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So you’ve booked a trip to Cancun or Playa del Carmen… Now What?!

Hotels are booked, airfare is set, beach time is obviously on the schedule. But what about getting out there and exploring the area? Surely you want to plan some activities, but it can be overwhelming to sift through all the options and tour offerings! There are SO MANY choices when it comes to Riviera Maya excursions. From cenotes (what even IS that?!) to adventure parks… Snorkeling to ruins sites… I’m sure you’ve come across many suggestions in your searches. But when every site is trying to get you to sign up for a guided tour, it’s hard to know what you can fit into your schedule AND your budget!

After spending nearly a year based in Playa del Carmen, I’ve done almost everything there is to do. So I’ve put together this list of my favourite day trips from Playa del Carmen or Cancun, so you can include a few in your trip plans, and spend the rest of your visit kicking back and relaxing in the sun!

Top Riviera Maya Excursions for a day trip from Playa del Carmen or Cancun

1. Spend a day or 2 on Isla Mujeres

Location: Island 15 min off the shore of north Cancun

Cost: $150mx round trip ADO from Playa del Carmen; $50-80mx taxi to ferry station; $300mx round trip ferry; optional $400-800mx golf cart rental; optional excursions, food & drink

Isla Mujeres is a beautiful island in the Riviera Maya just off the coast of Cancun. It’s only a 15 min ferry ride across, so makes for an easy and cheap day trip from Playa del Carmen or Cancun.

Whether you choose to book a tour that includes snorkeling, drinks and food, or a do-it-yourself Riviera Maya excursion, you’ll no doubt be in for an amazing day.

I will say, the sunset on the island is amazing, and Playa Norte deserves more time than you’ll probably get on an organized tour so I might lean a bit more towards taking yourself there, just so you can experience these without being rushed. HOWEVER.. The catamaran tour is an AMAZING day if you prefer a ‘done for you’ experience.

Read more: A detailed plan for spending a day on Isla Mujeres

2. Go snorkeling on Cozumel

Location: Island 30 min off the coast of Playa del Carmen

Cost: $400mx round trip ferry; optional cost of on-island transportation; optional excursions, food & drink

Cozumel is a 30 minute ferry ride from Playa del Carmen, so makes for an easy excursion from the mainland. While on the island there are many things to do, but the most popular is snorkeling, since it’s one of the most famous diving & snorkeling locations in the world. We snorkeled off a little public beach on the north-west end of the island, but there are places you can go all along the coast. Most waterfront restaurants have access, and as long as you order a drink or something to eat, it’s usually free.

You can hire a tour company to take you off shore, but that’s not necessary to see some awesome sights. You can easily snorkel directly from the shore almost anywhere on the island. When you get off the ferry you can go left and walk until you see palapas on the beach, and have a bite to eat or a drink before/after you swim. Or if you make a right from the ferry dock, you can head into Hotel Barracuda for a drink and snorkel from their beach. There are many other places to get into the water, these are just a couple of suggestions.

You can even watch turtles lay eggs or help in the recovery of their nests after they’ve hatched! We did this in the fall of 2016 and it was beyond amazing. Contact the Ecology Department of Cozumel through the information found in this blog post if you’d like to donate or take part. Years later, this is still one of my most memorable travel experiences!

3. Visit a cenote… or 3!

Location: 15 minutes south of Playa del Carmen, 75 min south of Cancun

Cost: $100mx round trip colectivo from Playa del Carmen; $100-150mx each for admission at each cenote; optional equipment rental

A cenote is a natural sinkhole created when the ground above collapses, exposing pools of water underneath. The water in these sinkholes is typically very clear, thanks to the filtering the groundwater goes through before it reaches the pooling area.

There are 6000 cenotes in the Yucatán Peninsula alone, so there are a TON to choose from for your Riviera Maya excursion! Visiting a cenote is one of our favourite day trips from Playa del Carmen, so it definitely sits high on my list of recommendations. Our favourite cenote destination is a grouping of 3 cenotes just south of Playa del Carmen on the west side of the highway. Cenote Cristalino, Jardin del Eden and Azul are easy to get to via colectivo or car, and relatively cheap to get into. You can spend all day at just one, or make a point to hit all 3. They each have their own magic, so you really can’t go wrong whichever you choose!

