Merida-dollars or pesos

[unberwoob]

Next month we will be visiting Progresso and plan to visit Merida for the day. Do we need pesos for the bus to Merida and for a carriage ride, eating, shopping, etc?

[YucatanToday]

Yes, you'll need pesos. But there are a lot of banks in Progreso that can change money for you. Have your passport with you. Be sure to bring unmarked bills - seriously, a little writing or tear will cause them to refuse them. New bills are best.

[travel girl23]

We did not need pesos for shopping in either Merida or Progreso but do not know about the local bus or carriage ride. Travelgirl

[JBDigitalphoto]

Can you get money changed on the ship into Pesos?

[tdms1324]

I don't think that you can get pesos on the ship, but you can go to any ATM in Progreso or Merida and use your ATM card to get pesos. Some will give you a choice of US $ or Pesos - others will strictly be pesos. You can also go into the bank and change cash that you already have in hand.

[adamsmom]

You can pay in US dollars for most stuff in Progreso, including the bus fare. But we found in Merida, that most places took only pesos. So we stopped at one of the check-cashing places that changed our money. There are several places around the central area that will change currency for you. We got a rate of around 11 pesos for each dollar.

[mexboat]

just remember that banks in Progreso area and Merida are closed on saturday and sunday. Some Exchange places are open on weekends at Merida.