This list of best things to do in Cancun It will help you prepare your trip to one of the most famous sun and beach holiday destinations in the world.
Bathed by the transparent and turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea, this city is the gateway to the paradisiacal Riviera Maya and the one with the most hotel infrastructure in the Yucatan Peninsula.
By having direct flights from most major cities in the world, many travel agencies offer all-inclusive vacation packages in Cancun at a very competitive price.
In our experience, we believe that a good option is to take advantage of these offers to stay in a good hotel / resort in the great hotel zone and complete your trip with day trips through the Yucatan Peninsula, taking into account that although Cancun is considered as a sun and beach destination, it is located near the most important sites of the ancient Mayan civilization such as Chitzén Itzá, Tulum and Cobá.
In addition to the possibility of making these more cultural visits, you also have numerous leisure activities such as bathing in one of the fantastic cenotes, snorkeling or diving for its magnificent coral reef, go shopping or enjoy the delicious Mexican food.
Based on the experience of the time we spent in Riviera Maya during our trip to Mexico, we have made this list of 10 essential places to visit in Cancun.We start!
1. Relax on the beaches of Cancun
Relax on a sunbed and take a dip in one of the best white sand beaches and crystal clear waters, it is one of the best things to do in Cancun.
This city has more than 20 kilometers of public beaches of all kinds: tourist, local, calm waters or waves, with water activities, which will allow you to choose according to your preferences.
Among the most recommended is Playa Delfines, where the great lyrics of CANCUN and that offers spectacular views of the sea, although the strong waves make it more recommended for surfing than for bathing.
Another of the most famous and crowded is Tortugas Beach where you can practice all kinds of water sports and enjoy the parties that are usually mounted on it.
If you prefer tranquility you can approach Langosta Beach or Caracol Beach with a more familiar atmosphere and calm waters, ideal for snorkeling or swimming.
Other recommended beaches are: Playa Linda, Playa Ballenas, Playa Las Perlas or Playa Chac Mool.
Cancun Beach
2. Visit Chitzén Itzá
Chitzén Itzá, the most important Mayan site in Mexico and one of the seven wonders of the world, is another of the places to visit in Cancun.
In this ancient city of the Mayan civilization, important structures such as the Jaguar Temple, the Ball Game and, above all, the famous Kukulkan Pyramid are still preserved.
To visit Chichen Itza it is recommended to arrive early, open at 8 in the morning, to avoid finding many tourists and invest a minimum of 3 hours to travel all its most interesting points.
Upon leaving the site you can complete the visit by approaching the spectacular Il Kil cenote, where you can take a relaxing bath in a wonder of nature.
To get to Chichen Itza you can rent a car or take a bus at the ADO station in Cancun, located on Calle Pino Lot 1 and 2, which takes just over 3 hours.
If you prefer to learn more about the history of this site and enjoy greater comfort when including hotel pick-up, we recommend you book one of these guided tours in Spanish:
Chichen Itza
3. Get to know Cancun city
If you stay in an all-inclusive hotel and are tired of lying in a hammock by the pool or the beach with a cocktail in your hand, it can be a good distraction to take a bus to visit the city of Cancun.
In areas such as Parque de las Palapas, you will be able to know the authentic essence of the city and verify that the local Mexican food is much better than what is served in the resorts.
Another of the best things to do in Cancun The city is looking for a souvenir in one of the craft stalls of Mercado 28, located next to Plaza Bonita, which recreates a colorful Mexican town.
If you have more time and have not had the opportunity to see any Mayan ruin, we advise you to approach the archaeological site El Meco or San Miguelito.
To finish the route through the city of Cancun you can enter the Tequila Museum, to learn the whole process of making this Mexican alcoholic beverage and bring you a souvenir bottle.
A more comfortable option to visit all these points of the city and know its history is to book this guided tour in Spanish that includes hotel pick-up.
Tequila
Our recommended hotel in Cancun
If you have hired us for a vacation package and travel to Cancun on your own, we remind you that you also have plenty of good hotels in the hotel zone or in the city of Cancun. Among the most recommended with a good quality / price ratio are the Mayan Monkey Hostel Cancun and the Cancun Suites Apartments, both located a few meters from the beach.
We advise you to use this famous search engine to find the best hotel at the best price.
4. Arrive by boat to Isla Mujeres and Isla Contoy
Isla Mujeres and Isla Contoy, surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and located a few kilometers from the hotel zone, are the two most essential islands to see in Cancun.
In these two islands you will enjoy white sand beaches, deep turquoise green waters, shallow seabed full of coral and tropical fish and a delicious gastronomy where the snail ceviche is surprising.
In Islas Mujeres it is recommended to rent a bike or a golf cart to find the quietest and most beautiful beaches such as Playa Norte and snorkel in the El Garrafón marine park.
While in Isla Contoy you can also practice snorkeling or diving by having one of the most incredible coral reefs in the world and approaching the Isla Contoy National Park with a great diversity of fauna and paradisiacal beaches.
Ferries depart from the hotel zone every half hour that will leave you in Islas Mujeres in 20 minutes.
To get to Isla Contoy, you can only do so by hiring an organized excursion as it is a protected natural area.
A good option is to book some of these tours located among the best excursions in Cancun:
Women Island
5. Tour the Hotel Zone
The Hotel Zone is the part of Cancun where most of the major hotels, international restaurants, discos, parks, shopping centers and an endless number of entertainment venues are concentrated.
This area, located near the beach and crossed by the great boulevard Boulevard Kukulkán, has interesting points such as the archaeological site El Rey and the beautiful Laguna Nichupté.
