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Mexican Caribbean
Cancun

Cancun

Play - Sway - Get Away

Cancun

A cosmopolitan city with spectacular beaches

Cancun's Hotel Zone stretches between the Caribbean Sea and Nichupté Lagoon, with white-sand beaches, hotels, shopping malls, restaurants and marinas, all about 20 minutes from the airport.

The city is also home to the Maya Museum and the El Rey, San Miguelito and El Meco archaeological sites. Just offshore are the reef, MUSA and the ferries to Isla Mujeres.

Right now
86°F (30°C)Partly cloudy
Best for
Beach, nightlife and a first trip to the Mexican Caribbean
When to visit
Year-round; the most pleasant weather from December to April

Getting here

Airport

Concourse of a terminal at Cancun International Airport, with shops and passengers

Airport

Cancun International Airport

The airport is south of the city, about a 20-minute drive from the Hotel Zone and 25 minutes from downtown.

  • Private transfers: Transfer services run from the arrivals hall straight to your hotel.
  • Bus: Airport buses run to the downtown terminal; from there, a taxi or city bus takes you to the Hotel Zone.
  • Car rental: Rental agencies operate inside the terminal, a convenient option if you plan to explore the coast by car.

Tren Maya

The Tren Maya running along the track through vegetation

Tren Maya

Two stations

Two Tren Maya stations serve Cancun: Cancun Airport Station, inside the airport grounds, and Cancun Station, west of the city.

  • From the airport: An internal shuttle connects the station with the airport terminals.
  • Getting into town: From Cancun Station, local transportation connects with downtown and the Hotel Zone.

Ferry

Passenger boat crossing the Caribbean Sea in front of the Cancun hotel zone

Ferry

Four terminals

Four ferry terminals connect Cancun with Isla Mujeres: Playa Caracol, Playa Tortugas and El Embarcadero in the Hotel Zone, and Puerto Juárez north of downtown.

  • From the Hotel Zone: The three terminals are steps from the hotels. The crossing takes longer but offers scenic views.
  • From Puerto Juárez: This is the shortest crossing, about 20 minutes, with departures every half hour.

Bus

The ADO bus terminal in downtown Cancun, with its canopy and the platforms beyond

Bus

Cancun Bus Terminal

Cancun's main bus terminal is downtown, not in the Hotel Zone.

  • From the airport: There are direct buses from the airport to the downtown terminal.
  • Down the coast: Buses depart from here for Playa del Carmen, Tulum and destinations farther south in the state.

The beaches

Public beaches all along the Hotel Zone

All beaches are public. Near the beginning of the Hotel Zone, Las Perlas, Langosta, Tortugas, Caracol and Gaviota Azul generally have gentler waves and are popular with families. Farther south, Chac Mool, Marlín, Ballenas and Delfines have stronger waves and water sports. Playa Delfines has the lookout with the Cancun sign, while Playa Coral is a pet-friendly beach.

White sand beach and turquoise sea in Cancun

Maya heritage

El Rey, El Meco and the Maya Museum of Cancun

Located at kilometer 18 of the Hotel Zone, El Rey is the largest archaeological site in Cancun. It takes its name from a sculpture believed to depict a noble, discovered in 1909 and now on display at the Maya Museum of Cancun. The museum is also the entrance to the San Miguelito archaeological site and its Great Pyramid, 26 feet (8 m) high. Farther north, El Meco preserves El Castillo, the tallest structure in the north of the state, overlooking Isla Mujeres Bay.

Remains of the El Rey archaeological site in Cancun

Sea and lagoon

The reef, MUSA and Nichupté Lagoon

The Mesoamerican Reef runs along the coast near Punta Nizuc, while MUSA, the Underwater Museum of Art, lies between Cancun and Isla Mujeres. Snorkeling, diving, catamaran trips, paddleboarding, kitesurfing and parasailing all leave from the Hotel Zone, and the jungle tour takes you by speedboat through the mangrove channels of Nichupté Lagoon, ending with a snorkeling stop at the reef.

Sunrise over the sea off Cancun

Nightlife

From the Party Center to dinners over the lagoon

Restaurants over Nichupté Lagoon serve international cuisine with mariachis, live music and shows. Later in the evening, there are the clubs of the Party Center in the Hotel Zone and the bars of Puerto Cancun and downtown. For families, there are dinner shows aboard a boat.

Interior of a nightclub with neon lights in Cancun

Shopping and golf

Malls, markets and golf courses

Cancun has shopping malls in the Hotel Zone and downtown, craft markets such as Mercado 28, and 18-hole golf courses set among the jungle, the mangroves and the lagoon.

Aerial view of a golf course in Cancun, between the jungle and the lagoon

More about Cancun

Cancun

September 29, 2024

10 Things to Do in Cancun to Make the Most of Your Trip

Discover the best things to do in Cancun: beaches, the MUSA underwater museum, Maya ruins, cenotes, Isla Mujeres, nightlife and more.

Read the article
Maya temple in Cancun

September 29, 2024

The Archaeological Sites in Cancun

Explore the archaeological sites in Cancun: El Rey, Yamil Lu'um, San Miguelito and El Meco, minutes from the Hotel Zone.

Read the article
Cancun

September 29, 2024

Discover the Paradise Beaches of Cancun

Discover the paradise beaches of Cancun for an exclusive getaway: quiet public sands, calm sheltered bays and the private resort enclave of Playa Mujeres.

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Cancun

86°F (30°C)Partly cloudy
65%9 mph (14 km/h)
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