How to get to the Riviera Maya

How to get to the Riviera Maya – 2022.

If you plan to stay in Cancun, Isla Mujeres, Playa del Carmen, Isla Holbox, Cozumel, or Tulum, Cancun International airport is your first destination.

Cancun’s Airport

Cancun International Airport (code: CUN) is one of the largest airports in Mexico. You can find direct flights to Cancun from many places all over the world. The airport is about 30 minutes from both the Cancun Zona Hotelera (Hotel Zone on Cancun Beach) and Downtown Cancun.

Cancun Airport to Zona Hotelera Distance: 22 km (14 miles) | 22 minutes

Cancun Airport to Downtown Distance: 16 km (10 miles) | 18 minutes

Cancun Airport to Isla Mujeres: 38 km (23 miles) | 1 hour and 20 min (Inlcuding ferry Ride)

Cancun Airport to Playa del Carmen: 55km (35 miles) | 1 hour 

Cancun Airport to Isla Holbox: 144km (90 miles) | 2 hours and a half (Including ferry ride) 

Cancun Airport to Tulum: 118km (73 miles) | 1 hour and 50 minutes

Cancun Airport to Cozumel: 87 km (55 miles) | 2 hours and a half (Including ferry ride) 

How to get to Isla Mujeres

Getting to Isla Mujeres is relatively straightforward: you just take the Isla Mujeres ferry from Cancun. However, you need to get to Cancun airport first and then to the ferry dock.

Once you’ve made it to the Gran Puerto Cancun ferry dock, all you have to do is hop on a ferry to Isla Mujeres.

The Gran Puerto Cancun (Ultramar) ferry dock is located in Puerto Juarez, a few minutes from downtown Cancun. The ferries leave every half hour from 5:00 am to 9:30 pm and every hour after that. The crossing takes about 15 minutes.

When you arrive, porters will be waiting to help you with your luggage and load it on the ferries.

The facilities at the dock are very comfortable, including bathrooms, a convenience store, a bar, and a small food stall. You can buy a one-way ticket for $160 pesos ($8 USD) or a round-trip for $300 pesos ($15 USD).

Beer, soda, water, and snacks are for sale on the boat. If weather permits (which is most of the time), sit outside on the top deck. You will never forget your first ferry ride to the island.

How to get to Playa del Carmen

Playa del Carmen is located 55 km south of Cancun, about a 45 minutes drive away. You first need to get to Cancun airport and then book a private or shared shuttle to Playa del Carmen, take the ADO bus, or rent a car.

The Cancun Airport shuttle to Playa del Carmen is by far the easiest, fastest, stress-free, and hassle-free way to get to Playa del Carmen. If you’re traveling with a group, this option can be quite economical and faster than the bus.

Renting a car is relatively easy. It gives you the freedom to explore and move around; however, you won’t need a car if your plan does not include other areas outside of Playa del Carmen.

Important: Taking a taxi to Cancun from Playa del Carmen is your worst option. You should only consider this in an emergency when you have no other options. A taxi can cost up to $200USD, depending on your luck. As taxis are not metered, the cost will depend on the taxi driver’s judgment.

Is there Uber in Playa del Carmen? 

Unfortunately no, there’s no Uber in Playa del Carmen at this time.

How to get to Tulum

Tulum is located 131 km south of Cancun, about a 2-hour drive away. You first need to get to Cancun airport and then book a private or shared shuttle to Tulum, take the ADO bus, or rent a car.

The Cancun Airport shuttle to Tulum is by far the easiest, fastest, stress-free, and hassle-free way to get to Tulum. If you’re traveling with a group, this option can be quite economical and faster than the bus.

Renting a car is relatively easy. It gives you the freedom to explore and move around; however, you won’t need a car if your plan does not include other areas outside of Tulum.

Important: Taking a taxi to Cancun from Tulum is your worst option. You should only consider this in an emergency when you have no other options. A taxi can cost up to $200USD, depending on your luck. As taxis are not metered, the cost will depend on the taxi driver’s judgment.

How to get to Tulum

Tulum is located 131 km south of Cancun, about a 2-hour drive away. You first need to get to Cancun airport and then book a private or shared shuttle to Tulum, take the ADO bus, or rent a car.

