5 Days in and around Cancún (2023)
Scarlet macaws (guacamayas) at the Xel-Há theme park
The Maya Region is so much more than Cancún, of course, but if you haven't been there before, this lively and welcoming city is a great place to start. I recommend staying in Cancún for the duration of your trip and visiting a number of tourist attractions in the states of Quintana Roo and Yucatán over the course of five days.
Located in the state of Quintana Roo and overlooking the Caribbean Sea, Cancún is a planned city, built in the 1970s for touristic purposes. Over the last thirty years its population rose from 500,000 to 900,000, and it has become the most popular destination in Mexico for foreign tourists.
There are so many attractions in and around the city, from heavenly Caribbean islands and majestic theme parks to archaeological sites and handicraft markets. So no matter what type of Mayan experience you are looking for, you will surely be amazed. I know I was amazed the moment I stepped out of the airport. The clouds were hanging so low in the sky I felt I could just reach out my hand and touch them. From that moment on, I was fully engaged and present and I didn't want to miss a thing, which is what I'm wishing you as you embark on your own Mayan adventure.
💡 I normally include restaurant recommendations in my itineraries for every meal, but since most hotels offer breakfast and many tourists prefer to eat at the hotel's restaurant in the morning or opt for a restaurant nearby, I left the breakfast recommendations out.
💡 The theme park tickets include a buffet lunch in any of the parks' restaurants.
1.2. The archaeological site of El Rey
2.3. Lunch at Green Demon Beach Club
2.7. Optional experience: MUSA
5. Day 5. Chichén Itzá, Valladolid
5.2. Lunch at Taco Maya By Oxtun
5.4. Dinner at El Mesón del Marqués
Day 1
The lookout point
Let's start by exploring the touristic area of the city, Zona Hotelera (the Hotel Zone), home to international hotels, exquisite restaurants and all-inclusive resorts.
The lookout point is where you will get a first glimpse of the Caribbean landscape and enjoy the first of many photo sessions. The colorful letters that make up the name of Cancún rise against the turquoise backdrop of the Caribbean Sea.
You could also enjoy your first sunbathing session on Playa Delfines, one of the most popular beaches in Zona Hotelera.
The archaeological site of El Rey
9 am - 4:30 pm daily
Entry fee: 70 MXN
Although very small compared to the archaeological site of Chichén Itzá, it is worth visiting because it is the most important archaeological site in Cancún. It has 47 structures that in pre-Hispanic times played a maritime role. Murals and drawings associated with Mayan rituals have been discovered here.
La Isla Cancún
11 am - 12 am daily
La Isla is the number 1 shopping mall in Mexico. In addition to the 162 stores, you will enjoy the atmosphere of a Caribbean shopping town where you can take a boat ride on the canal or even swim with the dolphins at the 👉interactive aquarium (open daily from 9 am to 8pm).
I recommend having lunch at La Isla at Sonora Grill. Check the mall's full restaurant list 👉here.
Lunch at Sonora Grill
📍 Bulevar Kukulcan Km 12, La Isla Cancún, Zona Hotelera
📅 1 pm - 12 am daily
💚 Try: tacos de arrachera (skirt steak tacos with avocado or grilled onions and cilantro)
Mercado Coral Negro
8 am - 10 pm daily
Here you will get acquainted with the impressively diverse Mexican handicrafts. From clothes and accessories to traditional candy, this market will give you a feel for Mexican tradition.
📜 I recommend checking out more than two or three stores and comparing prices before you make a purchase. The market is safe and fun and I personally enjoyed my experience there, but be careful when you buy your souvenirs and make sure the prices are not inflated.
Dinner at Mextreme
📍 Bulevar Kukulcan Km. 9.5 Plaza Zócalo, Zona Hotelera
📅 7:30 pm - 12 am daily
💚 Try: enchiladas de la casa (chicken-stuffed tortillas topped with green or red salsa and mozzarella cheese), enmoladas (chicken-stuffed rolled tortillas topped with mole sauce)
Coco Bongo
9 pm - 3 am daily
Coco Bongo is the most famous club in Mexico and among the best in Latin America. It hosts impressive dance and acrobatic shows every day in a Las Vegas meets Cirque du Soleil type of atmosphere. See the list of shows and prices 👉here.
