"Road trip to Chetumal" Top 5 Page for this destination Chetumal by Redlats

Chetumal Travel Guide: 27 reviews and 71 photos

We went on a three-day road trip to Chetumal. A group trip was being arranged by someone in our community in Progreso, and by the time we left, there were 23 people from Progreso on the bus to Chetumal.

Chetumal is in the southeast corner of the Yucatan peninsula. It is in the state of Quintana Roo (same state that Cancun is in); in fact Chetumal is the capital. The city is a coastal town of 250,000 people on the border with the neighbouring country of Belize. In fact Mexicans travel to Chetumal to visit the duty-free zone. Chetumal itself seems to have limitless retail which seems to be open til late at night.

Chetumal seems different than the other cities we have seen in the Yucatan. The people are more mixed – Caribbean, Lebanese and Asian. Even the city downtown felt different. We did not see a central plaza like normal, and there were no colonial buildings.

Painting in the Mayan Cultural Museum

The people that arranged our bus tour had never arranged a tour before. As a result, there were a few snafus. For instance, they thought the bus would have washrooms -- but it didn't. It is a long way from Progreso -- normally a five hour drive -- it took us seven. Four potty-stops. It also means that we only had a day and a half in Chetumal. We had enough time to gamble and shop in the duty-free zone, to wander the streets of Chetumal, to visit the Mayan Culture Museum and to stop by Bacalar on the way home.

street map of Chetumal

Unfortunately, due to our short visit, we missed out on the Mayan sites in southern Quintana Roo.

Pros and Cons

In a nutshell:A little different that other cities in the Yucatan

Last visit to Chetumal: Feb 2006
Intro Updated Apr 5, 2006
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Reviews (9)

Painting inside the Mayan Museum - Chetumal

Mayan Cultural Museum - my impressions Things to Do (8)

The Mayan Museum is highly touted. I kept reading that it is modern, interactive, has a variety of platforms -- videos,... more travel advice

Hotel Real Azteca business card - Chetumal

Cheap hotel Hotels (1)

We stayed two days at Hotel Real Azteca (which is right next to the Mayan Museum). The hotel has rooms with two beds and... more travel advice

Walk the downtown Things to Do (8)

Chetumal's economy is influenced by its proximity to the Mexico-Belize border. That is the reason we visited -- It was... more travel advice

Chetumal Malecon Things to Do (8)

We enjoyed walking after sunset. During the day, it is quite hot in Chetumal. Hot enough that we usually had a siesta -... more travel advice

Comments (2)

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LoriPori Jul 21, 2008 at 5:38 AM

Interesting trip to Chetumal. But seven hours on a bus! Yikes! Thanks for visiting my London, Ontario page. Enjoy your time there.
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Bwana_Brown Apr 2, 2006 at 7:25 AM

Nice tips Lats! I was wondering what it was like in the southern part of Q Roo. You've got the right idea for vacations, keep moving around to see something different instead of a steady beach diet!!