Turibus

New in Merida are two new double-decker tourist buses called "Turibus." Similar to buses used in London, Madrid, New York and Mexico City, these buses are a great way to see Merida in one hour. Or, you can use it to visit five designated stops around the city on your own time schedule. With the "get on and get off" option, you can get off at the designated stops, visit the area for almost as long as you want, then get back on to continue the route. The buses stop every 30 minutes between 8:30 AM and 10:00 PM.

Onboard the bus, you can sit upstairs in the 50 open-air seats or downstairs in the enclosed area where there are 21 seats. You will be given earphones plugged into a panel that offer four different language options: Spanish, English, French and Italian.

The route starts in the north part of town at 8:30 AM near the hotels Fiesta Americana, Holiday Inn and Hyatt. It then travels south along the Paseo de Montejo (Merida's elegant mansion-lined boulevard), heading toward the Main Plaza.

The next stop will be in front of the Cathedral at the Plaza Grande or Zocalo. Here you can get off the bus and explore the entire Plaza Grande and all the important buildings surrounding the beautiful tree-studded square. The route then heads north toward the Paseo de Montejo and the second stop is across the street from the Anthropological Museum.
Get off here to visit the museum. (Remember, the museum is closed on Mondays.)

The route continues north along tree-lined avenues and into neighborhoods towards the third stop, the main church in the Itzimna neighborhood. Here you will find a charming 15th century church and some shopping on the square.

The fourth stop on the route is the Gran Plaza shopping mall, Merida's largest two floor mall that has more than 200 stores including Sears, Comercial Mexicana (a grocery store), Nine West, Zara, Mundo Deportivo, Sanborn's (an upscale coffee shop), Joyeria Ramos, Berlitz, Mix Up and Hallmark.

There are also 12 movie theaters and one VIP theater. The VIP Theatre at Hollywood Cinema in the Gran Plaza is a real treat for tired feet. Pay $80 pesos to see a popular movie while relaxing on your own upholstered lounge chair. The staff there will serve wine, beer, sushi or the usual movie fare of hot dogs, popcorn and soft drinks...right to your chair! Its the best seat in town to see a movie.

From here the bus will head south along the Prolongacion de Montejo till it reaches stop number five at the Monument to the Flag (or Bandera), the heart of the Paseo de Montejo.

The tour guide or host/hostess on the bus will mention 33 different sights, complete with explanations and details. These sights include famous homes and buildings, parks, churches, government buildings and shopping areas. They will also give you a useful coupon booklet, and are available to answer any questions that you may have about Merida.

The trip ends back where it started at the hotels Hyatt, Holiday Inn and Fiesta Americana. The cost for one ticket will be $100 pesos.

In addition to the Turibus, there is an open-air tour bus currently operating from Santa Lucia Park in the centro. Click here for more information.