A two-week loop from Cancún through the Maya cities of the Yucatán, Campeche and Palenque, then Calakmul deep in the forest, before returning via the Bacalar lagoon, Tulum and the Riviera Maya. The roads are paved and flat, but you have to reckon with the topes in every village, give up driving at night and know a few safety rules.
| Days | Stop | Drive |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Cancún | Start |
| Days 2 to 3 | Valladolid | 158 km · 2h |
| Days 4 to 5 | Mérida | 182 km · 2h30 |
| Day 6 | Campeche | 243 km · 3h50 |
| Day 7 | Palenque | 361 km · 4h50 |
| Days 8 to 9 | Conhuás (Calakmul road) | 308 km · 4h25 |
| Days 10 to 11 | Bacalar | 178 km · 2h35 |
| Day 12 | Tulum | 215 km · 2h50 |
| Day 13 | Playa del Carmen | 65 km · 55 min |
| Day 14 | Back to Cancún | 66 km · 55 min |
Road route calculated from the stops (OpenStreetMap). Driving times assume no stops and no traffic: add time for photo breaks.
November to April, the dry season: less than 45 mm of rain a month in Mérida, intense heat in April and May (36°C on average in May). From June to October, thunderstorms and the hurricane season (1 June to 30 November, peaking from mid-August to mid-October); sargassum seaweed on the Caribbean coast every summer since 2015.
🚗 158 km · 2h of driving from Cancún
Toll motorway 180D, fast; the free 180 (libre) goes through villages and topes. Exit 5 km north of the town.
🚗 182 km · 2h30 of driving from Valladolid
180D westwards, Kantunil exit for Izamal, then two-lane roads and the 180 to Mérida; topes in every village.
🚗 243 km · 3h50 of driving from Mérida
Route 261 due south via Uxmal and Kabah, sites on the Puuc Route, then two-lane roads to Campeche; topes.
🚗 361 km · 4h50 of driving from Campeche
Toll motorway to Champotón, then the 261 and 186 via Escárcega: long straight stretches and lorries. Arrival from the north.
🚗 308 km · 4h25 of driving from Palenque
Back towards Escárcega, then the 186 eastwards. Fill up in Escárcega; few places to stay at the Calakmul junction, so book ahead.
🚗 178 km · 2h35 of driving from Conhuás
Route 186 eastwards via Xpujil and Becán, then the 307 northwards before Chetumal; topes in the villages.
🚗 215 km · 2h50 of driving from Bacalar
Route 307 northwards, bypassing Felipe Carrillo Puerto, then Muyil on the edge of the Sian Ka'an reserve.
🚗 65 km · 55 min of driving from Tulum
Route 307 northwards along the coast, via Akumal and Xel-Há; Cancún airport is an hour away after that.
🚗 66 km · 55 min of driving from Playa del Carmen
In 8 days, stay in the Yucatán: one night in Cancún, two in Valladolid (Chichén Itzá, Ek Balam), two in Mérida (Uxmal as a return trip), then two in Tulum via the 180D and Cobá. Skip Campeche, Palenque, Calakmul and Bacalar, which involve the longest days of driving.
| Small car, Cancún airport | ≈ €8 a day |
|---|---|
| All categories, September (cheapest month) | ≈ €11 a day |
| All categories, December (most expensive month) | ≈ €20 a day |
| SUV | ≈ €45 a day |
| Mexican third-party liability insurance | Often on top of the advertised price |
| Vehicle | A city car is enough: the whole loop is paved, including the Calakmul road (60 km, narrow). |
|---|---|
| Where to pick it up | Cancún airport: agencies outside the terminal, shuttles from the car parks; a loop, so no one-way fee. |
| Insurance | Mexican insurance is compulsory, foreign policies are not valid (French Foreign Office); fully comprehensive cover recommended. |
| Deposit | From USD 500 at America Car Rental, blocked on a credit card. |
| Age and card | 21 minimum at America Car Rental; the driver's credit card and passport. |
| Belize and Guatemala | Crossing forbidden without the rental company's consent; the insurance covers Mexico only. |
⚠️ Prices of €5 or €10 a day often exclude third-party liability insurance, added at the counter: check that it is included before paying.
A French licence is recognised in Mexico (French Foreign Office); Europcar also requires an International Driving Permit for a licence not written in Spanish. Other licences: check whether an International Driving Permit is required.
As in mainland Europe. A left indicator on the car in front sometimes means "overtake": never rely on it without seeing for yourself.
