Palenque Archaeological Tour: Discover UNESCO World Heritage Maya Royalty Palace
3.5
4 Ratings
Palenque

Embark on a full-day tour to the historic site of Palenque, recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Your guided tour encompasses visits to the Temple of the Inscriptions, the Temple of the Foliated Cross, along with the palace that once housed Maya royalty. Round-trip transportation from your hotel and entrance fees are covered.

Duration: 4 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Zona Arqueologica de Palenque - After pickup from your hotel in Palenque city, you will travel to the archaeological site of Palenque. Located in the middle of lush vegetation, the UNESCO World Heritage site served as one of the most important ceremonial centers of the Maya culture during the Classic period. Almost 200 years before the pre-Columbian ruins were discovered in the 18th century, the nearby city was named by the Spanish — a literal translation of the Ch’ol word otulún, which means fenced or fortified place.  

On arrival, follow your guide and listen to informative commentary. You’ll visit the Temple of the Inscriptions, the site’s largest pyramid where the tomb of the great Maya ruler Pakal was found. See the royal palace and the Temple of the Foliated Cross. If there is enough time, you’ll also explore cultural exhibits at the museum.

(Approximate duration from 2 to 3 hours)

What's Included
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Local guide
  • Entrance Fee
What's Not Included
  • Food and drinks
Additional Information
  • Children must be accompanied by an adult
  • A minimum of 2 people per booking is required
  • Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
Location
Zona Arqueologica de Palenque
Carretera a Palenque- Zona Archaeologica Km. 8
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
3.5
(4 Ratings)
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1 star
Mottovino
Jan 21, 2022
Palenque is magical - This city will surprise you at every turn. The ancient Mayan city of Palenque is magical. Not only impressive for its architecture and history, but close your eyes and listen to the sounds. Howler monkeys, parrots, and a creek running by the side of a temple. It’s a phenomenal place. A must see in Chiapas. Tip.. Go first thing in AM… I usually hire a guide. But they were asking about $60 US. So we decided to read the signs. Very informative.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kurthagen
Feb 8, 2019
Definitely worth a visit - In principle, we only wanted to tour the Yucatan Peninsula but then we opted for a major detour: Palenque in Chiapas. What a fabulous site! As elsewhere, we hired an English-speaking local guide who could provide us with background information on the glory days of this culture in the 7th and 8th century AD, particularly the reign of King Pakal, a.k.a. the Great.His tomb was discovered in the 1950s. We spent at least three hours there and would recommend not budgeting for less.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Phyllis
Jan 5, 2020
Site is beautiful, but otherwise... - Palenque is a beautiful Mayan site, with unique features. However, if you have some Mayan history knowledge, the guide adds little. We felt rushed through the site and the guide left us at one point, probably to go get her next victims, giving us directions back to our pickup. The museum was disappointing as it was quite dark and the sarcophagus replica isn't set up to get a good view or photo of the lid, you need to be able to view from above. At our pickup location we waited for over twenty minutes due to the guide not properly handing us off.
Review provided by Viator
John_l
Mar 10, 2020
LOW light of our trip - We came to Palenque to see, well, Palenque! But the whole tour was disappointing. First we were loaded into a van without anyone who spoke English (we specifically booked this tour so we would have an English speaking guide). When we got to the site, we were dumped out of the van and into the care of a guide who did speak English. However, he led us to the site and sat us on some rocks to spend more than an hour explaining how to count in Mayan, Mayan planting rituals, etc. We barely saw any of the site itself and certainly not the stuff we'd read about. THEN he left us at a bus stop where no van ever came for us!! We had to take a collectivo back to the hotel. What a disappointment.
Review provided by Viator
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up to 15 guests
2 Adult
May 2024
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