Capital of the state that bears its name, beautiful Campeche is one of Mexico’s finest colonial gems. At its heart, relatively intact, lies a historic port town still surrounded by hefty defensive walls and fortresses; within them, interspersed with the occasional grand Baroque church, are elegant eighteenth- and nineteenth century houses painted in pastel shades, hundreds of which have been restored to their former glory. Nonetheless, the place doesn’t feel like an outdoor museum, with appliance stores and internet cafés occupying many of the historic shopfronts. Around the old centre are the trappings of a modern city that is once again becoming wealthy, while the seafront, built on reclaimed land, provides a thoroughly modern vista. Though the city is less lively, its immaculately preserved and tranquil streets compare favorably with Mérida’s, and campechanos live up to their reputation as some of the most gracious people in Mexico.

In 1517, a crew of Spanish explorers under Francisco Hernández landed outside the Maya town of Ah Kin Pech, only to beat a hasty retreat on seeing the forces lined up to greet them. Not until 1540 did second-generation conquistador Francisco de Montejo the Younger found the modern town. Until the nineteenth century, Campeche was the peninsula’s chief port, exporting mainly logwood (source of a red dye known as hematein) from local forests. It was an irresistible target for pirates until locals prevailed upon the Spanish authorities to fortify the city: construction of the walls, with eight massive baluartes (bulwarks), began in 1686 after a particularly brutal massacre. Although large sections of the walls have been replaced by a ring road, two major sections survive, along with seven of the eight baluartes.

One of the greatest pleasures to be had in Campeche comes from simply wandering the streets or the malecón (Avenida Ruíz Cortines) especially in the early evening, when the heat lessens and locals also come out to stroll, and on Sundays, when the plaza is closed to cars for a mellow, all-evening party. Churches, mansions and fortresses punctuate each block, though only the archeological museum in the Fuerte de San Miguel can be described as a “must-see”. As you explore, remember that even-numbered streets run parallel to the sea, starting with Calle 8, just inside the ramparts; odd-numbered streets run inland. The central Plaza de la Independencia, or parque principal, is bordered by calles 8, 10, 55 and 57. Outside the old city wall, the grid system is less strict; the market, just outside the wall by the Puerta de Tierra, is as far as you’re likely to need to venture into the modern city.

Starting on the plaza, the most central landmark is La Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Concepción (daily 6.45am–8pm). Founded in 1540, it’s one of the oldest churches on the peninsula. The bulk of the construction, though, took place much later, and what you see now is a wedding-cake Baroque structure; look in the adjacent museum (11am–5pm) for a seventeenth-century statue of Christ, interred in a dark wood and silver catafalque, among other relics. Across the plaza is the Centro Cultural Casa Seis (daily 9am–9pm), which has an elegant permanent display of Baroque interiors. It also hosts art shows and performances, including musical serenatas most Thursdays. On the seaward side of the plaza, the Baluarte de la Soledad, just south of the public library, houses the Museo de Arquitectura Maya (Tues–Sun 9.30am–5.30pm), a collection of columns, stelae and other stone details arranged by regional style Chenes, Puuc, etc. Its presentation of a sketch outline of the decoration next to most of the carved stone helps train your eye to see the details. From here, you can head southwest along the line of the wall to the Baluarte de San Carlos, which has cannons on the battlemented roof and, underneath, the beginnings of a network of ancient tunnels that runs under much of the town. Sealed off now, the tunnels provided refuge for the populace during pirate raids, and before that were probably used by the Maya. The baluarte houses Campeche’s Museo de la Ciudad (Tues–Sun 9.30am–5.30pm), a tiny but rather lovely collection of local memorabilia that includes models of ships, with Spanish commentary. The other remaining chunk of wall is on the landward side of the old city hence the name Puerta de Tierra (daily 9am–4pm). It hosts a perfunctory pirate museum, but you can also pay just to climb the ramparts and walk along the top of the walls in either direction, to the Baluarte de San Juan or the Baluarte de San Francisco. The views are intriguing: from the Baluarte de San Francisco to the north, you can see the busiest parts of the new town and the Alameda Francisco de Paula Toro, the Havana-inspired promenade next to the market; heading south towards the Baluarte de San Juan, you can gaze down over the neatly restored colonial facades in the centre and see how much still lies derelict behind them. An optional audio-guide identifies some of the other visible landmarks. Every Tuesday, Friday and Saturday, there’s an enjoyable sound-and-light show (8pm) starting from the Puerta de Tierra and walking along the wall in the company of the “soldiers” guarding it.

