Private driver or taxi to merida?

[05mak05]

Can anyone recommend a private driver to Merida. There are specific handcrafted items that we are interested in buying, and we'd prefer to have a guide. If we end up taking a taxi, what is the estimated cost?

[hdawson]

Taxi to Merida is about $25 each way. Bus is $3.00 RT.

[WilliamLawson]

What sort of specific handcrafts are you interested in finding?

[05mak05]

What sort of specific handcrafts are you interested in finding?

When we were in Merida 2 or 3 years ago, I bought two exquisitely embroidered (?) throw pillow covers. Maybe a better way to describe them is "embellished by hand?" Also, we saw lots of quilt tops hanging from various shops as we drove by. We were with others and as often happens with your with a group, we ran out of time. I've googled "Merida arts & crafts," etc. and come up with nothing.

[05mak05]

Taxi to Merida is about $25 each way. Bus is $3.00 RT.

When we were on the Voyager, we used Yucatan Tours as we were traveling with 2 other couples and wanted to cover as much territory as possible. We passed what our driver said was the bus station. It seems to be it was 10 minutes or more from the terminal. What I remember for sure is that it was jam packed with people. How do you get from the cruise terminal to the bus station? Is there a shuttle? Thanks for all of your info about Merida and being so faithful in answering everyone's questions! We would love to make a return trip ... wish RCI hadn't pulled out.

[WilliamLawson]

To get to the bus terminal:

 

When you arrive in port, take the free shuttle from the pier to the Casa de Cultura in Progreso. You have to do this because you can't and don't want to walk the 4.5 miles long pier to get to town. Once in Progreso step off the shuttle and right there, turn around so that the 'flea market' is behind you. Now head left one block. Left again and continue until you see the buses and people.

 

As for lots of people using the bus, this happens a lot in the summer when Merida residents are using their summer houses all along the coast and everyone is vacationing. Bus travel is very heavy at that time of the year as well as during Easter week. The rest of the year, you should have no problems finding a seat.

 

Happy planning! :)

[WilliamLawson]

When we were in Merida 2 or 3 years ago, I bought two exquisitely embroidered (?) throw pillow covers. Maybe a better way to describe them is "embellished by hand?" Also, we saw lots of quilt tops hanging from various shops as we drove by. We were with others and as often happens with your with a group, we ran out of time. I've googled "Merida arts & crafts," etc. and come up with nothing.

 

I am guessing that these you probably saw downtown? There are lots of shops near the Plaza Grande that sell embroidered items of varying degrees of quality, some local, others from other parts of Mexico, such as Chiapas. Also, there are machine embroidered and hand embroidered items. Hard to tell the difference sometimes!