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Major city · Mexico

Sisal

Go for one night, or as a day trip from Mérida (45 min by car): a beach, a pier, a fort and flamingo lagoons, nothing more.

Weather
see forecast
Currency
MXN
Best months
Nov–Mar (dry, cooler, flamingos in the lagoons)
avoid Aug–Oct (rain, heat, hurricane season)
Airport
MID
Nights
1–2
Not field-verifiedbasic guide
Print / PDF guide
3 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
Map
Google Maps Apple Maps Street View
Rules in force · 7Crossing between the US, Canada and Mexico by land needs …Cannabis is legal in Canada and in many US states, but ta…
  • North America ↗Crossing between the US, Canada and Mexico by land needs your passport even on a day trip; rental cars need the company's written permission to cross, and most US and Canadian rental insurance stops at the Mexican border.
  • North America ↗Cannabis is legal in Canada and in many US states, but taking any amount across the US, Canadian or Mexican border is a federal crime — including edibles and vapes.
  • North America ↗The busiest US and Canadian national parks need timed-entry, campsite or lodge reservations in summer; release dates are months ahead.
  • Mexico ↗Check entry rules for your passport with Mexico's National Migration Institute (INM) or your nearest Mexican consulate; keep proof of your entry (stamp or digital record) until you leave.
  • Mexico ↗Security advice differs by state: some governments advise against travel to parts of several states. Check your own government's advice for each region on your route.
  • Mexico ↗Do not drink tap water; use bottled or filtered water and ice from reliable places.
  • Mexico ↗Foreign visitors to Quintana Roo (Cancún, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Bacalar, Holbox) pay the state VISITAX online at visitax.gob.mx only; lookalike sites add fees.

Sisal is a former colonial port of about 1,800 people on the Gulf coast of Yucatán, 50 km northwest of Mérida and one of Mexico's Pueblos Mágicos. There is no big hotel and no chain property: you come for quiet sand, seafood palapas, a short pier, the last Spanish fort built in Mexico and boat or kayak trips into the mangrove lagoons. Two nights is the maximum most travellers need.

Essentials

Quick answers and what things cost

Quick answers

The questions people ask first about Sisal, one line each. Tap a card for the full answer.

Cost cheat-sheet

2026 desk estimate · check

Typical prices for the everyday things, as ranges. Your currency is shown next to the local price.

  • CoffeeM$30–60 (≈ US$2–4)
  • Beerbottle at a palapa / can at a shopM$40–70 (≈ US$3–4)M$25–35 (≈ US$2)
  • Budget bedHostel or guesthouse bed, a night, per personMX$350 (≈ US$19)
  • Mid-range bedSmall-hotel double room, a night, per roomMX$1,400 (≈ US$80)
  • High-end bedSmall-hotel double room, a night, per roomMX$2,500 (≈ US$140)

A day, not counting the bed: Budget MX$700 (≈ US$40) · Mid MX$1,200 (≈ US$65) · High MX$2,200 (≈ US$120)

Local prices, with USD next to them (rates 2026-09 (approximate); change it in the header). Ranges are desk estimates: check locally. Every price and the budget calculator →

Decide

What it is known for, and when the weather works

At a glance

What the city is known for, how you fly in, and where to find the phrases.

Quiet Gulf beach and long pierFuerte de Santiago, the last Spanish fort in MexicoFlamingo and birdwatching lagoonsSeafood palapas and henequen crafts
Airports
MID Mérida International Airport (About 55–60 km by road; no direct bus from the airport, so taxi, transfer or rental car. Check fares locally.)

Weather and climate

Forecast from Open-Meteo · averages rounded

Sisal: next 7 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Air quality

Loading…

Model estimate (CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a street-level station; readings near busy roads run higher.

Jan

28°C

18°C

3 rd

Feb

29°C

18°C

2 rd

Mar

31°C

20°C

2 rd

Apr

33°C

22°C

2 rd

May

34°C

23°C

4 rd

Jun

33°C

24°C

9 rd

Jul

33°C

23°C

9 rd

Aug

33°C

23°C

10 rd

Sep

32°C

23°C

12 rd

Oct

31°C

22°C

8 rd

Nov

30°C

20°C

4 rd

Dec

28°C

18°C

3 rd

High / low °C · rd = rain days

Arrive & move

Airports are listed under At a glance; this is how to move once you are in

Getting around

The town is small enough to walk end to end in about 15 minutes. Bikes can be rented locally and moto-taxis run short hops; streets carry very little traffic. Boats for fishing or lagoon sightseeing are hired at the Puerto de Abrigo.

See & do

Day-trips, door to door

Day-trips

Door-to-door, not ride time
Méridago

Door to door: About 1.5 h by bus, 45 min by car

Autobuses Oriente combi from the Sisal terminal, or drive MEX-281

The state capital: markets, museums, colonial centre. Easy as a half-day or a base.

Celestún

caution

Door to door: About 2 h by car

Drive or arrange a transfer; no direct public bus link

Flamingo biosphere reserve; the El Palmar wetlands run between Sisal and Celestún.

Progreso

go

Door to door: About 1.5 h by car

Drive east along the coast

Bigger beach town with a malecón and more restaurants; good if Sisal feels too quiet.

