Cancún (map) is a popular Caribbean tourist destination on the northeast tip of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, which also is called the Mexican Caribbean.
It is composed of fourteen miles of pristine white beaches shaped like a number “7”, home of the Mayan archaeological wonders, turquoise seas, a bountiful underwater world, and world-class vacation amenities. It is still considered the gateway to the Mayan World (“El Mundo Maya”). Mayan temples and ritual sites are everywhere, some smothered by lush jungle, others easily accessible.
Peak season in Cancún tends to run from December to April. Airfare and hotel prices increase dramatically during these times, while dropping in the (northern hemisphere) summer and early autumn months.
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Cancun consists of two very distinct and separated areas. One of these is the Hotel Zone (map), entirely built around the tourist industry. It abounds with all-inclusive mega hotels with stunning Caribbean beaches. Stay here only if you don’t mind spending your vacation with many other tourists.
Downtown Cancún in contrast is a pure Mexican city, though it has very wide roads designed for cars, no real center to speak of, and is overall quite unremarkable, given its lack of any history before the 1970s. Do not expect to see Mexican historical culture here.
Unfortunately, the downtown area also has no beach access. Due to this, Cancun is very much a tourist town, with tourists and the beautiful beaches completely separated from real Cancunians. If you find this setup unappealing, you should probably skip Cancun altogether and go to *Playa del Carmen (map) or Puerto Vallarta instead, where locals and the beaches are in the same area.
For the more advanced swimmers, the edge of the open ocean can make for a challenging and fun swimming experience. For less advanced swimmers, or those with little ones, pick a resort facing *Isla Mujeres (map) for a gentle and relaxing aquatic experience. Be aware that the island becomes extremely hot during day and there are few, if any opportunities to cool off.
Xcaret (ecopark, map). Xcaret is an eco-archaeological park located about 76 km (46 mi) south of Cancún and less than 7 km (4 mi) south of Playa del Carmen, in the Riviera Maya. In its facilities you can find an archaeological site, snorkeling in underground rivers, beach, butterfly pavilion, orchid greenhouse, regional fauna breeding farm, Mayan village, jaguar island, among others.
Market 28 (map). This is the local market in downtown Cancún. Great shopping for souvenirs. It also has some great Mexican outdoor restaurants.
La Isla Cancún Shopping Village (map). Shopping mall in the hotel zone.
Timeshare and condos are a big business all over Yucatan, especially Cancún. “Tourist information” is another word for sales representative. If someone is offering you an “free” tour to anyplace or at a discount this means a 90-minute or longer presentation about condos and time-shares.
ADO is the main long distance inter-city bus carrier in the Yucatan Peninsula.
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BUS > mexicoautobuses.com • ClickBus. If traveling by bus, be sure to take the express (first class) buses (directo, sin escalas, primera clase), if available. First class buses travel over longer distances between cities use toll freeways where available. Other buses such as the second class (economico, ordinario, local) buses may be very similar to first class only they travel along secondary highways through cities, towns and villages and stop anywhere along the road on request.
RAIL > Amtrak (San Diego, Yuma, Del Rio и El Paso). The only available passenger train is the Chihuahua al Pacific Railway (CHEPE) operated by Ferromex between Los Mochis and the city of Chihuahua, through the Copper Canyon. (*Rail transport in Mexico)
AIRPORTS > Cancún International Airport. > aeropuertosgap.com.mx
WATERWAYS > –