PRIVATE Merida Market Tour & Yucatecan Cooking Class with Sofia
Overview
Sofia will pick you up from your Merida hotel and drive you to Chuburná Market for your private market tour. Discover the regional produce on offer and pick up a few ingredients for your authentic in-home cooking lesson.
Join Sofia in her kitchen for a hands-on cooking lesson of Yucatecan and Mayan delicacies. You will learn to prepare traditional recipes from scratch - dishes such as sikil pak (roasted tomato and pumpkin seed salsa), sopa de lima (chicken soup), empanadas de chaya, and pollo o cochinita pibil (perhaps the Yucatan’s most famous dish of slow-cooked chicken or pork which has been marinated in an achiote and sour orange marinade, wrapped in banana leaves) - so be ready to get your hands dirty! You will learn to cook a traditional meal as well as a fiery habanero salsa. After cooking, enjoy the delicious meal you helped prepare with Sofia.
Please note that families in Mexico can be very social so you may be joined by members of Sofia's family who stop by on occasion.
What's Included
- Alcoholic beverages Two glasses of local Yucatán beer (and non-alcoholic beverages)
- Hotel pick-up and drop-off within Mérida
- Private hands-on cooking class in Sofia's home
- Explore a local Merida market with Sofia
- Personal purchases at the market
Meeting and Pickup
Your host will pick you up from the concierge desk of your hotel listed in your booking and drop you off at the end of your experience.
What To Expect
Explore a local Mérida market with Sofia and discover the fresh produce, spices, and ingredients at the heart of Yucatecan cuisine. Then return to her home for a private hands-on cooking class, where you'll transform your market finds into traditional dishes before sitting down together to enjoy your homemade meal.
After convenient pick-up in Mérida, visit Chuburná Market, where locals shop for fresh produce, spices, and regional ingredients. As you browse the market together, Sofia will introduce you to ingredients unique to the Yucatán and select a few items for your cooking class.
Back in Sofia’s home kitchen, learn to prepare traditional Yucatecan and Mayan dishes that reflect the region’s rich cultural heritage, shaped by Indigenous Maya, Spanish, and European influences. Your menu may include sikil pak con tostadas (a pumpkin seed dip), empanadas de chaya con queso de bola, and pollo or cochinita pibil, a classic achiote-marinated dish slow cooked in banana leaves.
After cooking, sit down to enjoy the meal you helped prepare, accompanied by local beer and conversation. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and lactose-free diets can be accommodated with advance notice.
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- This is not a professional cooking school or chef-led culinary course. Rather, it is an opportunity to visit a local market, authentic local home, connect with a Mérida resident, and share Yucatecan culture, traditions, and cuisine together.
- This experience takes place in Sofia's private home, which also operates as a homestay. Your cooking class is private, though other guests may be present on the property.
- Sofia's home does not have air-conditioning. During warmer months, the kitchen can become hot while cooking.
Frequently Asked Questions (7)
Q: What is the cancellation policy for the PRIVATE Merida Market Tour & Yucatecan Cooking Class with Sofia?
Cancellation Policy
Still have questions?
We're here to help.
Activity code: C-7626P214
Traveler Photos
Reviews
Average 5.00 out of 5 stars based on 10 traveler reviews collected by City Balloon Tours and partner sites such as Cool Destinations and TripAdvisor
Additional Info
Similar Tours & Activities
Merida Street Food Walking Tour
Discover the real flavors of Mérida on this guided street food adventure! This tour takes 3 hour (around) to visit the market and walk through...
$79
Merida's historic center and food markets come together on a customizable private walking tour. With a dedicated guide, visit Plaza Grande, Merida Cathedral, Museo Casa...
$14
Discover the essence of Yucatecan cuisine in this unique hands-on cooking experience. Begin in Mérida’s historic center before heading to a welcoming local home, where...
$82
What sets this experience apart from standard cooking classes is the genuine warmth of stepping into an authentic local home rather than a commercial kitchen....
$108
Discover the real flavors of Mérida on this guided street food adventure! This tour takes 3 hour (around) to visit the market and walk through...