The Cancun Airport shuttle to Tulum is by far the easiest, fastest, stress-free, and hassle-free way to get to Tulum. If you’re traveling with a group, this option can be quite economical and faster than the bus.

Renting a car is relatively easy. It gives you the freedom to explore and move around; however, you won’t need a car if your plan does not include other areas outside of Tulum.

Important: Taking a taxi to Cancun from Tulum is your worst option. You should only consider this in an emergency when you have no other options. A taxi can cost up to $200USD, depending on your luck. As taxis are not metered, the cost will depend on the taxi driver’s judgment.

Is there Uber in Tulum? 

Unfortunately, no, at this time, there’s no Uber in Tulum.

How to get to Holbox

Getting to Holbox is relatively straightforward: you just take the Isla Holbox Ferry from Chiquila Quinta Roo to Holbox. However, you need to get to Cancun airport first and then to the ferry dock. The ferry is comfortable, runs frequently, and only takes half an hour.

Getting to Chiquila from Cancun or Playa del Carmen can be done by car or shuttle bus. Renting a car is relatively easy (click here to learn more) in Mexico. Still, you’ll have to pay for parking on Chiquila $100 pesos ($5.00 USD) per day (no cars are allowed to cross to Holbox) unless you plan to visit other places after Holbox. The second option is to take a bus or shuttle from Cancun, Playa del Carmen, and other cities (see options).

From Cancun, it will take you approximately 2 hours to get to Chiquila, then another 25 min to Holbox.

Cancun Airport Transportation

You have four options:

Get a private shuttle that offers transportation from the airport to your hotel or home. Then, for the return, you can book an Uber. 

Get an airport taxi. As Uber can’t go into the airport due to legal and other considerations, you can only take licensed taxis. Unlike other Airports, Cancun Airport Taxi Services must be pre-Arranged. To guarantee the lowest fare possible, make sure you confirm the rate and receive a confirmation number. Click here for more information and rates.

Get a rental car. The airport has an extensive selection of rental companies. Remember to check our article about renting a car in Cancun and Mexico. Booking your rental through Expedia or Discover Cars is the best alternative, so you don’t have to deal with the complex process of getting insurance for your rental car.

If you are going to stay at a hotel, you can always arrange a Hotel Shuttle. Some hotels have free shuttles, while others have an extra cost, usually per person.

What airlines do fly to Cancun Airport?

In total, 135 airports around the world have direct flights to Cancún, spread around 130 cities in 28 countries. Currently, there are 26 domestic flights to Cancún.

Direct flights from the U.S to Mérida

Atlanta (ATL), Austin (AUS), Boston (BOS), Baltimore-Washington (BWI), Buffalo (BUF), Charlotte (CLT), Chicago (ORD), Cincinnati (CVG), Cleveland (CLE), Columbus (CMH), Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), Detroit (DTW), Denver (DEN), Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Hartford (BDL), Houston (HOU), Indianapolis (IND), Kansas City (MCI), Los Angeles (LAX), Las Vegas (LAS), Miami (MIA), Minneapolis (MSP), Milwaukee (MKE), New York City (JFK), Nashville (BNA), New Orleans (MSY), Orlando (MCO), Providence (PVD), Portland (PDX), Philadelphia (PHL), Phoenix (PHX), Pittsburgh (PIT), Raleigh / Durham (RDU), San Diego (SAN), San Francisco (SFO), Seattle / Tacoma (SEA), St. Louis (STL), Salt Lake City (SLC), Sacramento (SMF), San Antonio (SAT), Tampa (TPA), Washington (IAD).

Direct flights from Canada to Mérida

Calgary (YYC), Edmonton (YEG), Halifax (YHZ), Hamilton (YHM), Kelowna (YLW), London (YXU), Moncton (YQM), Montreal (YUL), Regina (YQR), Saskatoon (YXE), Ottawa (YOW), Quebec City (YQB), Toronto (YYZ), Vancouver (YVR), Victoria (YYJ), Winnipeg (YWG).

Other international direct flights

Argentina, Austria, Bahamas, Belgium, Belize, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, France, Germany, Guatemala, Italy, Jamaica, Netherlands, Panama, Peru, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, and the U.K.

Use Kayak or Expedia to find the best prices.

How many terminals does Cancun airport have?

Cancun International Airport has four different terminals, but you will likely be flying into either 2, 3, or 4.

