Chetumal is the capital of Quintana Roo in Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. It is on the Bay of Chetumal, a sheltered inlet of the Caribbean Sea at the mouth of the Rio Hondo. This bay, together with the Rio Hondo, forms the border between Mexico and Belize.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons contributors.
Lying by the border of Belize, Chetumal is much more than a mere travel hub between Belize and Mexico. It offers many tourist attractions. English is fairly generalized, whereas Spanish happily coexists with Maya, Criole, Lebanese Arabic and an impressive set of the growing multinational population of the city. There is a bit more than 260,000 Chetumaleños. The City of Chetumal is the capital of the Free and Sovereign State of Quintana Roo, and the capital of the Municipio (County) of Othón P. Blanco. Othón P.
Taxis for a short hop cost about M$25-30 (April 2022). Buses to the border Depart from a small office on Av. Primo de Verdad between 16 de Septiembre and Miguel Hidalgo. It is walking distance from the Maya Museum and the cost is M$14 (Dec 2018).
1 The Museum of Mayan Culture (Museo de la Cultura Maya), Av. Héroes, in the corner of Mahatma Gandhi, ☏ +52 983 832 6838. Tu-Th Su 09:00-19:00, F Sa 09:00-20:00. Get to know the importance of the Yucatan peninsula's Mayan civilization, see many sculptures and scaled down versions of temples and palaces. Learn about the Mayan principal economic activities and how they are carried out while discovering the Mayan numerical system. You can also learn and use the Mayan calendar. 2 The Fine Arts Cultural Center (Centro Cultural de las Bellas Artes), Av. Héroes, in the corner of Chapultepec. Tu-Su 09:00-19:00. Located within the walls of the antique Belisario Dominguez school.
Bulebuzz (Leaves by the Mayan culture museum). Ride the Bulebuzz and see the city. Bulebuzz is a small bus that runs down the Avenida Héroes to Boulevard Bahía, which it covers fully. 1 Xul-Ha. 20 km away. A tranquil village at the very south of the Bacalar lake. You can take a colectivo heading to Puerto Carillo or a second class bus there. 2 Balneario Obregon Viejo. 50 km away. A natural water park right in the rain forest. 6 Combis to the Balneario Obregon Viejo are the ones in the direction of Rovirosa, cost around M$50 (April 2022) and take about 1 hour. You can also take the less frequent combis to La Union.
Typical local joints can be found here and there around the city. For fancier places go to Boulevard Bahía. The fishing village Calderitas' main economy is the restaurant industry and you can find a lot of good seafood restaurants there. There is some street food in Chetumal, in the city center especially along the Av de los Héroes. 1 Hot Dogs Parque Del Queso 2. Tasty hot-dogs. Taste one that has cheese inside the sausage. Price starts at M$15 (April 2022) and includes some self-made crisps. 2 Hamburguesas Las Mismas. Very popular among locals. They serve tortas from M$30 (April 2022) which look different than elsewhere and hamburgers. 3 Taqueria El Almendro.
Also the bar scene of Chetumal is quite thin. Boulevard Bahía has some bars. El Horno Creativo: Biergarten Café (El Horno: Biergarten, café &Snacks), 17 Zaragoza Ave, Col Barrio Bravo,Chetumal, Quintana Roo CP 77098 (Corner with Isla Contoy Street (15 meters from Bahía Blvd)), ☏ +52 983 2853135. Tu-Su 20:00 - 02:00. The coffee beverage (cold or hot) that you prefer, prepared according to quality standards of Cafetería La Barra, Mexico City.; The genuine barrel beer at 2°C, as in the famous German beer gardens (biergartens); Snacks, with original recipes of El Horno Creativo (Buffalo chicken wings, roasted ribs, tacos al pastor)
Chetumal is quite safe. Since there are not a lot of tourists, you can easily get through a week without anyone trying to fool you. Taxi drivers don't usually try to drive you into places more expensive than what you are looking for.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
In Aug, Chetumal typically sees ~32°C daytime highs and 20 rainy days.
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