This list of the best things to do in Cancun will help you prepare your trip to one of the world's most famous sun and beach holiday destinations.
Washed by the clear, turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea, this city is the gateway to the paradisiacal Riviera Maya and has the most hotel infrastructure on the Yucatan Peninsula.
With direct flights from most major cities in the world, many travel agencies offer all-inclusive holiday packages to 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 large hotel zone and complete your trip with day trips around the Yucatan Peninsula, bearing in mind that although Cancun is considered a sun and beach destination, it is located close to the most important sites of the ancient Mayan civilisation such as Chitzen Itza, Tulum and Coba.
In addition to the possibility of these more cultural visits, there are also numerous leisure activities such as swimming in one of the fantastic cenotes, snorkelling or scuba diving along the magnificent coral reef, shopping or enjoying the delicious Mexican food.
Cancun offers an unforgettable experience for those seeking a perfect getaway. Whether you're a beach lover, an adventure enthusiast, or a history buff, Cancun has something to offer everyone. In this article, we will delve into the wonders of Cancun and explore some excellent accommodation options such as hostels in Cancun on cancunhotelmexico.net
Based on the experience of our time spent in the Riviera Maya during our trip to Mexico, we have compiled this list of the 10 must-see places to visit in Cancun, so let's get started!
1. Relax on the Cancun Beaches
Relaxing on a sun lounger and taking a dip in one of the best white sandy beaches and crystal clear waters is one of the best things to do in Cancun.
This city has more than 20 kilometres of public beaches of all kinds: tourist, local, calm waters or with waves, with water activities, which will allow you to choose according to your preferences.
Among the most recommended is Playa Delfines, where the big CANCUN letters are located and which offers spectacular views of the sea, although the strong waves make it more suitable for surfing than for swimming.
Another of the most famous and popular beaches is Playa Tortugas, where you can practice all kinds of water sports and enjoy the parties that are usually held there.
If you prefer peace and quiet, you can go to Playa Langosta or Playa Caracol with a more family atmosphere and calm waters, ideal for snorkelling or swimming.
Other recommended beaches are: Playa Linda, Playa Ballenas, Playa Las Perlas or Playa Chac Mool.
To get to some of the beaches and points of interest in Cancun, we recommend you book the tourist bus that stops at all these points.
Cancun Beaches
2. Visit Chitzén Itzá
Chitzén Itzá, the most important Mayan site in Mexico and one of the seven wonders of the world, is another place to visit in Cancún.
In this ancient city of the Mayan civilisation, important structures such as the Temple of the Jaguar, the Ball Game and above all, the famous Kukulkan Pyramid are still preserved in good condition.
To visit Chichen Itza it is recommended to arrive early, it opens at 8 in the morning, to avoid encountering many tourists and to invest a minimum of 3 hours to visit all its most interesting points.
When you leave the precinct you can complete your visit by going to the spectacular cenote Il Kil, where you can take a relaxing bath inside a wonder of nature.
To get to Chichen Itza you can rent a car or take a bus from the ADO station in Cancun, located on Calle Pino Lote 1 and 2, which takes just over 3 hours. You can book your entrance ticket in advance and without queues from this page.
If you prefer to learn more about the history of this site and enjoy the convenience of being picked up from your hotel, we recommend booking one of these excursions with an English-speaking guide:
Excursion to Chichén Itzá and Mayan cenote
Offer: Chichen Itza + Tulum in two days
Excursion to Chichén Itzá in the morning
For more information you can check this post about how to get to Chichen Itza from Cancun.
Chichen Itza
3. Visit Cancun city
If you're staying at an all-inclusive hotel and you're tired of lying in a hammock by the pool or on the beach with a cocktail in your hand, it might be a good diversion to take a bus to visit the city of Cancun.
In areas like Parque de las Palapas you can get a taste of the authentic essence of the city and try the local Mexican food at some of the best restaurants to eat in Cancun such as Taqueria Coapeñitos and Loncheria El Pocito.