To get there from Playa, head to the colectivo queue on Calle 2 and Av 20. Get on one heading to Tulum, and let the driver know which cenote you want to get dropped off at. It’ll cost 50mx per person. On your way back, there is often a colectivo waiting near the entrance to one of the cenotes, or you can run across the highway (be smart, but it’s not as scary as it sounds!) and wait at the side for one to pass. Wave your arm when you see one coming so they know to stop!

All 3 cenotes are beautiful and worth a visit. I can’t recommend one over another as they all hit very different points of interest, but I will say that Azul is my personal favourite! There are more shallow places to sit and stand in the water, but also lots of opportunity for snorkeling and cliff jumping.

Budget Tip: Bring your own snacks! While each cenote has a small offering of snacks and drinks, your budget (and your stomach!) will be thankful you brought a bag of snacks and cold drinks with you!

Read more: My must-packs for any adventure

4. Plan a day trip to Tulum and explore the Tulum Ruins

Location: 50 minutes south of Playa del Carmen; 1.75 hours south of Cancun

Cost: $100mx round trip colectivo from Playa del Carmen; $65 ruins admission; $600mx optional guide; $50-80mx taxi to town; optional food & drink

Tulum is home to some amazing beaches, beautiful cenotes, picturesque ruins, delicious food and a relaxed, artsy vibe. Head down on the colectivo (or ADO then colectivo, if coming from Cancun), and spend an afternoon exploring the town and visiting the shore.

If you plan to see the ruins, be sure to time it to get there early! The site gets busy early because the heat can get overwhelming as the day goes on. We got there within 30 minutes of it opening, and within an hour there were SO many crowds! These ruins are the easiest to reach as a Riviera Maya excursion, so they’re the busiest site, from our experience. Make sure you bring your bathing suits into the site, because you can head down to the beach to go for a dip to cool off! It is quite wavy here usually, but you’ll love the chance to get a break from the heat after exploring the grounds.

The perfect addition to a day trip to Tulum is a visit to a cenote or 2. Grand Cenote and Cenote Zacil-Ha are both about 5 min west of Tulum on highway 109 towards Coba. Catch a taxi from Tulum for $50-100mx each way.

5. Visit the Coba ruins and climb the pyramid

Location: 1.5 hours west of Playa del Carmen, 2.25 hours southwest of Cancun

Cost:  $320 round trip ADO transportation from Playa del Carmen; $70mx each admission; optional $500mx tour guide; optional $50mx/person bike rental; optional food & drink; OR $65+/person for an organized tour

Coba ruins are a bit further away than most of these options, but still a totally worthwhile Riviera Maya excursion! You can book this as an organized day trip from Playa del Carmen or Cancun, or you can easily plan this one yourself.

The ADO to Coba from Playa del Carmen is under $350mx round trip, and the bus takes you right to the front gate of Coba ruins. You can hire a guide for $400-500mx, but we didn’t find we learned much that we couldn’t have found in a few minutes online. Maybe it was just our guide that day…. but I wouldn’t call it necessary or worth the price.

Once inside the gate you can rent a bicycle or hire someone to bike you around on their cart. It’s about 1km from the entrance to the main pyramid, so a bike is an awesome option to tour the grounds, especially for the way back after you’ve climbed the pyramid!

Make sure you hang a right just inside the entrance to explore those buildings! They don’t look like much from the path, but they were the coolest part of the whole site and our guide didn’t show us any of them, or even point them out!

There are some shops and a few restaurants just outside the parking lot in the town where you can shop or have lunch overlooking Laguna Coba. There’s also 3 cenotes nearby that might be a fun addition to your afternoon. This site has an awesome explanation of each, and how to get there!

