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Mexican Caribbean
Chetumal

Chetumal

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Chetumal

The historic capital of Quintana Roo

Chetumal is the capital of Quintana Roo and the gateway to Grand Costa Maya. Set along a bay designated as a manatee sanctuary, the city is home to monuments, museums and seafood restaurants.

Bacalar and Calderitas are about half an hour away, while Kohunlich, Dzibanché and Oxtankah can be reached in about an hour.

Right now
78°F (25°C)Partly cloudy
Best for
Maya culture, the bay and nature
When to visit
Year-round, with the most pleasant weather from November to May
Museum of Maya Culture
Three levels around a sacred ceiba tree

Getting here

Airport

Facade of Chetumal International Airport, with its colored lattice screen

Airport

Chetumal International Airport

The airport is in the city, but it's still a 10- to 15-minute ride to the hotel zone or the historic center. Your options:

  • Private transfers: Private cars are available at arrivals for a direct ride to your hotel.
  • Car rental: A convenient option if you plan to explore the museums, archaeological sites and waterfront at your own pace.
  • Local transportation: Outside the terminal, taxis and colectivos (shared vans) will get you downtown in a few minutes.

Tren Maya

The Tren Maya running along the track through vegetation

Tren Maya

Chetumal Airport Station

The Tren Maya is a comfortable way to arrive from the northern Mexican Caribbean.

  • Station location: Near the airport, about 15 to 20 minutes from Boulevard Bahía and downtown.
  • Getting into town: From the station you'll need a ride: official shuttles and vans connect it with the main sights and hotels in the capital.

Bus

Intercity bus parked beside the sea, its door marked Entrance

Bus

Chetumal Bus Terminal

The main hub for anyone arriving by road. The terminal is at the entrance to the city, on the main avenue into downtown. To get downtown from there:

  • Local transportation: Boulevard Bahía is about 2 miles (3 to 4 km) away. Taxis and colectivos (shared vans) wait outside the terminal, and the ride takes less than 10 minutes.
  • Walking: Not a good idea with luggage, given the heat and the distance to the bayfront hotels.

Chetumal in motion

The bay

Stroll Boulevard Bahía at sunset

Chetumal Bay is shallow and calm, and it's a designated manatee sanctuary. Boulevard Bahía follows the waterfront past the Fisherman's Fountain, the Renaissance Monument and the Flag Obelisk, with cafés, restaurants and parks along the way. You can kayak or paddleboard on the bay, and the sun rises over the water.

Aerial view of Chetumal Bay at sunset

Maya heritage

Kohunlich and the masks of the sun god

Within an hour or two of the city, Kohunlich, Dzibanché, Kinichná and Oxtankah preserve temples, acropolises and plazas surrounded by jungle. Oxtankah, on the bay, also has a 16th-century Spanish chapel.

Pyramid at the Kohunlich archaeological site in the jungle

Museum of Maya Culture

A journey through cosmology and everyday life

The museum explores Maya cosmology, writing and everyday life on three levels arranged around a ceiba, the sacred tree of the Maya. Nearby are the City Museum and the scale model of Payo Obispo, as Chetumal was known in the early 20th century, when wooden houses lined its streets.

Lit Maya stucco mask in the museum

Jungle and rivers

Calderitas, Laguna Milagros and the Hondo River

Just a short drive from Chetumal, Calderitas serves fish and seafood in palapas overlooking the bay, with boat trips to Tamalcab Island. You can also kayak or paddleboard on Laguna Milagros and Xul-Há. At La Unión, on the Hondo River, you can rappel into the Cocodrilo Dorado cenote.

Aerial view of the jungle and rivers of southern Quintana Roo
Boulevard and monument facing Chetumal Bay
Discover the South

Discover the South

Find experiences, places to stay, local food, transportation and everything else you need to plan your trip through the southern Mexican Caribbean.

Explore the South

Chetumal gallery

Fountains at the Chetumal waterfront monument at sunset
Pyramid at a Maya archaeological site near Chetumal
Divers over a coral reef off the Chetumal coast
Sunrise over Chetumal Bay
Family on a wooden dock at Laguna Milagros
Family with a boat on a bay beach
Room at the Museum of Maya Culture in Chetumal
Chetumal's letters on the waterfront at dusk

More about Chetumal

Aerial view of Laguna Bacalar in the southern Mexican Caribbean

June 16, 2026

Discover the Magic of the Southern Mexican Caribbean

Bacalar, Chetumal and Mahahual: a guide to the southern Mexican Caribbean, from the Lagoon of Seven Colors to the Mesoamerican Reef and Banco Chinchorro.

Read the article
A cook in an embroidered huipil turning corn tortillas on a comal over a wood fire

September 30, 2024

The culinary delights of Chetumal: a taste of the Mexican Caribbean

The culinary delights of Chetumal: queso de bola, Rice and Beans, queques, tikin xic and machacados by the bay. A taste of the Mexican Caribbean.

Read the article
Boulevard Bahía waterfront in Chetumal

September 29, 2024

10 reasons to stop and stay in Chetumal

Ten reasons to stop in Chetumal: the Museum of Maya Culture, Oxtankah, the manatee sanctuary, seafood in Calderitas, sunsets on Boulevard Bahía and more.

Read the article

Chetumal

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