Another of the best things to do in Cancun city is to pick up a souvenir at one of the souvenir stalls at Mercado 28, located next to Plaza Bonita, which recreates a colourful Mexican village.
If you have more time and haven't had a chance to see any Mayan ruins, we recommend a visit to the archaeological site of El Meco or San Miguelito.
To finish your tour of Cancun, you can visit the Tequila Museum to learn all about the process of making this Mexican alcoholic beverage and take home a bottle as a souvenir.
A more comfortable option to visit all these points of the city and learn about its history is to book this guided tour in Spanish, which includes hotel pick-up.
To get to Cancun, we recommend you read this post on how to get to Cancun from the airport.
Tequila
Our recommended hotel in Cancun
If you have booked a package holiday with us and are travelling to Cancun on your own, we remind you that there are plenty of good hotels in the hotel zone or in the city of Cancun. Among the most recommended hotels with a good quality/price ratio are the Mayan Monkey Hostel Cancun, the Wyndham Alltra Cancun and the Cancun Suites Apartments, all located a few metres from the beach. Don't forget about the famous Hotel Emporio Cancun. This hotel is definitely worth your attention.
4. Getting to Isla Mujeres and Isla Contoy by boat
Isla Mujeres and Isla Contoy, surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and located a few kilometres from the hotel zone, are the two islands that are a must-see in Cancun.
On these two islands you will enjoy white sandy beaches, intense turquoise green waters, shallow sea beds full of coral and tropical fish and a delicious gastronomy in which the snail ceviche is a surprise.
In Islas Mujeres we recommend renting a bike or a golf cart to find the quietest and most beautiful beaches such as Playa Norte and snorkelling in the El Garrafón marine park.
While in Isla Contoy you can also snorkel or scuba dive as it has one of the most incredible coral reefs in the world and get close to the Isla Contoy National Park with a great diversity of fauna and paradisiacal beaches. For more information you can read this list of things to do in Islas Mujeres.
Ferries leave from the hotel zone every half hour and will take you to Islas Mujeres in 20 minutes. For more information you can check this post on how to get to Isla Mujeres from Cancun.
To get to Isla Contoy, you can only do so by hiring an organised excursion as it is a protected natural area.
A good option is to book one of these tours, which are among the best excursions in Cancun:
Excursion to Isla Mujeres by catamaran
Excursion to Isla Contoy and Isla Mujeres
Private excursion to Isla Mujeres
Contoy Island
5. Tour the Hotel Zone
The Hotel Zone is the part of Cancun where most of the big hotels, international restaurants, discotheques, parks, shopping centres and many other places of entertainment are concentrated.
This area, located near the beach and crossed by the great Boulevard Kukulkan, has interesting spots such as the archaeological site El Rey and the beautiful Nichupte Lagoon.
If you want to get the best view of this part of the city, we recommend climbing the 110-metre high Scenic Tower, one of the best things to do in Cancun and from where you can see Isla Mujeres.
Once you've completed these visits you can go shopping at the Plaza Forum by The Sea shopping centre or the La Isla Shopping Village, which has a huge Ferris wheel with fantastic views.
To finish off you can enjoy yourself at the famous Coco Bongo nightclub which offers live music and various shows.
Cancun Hotel Zone
Recommended travel cardsRemember that to avoid paying commissions and to always have the current exchange rate we recommend you to use the Revolut card and the N26 card, which are the ones we use, they are free and will save you a lot of money.
6. Visit the Tulum Ruins, one of the best things to do in Cancun.
The Mayan ruins of Tulum, located on 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 the Riviera Maya and is included in this 7-day Riviera Maya tour.
This archaeological site, which still preserves some important structures such as the Temple of the Frescoes and the one known as El Castillo, can be covered in about two hours and you can end your visit with a swim at the beach located just below the ruins.
If you have extra time, we recommend a trip to Playa Paraíso, a half-hour walk from the site, where you can have lunch at one of the beach bars and take a postcard photo next to a solitary palm tree.
