Sips & Trips with Molly

The Chichén Itzá – one of the seven wonders of the world. A must see if you ever get the chance to visit Mexico. Learn about the Mayan history and imagine the space you are visiting all of those years ago.

Visiting this wonder needs to be on your bucket list & when you eventually visit this iconic site- it will be surreal.

What is the Chichén Itzá?

The Chichén Itzá is actually an ancient Mayan city located in the Yucatan state in Mexico. You usually think the pyramid is called Chichén Itzá but the whole city spreads around 4 square miles – it is huge.

It was a large pre-Columbian city built around AD 600, so you can imagine all of the history that this place has seen. Within the city you have the iconic pyramid which is called El Castillo, which is also called the Temple of Kukulcan. The buildings concept was to be the temple to the deity.

Other buildings to visit in the city are, the Temple of the Warriors which is a place where the Mayans could worship their gods and a place to carry out ceremonies. It has sketched into the columns drawings of the warriors. There is also the Great Ball Court where all of the games happened and this was very surreal to go to.

How to Get To the Chichén Itzá

There are different ways to get to the Chichén Itzá. We went by car from Valladolid. We rented a car from Cancun airport (the city is a 3 hour drive from here) and the drive from Valladolid was only 40 minutes. It is a super easy drive but watch out for people trying to scam you on the roads. When you get to the site, parking can be very busy but we managed to get a spot right at the entrance which we were lucky to do. You are looking around $80 pesos to park here which is super cheap.

There are also organised tours you can opt from which will drive you straight to the site and parking is sorted. This is one of the easiest options as some places might do pick up from your hotel, but they tend to be longer tours and if you prefer to stick to your own route then this might not be for you.

There are of course taxis and buses you can take to get to the Chichén Itzá but we found it really easy to get to.

How Much is Entry to the Chichén Itzá?

The price to enter the Chichén Itzá is $614 pesos – there are two separate payments which make up this price (or there’s a supplementary price added on – I can’t remember) but you are looking around £24 which is such a good price for what you get.

Tips for Visiting the Site

Buy a Water Bottle & a Fan

I found the heat at Chichén Itzá overwhelming because there is hardly any wind. You have to buy water in the site itself but you should definitely bring a fan to keep yourself cool. Shade from the trees help but when your reading information next to sites then you will be in the sun.

Grab Some Food

Depending on the time that you go, you might want to go and grab some food. From hot dogs to ice cream, there are stations which provide you with food and drink to keep yourselves energised. It’s pretty simple food but it’s all you need there & the prices were very reasonable.

There are Souvenir Stalls

You will find lots of souvenir shops within the site which I was surprised by. Again, prices were super cheap and there are different types of items being sold. You might find that you get shouted at for your attention just something to be aware of but the stalls we bought from we made an effort to get to know to show appreciation.

Visit a Cenote Nearby

There are some cenotes nearby to the Chichén Itzá that you can go visit. There are tours which combine the Chichén Itzá and a cenote. These tours tend to be between 4-8 hours so it can be long – you can do this separately if you prefer to visit both places on your own time. I will say, cenotes can get busy especially if its booked through a tour, we went to the Chichén Itzá earlier in the day so that the cenotes were quieter. Cenote Ik Kil is only 3km away and is extremely beautiful.

Visiting the Chichén Itzá is a must see when your in Mexico, it is a long way to go – especially from the UK so it is worth going to see one of the seven wonders of the world.

Prep your visit in advance as it is a day trip if you are visiting from Cancun, but take in the beauty of this archaeological site. It’s a once in a lifetime trip.