The Yucatán itinerary, day by day

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.

🗓️ 4 or 7 days📍 3 stops☀️ Best time: November to April

Tulum · Photo Alejandra Ortiz Zamora / Pexels

Route map (numbers = order of the stops).

The Yucatán in 4 days

2 stops · 5 things to do · ≈ 140 km

1Cancún

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.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

The Hotel Zone beaches · Isla Mujeres (by ferry)

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Mayan Monkey Cancún (€30 a night) · Mid-range: Krystal Cancún (€130 a night) · Luxury: Le Blanc Spa Resort (€450 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Ilios | Greek restaurant in Cancun ★ 4.9 · 10355 reviews · €€€
Oh My GGogi ★ 4.9 · 3969 reviews
Fred's | The best seafood in Cancun ★ 4.8 · 7573 reviews · €€€
Nicoletta | Italian restaurant in Cancun ★ 4.8 · 4157 reviews
Ryoshi Cancún ★ 4.8 · 1048 reviews

Photo Israel Torres / Pexels

🚗 Car · 2h · 130 km

2Tulum and Playa del Carmen

Days 3-4

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.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

Playa del Carmen and Fifth Avenue

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Mayan Monkey Tulum (€18 a night) · Mid-range: Ahau Tulum (€150 a night) · Luxury: Azulik (€550 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Tantra | Best beach club in Tulum ★ 4.9 · 5780 reviews
El Cayuco Tulum ★ 4.9 · 1398 reviews · €€
Nicoletta Playa Del Carmen ★ 4.8 · 5733 reviews
Kascabal ★ 4.8 · 1889 reviews
Negro Huitlacoxe ★ 4.8 · 1402 reviews

Photo Karim Hallab / Pexels

The Yucatán in 7 days

3 stops · 7 things to do · ≈ 350 km

1Cancún

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.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

The Hotel Zone beaches · Isla Mujeres (by ferry)

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Mayan Monkey Cancún (€30 a night) · Mid-range: Krystal Cancún (€130 a night) · Luxury: Le Blanc Spa Resort (€450 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Israel Torres / Pexels

🚗 Car · 2h · 130 km

2Tulum and Playa del Carmen

Days 3-4

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.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

Playa del Carmen and Fifth Avenue

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Mayan Monkey Tulum (€18 a night) · Mid-range: Ahau Tulum (€150 a night) · Luxury: Azulik (€550 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Karim Hallab / Pexels

🚗 Car · 2h · 160 km

3Chichén Itzá and Valladolid

Days 5-6

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.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

Valladolid

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Hotel Doralba Inn (€55 a night) · Mid-range: Hotel Chichen Itza (€85 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Chichén Itzá ★ 4.8 · 136912 reviews
Restaurante AHAL ★ 4.8 · 2025 reviews
Sikil Valladolid Restaurante ★ 4.8 · 1183 reviews
Pak'al Restaurante & Café ★ 4.8 · 728 reviews · €€
ELELA ORGANIC VEGAN CAFE Y RESTAURANT ★ 4.8 · 508 reviews

Photo Ollie Craig / Pexels

Hotel prices are per room per night, activity prices per person, checked when written. Some links are affiliate links (Booking, GetYourGuide): we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.

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Good to know before you go

🍽️ What to eat

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.

⚠️ What to avoid

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.

Plan this trip

📒 The free printable Yucatán guide→ 🗓️ Best time to visit the Yucatán, month by month→ 🎟️ What to book before you go→

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