$79
Merida's historic center and food markets come together on a customizable private walking tour. With a dedicated guide, visit Plaza Grande, Merida Cathedral, Museo Casa...
$14
Discover the essence of Yucatecan cuisine in this unique hands-on cooking experience. Begin in Mérida’s historic center before heading to a welcoming local home, where...
$82
What sets this experience apart from standard cooking classes is the genuine warmth of stepping into an authentic local home rather than a commercial kitchen....
$108
Travelers Who Bought This Tour Also Bought
Avoid crowds, beat the heat, no tourist traps, get to taste the best of the Yucatan cuisine home made cooked and swimm in the only...
$85
What sets this experience apart from standard cooking classes is the genuine warmth of stepping into an authentic local home rather than a commercial kitchen....
$108
We will start your tour early to avoid the crowds and the heat. In Uxmal, we will have a guided tour with one official guide,...
$82
This tour brings together the very best of Yucatán in one seamless, immersive, and thoughtfully crafted day. Explore the iconic Chichén Itzá at the perfect...
$115
Avoid crowds, beat the heat, no tourist traps, get to taste the best of the Yucatan cuisine home made cooked and swimm in the only...
$85
What sets this experience apart from standard cooking classes is the genuine warmth of stepping into an authentic local home rather than a commercial kitchen....
$108
We will start your tour early to avoid the crowds and the heat. In Uxmal, we will have a guided tour with one official guide,...
$82
This tour brings together the very best of Yucatán in one seamless, immersive, and thoughtfully crafted day. Explore the iconic Chichén Itzá at the perfect...
$115
Frequently Asked Questions (7)
The answers provided below were previously given in response to questions from City Balloon Tours customers.
Filter by:
- For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the tour start time.
- If you cancel less than 24 hours before the tour start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
- Any changes made less than 24 hours before the tour start time will not be accepted.
- Cut-off times are based on the tour local time (CST).
- Alcoholic beverages. Two glasses of local Yucatán beer (and non-alcoholic beverages).
- Hotel pick-up and drop-off within Mérida.
- Private hands-on cooking class in Sofia's home.
- Explore a local Merida market with Sofia.
- Personal purchases at the market.
There is no minimum age for this tour, so bring your wee one along for an adventure. This tour requires at least one adult to accompany children..
Apr 2025If a date or time is not listed on the calendar, it’s sold out or unavailable for another reason. Support cannot assist further if a date or time is not on the calendar.
If you find a date and time that works for you, book it NOW because things always sell out at this time of year.
Apr 2025Accessibility information for the PRIVATE Merida Market Tour & Yucatecan Cooking Class with Sofia is as follows:
- Public transportation options are available nearby
Detailed check-in instructions – including meeting point address, Google map, and parking information – for PRIVATE Merida Market Tour & Yucatecan Cooking Class with Sofia will be included in your confirmation email from City Balloon Tours. Please be sure to double and triple check your email address is correct at checkout so this important email makes its way to you!
Mar 2024Once your refund is processed, it usually shows on your card statement within 5–10 business days. The exact timing depends on your bank or card issuer.
Want it sooner? When you cancel, choose Receive a refund to my wallet instead. The credit is in your Wallet straight away and is applied automatically at checkout on your next booking when you’re signed in with the same email. You can see your balance any time in My Wallet.
If you paid part of your booking with Wallet credit, that part always goes back to your Wallet. Trip protection isn’t refundable.
Oct 2026What's Included
- Alcoholic beveragesTwo glasses of local Yucatán beer (and non-alcoholic beverages)
- Hotel pick-up and drop-off within Mérida
- Private hands-on cooking class in Sofia's home
- Explore a local Merida market with Sofia
- Personal purchases at the market
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- This is not a professional cooking school or chef-led culinary course. Rather, it is an opportunity to visit a local market, authentic local home, connect with a Mérida resident, and share Yucatecan culture, traditions, and cuisine together.
- This experience takes place in Sofia's private home, which also operates as a homestay. Your cooking class is private, though other guests may be present on the property.
- Sofia's home does not have air-conditioning. During warmer months, the kitchen can become hot while cooking.