On a steep hill on the southwest side of town, about 4km from the centre, the Fuerte de San Miguel houses Campeche’s impressive Museo Arqueológico (Tues–Sun 9.30am–5.30pm). The beautiful relics from all over the peninsula speak for themselves. Maya artefacts from Edzná and Jaina make up much of the collection; highlights include delicate Jaina figurines, fine sculpture and pre-Hispanic gold. But the best part is the treasure from the tombs at Calakmul, including the first mummified body to be found in Mesoamerica, unearthed in 1995. The jade death masks are mesmerizing. Enjoy the view over the ramparts, too, which is wonderful at sunset. To get here, you can take a city bus along the coast road (look for “Lerma” or “Playa Bonita”), but that will leave you with a stiff climb up the hill to the fort. On the north side of the city, about 3.5km from the centre and directly uphill from the paradores de cockteleros, the Fuerte de San José (Tues–Sun 9.30am–5.30pm) faces down a giant statue of Benito Juárez on the neighbouring hill. It is home to a museum of armaments and a collection of items from the colonial era. It’s at the top of an even steeper hill than the southern fort and takes in a dramatic view; buses to look for are marked “Morelos” or “Bellavista”, starting from in front of Alameda. A taxi to either museum from the centre. If you’re desperate for beaches, take one of the buses along the waterfront marked “Playa Bonita” or “Lerma”, two seaside destinations just south of Campeche; Playa Bonita is the better of the two, with palapas for shade, but it can still be rather dreary and empty on weekdays.

Restaurants abound in the centre, especially along calles 8 and 10. Seafood, available almost everywhere, is a good bet; try the pan de cazón (tortillas layered with shredded shark meat) or shrimp (camarones) in spicy sauce. For breakfast, the cafés along Calle 8 near the government offices offer everything from tacos to fresh juices and pastries. Later in the day, the café in the centre of the plaza serves excellent coffee and home-made ice cream. The blocks around the Instituto Campechano (C 10 at C 63) hold numerous snack joints catering to students, and Campeche’s market, just east of the walled city, is surrounded by comedores offering cheap and tasty lunches. Another local favourite is the stretch of paradores de cockteleros on the malecón these seafood-vending kiosks are open until around 4pm. At night, people head to Portales de San Martín for snacks. Bars aren’t open late, but stop by the rooftop bar at the hotel Puerta Campeche (Fri & Sat only) for the gorgeous view.

Campeche has two bus stations, one each for first- and second-class services, as well as a separate terminus for local and rural buses. The first-class ADO station is about 2km from the centre on Avenida Central; taxis line up outside, as do buses and colectivos (look for “Mercado” or “Centro”). The second-class terminal is 600m northeast of the centre on Gobernadores; to get downtown, either walk or cross the street in front of the station and take a city bus, also marked “Centro” or “Mercado”. All of these buses will head to the market, just outside the city wall on the landward side. To get from the airport, about 10km southeast of town, you’ll have to take a taxi. To get back to the bus stations, look for “Av Central or “ADO” (first-class) or “Gobernadores”, “Universidad” or “Terminal Sur” (second-class). The first-class station has ADO, OCC and some ATS service. Buses leave relatively frequently for Ciudad del Carmen, Escárcega, Villahermosa, Mérida and Cancún. A direct bus goes to the Mérida airport at least three times a day. You can also get as far as Chetumal, San Cristóbal de las Casas (via Palenque) and Veracruz. The Edzná Tours travel agency on Circuito Colonias at Calle 8 doubles as a TicketBus office, to spare you a trek out to the station. You’ll need Sur or ATS service at the second-class terminal for stopping buses on Hwy-180 (Hecelchakán, etc.); for Escárcega, Hopelchén, Bolonchén de Rejón and Iturbide (for Dzibilnocac); or for Uxmal and Santa Elena. Colectivos for most of the same destinations depart from Gobernadores as well you’ll pass the marked stops on the walk to the bus station. For Champotón, Seybaplaya or Sabancuy, go to the auxiliary Sur terminal on República just inland from the Puerta de Tierra. For Edzná there are departures from in front of this same terminal (though they’re not Sur buses) hourly from around 7am to early afternoon. There are daily flights from the airport to Mexico City. Two routes run from Campeche north to Mérida. First-class buses take Hwy-180, once the colonial Camino Real. The highway bypasses most of the towns along the way, but signposts direct you to two worthwhile detours: Hecelchakán, about 80km from Campeche, which has a small archeology museum on the main square (Mon & Tues 8am–4pm, Wed–Sun 8am–7pm) with figures from Jaina and objects from other nearby sites; and Becal (35km further), one of the biggest centres for the manufacture of baskets and the ubiquitous Yucatecan jipis, or “Panama” hats (the original Panama hats came from Ecuador). Shops throughout town sell them, and it’s interesting to see a village so consumed with a single cottage industry a fountain made of concrete hats even graces the town square. The longer route to Mérida goes via Hopelchén and Muna, passing the great sites of Sayil, Kabáh and Uxmal. With a car you could easily visit all three, perhaps stopping also at Bolonchén de Rejon, a pretty village of stone houses and rolling hills, and still get to Mérida within the day. Near Bolonchén, you’ll see signs for the nearby Grutas de X’tacumbilxuna’an (daily 9am–5pm), 3km south, but though deep and rather dramatically lit, the area you actually visit is limited. By bus, this route is slightly harder, but with a little planning and if you set out early you should be able to get to at least one site. Kabáh is the easiest because its ruins lie right on the main road.