To get to the ruins, if you don't want to rent a car, you'll have to take an ADO bus to the town of Tulum and from there a van to the entrance of the site. The total journey time is about 3 hours.
Another more convenient option is to book this morning tour to Tulum or this two-day tour to Tulum and Coba, both tours include a Spanish speaking guide and hotel pick-up.
For more information you can read this post about the essential things to do and visit in Tulum.
Tulum, one of the best excursions in Cancun.
7. Take a swim in a cenote
Bathing in a cenote, a freshwater pool formed by the weathering of limestone rocks, is another of the best things to do in Cancun.
These wells, which the Mayans used for sacred purposes, abound in the Yucatan Peninsula and have become one of Mexico's great tourist attractions.
We visited some of the best cenotes in Valladolid, located two hours from Cancun and noted for their karst formations and cavern-like nature.
Near Cancun and Puerto Morelos there is the famous route of the cenotes that passes through some open and others underground, 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 tour with an English speaking guide.
If you don't mind seeing just one or two, you can take one of the buses that leave every hour from the ADO terminal and go along the Cenotes Route in the direction of Leona Vicario.
Cenote
8. Visit the Coba Ruins
The ruins of Coba is another place to visit in Cancun and one of the best excursions in Riviera Maya.
This enormous Mayan archaeological site of more than 80 square kilometres of extension and with more than 6000 structures buried in the jungle of which only 10% have been unearthed, is a true marvel.
To tour the site you can rent a bike at the entrance and ride up to the impressive Nohuch Mul pyramid, the tallest in the Yucatan Peninsula at 42 metres high, from where you will have incredible views of the ruins and the jungle.
Another advantage of these ruins is that there are far fewer tourists than at Chichen Itza and Tulum and the structures are less restored, giving them a more magical and authentic aura.
To get to Cobá, if you don't have a rental car, you can take an ADO bus that will drop you off near the entrance in just over 3 hours.
Another option to learn more about the history of the Mayan civilisation and each structure is to book this morning tour, which includes a guide in Spanish and pick-up from your hotel.
Coba Ruins
Cancun Travel Insurance
When travelling to Mexico, there's nothing better than good travel insurance.
We always travel insured with Mondowith whom we take a fully adequate insurance for the needs that we are going to have on the trip.
By taking out your insurance with Mondo herejust for being a Viajeros Callejeros reader, you get a 5% discount.
9. Scuba diving or snorkelling
Scuba diving in the second largest barrier reef in the world, which stretches for 1,000 kilometres in front of the Riviera Maya, is another of the things to do in Cancun.
Diving or snorkelling in the crystal clear, shallow waters of this barrier reef, which starts at Isla Contoy, will allow you to see a myriad of tropical fish, turtles and molluscs of all kinds.
In addition to Isla Contoy, some of the best dive sites near Cancun are Islas Mujeres, Punta Nizuc, Cozumel Island and the Machones area.
Another amazing site that can only be seen by snorkelling or scuba diving is the Underwater Museum of Art located near Islas Mujeres, which features more than 500 submerged sculptures.
Scuba Diving
10. Disconnect from the world on Holbox Island
Holbox Island, located in the north of the Yucatan Peninsula, is a true paradise and one of our favourite places to visit in Mexico.
Strolling along the white sandy beaches, swimming in the clear turquoise green waters, tasting the delicious tacos and lobster pizza, seeing the murals in the village, spending hours reading while lying in a hammock, are just some of the best things to do in Holbox.
You can get to all these places on the island on foot, although it's advisable to hire a golf cart if it's too hot.
The best time to go to Holbox, as long as there's no sargasso, is between May and September, when you can see turtles nesting on the beaches, whale sharks and luminous plankton. Remember that if you want to do any activity with these animals it is very important to do it with a company that is active in Responsible Tourism.
To get to Holbox you can take an ADO bus that leaves at 9am and will take you directly to Chiquilá in two and a half hours. Once in Chiquilá you have to take a ferry that will take you to Holbox in 20 minutes.
Holbox
