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Riviera Maya

Caribbean beaches, colonial cities, Maya archaeological sites and the most decorated cuisine in the world. Start with whatever moves you.

2nd largest reef on earth 120 km of coast 30 m visibility off Cozumel 5 best months
In two minutes

What it is, and what it is not

The Riviera Maya is not a city: it is a hundred-and-twenty-kilometre road with towns, ruins and reef hanging off it. Puerto Morelos to the north, Playa del Carmen in the middle, Tulum to the south, and two islands that break the pattern — Cozumel and Holbox.

What almost nobody says before you book: the coast faces the Caribbean, so sargassum is real between May and August; the fresh water is inland, in the cenotes; and all-inclusive versus a trip that starts at the hotel door are two entirely different holidays.

State Quintana Roo Airport Cancún (CUN) Best time Dec – Apr Avoid Sep – Oct Minimum days 5 Currency Peso (MXN)
The places

Six stops, north to south

Read them in order: it is the order you travel them if you land in Cancún.

Fishing town Puerto Morelos
01 / 06
01 Fishing town Puerto Morelos The reef runs five hundred metres offshore, close enough to swim from the beach. A small town, with a pier and a bookshop. 30 min from the airport Reef national park
02 Archaeological site Tulum The only Maya city built on a cliff above the Caribbean. It opens at eight and by ten there is a queue: there is no middle ground. Opens 08:00 1 h 20 from the airport
03 Island and diving Cozumel Coral walls, gentle current and thirty-metre visibility from December to April. The ferry from Playa del Carmen takes forty minutes. Ferry 40 min 30 m visibility
04 Cenotes The cenote route Inland, between Puerto Morelos and Tulum, dozens of cenotes are open. The best have a visitor cap, a community guide and no sunscreen allowed. Oxybenzone-free Capped numbers
05 Car-free island Isla Holbox White sand, dirt streets and no cars. Whale sharks pass through from June to September, on regulated trips with a cap. Boat from Chiquilá Whale sharks Jun-Sep
06 The south Mahahual and Bacalar Four hours south and another pace entirely: the Costa Maya with no towers, and the lagoon of seven colours in fresh water. 4 h from Tulum Bacalar lagoon
When to go

The best moment for your trip

Tap a month and see the weather, the crowds and the fiestas that fall in it.

The best December to April Dry, sargassum-free and with the water at its clearest. Also the most expensive and the busiest season. —Book two or three months ahead —Holy Week: prices double
With a caveat May to August Heat, humidity and peak sargassum season. In exchange, low prices and whale sharks off Holbox. —Check the sargassum map first —Cenotes and ruins remain perfect
Risk September and October The peak of hurricane season and the wettest month. Hotels drop their rates sharply, and for good reason. —Take flexible cancellation —Many businesses close in September
Good value November The dry season has just started, the sargassum has gone and prices have not climbed yet. The most usable window of the year. —Best value of the year —Climbs sharply from 15 December
Getting around

Bus or plane

Door-to-door times on the legs people actually do. In central Mexico the bus wins almost every time.

Cancún (CUN) → Puerto Morelos 30 min $25 – $40 Taxi or colectivo from the terminal. The shortest hop of all. Cancún (CUN) → Playa del Carmen 55 min $12 ADO The ADO bus leaves the airport every half hour. No car needed. Playa del Carmen → Cozumel 40 min $14 each way Ferry every hour. Leave the car in Playa: on the island, rent a scooter. Playa del Carmen → Tulum 1 h $8 ADO Highway 307, straight and in good condition. The Maya Train also covers it. Cancún → Chiquilá → Holbox 2 h + 30 min $20 + $12 Bus to Chiquilá and a boat to the island. Leave the car in the Chiquilá car park.

Reference prices in dollars gathered in 2025, per person, economy class. ADO sells online and at the terminal; the Cozumel ferry, only at the dock.

Where to sleep

Four bases, four different trips

See hotels →
From $70 Puerto Morelos Small locally owned hotels, with the reef out front. For diving every day and eating in town at night.
From $55 Tulum town Inland, a bike ride from the beach and at half the price. For longer stays, and for eating where the people who live there eat.
From $80 Cozumel The whole island lives off diving: hotels with their own pier. For divers who would rather not catch the ferry every morning.
From $95 Holbox Cabañas on the sand, no cars and a generator. For genuinely disconnecting. No reliable ATM: bring cash.
Before you book

What everybody asks

A seaweed carried in on Atlantic currents, mostly between May and August. It varies enormously beach to beach and week to week: there are daily maps worth checking before you pick a hotel. Cozumel and Holbox usually escape it better than the mainland coast.

Not for the coast: the ADO bus links the airport, Playa del Carmen and Tulum every half hour and is comfortable. It does help for doing inland cenotes at your own pace. On Cozumel and Holbox a car is a hindrance.

All-inclusive makes sense if the plan is not to leave the hotel. If you want to eat in town, dive with local operators and see the cenotes, a small hotel works out cheaper and leaves the money in the community.

Five at a minimum for the coast alone. Eight to ten if you want to add Cozumel or Holbox, each of which eats a full day in transfers. Twelve if you are going down to Bacalar.

Not from the tap. Bottled water is everywhere and many small hotels have a refill jug: bring a reusable bottle and you save both plastic and money.

Only oxybenzone- and octinoxate-free, and in many cenotes none at all: you will be asked to shower before going in. It is fresh water connected to the aquifer of the whole peninsula.