Snorkel in Gran Cenote
A semi-open cenote a few kilometres from town on the road to Cobá, with clear water, stalactites and small freshwater turtles. Come early.
See tours and pricesThe Maya city by the Caribbean · Mexico
Tulum
Your guide to Tulum
Ruins on the cliff, cenotes in the jungle and white sand as far as the eye can see.
Tulum is one of the few Maya cities built by the sea. It flourished in the centuries before the Spanish arrived, and its temples on the limestone cliff above the Caribbean could be seen far out at sea. Today the ruins are among the most photographed sights in Mexico. Around the historic city a popular resort has grown up, some 60 kilometres south of Playa del Carmen.
Tulum has two parts. A little way inland is the town itself, Tulum pueblo, with restaurants, bars and places to stay in every price range. Along the sea runs a beach road lined with small hotels, beach clubs and restaurants under the palm trees. Getting between the two is easy by bike.
In the jungle around Tulum are some of the Yucatán Peninsula's most beautiful cenotes – sinkholes and caves filled with crystal-clear fresh water. South of town stretches the Sian Ka'an nature reserve, with lagoons, mangroves and abundant birdlife. Inland lie the ancient Maya cities of Cobá and Muyil.
Tulum is popular and has become expensive, especially by the beach. The weather is best in the dry season from December to April, when the days are usually sunny and the heat comfortable. Summer is hot and humid, with a risk of hurricanes and build-ups of sargassum seaweed on the beaches.
Things to do
Float down the Muyil canals
From Muyil, boats cross the Sian Ka'an lagoons to canals dug by the Maya. In a life jacket you let the current carry you through the mangroves.
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Snorkel with turtles in Akumal
In the bay at Akumal, under half an hour north, sea turtles graze on the seagrass. In the turtle zone you snorkel with a guide and a life jacket.
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Best December–April
24–32 °CWarm all year round. The dry season from December to April is the sunniest and most comfortable. Summer is hot and humid with heavy showers, and the hurricane season runs from June to November.
Current currency
MX$
Mexican peso
1 MXN to SEKThe rate is updated every hour. Always check the current rate before you travel.
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Plan your trip
Getting to Tulum
Tulum International Airport (TQO) opened in December 2023 and lies south of town, about half an hour away. Most people still fly into Cancún International Airport (CUN), which has far more departures and is about two hours to the north, with direct flights from the US, Canada and several European cities.
ADO buses run from Cancún airport to Tulum, and the Tren Maya train links the Cancún and Tulum airports with a station outside town. Taxis and pre-booked transfers are also available.
Check current departures and prices before you travel.
Where to stay
Tulum pueblo is the cheapest place to stay, close to restaurants, the bus station and the road to the cenotes, and you bike or take a taxi to the beach. Along the beach road are small hotels and cabañas with the sand outside the door, but prices are high and some have limited electricity and weak mobile coverage.
Aldea Zamá, between town and the beach, has newer apartment hotels with pools. Large all-inclusive resorts are north of Tulum, along the coast towards Akumal. Book well ahead for Christmas, New Year and Easter.
The big and the small
Selected sights
Cobá
The large Maya city lies in the jungle between two lakes, about 45 minutes inland. Straight stone roads, sacbé, link temples and ball courts, and you get around on foot, by rental bike or by bicycle taxi. The Nohoch Mul pyramid is one of the tallest on the Yucatán Peninsula, and the rules on climbing it have changed several times, so check what applies.
Muyil
The small Maya city on the edge of Sian Ka'an, a short way south of Tulum, has a steep pyramid rising out of the jungle. It gets far fewer visitors than Tulum. A boardwalk leads through the forest to a viewpoint over the lagoon, and this is where the boats to the canals leave from.
Chichén Itzá
Yucatán's best-known Maya city is a World Heritage Site, centred on the El Castillo pyramid, dedicated to the feathered serpent god Kukulcán. At the spring and autumn equinoxes, shadows form a serpent winding down the staircase. The journey takes just over two hours each way, so leave early and consider combining it with Valladolid.
