! We visited this cenote on March 9th and the stone platform was dry. However, the water level can be higher or completely cover the platform after rainy periods. The best way to make sure how it looks is by checking recent reviews on Google Maps.
Location: Cenote Suytun
5. Convento de San Bernardino de Siena
Don’t you just love when must-see places in cities are also highly Instagrammable places? I know I do. Exploring new places and taking beautiful iconic photos along the way is my kind of thing.
Convento de San Bernardino de Siena convent in Valladolid, Mexico is just the place for that. The iconic convent was built and founded in the middle of the 16th century by the Franciscan order who arrived at Yucatan after the Spanish conquest.
The convent boasts a beautiful long arched hallway that leads into the church decorated with a gilded wooden altarpiece. Visit to the church is free but entrance to the convent was 40 pesos per person when we visited (through a separate door).
I highly recommend visiting the inside of the convent. You get to explore a courtyard, see exhibitions of artifacts found on the ground of the convent, climb up to the upper floor, and learn about the waterwheel and cenotes under the convent.
The hallways connected to the courtyard are painted bright pinkish-red making for a cool color-popping photo spot. We spent about 40 minutes walking around the convent and exploring every room and hall. Don’t forget to walk outside in the garden!
Out of seven convents built by the Franciscans all around the Yucatan Peninsula, Convento de San Bernardino de Siena is the second-largest convent of them all. Only the one built in the Yellow City Izamal is bigger than this one.
This convent served for the purposes of the evangelization of the Mayans but it is no longer functioning now. Today it is one of the oldest and most emblematic buildings in Valladolid, Mexico.
Did you know? The convent comes alive at night. Every evening you can watch a colorful video projecting show on the walls of the convent telling a story of the history of Valladolid. Worth checking out if you are nearby!
Location: Convento de San Bernardino de Siena
6. Pink salt lakes at Las Coloradas
The bright pink salt lakes Las Coloradas is one of the most beautiful places in the Yucatán Peninsula! The lakes are one of the most popular day trips from Valladolid located just a 2-hour drive away from the city!
However, visiting this place is also a bit of a game of luck. Before coming here I studied all the reviews on Google Maps and felt really conflicted. It is a decent drive and to go there and to not get what I wanted would be a disappointment.
But we decided to go and somehow managed to arrive here on the perfect day with the best weather conditions (we visited on February 4th). It was sunny, no clouds, and the lake was screaming pink color at us! So what is the best time to come here?
The lakes won’t be pink if there was a storm or a lot of rain over the previous days, you will see a bright pink color only on sunny days (no clouds) and the best angle of the sun will be around midday. And a little bit of wind will make the color pop!
So how to get there? The right place to go is marked on Google Maps as Las Coloradas Parque Turistico. There you will find the ticket office, the observation tower, and the entrance to the pink salt lagoons.
Shortly before arriving, we were met with a group of guides who stopped us and one of them took us to the ticket office. Don’t be scared of them, haha! You can’t visit the lagoons on your own so you need one of those guides anyways!
After you have chosen a guide, you will then have to drive to the ticket office and pay for the entrance. There are three options – you can do a walking tour, you can do a bicycle tour, or a safari tour by car. All have different prices and lengths.
We chose the cheapest option (~350 pesos per person) and went on a walking tour with the same guide that picked us. At first, we climbed the observation tower and then walked by a road along the pink lake. The tour lasts about 45 minutes.
While the guide tells you stories about the place, you are allowed to take as many pictures as you like. There are different photo spots along the way. But you are not allowed to touch the water or swim there.
After the tour, the guide asked for a tip which is meant as payment for his service. Overall we really liked visiting Las Coloradas. However, I highly recommend checking out the latest reviews on Google Maps before you come!
Take into account that they usually harvest salt here around late July to August and the pink color is less visible. The guide also told us that after one hurricane the lake lost its pink color for a whole year so better make sure it’s worth coming!
You should also know that the lake is not natural. It is a pink pond owned by a large company that produces salt and you can’t see much of it unless you pay for the guided visit. Yes, it is very commercialized but I wouldn’t say I was disappointed.
Location: Las Coloradas
7. Parque Principal de Valladolid
If there is one place you must visit in Valladolid it is the main square – Parque Principal de Valladolid. We spent countless afternoons and nights around the main square watching people dance, eating churros or just commuting to other places nearby.
Valladolid is a colonial town and was founded and built by the Spanish conquistadors. The city now sits in a place where there once was a Mayan city. Many historical buildings were built using stones from nearby Mayan sites including Chichen Itza.
The main square was created as a central space in the city and all the other infrastructure was planned and built around it. So if you go to the main square and walk around you will notice many important city buildings – market, church, town hall, etc.
