Campeche Campeche Mexico
Frequently Asked Questions
At Seybaplaya, about thirty kilometres south of the old city. The Gulf waters off Campeche itself are too shallow, so only smaller vessels come in. Allow roughly thirty minutes by road along a low coast dotted with fishing boats.
By ship shuttle or organised excursion, which is simplest given the thirty kilometres between Seybaplaya and the walls. Taxis are possible but not plentiful at the port: arrange your return in advance.
The bastions and pedestrian calle 59 in the morning, the main square and cathedral, then Fort San Miguel for archaeology and the view over the Gulf. Once the shuttle drops you off, the historic centre is entirely walkable.
For its fortified historic centre, inscribed by UNESCO in 1999. Repeatedly sacked by pirates in the 17th century, the city walled itself in, and eight bastions, monumental gates and long stretches of rampart still stand.
The eight squat bastions that still ring the colonial core. Soledad houses a museum of Maya architecture, Santiago a botanical garden where kapok trees and medicinal plants grow among the defensive stones. Between the Puerta de Mar and the Puerta de Tierra you can trace the old defences.
The archaeology of Campeche state, including the famous jade funerary masks unearthed at Calakmul. The 18th-century fort, complete with moat and drawbridge, watches over the Gulf from a rise south of the city, and the view makes plain why the cannon pointed seaward.
Yes, but you have to choose. The Maya site and its Building of the Five Storeys lie about fifty kilometres inland, and the outing takes half a day including transport. Combining Edzná with the old city in one call is not realistic.
The Mexican peso. Cards work well in the historic centre, far less so in the markets: keep cash for stalls and street food.
Spanish, with Yucatec Maya still spoken in the region. English is not widely used outside tourist sites: Campeche receives few ships and is not geared to large crowds.
Walk the ramparts early and save the air-conditioned museums for midday. Gulf heat builds hard by late morning and shade is scarce on the bastions.