📜 You must be at least 18 years old to be allowed into the club.
📜 There is no dress code for the club.
Day 2
The Caribbean Sea (on my way to the island)
How to get there
🚢 By ferry
Puerto Juárez, Cancún - Isla Mujeres
See the hours and fees 👉here.
🚢 By ferry with 👉My Cancún Tours, an agency accredited by the Ministry of Tourism that has been operating in Cancún and Riviera Maya for over 20 years.
The main beaches
Playa Norte
This Mayan jewel is located 8.07 mi (13 km) from Cancún in the state of Quintana Roo and has a population of around 13,000. It was found in 1517 by conquistador Francisco Hernández de Córdoba, who discovered the Yucatán Peninsula. In pre-Hispanic times, Mayan goddess Ixchel, goddess of the moon, love and fertility, was worshipped on this island, and young girls made a pilgrimage here in their teens as a rite of passage to adulthood. Among the Mayan ruins, the Spanish found ceremonial objects that symbolised women, so they named the island Isla Mujeres (mujeres = women).
Start your adventure on Isla Mujeres by exploring one of its main beaches:
🏝️ Playa Norte. This white pristine beach stretches for 0.62 mi (1 km) along the clear turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea. The sea is quite calm and shallow here, so it is safe for children to swim.
🏝️ Playa El Cocal. Right next to Playa Norte on the left lies Playa El Cocal, a little more crowded due to the bars and restaurants that have opened here.
🏝️ Playa Centro. This beach is probably the most crowded one, but it is an excellent choice if you are looking for souvenir shops and a wider range of restaurants.
Lunch at Green Demon Beach Club
📍 Calle Zazil-ha 118, Playa Norte
📅 10 am - 8 pm daily
💚 Try: tostadas de ceviche (toasted tortillas with marinated octopus and shrimp)
Parque Garrafón
This reef park is a great alternative to the main beaches of Isla Mujeres if you are looking for a more quiet and exclusive space. It doesn't get very crowded and it offers a wide range of activities, from kayaking and snorkeling to swimming in a panoramic pool and enjoying a Mayan temazcal (traditional sweat lodge ceremony). Get your tickets 👉here.
Punta Sur
This is a beautiful park located on the southern tip of the island. You might want to rent a golf cart to get there. You will love the cliffs, the well-maintained trails and the sculpture of Mayan goddess Ixchel.
👉Isla Mujeres Golf Cart Rentals
📍 Miguel Hidalgo, Centro - Supmza. 001, 77400
📅 9 am - 7 pm daily
Dinner at North Garden
📍 Carlos Lazo 14, Centro Supmza. 001
📅 7 am - 10 pm Wed-Mon
💚 Try: tikin xic shrimp (marinated jumbo shrimp topped with refried beans, seafood, fried leek and pickled red onion - served after 6:30 pm)
Optional experience: MUSA
9 am - 2 pm daily
At a depth of 30 ft (9.14 m), MUSA (Museo Subacuático de Arte) is a unique underwater art museum with over 500 life-size sculptures distributed on the bottom of the sea into three galleries. Apart from their artistic value, these sculptures have an ecological purpose, as they stimulate rapid coral growth and provide a habitat that the marine species can colonise.
The fee you will pay varies depending on where you start the tour from (Cancún or Isla Mujeres) and the type of experience you choose.
There are three types of tours:
🤿 the snorkeling / scuba diving tour
🤿 the glass-bottom boat tour
🤿 the jungle tour
Compare the options and book your tour 👉here.
Day 3
Xcaret (pronounced shka-RET) is a theme park of unparalleled beauty that stretches across 200 ac (81 ha) and is located about 50 mi (80 km) from Cancún. It is the best-known and most important park of the Xcaret Experiencias Group chain. The other parks are Xel-Há, Xplor, Xplor Fuego, Xavage, Xoximilco, Xenses, Xenotes and Xichén.