Terminal 2 services many domestic low-cost Mexican airlines like VivaAerobus and Volaris. They also have international flights coming in from Latin America on airlines like Avianca and Copa, and LATAM, along with USA’s Alaska Airlines and Canada’s Swoop and Sunwing.

Terminal 3 is the busiest terminal for U.S. flights, as American, Delta, JetBlue, and United all arrive here. In addition, Canada’s Air Canada and Europe’s British Airways and Iberia also land at Terminal 3.

Terminal 4 is a mix of domestic and international, being the hub for Mexico’s Aeromexico flights and many from the U.S., Canada, and Europe. From the U.S., Sun Country, Southwest, and Frontier come into Terminal 4. Canada’s WestJet and Air Transat flights also arrive here, with European carriers like Air France, Eurowings, and Lufthansa.

The terminals that the flights come into are not set in stone and can change, so be sure to check your boarding pass or your airline’s app to ensure the most up-to-date information.

How early should you arrive?

Cancun International airport is hectic, so give yourself at least three hours from your flight’s departure time. However, I recommend 4 to be safe. 

Do I need a vaccine card to travel to Mexico?

The Mexican government does not require proof of a Covid vaccine to visit Mexico. Therefore, you won’t need to show any proof of vaccination to visit Merida or anywhere in Mexico.

Other things you should know about departing from the Cancun Airport

Check your terminal

Ensure you know where your flight is departing from so your transportation or taxi takes you to the correct terminal.

Fill out and pay Visitax.

Visitax is totally new and quite honestly very odd, but now there’s a tourism tax in effect for all departing tourists from the state of Quintana Roo.

All international tourists should visit the Visitax site before arriving at the airport and pay the $224 pesos (around $11.00 USD) tourism tax per person online. Once paid, it will generate a Q.R. code and proof of payment which you will show agents before you go through security.

As this is new, very few people know about this. Still, agents will stop you and force you to pay the tax on the spot before entering the security lineup, which can be super stressful if you’re already late for your flight.

Another word of warning, there are many scam sites out there pretending to be the government’s official Visitax site, so please be careful and ensure you’re only using the correct link.

Tourists may not automatically receive 180 Days on their Visa

Long-stay travelers might not get the standard 180-day tourist visa you were expecting.

For many years, Visa excepted tourists used to automatically receive 180 days on a tourist visa. However, a record number of reports have been coming out of Mexico throughout 2021 that Mexican Immigration Authorities are no longer handing out 180 days like candy, and they are cracking down on tourists abusing longer stays.

The reason behind this crackdown is Mexico wants long-stay tourists to properly apply for temporary residency instead of constantly renewing their tourist visas. It makes sense for people who have been doing border runs for years, but the issue is it’s also affecting first-time tourists.

If you are coming for a 1 or 2-week vacation, you likely won’t have an issue at all; even if they issued you a few weeks tourist visa, you’ll be back home by the time it expires.

While some travelers are still being granted 180 days, many have reported on social media that they are receiving 30 days or less, with extreme cases of 5 and 7 days. So, if you’re planning to stay for 2-6 months, try to slow the agent down at the immigration counter and explain your trip.

Any longer-stay tourist should have proof of vacation rental bookings, proof of onward travel once their trip is over, and anything else to show you actually need the 180 days with the receipts to back it up.

What It Means for Travelers Entering Mexico

For short-term trip travelers visiting Mexico, the changes are unlikely to affect you. However, when entering the country, be sure to communicate your plans with the border agent so they can give you a sufficient amount of days in the permit. Also, be prepared to show documentation, as the agent may ask for hotel reservations, return flights, or booked tours to prove the purpose of the visit.

For travelers coming to Mexico who intend to stay longer, whether to escape the cold winters or live and work remotely, do not assume you will be given 180 days. Instead, talk to the border agent before they write the number of days on your permit and ask for the days you need up to the maximum.

Travelers who want to stay in Mexico long-term should consider applying for the Mexico temporary residence visa, which is for foreign visitors who intend to enter and remain in Mexico as temporary residents for a period greater than 180 days and less than four years.

Don’t lose your FMM, as you’ll need to give it back to an Immigration officer when you leave the country. Without returning your FMM, you can’t leave the country. If you lose it, arrive early at the airport to fill out some paperwork and pay the $600 pesos ($30USD) fine for a new one.