6. Swim with the turtles at Akumal beach

Location: 30 minutes south of Playa del Carmen; 1.5 hours south of Cancun

Cost: $100mx round trip colectivo from Playa del Carmen; $100mx/person beach entrance; optional equipment rental- $73 lifejacket, $100 mask & snorkel; optional food & drink

You may have heard about swimming with the turtles, but aren’t sure where to do it. Well this is the place! Sea turtles often come to this bay to feed so you’re likely to see several if you don a mask and snorkel and head out into the water.

Swimming with turtles isn’t the only reason to visit this beach, though! Because it’s a Bay and the coral reef extends along the mouth of it, the waters are much calmer than anywhere else along the coast. This makes for a nice calm beach to swim and relax at. And if you feel ambitious, you can always make the swim out the reef!

There’s a beachfront restaurant right at the entrance to the beach that’s the perfect place to escape the sun and grab a drink or a bite to eat. It is somewhat pricey though (by Mexico standards), so we usually opt to bring our own snacks, sandwiches and drinks to have a beach picnic.

Caution: Do not pay for a commercial tour, and DO NOT touch the turtles. In recent months there has been an increased presence of ‘tour guides’ on shore insisting visitors need to pay for a guide and snorkel equipment to be allowed in the water. This is not true, and just a way for locals to swindle some money from tourists. Just ignore them and keep walking a bit down the beach! They stick right at the entrance to the public beach, so once you get past them, you’ll have no issues. Also be aware that you will be asked to move if you set up directly in front of the adult only all-inclusive resorts. While all beaches in Mexico are public property, these resorts do have security keeping watch that beach-goers don’t get too close to their guests or beach beds.

7. Learn some Mexican heritage in Valladolid

Location: 1.75 hours west of Playa del Carmen and Cancun

Cost: $500 round trip on ADO from Cancun or Playa del Carmen; optional excursions, food & drink

Valladolid is the oldest town in the Yucatan state, and the second largest (after Merida). It is a town full of Mayan charm. It is a beautiful destination for low-budget Cancun or Playa del Carmen excursions. Take a walk through the streets and enjoy the bright colours and old gates and doorways.

Hang out in the town square and grab a snack from one of the many food vendors. Buy an embroidered handkerchief or headband from one of the Mayan women. Take in the beauty of the San Gervasio Church that towers over the square.

From the square walk down Calzada de los Frailes, a street built in the 16th century to connect the town of Valladolid with the village of Sisal Indians. It is lined with colourful buildings and old cars. At the end you’ll find the Convento de San Bernardino de Siena, built in the mid-1500’s, that is definitely worth a look inside. This is also where you’ll find the colourful letters to take a photo with!

You can also choose to swim in Cenote Zaci near the town center, or take a ride out to Cenote Dtiznip. Or visit the Mayapan tequila distillery to see the agave fields and take a tour.

Valladolid is the oldest town in the Yucatán Peninsula. It has a wonderful charm and beautiful architecture. You can spend an hour or 2 walking Calzada de los Friales to see the colourful buildings and get a tour about chocolate production (with samples!).
Be sure to visit the square and have some snacks from street vendors and look at some wares from Mayan women while viewing the beautiful architecture of the San Servacio Cathedral.
Visit a Tequila distillery, or one of the surrounding cenotes. Or stop in to Cenote Zaci, just a few blocks from the town square.

Read more: Visit Valladolid and the pink lakes of Mexico on a do it yourself overnight excursion!

8. Soak up the sun at Playa Delfines & take in some history at El Rey ruins

Location: Lower end of the Cancun hotel zone, Km 18; 1 hour from Playa del Carmen

Cost: $50mx per adult, kids are free; $15mx each for bus from Cancun centro; $100mx round trip colectivo from Playa del Carmen 

El Rey is a pretty small ruins site, but since it’s in the Cancun hotel zone and directly across from Playa Delfines, it’s a pretty easy and worthwhile afternoon visit. You probably won’t need more than an hour to walk through this site, but definitely bring water and maybe an umbrella because shade is hard to find. At $50mx for each adult and free for the kids, it’s well worth it.

