Tulum

Tulum is the most photographed destination in Mexico and the one whose personality has changed fastest. It has the one thing nowhere else in the country can offer — a walled Maya city on a cliff above the Caribbean — and a beach hotel zone that went from candlelit cabañas to some of the most expensive rooms in Mexico. It is very much worth it if you know what you are going for.

Tulum is three different places

• The archaeological zone — the ruins on the cliff. It opens early and should be the first thing you do, before the heat and the buses arrive.
• The town — on the federal highway, where people live and where normal prices, taquerías and affordable hotels are.
• The hotel zone — a road of about ten kilometres hugging the beach, with boutique hotels, expensive restaurants and magazine aesthetics. It is beautiful and it is very costly.

Many visitors are disappointed because they arrive in the town expecting the beach from the photos, or stay in the hotel zone without a car and discover everything is far away. Understanding the separation between the three parts is half of a good Tulum trip.

The ruins

It is the only Maya city built facing the sea, and it served as a trading port. It is not the largest or the most monumental — Chichén Itzá and Cobá are — but it is the best-sited in the Maya world: the Castillo on the cliff with the turquoise Caribbean behind it is one of the definitive images of Mexico. Arrive at opening, bring water and a hat: there is little shade and the heat bites after ten.

The beaches

Tulum's beach is a long strip of fine white sand and turquoise water, split between public access points and hotels. Playa Paraíso and Playa Ruinas, near the archaeological zone, are the most accessible. Southward the beach grows quieter as you approach the reserve. And at the end of the road is the entrance to Sian Ka'an, the World Heritage biosphere reserve, with lagoons, mangroves and Maya canals you can float down.

The cenotes

Tulum has the peninsula's best cenotes within twenty minutes. Gran Cenote and Dos Ojos are the classics; Cenote Calavera is small and fun; Zacil-Ha is family-friendly; and Casa Cenote, near Tankah, is an open river through mangrove where a crocodile the locals know by name sometimes appears. Go early and use biodegradable sunscreen: most will ask you to rinse off before entering.

When to come

December to April is the best season: dry, sunny and less hot. June to November is hurricane season and muggy. Sargassum affects the Tulum coast mainly between April and August, and it shows up more here than in Cozumel or on the west side of Isla Mujeres.

Getting there and around

Since 2023 Tulum has its own airport (TQO), about 30 minutes away, alongside the traditional route through Cancún (CUN), two hours up the highway. The Maya Train also serves the area. A car or scooter is genuinely useful here: the town sits about four kilometres from the beach, and cycling that under midday sun is more than it sounds.

Where to stay

The town if budget matters: there are good small hotels, real food and taxis down to the beach. The hotel zone if you came for the aesthetic and the cost is not an issue; note that many hotels run on generators with limited wifi — that is part of the concept. Aldea Zamá, between the two, is the middle ground on price and comfort.

One honest piece of advice

Tulum is expensive, more than most people expect, and beach-zone restaurants often price in dollars with service included. It has also had real problems with runaway growth, services and pricing. None of that takes away what it has — ruins above the sea, cenotes and one of the prettiest beaches in the country — but arriving informed avoids the bad taste.