There are 54 attractions in Xcaret Park, so you will probably need two days to fully enjoy the experience, but you could visit its main attractions in one day.
Here are some of the top attractions:
🌴 a replica Mayan village
🌴 underground rivers
🌴 snorkeling
🌴 Sea Trek
🌴 swimming with dolphins
🌴 the jaguar island
🌴 the equestrian show
🌴 the Papantla flyers
🌴 the Gran Tlachco theatre, a huge open-air theatre with a capacity of 6,000 seats where you will watch Xcaret México Espectacular (7 pm - 9 pm daily), a show that features more than 300 artists who perform a variety of acts like the Mesoamerican ball game, historical re-enactments of the conquest of Mexico and the Mexican Revolution, as well as traditional dances from different states
Add to all of this the magic of the jungle with its animals enjoying their natural environment (be prepared to see parrots flying freely, but also flamingos, toucans, and butterflies of all colours!).
Check out the park map with all the activities 👉here.
💡 You will get a 15% discount if you purchase tickets for two Grupo Xcaret theme parks, and a 20% discount if you purchase tickets for 3 or 4 theme parks. I recommend purchasing the following 3 experiences (included in this itinerary) for a 20% discount: Xcaret, Xel-Há and Xichén (a guided tour to the archaeological site of Chichén Itzá that includes a visit to Valladolid). You can buy the tickets 👉here.
Xcaret México Espectacular at the Gran Tlachco Theater
The buffet lunch is included in the price.
The restaurants of Xcaret are all exceptional, but I highly recommend La Isla, a temple-like round building where apart from an exceptionally varied buffet selection you will enjoy live folk music.
La Isla
Day 4
About 71 mi (114 km) away from Cancún lies another spectacular park. Xel-Há (pronounced shel-HA) is an all-inclusive natural water theme park built around a lagoon (its main attraction). Remember to buy the park passport, where you will receive a stamp for each tourist attraction visited. If you manage to get the whole passport stamped, you will be able to claim your free official park T-shirt.
There are over 20 tourist attractions in Xel-Há. See the complete list 👉here.
Here are some of the top attractions:
🌴 snorkeling
🌴 river tubing
🌴 cliff jumping
🌴 zip-lining
🌴 the beaches
🌴 the cenotes
🌴 the jungle trails
💡 You will get a 15% discount if you purchase tickets for two Grupo Xcaret theme parks, and a 20% discount if you purchase tickets for 3 or 4 theme parks. I recommend purchasing the following 3 experiences (included in this itinerary) for a 20% discount: Xcaret, Xel-Há and Xichén (a guided tour to the archaeological site of Chichén Itzá that includes a visit to Valladolid). You can buy the tickets 👉here.
Day 5
The archaeological site of Chichén Itzá
8 am to 5 pm daily
General entry fee: 614 MXN
Entry fee for Mexican citizens: 272 MXN
Free entry on Sundays for Mexican citizens and foreign residents
About 124 mi (200 km) from Cancún you will find one of the main attractions of the Maya Region. Built in the 12th century, the Pyramid of Kukulkán (98.4 ft / 30 m high) is one of the seven wonders of the modern world. Kukulkán (Kꞌuꞌukꞌul Kaan = 'feathered serpent' in the Mayan language) was the god of wind and water, the Mayan counterpart of Aztec god Quetzalcóatl.
The history of Chichén Itzá begins in the 7th century when its first structures appeared near the Xtoloc cenote (underground lake). So apart from the famous Pyramid of Kukulkán, you will see many other temples here, as well as the court where the famous Mayan ball game was played. It is believed the ball game became popular about six hundred years ago. It was played in two teams of seven players, and the objective was to move the ball through the rings located on the court walls. The ball could only be hit with the hips, shoulders and elbows. The members of the losing team could be ritually sacrificed, but there is evidence that the captains of the winning teams were sacrificed too.