Valladolid
The quiet colonial town lies about an hour and a half inland. Colourful houses, arcades and a cathedral surround the main square, and in the middle of town is Cenote Zací, where you can swim. Valladolid is a good stop on the way to Chichén Itzá, and the food is both cheaper and more Yucatecan than on the coast.
Xel-Há
The eco-park 15 minutes north of Tulum is built around a natural inlet where fresh water from rivers and cenotes meets the sea. You snorkel among fish, float down a river and jump from rocks. The ticket includes food and equipment, but it's expensive, so plan for a whole day.
The ruins by the sea
The walled Maya city stands on a cliff above the sea, with El Castillo as its tallest building and the Temple of the God of the Winds on a headland further along. The city was still inhabited when the first Spaniards sailed past in the early 16th century. Arrive when the site opens, before the heat and the coaches. The ruins need their own ticket, and the fees for the surrounding national park have changed several times.
The beaches
North of the ruins is Playa Paraíso, a wide beach with white sand, palm trees and fishing boats. Southwards along the beach road follow kilometres of sand in front of small hotels and beach clubs, with public access points in several places. The beach directly below the ruins is closed. Sargassum seaweed can wash ashore in summer.
Sian Ka'an
South of Tulum begins the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve, a World Heritage Site of jungle, lagoons, mangroves and coral reef. On boat trips through the lagoons you often see birds, dolphins and sometimes turtles. The road through the reserve is unpaved and potholed, so most people go on a guided tour.
Worth knowing
Neighbourhoods
Tulum pueblo gathers around its main street, Avenida Tulum, with taquerías, bars, shops and the bus station. A few kilometres east is the coast, with the ruins and Playa Paraíso to the north and the long beach road, the zona hotelera, running south towards Sian Ka'an, lined with hotels, beach clubs and restaurants. Between town and the beach, Aldea Zamá has grown up with new homes and cafés. A cycle path links town and the beach.
Food & drink
The Yucatán Peninsula has its own cuisine. Try cochinita pibil, pork slow-cooked in achiote and banana leaves, sopa de lima, a chicken and lime soup, and the fried tortillas panuchos and salbutes. Tacos al pastor from a taquería on Avenida Tulum are cheap and good, and on the coast you eat ceviche and grilled fish. The restaurants along the beach road are among the most expensive in Mexico, so consider eating in town in the evening.
Getting around
A bike is the easiest way to get between town, the beach and the nearest cenotes, and many hotels lend or rent out bikes. Along the coast road to Akumal and Playa del Carmen run colectivos, small minibuses that stop wherever you wave them down. ADO buses leave from the bus station in town. Taxis have no meter and are expensive, so agree the fare before you get in. For trips to Cobá, Valladolid and the cenotes, a rental car is convenient.
Apps
With the ADO app you buy bus tickets and check departures, and Tren Maya tickets are sold on the train's own website. Many hotels, restaurants and tour operators reply fastest on WhatsApp. Download maps for offline use before excursions, since coverage can be weak in the jungle and along the beach road, and a translation app helps when English runs out.
Essentials
Check the entry rules for your nationality before you travel; the border officer decides how long you may stay, so check the number of days in your passport. The state of Quintana Roo charges a tourist fee, Visitax, which you pay at visitax.gob.mx. The currency is the Mexican peso. Carry cash for cenotes, colectivos and small stalls, since cards aren't accepted everywhere. A tip of 10–15 per cent is expected in restaurants. Don't drink the tap water. The time zone is UTC−5 all year, with no daylight saving time.
Extra tips and advice
Visit the ruins and the popular cenotes early in the morning, before the heat and the tour coaches. Many cenotes and parks require biodegradable sunscreen or none at all, so check before you put it on. Bring insect repellent for the jungle and the lagoons. Follow the sargassum reports in summer and choose your beach accordingly. Eat and shop in town, where prices are a fraction of the beach road's.
