Uxmal is an expansive set of Mayan ruins. It is fascinating and has informative signing. Uxmal is one of the most important archaeological sites and represents the elaborate carving and I think represents the pinnacle of late Mayan art and architecture. This period saw the introduction of mortar and an advanced style of design - ie stone, wood, clay, and stucco sculptures.

I enjoyed Uxmal more than Chichen Itza, there were less tourists and almost no vendors trying to sell junk, which leant itself to a more peaceful exploration. The vistas of the hilly terrain were impressive too, vs the relatively flat ara of Chichen Itza. It's also close to some renovated haciendas and at least one 'Puebla Magico' (Mani), so good for a day trip from Merida or Campeche. Maybe you can spy the big black cat that hangs out by the main pyramid... if you squint your eyes just right, you can imagine he's a black jaguar.

As a Mexican, I´ve been to many archeological places in Mexico and Central America, and I was impressed by the Uxmal Pyramid, its elliptical shape, the surrounding area, and its history. If you are going to visit Uxmal, I recommend you to the light & sound show by night. It is also worth sleeping one night in the Hacienda Uxmal & Plantation Museum, where Elizabeth Queen II among other personalities stayed there.

Wow! Uxmal is a beautiful site. It’s somewhat smaller than Chichen Itxa, but absolutely worth the time and visit. We almost had the place to ourselves, it was quiet and felt serene. Well maintained. We had a self guided tour from mayanpeninsula.com which was quite good. You can wonder at your own pace (we have utilized local guides in the past, but find this a better fit for our travel). I would skip Chichen Itza for Uxmal, but my husband disagrees… either way, Uxmal is worth the extra day to visit. And as long as your driving out… stop at Kabah. It’s just at the side of the road. The site is small, but great atmosphere. Small local ruin, with locals who take pride in the site. We also traveled to Sayil, but didn’t find it as interesting. It is very rustic. Although, you will certainly get a feel for what it took to build and maintain a city in the wild. With all that being said, a nice new entrance was being built, so I’m certain in the future it will be recognizable. Overall, you can’t go wrong visiting the ruins in the Yucatán!

Really enjoyed visiting here (after having been to nearby Kabah). The site is quite extensive and there are a lot of (restored) buildings to see. The palaces and platforms, games court, and other buildings are simply stunning, and a photographer's dream. When you understand why, how & when these structures were built, you can't help but be absolutely amazed. Take water and sunscreen as there's very little shade. And beware broken pathways, steep steps and some unguarded edges and drops.

Better than Chichen Itza...hands down. The site is less crowded and you do not get hounded by the huksters selling trinkets. Once you enter the site, you are immediatelly greeted by the Pyramid del Adivino. Farther down is the Grand Pyramid and more ruins. I love that you can walk around and admire intricate details on the temples and the buildings. There are plenty opportunities to take great photos. In short, if you are deciding between Uxmal and Chichen Itza, go for Uxmal. Less headache and more wonder.

The Uxmal site was stunning. The main pyramid isn't as cool as Chichen-Itza, but the rest of the grounds were way better. The site is pretty big and you can tell they're expanding to restore additional adjacent buildings. The grounds are in great shape. There are some stairs if that's an issue, but it was OK for me and climbing up gives such great views. (NOTE: I did not climb the stairs on the pyramid.) We hired an English speaking guide just inside the entrance past the ticket booth. It wasn't that expensive and he really showed us a lot of things that books and audio guides would have been difficult to identify. He was also great with questions. The buildings on display are in good condition (considering their age). It was hot when I was there and the site wasn't crowded. I would guess about 10% of the crowd size of Chichen-Itza. Overall I enjoyed Uxmal more than Chichen-Itza and much more than Tulum. Anyone who is interested in visiting Mayan ruins would probably enjoy making a stop at Uxmal.

Amazing visit to Uxmal! Had not visited since 1982! Still very uncrowded compared to Chicken Itza. There are many buildings to explore. The grounds beautiful and well kept. Fabulous views of the Magicians Pyramid from above at the Gubernatorial Palace. Restaurant onsite is also excellent!

Though not as large a footprint as Chichén Itzá, Uxmal is still a worth visit. Our 3 teens were bummed that they couldn’t climb on a single structure at Chichén Itzá, so we came to Uxmal the next day. They loved being able to climb almost every structure (not the magician’s pyramid). Much less is roped off compared to CI. It’s also less commercialized than CI, but that means fewer people and no vendors. Seeing both CI and Uxmal both was amazing since we were able to compare the architectural differences between the two Mayan time periods when they were built. As someone who skipped Uxmal 20 years ago, I’m most glad that I took the extra day this time. There are guides here if you want one. There are fewer shade trees than at CI but you can stand under the patios of several structures for shade instead. I do recommend arriving by 830am just because of the heat, but the bookstore & souvenir shops don’t open til 9am. We paired this with Choco Story next door. It was my husband’s least favorite thing of our trip, but the chocolate tasting was memorable so I’m glad we went to both.

Read LOTS of reviews & guide books & nobody warned us about the mosquitos & bugs in July ! Arrived at 8 am - early on a Thursday, only one other family arrived after us, it’s v peaceful. However, mosquitos swarmed my HAT within minutes of entering the site. We - Family of 4 stood in front of the big pyramid spraying repellant frantically! Got bitten through long sleeved shirt. Not exaggerating / everybody was experiencing the same & a lady with leggings asked if we had repellant as she had some on & wasn’t working! Planned to spend 2-3 hours, were out in 90 mins because of the mosquitos! The site is beautiful, got great pics. Used our guide book & wandered around. Don’t think a guide is necessary. Had visited Teoticuhan in CDMX with a guide & the Anthropology Museum, so had some extra info about Mayan culture. Picked up souvenirs in gift shop & had a nice coffee. Don’t think we will be brave enough to visit Chichen Itza!