The Zona Luz is Villahermosa's pedestrianised historic centre, a compact area of streets along the Río Grijalva with restaurants, shops, the cathedral, and a pleasant riverside promenade. It's not as handsome as colonial centres in drier parts of Mexico — Tabasco's humidity has not been kind to 19th-century architecture — but it's lively and walkable, especially in the evenings when the river breeze makes the heat bearable.
The Parque Juárez at the heart of the Zona Luz is a good spot to sit and watch the city move. Street food vendors set up along the edges in the evenings, selling tamales, empanadas, and snacks. The waterfront Malecón stretches along the Grijalva and is popular with joggers and families at sunset.