If you want to have the best perspective of this whole part of the city, we recommend you go up to the Scenic Tower 110 meters high, one of the best things to do in Cancun and from which you can see Isla Mujeres.
Once these visits are completed, you can go shopping at Plaza Forum by The Sea or La Isla Shopping Village, which has a huge ferris wheel with fantastic views.
Finally you can have fun at the famous Coco Bongo nightclub that offers live music and various shows.
Hotel zone
Recommended travel cardsRemember that in order not to pay commissions and always have the current change we recommend you use the N26 card to pay and the Bnext and Revolut cards to get money at the ATMs. They are the ones we use, They are free and will save you a lot.
You can find more information in this article about the best cards to travel without commissions.
6. Visit the Tulum Ruins, one of the best things to do in Cancúm
The Mayan ruins of Tulum, located at the top of a small cliff with the turquoise waters of the Caribbean in the background, is one of the most beautiful places to see in Riviera Maya.
This archaeological site of which some important structures such as the Temple of the Frescos and the one known as El Castillo are preserved, can be crossed perfectly in about two hours and end up taking a bath on the beach located just below the ruins.
If you have extra time we recommend you go to Playa Paraíso, located half an hour walk from the site, where you can eat in one of the beach bars and take a postcard photo next to a lonely palm tree.
To get to these ruins, if you do not want to rent a car, you will have to take an ADO bus to the city of Tulum and from there a van or van to the entrance of the site. The total journey time is about 3 hours.
Another more comfortable option is to book this excursion to Tulum in the morning or this two-day tour to Tulum and Cobá, in both tours the guide is included in Spanish and the hotel pick-up.
Tulum, one of the best excursions in Cancun
7. Take a bath in a cenote
Bathe in a cenote, a freshwater pond that is formed by the wear of limestone rocks, is another of the best things to do in Cancun.
These wells that the Maya gave a sacred use abound in the Yucatan Peninsula and have become one of the great tourist attractions of Mexico.
We visit some of the best cenotes in Valladolid, located two hours from Cancun and that stand out for their karst formations and for being of the cave type.
Near Cancun and Puerto Morelos there is the famous cenotes route that passes through some open and other underground ones such as Las Morrajas, Boca del Puma, Siete Bocas, Verde Lucero or La Noria, among many others.
The best option if you want to visit several cenotes in the same day is to rent a car or book this guided tour in Spanish.
If you don't mind seeing only one or two, you can take one of the buses that leave every hour from the ADO terminal and that pass through the Cenotes Route towards Leona Vicario.
Cenote
8. Visit the Cobá Ruins
The ruins of Cobá is another place to visit in Cancun and one of the best excursions in Riviera Maya.
This huge Mayan archeological site of more than 80 square kilometers and with more than 6000 structures buried in the jungle of which only 10% have been unearthed, is a true wonder.
To tour this site you can rent a bike at the entrance and reach the impressive Nohuch Mul pyramid, the highest in the Yucatan Peninsula with 42 meters high, from where you will have incredible views of the ruins and the jungle.
Another advantage of these ruins is that there are much fewer tourists than in Chichen Itza and Tulum and the structures are less restored, which gives it a more magical and authentic aura.
To get to Cobá, if you do not have a rental car, you can take an ADO bus that will leave you near the entrance, in just over 3 hours.
Another option to learn more about the history of the Mayan civilization and of each structure is to book this excursion in the morning, which includes a guide in Spanish and pick up at your hotel.
Coba Ruins
9. Scuba diving or snorkeling
Scuba diving in the second largest barrier reef in the world that stretches over 1,000 kilometers in front of the Riviera Maya, is another of the essential things to do in Cancun.
Diving or snorkeling through the crystal clear and shallow waters of this coral reef that begins on Contoy Island, will allow you to see countless tropical fish, turtles and mollusks of all kinds.
In addition to Isla Contoy, other best areas for diving near Cancun are Islas Mujeres, Punta Nizuc, Cozumel Island and the Machones area.
Another amazing site that can only be seen snorkeling or diving is the Underwater Museum of Art located near Islas Mujeres, where there are more than 500 submerged sculptures.
Scuba diving
10. Disconnect from the world on Holbox Island
Holbox Island, located north of the Yucatan Peninsula, is a true paradise and one of our favorite places to visit in Mexico.
Stroll along the white sand beaches, bathe in the transparent turquoise green waters, taste the delicious tacos and lobster pizza, see the murals of the town, spend hours reading lying in a hammock, are just some of the best things to see and do in Holbox.
You can reach all these sites on the island on foot, although it is recommended if it is very hot, rent a golf cart.
The best time to go to Holbox, as long as there is no annoying sargassum, is between May and September, when you can see the turtle nesting on its beaches, the whale shark and the luminous plankton. Remember that if you want to do some activity with these animals it is very important to do them with a company that is active with Responsible Tourism.
To get to Holbox you can take an ADO bus that leaves at 9 in the morning and will take you directly to Chiquilá in two and a half hours. Once in Chiquilá you have to take a ferry that will leave you in Holbox in 20 minutes.
If you only have one day, it is advisable to book this excursion in Spanish with which you will save time since all transportation is included.
Holbox
How to have internet in Mexico?If you want to have internet in Mexico a good option is to buy one Holafly SIM card, with which you will have internet from the moment you land, several GB of data, keeping your WhatsApp number and support service in Spanish.
You can buy your Holafly prepaid SIM card here with a 5% discount for being our reader.
If you feel like helping us complete the list of 10 essential things to do in Cancun, add yours in the comments.