110 km/h on toll motorways, 100 km/h on federal roads, 20 to 50 km/h in town.
Each state sets its own limit, between 0.4 and 1 g/l: in practice, not a single drink before driving.
Very high speed bumps, sometimes a steel pipe: ease off as soon as you see the first houses.
The French Foreign Office advises against it: topes, animals and pedestrians are invisible outside the towns.
The French and UK foreign offices advise using toll motorways and avoiding quiet secondary roads.
Military checkpoints, mainly near the borders: show your licence, passport and contract; searches possible.
Extortion has been reported, notably in Tulum: do not pay a police officer on the spot; call 911 if you are intimidated.
Villages sometimes block the road in exchange for a small sum: the French Foreign Office advises paying.
Federal road assistance, reachable on 078 or via an app.
≈ €1.42 per litre of petrol (MXN 28.35 on 21 September 2026)
Price recorded in September 2026: it changes every week, sometimes by 10 to 20 cents in a month. Check it before you go.
⛽ 1,776 km at 7 l per 100 km: about €180 at September 2026 prices, to share between passengers.
Attended stations: check the pump is reset to zero. Fill up during the day and in town (French Foreign Office), and in Escárcega before Calakmul.
| 180D motorway, Cancún to Kantunil | Two toll barriers, on the Quintana Roo side and north of Pisté; rate displayed at the booth |
|---|---|
| Champotón to Campeche motorway | One toll barrier at Seybaplaya (CAPUFE) |
| Chichén Itzá (foreigners) | MXN 105 (INAH) + MXN 548 (Yucatán state tax) |
| Uxmal (foreigners) | MXN 105 + MXN 461 (state tax) |
| Palenque and Calakmul (foreigners) | MXN 210 + MXN 215 (park or reserve, CONANP), each |
| Tulum (foreigners) | MXN 210 + MXN 295 (Jaguar Park) + MXN 120 (CONANP) |
| Kabah, Becán, Muyil | MXN 145 to 155 |
| Route 199, Palenque to San Cristóbal | Not recommended: community roadblocks and tolls, risk of kidnapping |
|---|---|
| Guatemalan border and Selva Lacandona | Advised against except for essential reasons (French Foreign Office) |
| Chichén Itzá and Uxmal | 08:00 to 16:00, last entry 15:00 |
| Palenque and Calakmul | 08:00 to 17:00, last entry 16:00 |
| Hurricane season | 1 June to 30 November, peaking from mid-August to mid-October |
Our loop covers about 2,000 km in 13 nights, with Calakmul and the return trips to the sites. In 8 days, keep Valladolid, Mérida and Tulum. Palenque and Calakmul require two days of 4 to 5 hours' driving: without them, a week is enough for Chichén Itzá, Uxmal and the coast.
For 14 days: car hire from €150 to €280 depending on the month (Kayak averages of €11 to €20 a day), plus Mexican insurance. Estimated petrol: 140 litres at MXN 28.35 for 2,000 km, nearly MXN 4,000 (€200) at September 2026 prices. Chichén Itzá, Uxmal, Palenque, Calakmul and Tulum: MXN 2,694 per adult (€135).
The French Foreign Office places Cancún, Playa del Carmen and Tulum under heightened vigilance, especially around nightlife venues, and advises against Chiapas except Palenque, reached via the 186. It asks travellers not to drive at night, to prefer toll motorways and to fill up during the day, in town.
Not on route 199: the UK Foreign Office advises against the stretch between Palenque and San Cristóbal, and the French Foreign Office reports community roadblocks demanding a right-of-way fee. The detour via Villahermosa and Tuxtla Gutiérrez adds too much to a two-week loop: San Cristóbal deserves a trip of its own.
Mexican insurance: foreign policies are not valid there, the French Foreign Office points out, and it recommends fully comprehensive cover. The prices of €5 to €10 a day shown online often exclude third-party liability, charged at the counter. Bring a credit card: deposit from USD 500 at America Car Rental.
The French Foreign Office states that a French licence is recognised. Europcar, however, requires an International Driving Permit in addition to any licence written in a language other than Spanish: better to get one before you leave. America Car Rental rents from age 21, with a licence still valid for at least one more year.
Driving rules, prices and closures checked in September 2026; hotels checked on OpenStreetMap and then on Booking. Rules change: read the official source before you leave, and check your own government's travel advice for the country. Stop photos: Wikimedia Commons, authors and licences under each image.
Off We Gooo road trip guide · offwegooo.com/en/road-trips/mexico · by Pierrick, updated 1 October 2026
