The Yucatán

The Yucatán, in a few days

From the beaches of Cancún down the Riviera Maya to Tulum, then inland to Chichén Itzá and Valladolid: the map, what is worth booking, everything that costs nothing, and where to sleep at three budgets.

Day by day

1

Cancún

Days 1-2

The gateway to the Riviera Maya: a hotel zone on a long sandbar between the Nichupté lagoon and the Caribbean, with white beaches along its whole length.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Reef snorkelling tripHalf day · from €45
  Out to the Mesoamerican Reef, the second longest barrier reef in the world, for coral, turtles and shoals of reef fish.

✦ Free to visit

• The Hotel Zone beaches
• Isla Mujeres (by ferry)

📲 Book things to do in Cancún on GetYourGuide

2

Tulum and Playa del Carmen

Days 3-4 · 🚗 Car 2h

A walled Maya port on a cliff above the sea, still lived in when the Spanish arrived, with beach towns on either side and flooded caves in the forest behind.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Swimming in the Dos Ojos cenotesHalf day · from €40
  Two sinkholes opening onto a flooded cave system, with fresh water so clear it looks empty. The Maya saw cenotes as doors to the underworld.

✦ Free to visit

• Playa del Carmen and Fifth Avenue

📲 Book things to do in Tulum and Playa del Carmen on GetYourGuide

3

Chichén Itzá and Valladolid

Days 5-6 · 🚗 Car 2h

The great Maya city of the northern Yucatán, UNESCO-listed and named one of the New Seven Wonders in 2007. Valladolid, forty minutes away, is a colonial town with a cenote in its centre.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Chichén Itzá, guidedHalf day · from €40
  The pyramid of Kukulcán, built so that a serpent of light and shadow slides down its steps at the equinoxes, and the largest ball court in Mesoamerica.

✦ Free to visit

• Valladolid

📲 Book things to do in Chichén Itzá and Valladolid on GetYourGuide

Worth sorting before you go

A hire car · The roads are flat, straight and well kept, and a car reaches the cenotes on your own timetable. The Tren Maya, opened in 2023, also links Cancún, Playa del Carmen, Tulum and the Chichén Itzá area.

📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly

🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta

🚗 Car hire
Compare the agencies before you land.
Compare · Booking

💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut

🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer

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Flavours & local habits

🍽️ Worth tasting

• Cochinita pibil: pork marinated in achiote and bitter orange, slow-cooked in banana leaves; the dish of the Yucatán.
• Sopa de lima: chicken broth sharpened with the local lime and topped with fried tortilla strips.
• Panuchos and salbutes: small fried tortillas topped with shredded meat, pickled red onion and avocado.
• Papadzules: tortillas rolled around chopped egg and covered in a pumpkin seed sauce, a Maya recipe.
• Marquesitas: a thin, crisp pancake rolled around grated Edam cheese and something sweet, sold from street carts at night.

⚠️ Best avoided

• Drink only bottled water, and outside hotels ask whether the ice is made from purified water.
• Wear no sunscreen in the cenotes, or only a reef-safe one where it is allowed: most ask you to shower first.
• Check the sargassum reports before choosing a beach: in the warmer months seaweed can cover whole stretches of coast.
• Use official taxis or apps where they operate, keep valuables out of sight and carry little cash.
• Bargain at the markets, but with respect for the craftspeople.

Words that help

English ↔ Spanish

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The practical page

Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/yucatan

Packing checklist

Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.