Hunucmá

go

Door to door: About 30 min

Combi or car on the road to Mérida

Church of St Francis of Assisi, home of the Black Christ carried to Sisal each August.

Eat & sleep

Which area to sleep in

Where to sleep

Areas, not hotels: pick the one that fits your arrival time and plans.

Centro / around Calle 17–21

Small hotels and rental houses within walking distance of the pier, the fort and the market.

Beachfront east side

Palapa restaurants and rental houses on the sand; cell signal is weak here.

Practical

What a day costs, what to watch out for, and the pocket card

Cost per day

2026 estimate, excluding the bed unless stated
Budget
M$500–900 (≈ US$30–50) excl. bed
Mid
M$900–1,600 (≈ US$50–90) excl. bed
High
M$1,600 (≈ US$90)+ excl. bed

Trip budget

2026 estimate · converts to your currency
Small-hotel double room1 × 1 night × MX$1,400MX$1,400
Food, local transport, entries2 × 1 day × MX$1,200MX$2,400
Combi Mérida → Sisal, one way2 × MX$25MX$50
Boat or kayak lagoon tour2 × MX$500MX$1,000
eSIM, about a week of data2 × MX$300MX$600
Buffer 10%Price creep, a taxi you did not plan, one splurgeMX$545
Trip total≈ MX$2,998 per person per day, bed includedMX$5,995≈ US$350

2026 estimate in pesos; flights excluded. Your choices stay in this browser.

Prices of common things

CoffeeM$30–60 (≈ US$2–4)
Seafood plate at a beach palapaM$150–300 (≈ US$9–17)
Beer: bottle at a palapa / can at a shopM$40–70 (≈ US$3–4) / M$25–35 (≈ US$2)
Combi Mérida → SisalM$20–30 (≈ US$2)
Bike rental, per dayM$100–200 (≈ US$6–11)
Boat or kayak lagoon tourM$400–700 (≈ US$25–40)

2026 estimate; check locally.

Watch out

Safety

Sisal is a small, low-crime beach village; the real risks are the sun, weak cell signal on the east beaches, and getting stranded by the two-a-day bus.
  • Only about two buses a day each way from Mérida, last departure around 18:00: miss it and you wait a long time.
  • Cell signal is weak or absent on the east-side beaches and drops to 3G heading south on MEX-281.
  • Beach and lagoon water: check locally before swimming, and use reef-safe sunscreen.
  • Bring cash: small palapas and market stalls may not take cards.

Emergency numbers

All emergencies
911
Tourist assistance (Ángeles Verdes / SECTUR)
078

Pocket card

One page · print or save as PDF

Fill in, then print or save as PDF

Stays in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.

SisalSisal

Pocket card · Voykit

My bed tonight

—

—

—

A esta dirección, por favorTo this address, please

Emergency

  • All emergencies911
  • Tourist assistance078

Embassy

No embassy in Sisal; the US consulate and most embassies are in Mérida or Mexico City. Check your own country's list.

My embassy: —

Fare anchors (2026 estimate)

  • Combi Mérida Noreste → Sisal: about M$20–30 (≈ US$2), about 90 min, roughly 12:00 and 17:00 departures
  • Taxi Mérida airport → Sisal: about M$700–1,000 (≈ US$40–55)
  • Boat hire at Puerto de Abrigo: negotiate per boat, not per person

Say or show

  • Disculpe — Excuse me / Sorry (dees-KOOL-peh)
  • Gracias — Thank you (GRAH-syahs)
  • ¿Cuánto cuesta? — How much is it? (KWAN-toh KWES-tah)
  • ¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta? — Can I pay by card? (PWEH-doh pah-GAR kon tar-HEH-tah)
  • ¿Dónde está la playa? — Where is the beach? (DON-deh es-TAH lah PLAH-yah)
  • La cuenta, por favor — The bill, please (lah KWEN-tah por fah-VOR)

Cash is king in the village; withdraw in Mérida before you arrive.

Deep dive

What this guide covers so far, and its sources

Not a trip line yet

This is a basic guide: no airport-to-bed contract, walking clusters or day plans are published for Sisal. Airport, fare and schedule details are unverified; check the operators before you fly.

What we know, and what is coming

On this page

  1. Best months: Nov–Mar (dry, cooler, flamingos in the lagoons) · avoid Aug–Oct (rain, heat, hurricane season) · month by month →
  2. 1 airport and 2 areas to sleep in
  3. Weather: a 7-day forecast and monthly averages
  4. Cost per day in 3 bands
  5. 4 day-trips, door to door
  6. 4 things to watch out for, with emergency numbers

Coming as the guide grows

  1. Airport-to-bed contract for MID: taxi and transfer bands, rental-car pickup, combi fallback.
  2. Walking clusters with rescue anchors: pier and fort, market and centro, beach palapas, Puerto de Abrigo.
  3. Place pages with verified cutoffs (Fuerte de Santiago, Muelle Sisal, El Palmar reserve) and eat pages with last orders.
  4. Bus and combi schedule fixtures so the two-a-day risk goes green.

Meanwhile

Back to Mexico

Sources