💡 You will get a 15% discount if you purchase tickets for two Grupo Xcaret theme parks, and a 20% discount if you purchase tickets for 3 or 4 theme parks. I recommend purchasing the following 3 experiences (included in this itinerary) for a 20% discount: Xcaret, Xel-Há and Xichén (a guided tour to the archaeological site of Chichén Itzá that includes a visit to Valladolid). You can buy the tickets 👉here.
Lunch at Taco Maya by Oxtun
📍 Interior Parador Turístico de Chichén Itzá
📅 10 am - 5:30 pm daily
💚 Try: poc-chuc (Yucatán-style grilled pork cooked in citrus marinade and served with rice, pickled onions, avocado and refried beans)
Valladolid
Folk dances in Parque Principal Francisco Cantón Rosado
Valladolid is located in the state of Yucatán only 26.4 mi (42.5 km) from the archaeological site of Chichén Itzá. Established by conquistador Francisco de Montejo's nephew in 1543, it was named after Valladolid, the capital of Spain at the time, and built on the site of a Mayan town called Zací.
With a population of around 57,000 and its colonial aesthetic, Valladolid preserves the magic of a traditional Mexican small town. What makes it even more special is the presence of 👉17 cenotes (underground lakes) in the area. As the Yucatán Peninsula is a region almost devoid of rivers and lakes, for the Maya communities these cenotes were the main source of fresh water, so it is easy to imagine why the Maya settlements and their ceremonial centers were built in their proximity.
Take a walk in Parque Principal Francisco Cantón Rosado, opened in 1900 during the term of Governor Francisco Cantón Rosado. Before the conquest it was the site of a Mayan pyramid, the stones of which were used in the construction of the Church of San Servacio, the municipal palace and other important buildings.
Dinner at El Mesón del Marqués
📍 Calle 39 203 X40 Y 42, Centro, Valladolid
📅 8 am - 10 pm daily
💚 Try: chile relleno del Marqués (breaded poblano pepper stuffed with meat and cheese and served in a Mayan soup)
Gorgeous sunset in Puerto Juárez, Cancún
Where to stay
There are over 1,000 hotels in Cancún and over 1,400 properties listed on Booking.com, so the range of options is wide, but these are my top recommendations.
👉Fiesta Inn (budget), 👉Fiesta Americana (mid-ranged) and 👉Grand Fiesta Americana (luxury), owned by Grupo Posadas, a major player in the Mexican hospitality industry, are excellent choices. In 2020, Grupo Posadas operated more than 150 hotels across the country.
👉Emporio Cancún is a reasonably priced all-inclusive luxury hotel located in the heart of the Hotel Zone, the most touristic area of Cancún.
👉Hotel Xcaret is a luxury all-inclusive resort in Playa del Carmen, not in Cancún, but I am recommending this option to those who would like to stay closer to the theme parks. Hotel Xcaret is 1.1 mi (1.8 km) away from Xcaret Park and it offers you an unbeatable range of benefits:
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unlimited access to all the parks that belong to Grupo Xcaret (Xcaret, Xel-Há, Xplor, Xplor Fuego, Xavage, Xoximilco and Xenses)
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round-trip transportation to Cancún International Airport and the parks
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luxurious suites with views of the ocean, rivers or the jungle
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gourmet cuisine experiences offered by celebrity chefs
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spa services
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daily activities and entertainment
How to get around
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Rent a Europcar car 👉here and travel on your own. Quintana Roo and Yucatán are among the safest states in Mexico.
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Book a shared shuttle or private car on 👉mydaytrip.com.
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Grupo Xcaret offers round-trip transportation to the theme parks. Remember to include the transportation option when you buy the ticket.
When to visit Cancún
A great time to visit Cancún is from December to April, but I would say the best months are January and February for five main reasons:
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The average temperature in winter is around 77 °F (25 °C)
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There is very little chance of rain
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There is no sargassum (a type of seaweed that can be found on the beaches of Cancún between April and August)
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You will get the best hotel deals
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There will be fewer crowds