The one that stands out the most is Templo de San Servacio or Church of San Servacio. It is a colonial church with two bell towers founded in the 16th century along the whole city but was remodeled in the 18th century. Definitely stop by!
The center of the main square proudly boasts a beautiful and ornate fountain with white metal benches surrounding it. A great place to people-watch and rest while eating one of those marquesitas, ice creams, or churros they sell in the park.
Location: Parque Principal de Valladolid – Templo de San Servacio
8. Convento de Santo Domingo in Uayma
Want to see one of the most off the beaten path places in the Yucatán Peninsula? Stop by the Convento de Santo Domingo in the town of Uayma just a 20-minute drive from Valladolid! It is one of my favorite Instagram spots near Valladolid!
The beautiful Convento de Santo Domingo is a former convent built by the Franciscans in the middle of the 17th century. It was built by using stones from Mayan sites, including from the nearby Chichén Itzá.
During the second half of the 19th century, the church was burned down during a Mayan rebellion. Only more than 100 years later the roofless church was finally restored and was officially reopened to the public in 2004.
The captivating building stands out with its unusual decorations – the white roses and stars symbolize the veneration of the Virgin Mary but the red color represents sacrifice and martyrdom. There is also a green color that symbolizes hope.
The front of the Uayma church also depicts a large headless eagle which is a symbol of the Franciscans who built the church. Over the last few years, this church has become a unique landmark in the Yucatán Peninsula thanks to its colors and symbols.
We visited this church on Saturday during a weekend trip around Valladolid. At 11 AM it was open and we could enter the inside of the church for donations. By the way, the entrance is from the sidestreet – Calle 21. The interior was beautiful but not as bright.
We also noticed another building on the corner of the Park of Uayma which was decorated with unique illustrations. Interestingly, we saw illustrations exactly like these in the old photos inside the convent. Could be another renovated historical building.
Overall there isn’t much to see in Uayma so don’t plan to spend the whole day here. I think we spent about 2 hours here taking photos and exploring the inside of the church as well as walking around the central park next to the church.
Location: Iglesia de Uayma
9. Cenote Saamal
Located just 5 kilometers from the center of Valladolid, Cenote Samaal is not only one of the most beautiful cenotes near Valladolid but also one of the closest. You can literally walk there on foot or easily get there by taxi or bicycle.
Cenote Samaal is one of those gorgeous semi-open cylindrical cenotes with crystal clear cool water and even a waterfall coming down from the top of the walls. Perfect place for a refreshing dip into the water!
Cenote Samaal is located within the grounds of Hacienda Selva Maya – a building complex of a rural estate that includes souvenir stores, a buffet-type restaurant, tequila tasting, and even a zip line. We paid 200 pesos per person for the entrance.
Overall this place felt like a magical garden – a jungle oasis. Just bear in mind that this cenote is a popular stop for tour buses so arrive early to skip crowds and to take those beautiful iconic Instagram photos in peace, haha!
Location: Cenote Saamal
10. The photo-perfect Calle 40 in Valladolid
Calle 40 street in Valladolid was another one of those iconic colorful streets full of photo-perfect corners. They do love their colors around here and this particular street was like a splash of a rainbow.
We explored this street when we visited the Museum of Ethnic Clothing of Mexico in Valladolid and the second time – when we stopped by for lunch in a nice restaurant on this street – Conato Valladolid. Check it out! It was good!
The best thing about this street is that you don’t have to walk far to find the cutest houses. We took all of the photos that I have added here within a distance of three blocks or around 300 meters.
To find these spots, start at the central square of Valladolid, then walk past the Casa de los Venados – one of the must-visit places in Valladolid – and continue on for three blocks up until Conato Valladolid restaurant.
If you look at both sides of the street you will find all the photos I have posted here (unless they change the color of their houses, haha). I especially loved those white ‘crowns’ they love to add above the doors and windows. So charming and cute!
Although this is one of the main streets in Valladolid, I noticed that it had a little bit less traffic than other similar main streets with colorful houses so it was easier to take photos here.
Location: Calle 40
11. La Casona de Valladolid
La Casona de Valladolid is a place of food and art – a unique place in the city center. Above all, it is a buffet-type restaurant where you pay a fixed sum of money and then you can eat and drink all you want from the buffet.
Although group tours often favor this restaurant, there is definitely enough space for plenty of people. We arrived here soon after it opened and got to experience it in peace with all the dishes, including tacos and cochinita pibil, all available to us.
La Casona de Valladolid is not only a place for eating and drinking. It also has a charming garden full of plants and art installations. The most impressive one is a large fountain and altarpiece (first photo).
