Convent de San Bernardino de Siena

Convent de San Bernardino de Siena

Convent de San Bernardino de Siena
4.5
Historic SitesPoints of Interest & LandmarksReligious Sites
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Tuesday
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Wednesday
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Thursday
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Friday
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
About
One of the most important Franciscan edifices in the New World. The Convent of San Bernardino de Siena is a silent sentinel to the history of the early days of the Spanish conquest and the Christianization of the Maya region. Visit the museographic salon to learn more about the secrets of the "Cenote Sis Ha" located under the gardens; admire the sixteenth century wall frescos and sacred art around the many chapels. If you visit Valladolid during May come and enjoy the yearly Art and Music Festival incorporating some of the oldest traditional festivities of Yucatan. Featuring musical concerts, art exhibits, theatrical representations and lectures on art, architecture, history and more.Please be aware that the Convent is one of the most important places of Catholic worship and proper attire is requested. Open Monday to Saturday from 9am to 6pm.
Duration: < 1 hour
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles760 reviews
Excellent
343
Very good
298
Average
92
Poor
21
Terrible
6

Melvin Udall
Pasadena, CA144 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2023 • Couples
My wife, along with two other friends, visited the convent of San Bernardino de Siena in Valladolid, Merida. Great place to visit if you like history. We paid about $7.00 (U.S.) per person to go into the monastery and the Julio, our guide, gave us an amazing history of this site and the city. Julio was extremely knowledgeable. We got to see a Cenote that is directly below the monastery but not open to the public because it’s filled with firearms left behind from the Yucatán Caste War. We also had access to the church, which was amazing. This entire place was worth visiting. A piece of history in the middle of a colonial town with great people. We tipped our guide $10 because I enjoyed his knowledge and passion.
Written June 28, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

SiberianEmo
Omsk, Russia617 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2024 • Solo
Valladolid nestled in between Tulum and Merida and (at least in my prior perception) is somewhat overlooked town in the Yucatan Peninsula. ( Its Spanish counterpart does seem to take more spotlight). I only chose to stay here to use it as a base point to travel to Chichen Itza and Ek Balam. Was I wrong. Valladolid is magical place; quaint place, yet place simultaneously bustling with excitement.
Roughly a 1.5 km from its Central Plaza lies Covent de San Bernardino de Siena. The convent was constructed in the 16th century. It features the church, the convent museum, and outside area containing a cenote used by monks as a water source. While the museum is interesting, the most impressive part was a night-time lightshow projecting on the convent.
The light show starts at 9 pm for a Spanish version and 9.25/9.30 for an English version. (To my understanding, there is no showing on Monday nights). While at times it is hard to keep up, the show itself is an amazing experience that immerses you into the culture of this town.
Convent is situated at the end of the Calle de Los Frailes, which is bustling with shops and cafes. Plaza around convent provides opportunity for photos and relaxation.
Written January 18, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Dennis
6 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2022
We paid to go inside and took lots of photos, we enjoy architecture and history so we enjoyed exploring. Outside garden and wheel house over a cenote.that was used for fresh water in the past.
Some evenings at 9 pm the is a light and sound show projected onto the outside walls. 9 pm Spanish 9:30 in English. Interesting and educational..
Written March 16, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

loveisla
loveisla185 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2022 • Friends
The church is closed. You can’t go in and take pictures of the altar. I paid $40 Mp to go into the museum and you can go above and take pictures in the second floor balcony but it’s very dark and you cannot see any of the historical sculptures over the altar. It’s very disappointing. You can go into the outbuildings where the opening of the cenote is. The museum is very interesting but not being able to go into the church itself is ridiculous. They said it was because of Covid but it’s not because the Yucatán is in green which means restrictions are lifted. Maybe I should have tried a bribe!
Written March 29, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Michelle C
Palo Alto, CA321 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 • Couples
The convent and light show are closed on a Monday. We watched the light show on Sunday evening (9pm in Spanish, 9:20-ish in English). It gives a very brief history of Valladolid, a bit too forgiving of the conquistadors. But the images are quite cool. Sit on the lawn or the steps and walk outside the convent front. There was quite a big crowd. We were not able to go into the convent itself on this visit. There is a nearby large letter sign of Valladolid’s name for proper touristy photos.
Written October 30, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

David S
Hudson, NH705 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2022
The evening show is worth the money you spend (it's free.) I suppose it's a good thing to do between dining and a bar. It is very pleasant to sit outside. At the end, there are dancers and drummers looking for tips from the crowd. The museum tour is not that exciting but it's nice to explore the grounds and the rooms. It wasn't that expensive and is a good way to fill your time.
Written April 16, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Brittany
Winnipeg, Canada3,222 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020
I visited the Convent de San Bernardino in Valladolid on February 29, 2020. It was an interesting place to explore with nice architecture and a lot of history, located at the end of the beautiful and historic Calzada de los Frailes.

The entrance fee to the convent was around 40 pesos (can't remember exactly). I visited during an afternoon in Valladolid and enjoyed wandering the pastel pink painted hallways and discovering hidden stairways. There was a courtyard in the centre of the convent. Behind the building, there was a beautiful garden area with a cenote (you can't see into it as there is a structure built over-top) which has an interesting history. There was a small museum in the convent with artifacts which have been recovered from inside the cenote which was cool to learn about. It was very quiet in the convent during my visit and there were only a few other people. I really enjoyed exploring the building and taking photos.

Every evening at 9:20 PM (English), they have a video mapping light show projected onto the front of the convent which explains the history of Valladolid using colourful displays! They also have a Spanish show at 9 PM. It was pretty cool to watch!
Written April 6, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

AstralTravel
Playa del Carmen, MĂ©xico760 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2019
This is a very historic place in a nice square of town.

You could take great pictures and actually learn about the usage of the building with some plaques that have information.

During the night, they have a short mapping lights show with a story about how they built the convent and whats happened with it until the present day. It is very nice!

PS. Take mosquito repellant with you, even during the daytime. You'll thank me.
Written September 15, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Neeraj Narayanan
Noida, India43 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2024 • Couples
It's a really nice place to hang out late evenings. When we went, there was a festival going on and the whole town of Valladolid had congregated at the Convent square. It felt great to see the whole town there, people celebrating, a mass being held. Makes you love small towns more when you see stuff like that.
Written December 17, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Erika
Caracas, Venezuela9,906 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2021
Tourist trap. First, take in consideration that in the mexican caribbean, they are constantly increasing pricees. We saw 30 pesos on internet and then it was 40 pesos.
The place has nothing to offer and is very neglected. Also, you can not see the cenote that in theory, is inside.
Written December 2, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Convent de San Bernardino de Siena - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2025)

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