Keep an eye out for iguanas here! These guys are pretty cool in themselves, nevermind the ruins! Each building has a plaque that explains what it once was, which is a nice way to give some depth to your self-guided tour. If you chose to, there is a man at the entrance offering a guided tour for about $100mx. We decided against this because it was such a hot day that we just wanted to explore for a bit then head to the beach.

Once you’re done at the ruins head across the street and north a bit to get to Playa Delfines. It’s a beautiful beach with the picturesque blue water you want to see in the Caribbean. There are washrooms and public showers here, as well as a few locals selling waters and juices. This was a welcome find since we had forgotten our bottle at home!

9. Spend an Evening at Parque las Palapas in Cancun

Location: 10 minutes from the ADO station in Cancun

Cost: $156mx round trip on ADO from Playa del Carmen, and whatever you spend on food. Budget around $100mx/person

If you want to experience authentic Mexican food and culture, this is the place to find it. Parque las Palapas is basically a fair that runs every night with an outdoor food court that is open all afternoon and evening. This is one of my top day trips from Playa del Carmen, so you HAVE to check it out! Go hungry!
Any night of the week is great here. They are open during the day, but nighttime is when the park gets hopping.

FYI: no alcohol is served here, so if you’ll want an *adult beverage* bring a couple with you or buy them from the OXXO on the corner!

10. Go to Bacalar

Location: 3.5 hours south of Playa del Carmen

Cost: approx $600mx roundtrip on ADO or $50usd for a rental car; optional food and drink; optional (but recommended) kayak rental or boat tour; optional overnight stay

Bacalar is 3 hours south of Playa del Carmen, on the southern tip of the Yucatán Peninsula. You’ll want at least one night there, but I recommend 2 or 3 to really get the most of the area. Though it is possible to book an organized day trip as well.

Known as the Lagoon of 7 Colours, Laguna Bacalar is a fresh water lake that is absolutely worth a visit. Kayak the crystal clear waters, or hire a boat to take you around. You can visit the 120m deep Black Cenote or the giant Cenote Azul, hang out at the pirate ship, or check out the cocalitos.

After an afternoon on the water head into town for a delicious pizza and cheap drinks at El Meson del Pirata (the Pirate Hostel) on the square or enjoy lunch with a view at Kai Pez to take advantage of their dock for an afternoon swim.

Read more: How to spend the perfect weekend in Bacalar Lagoon

11. Go to Puerto Morelos for a day

Location: 30 minutes north of Playa del Carmen

Cost: $80mx round trip on ADO or colectivo; optional (but recommended) snorkel trip to the reef; optional food and drink

This sleepy fishing village is halfway between Playa del Carmen and Cancun. It’s the perfect place to have a relaxed afternoon, and probably the best place to snorkel the reef. You can hire a boat for around $400mx per person, and they include a mask, snorkel and flippers.

Stick around until 7:30 to see the pastry van circle the square- my favourite thing about the town! Head down to the small craft market on Av Javier Rojo Gomez to see some local vendors and pick up some souvenirs, and every Wednesday night there’s a market in the town square.

12. Visit some beautiful beaches

Location: along the coast from Cancun to Tulum and beyond

Cost: variable transportation costs; admission at some locations; optional food & drink

Because what else should be at the top of your list of things to do when you visit the Riviera Maya?! The entire coast is lined with stunning beaches. Some are definitely more crowded than others, but if you’re willing to venture a bit out of Playa del Carmen, you will find some beautiful spots to throw down your towel for the day.

Our favourite beach is Punta Esmeralda, a 10 min drive north of Playa del Carmen centro. It’s more of a locals beach, so you won’t see too many tourists there, though there have been more finding this one recently. This beach features a small cenote that has created a cove slightly inland that is a great area for the kids to play without worrying about waves. There are a few picnic tables, but not many. There’s usually a couple of vendors selling snacks, but our favourite thing to do is to grab a meal from El Pechugon and bring it down for a picnic.