The majestic altarpiece is 32 feet tall and took two years to create. It is dedicated to the Patron Saint of the city of Valladolid. The altarpiece is one of the most special and unique Instagram spots in Valladolid!
We visited La Casona de Valladolid because we wanted to eat so we paid for the entry (600 pesos each but you can eat as much as you want), but you can try to ask if it is possible to see the altarpiece without paying if you don’t want to eat there.
However, if you haven’t tried authentic Mexican dishes in Valladolid including dishes from Mayan cuisine I highly recommend visiting a place like this where you can try many different types of foods during the same meal.
Location: La Casona de Valladolid
12. Ek Balam Archaeological Zone
Ek Balam Mayan ruins is one of the most important sites in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. Let’s start with the best part about it – you can climb the Mayan ruins and pyramids! Not all of them but enough to enjoy amazing views over the jungle.
Them allowing us to climb the pyramids kind of offsets the massive entrance fee – we paid 550 pesos each plus 100 pesos for parking. Theoretically, you can pay by card (entrance fees) but because of the bad network, we ended up paying in cash.
There are plenty of Mayan ruins in the Yucatan Peninsula but Ek Balam is the closest to Valladolid – just 30 minutes by car. Ek Balam translates as the black jaguar in the Mayan language. That’s why you will see many black jaguar souvenirs on the site.
Ek Balam site features multiple impressive buildings and pyramids. The largest structure in Ek Balam is the Acropolis. It is like a temple pyramid with a staircase in the middle where you can climb up to the top to see incredible views over the jungle.
To both sides of the central staircase, you can find entrances to temples decorated with stone carvings and mosaics. They are believed to be burial places for Ek Balam rulers. One of the entrances depicts an open mouth of a jaguar (photo above).
Other notable structures in Ek Balam include the Oval Palace (you can climb it), the Entrance Arch, The Twins, or two lookalike temples, as well as the Ballcourt. Historically, Ek Balam was a booming city during the 8th and 9th centuries.
Ek Balam is amongst the last larger Mayan archaeological sites where you are allowed to climb the pyramids. Other larger sites where you can get panoramic views over the jungle are to the South towards Bacalar (like the Dzibanché Archaeological Zone).
Overall I liked exploring Ek Balam. It is always cool to see how the Mayan civilization lived before the Spanish found them. Plus you get to take iconic photos along the way – especially those views from above!
Location: Archaeological Zone of Ek Balam
13. Cenote Zaci in Valladolid
Cenote Zaci is a gorgeous cenote with blue water located in the center of Valladolid. Yes, right in the heart of the city a short walk from the main plaza! Valladolid is quite far from the sea so this cenote is the easiest way to get a refreshing swim for locals.
This beautiful cenote is also one of the cheapest places in the area – while we paid around 200 pesos each to enter the majority of other cenotes near Valladolid, Cenote Zaci only costs 60 pesos and a life jacket is included in the price.
Mind you that this cenote gets busy so they have put time restrictions for swimmers – when we visited, you were allowed to swim one hour for that entry fee. There were only a few people in the morning but it gets crowded later in the day.
I read online that if you arrive during the busy hours you are put on a waitlist to enter – you have to wait before others finish swimming (at least you know it won’t be longer than 1 hour). Using life jackets is mandatory in this cenote.
The cenote features beautiful stalactites hanging from above and small waterfalls with water falling right in the middle of the cenote. There is a pathway all around the cenote with jumping platforms in many places so you can explore it from all sides.
The cenote is partly covered with the ceiling hanging 29 meters above the water. Water itself is mostly 25 to 30 meters deep but reaches 100 meters in depth in some places. Cenote Zaci is one of the must-see places in Valladolid, Mexico!
Location: Cenote Zaci
14. Mexico’s Yellow City – Izamal
If you are up for an Instagram-photo-worthy day trip from Valladolid, then you should consider a trip to Mexico’s Yellow City – Izamal. It is located just a 1 h 30 min drive from Valladolid and will only take about 3 to 4 hours to explore.
The colonial town attracts visitors with its yellow color as all the buildings in the center of this magical town are painted yellow (no, not the entire town). We arrived at Izamal in the morning and spent there half a day exploring everything this town had to offer.
The most famous attraction in Izamal is the Convento de San Antonio convent sitting atop a hill in the heart of the city. Next to it, you will find the second-largest atrium in the world surrounded by a beautiful photo-perfect arcade all painted in yellow.
Other must-do things in Izamal include climbing Mayan pyramids – Kinich Kak Moo and Itzamatul, eating the yellow corn ice cream, visiting 5 de Mayo Park, and trying Mayan food at Restaurant Kinich. It was one of the best day trips we did from Valladolid!