Xpu-Ha beach is another favourite of ours. It’s about 30 min south of Playa del Carmen, and easy to get to via colectivo. There is an entrance fee to this beach ($80mx last we went), but if you consume $200mx at the restaurant, you can show your reciept at the entrance shack and get it back as you leave. The sun beds are expensive, but I’m not really one for those so it didn’t matter to us. But if you want shade and don’t mind buying some drinks, ask around at the different businesses to price out beds before you buy- the prices can vary drastically!

Playacar beach is a great option if you want to stay in Playa del Carmen, though. From the ferry dock in Parque Fundadores head south along the shore until you find somewhere to set up camp. The further south you go, the less crowded the beach will be.

13. Spend an afternoon at Lagoon Yal-ku

Location: 40 min south of Playa del Carmen

Cost: $100mx round trip colectivo, $100mx taxi to the entrance, $10-14usd entrance, optional life jacket rental

If you’re looking for a great place to snorkel, this is the place to go! Jump into a colectivo to Akumal, then grab a taxi when you get to the beach to go the rest of the way. It’s a quick drive, but a long walk!

This site isn’t the cheapest day trip from Playa del Carmen, but it’s a great way to spend a day. With tons of lagoon to explore, cabanas for rent and a great snack bar/restaurant on site, you can easily stay the whole day.

After you’ve finished, head to our favourite restaurant in Akumal, La Pura Vida to watch the sunset!

14. Take a road trip to Rio Lagartos & the pink lake of Las Coloradas

Location: 3 hours north-west of Playa del Carmen; 3 hours from Cancun

Cost: $50usd for a rental car. No ADO bus to the pink lake of Mexico, so a car or a private tour are your only options; optional overnight accomodations, $800mx/boat tour of the ria; optional food & drink

This beautiful piece of the Yucatán is about 3 hours away from Playa and Cancun, so you may want to spend at least a night. The boat tour of Rio Lagartos is best first thing in the morning, when the Ria is just waking up. This is where you’ll probably get to see a flock of flamingos having breakfast!
After the boat tour, head 20 min east to see the pink lakes of Los Colorados.

Read more: Plan a trip to see Rio Lagartos and the pink lakes of Mexico

15. Eat some delicious food in Playa del Carmen

Location: Anywhere in Playa del Carmen. Most restaurants are in Centro, but there are some great restaurants and food carts in outlying areas!

Cost: $5-30usd/person, based on where and what you eat

If there’s one thing I’d have to pick as my favourite thing to do in Playa del Carmen, it would definitely be food hunting!! From tacos to tortas, Mexican to Middle Eastern to German. Selection is top-notch here!

You can easily stick to Playa del Carmen centro to find some great spots, but if you love getting off the beaten track there are some amazing places to discover a bit further out! We usually live in neighbourhoods outside of centro, so love checking out local restaurants and street carts.

You’ll be missing out if you don’t include a day trip around Playa del Carmen to explore the food scene in your trip here.

Read more: Where to eat in Playa del Carmen

16. Step back in time at some local ruins

Location: various locations around Quintana Roo

Cost: Prices vary based on site location, but around $500mx round-trip for ADO bus & $250mx for admission. Or about $75usd for a day tour from Cancun or Playa del Carmen

Probably the most well-known and most commonly sold Riviera Maya excursions would be a day trip to one of the many ruins in the area. Tulum, Chichen Itza, Ek Balam and Coba are all great day trips under 2 hours from Playa del Carmen. Tulum is only an hour away, the others are 1.5-2 hours.

The pyramids at Ek Balam and Coba can still be climbed, which makes for an awesome adventure. Chichen Itza and Tulum don’t allow any climbing, but that doesn’t make them any less interesting to visit.

Now it’s time to pick some and get planning!

I hope these options for low budget day trips from Playa del Carmen give you inspiration for planning your own Riviera Maya excursions!

If you’ve taken a day trip from Playa del Carmen or Cancun that isn’t on this list, leave a comment and let me know so I can check it out too!

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