Location: Convento de San Antonio in Izamal
15. Colorful Calle 41 and Calle 37
I also have to mention Calle 41 and Calle 37 amongst the most Instagrammable places in Valladolid! If you happen to be in the main square then you are just a few steps from the most joyous splash of colors!
Walk to the corner of the main square and Calle 41 and walk just one block toward La Casona de Valladolid restaurant located just one block away. You will find the most colorful houses in this short piece of street (see my photos)!
If you happen to arrive here early in the morning you might catch this street without much traffic or cars or motorbikes blocking the houses and it will look especially charming! Best place for the coolest photos!
Another one of my favorites was Calle 37. It is a street that goes parallel to Calle 41 street but on the other side of the main square. Because we walked this street so many times it kind of stuck in my mind, haha.
Of course, Calle 37 street is super long however, you don’t have to walk far to get to the cutest most colorful, and charming facades. All my photos were taken on Calle 37 between Calle 42 and Calle 38 so basically just two blocks.
I especially loved those charming little white crowns that they built above the doors and windows. It is something that has stuck here from the colonial-time architecture and how has been embraced by the locals. I saw this in other cities in Yucatan too.
During our stay in Valladolid, we stayed in a local apartment just outside the historic center, and, let me tell you, houses outside the center are not as colorful as these pastel houses in the heart of Valladolid. Quite the opposite, haha!
However, as the city grows and tourism becomes a thing here they are trying to make the city as attractive and appealing as possible so it makes sense. Valladolid is no longer just a stopping point after visiting Chichen Itza but has created its own worth.
16. Cenote Ik Kil
The photo-perfect Cenote Ik Kil is an oasis in the jungle! This cylindrical cenote is one of the most beautiful cenotes near Valladolid and one of the most visited places in the area. Especially thanks to its proximity to the famous Chichen Itza ruins.
The cenote stands out with its circular shape and 26-meter walls covered by hanging plants and tree roots. The cenote itself is 40 meters deep and served as a place for sacrifices for ancient Mayans a long time ago.
The cenote is located within the territory of a hotel and a restaurant so you can not only go for a swim here but buy a combined ticket that offers a buffet-type catering. That’s why it is a popular place amongst tour buses. Arrive early to avoid them!
Did you know? Ik Kil from Mayan means ‘place of the winds’.
We visited Ik Kil Cenote on the same day we went to Chichén Itzá. The entrance fee to the cenote was 200 pesos per person. At first, you can observe the cenote from above and then descend 90 steps through a tunnel to the water. It was gorgeous!
Location: Cenote Ik Kil
17. Coba Archaeological Zone
There are some more majestic Mayan ruins near Valladolid – Coba Archaeological Zone. The Mayan ruins are located just a 50-minute drive from Valladolid and make for a fantastic day trip to the ancient city in the jungle!
Coba ruins once were one of the most important ancient Mayan cities in the area. The archaeological site boasts multiple stone pyramids, temples, and other important structures. Those iconic pyramids are the best photo spots around here!
Entrance to the site is paid in different parts – parking and two different entrance fees, so don’t forget to bring some cash with you. All the buildings are pretty much scattered around the jungle so you can rent a bike there (we walked, it was ~5 kilometers).
One of the most impressive buildings is the temple pyramid Nohoch Mul. At 42 meters (137 feet) it is one of the highest Mayan structures in the Yucatán Peninsula. Only Calakmul in the State of Campeche is higher than the Coba pyramid.
Most of the structures in Coba date back to the 7th-10th centuries. Coba once was a large center of the Mayan civilization reaching 50 thousand inhabitants but was already abandoned by the 16th century during the Spanish conquest.
Although not long ago it was possible to climb the pyramid in Coba, it is no longer allowed. But the place still has its charm and I wasn’t too sad about it. It was fun walking the narrow paths through the jungle and finding Mayan ruins along the way!
Location: Coba Archaeological Zone – Parking lot
Happy exploring!
We stayed in the colorful Valladolid for three weeks so that we could explore the city as well as all the bucket list destinations around Valladolid, including the iconic Mayan ruins Chichén Itzá and Ek Balam as well as the numerous stunning cenotes.
Besides our stay in Valladolid, we also spent a couple of months traveling around the Yucatán Peninsula, including the states of Yucatán and Quintana Roo, and exploring everything this beautiful peninsula had to offer.
From white-sand beaches to dark underground cenotes, and ancient pyramids – there’s just so much to see! I hope you enjoy your time there as much as we did and I hope you get some travel inspiration from this blog post for your travels! Happy exploring!
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