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Dreaming of a beach vacation with just a touch of adventure? Cancun may be the place for you! With cheap flights from the US and plenty to offer within the city or the larger Yucatán Peninsula, Cancun, Mexico is a lovely reset from day-to-day life. I went on a girl's trip and had an absolute blast, but Cancun can easily be explored solo or with family as there are so many options to choose from.
While I only had 4 days to spend in Cancun, I would recommend up to 7 days to explore everything the area has to offer. So enjoy my top tips on what to do in Cancun!
Table of Contents
Arrival
Beach day
Fancy Dinner at the Hotel Zone
Weather and best time to visit
October to May are the most temperate months, with the winter months being the most popular. The summer months will get up to the 90s with all other months being between the 70s and 80s. Last tip: if you are looking to save money, go in the fall!
Money: Currency exchange and tipping
If possible, try not to exchange money at the airport. While the rates aren't bad, you will find better exchange rates within major grocery stores downtown, or your hotel concierge can direct you to the ATMs they believe are best.
Tipping is best practice in Cancun as most residents rely on cash flow from tourists for their primary income. Keep extra pesos as a tip as this is more practical for the person being tipped, and you can tip about 15% at restaurants. If you are at an all-inclusive, make sure to tip 20 - 50 pesos for individuals you interact with around the resort for drinks, bellhops, and room service. Additionally, it is best to tip daily instead of on the last day as different people may be attending to you and your room each day.
Getting around
Taxi/Uber
This itinerary was made assuming that you will not have a car and will be taking tours in order to get to harder-to-reach places. We used taxis and Ubers, but beware as taxis can give incredibly high prices depending on the time of day, and you may need to barter the price down. Uber is not allowed within the Hotel Zone, the long strip of land by the beach where most resorts are located. You can Uber from downtown to the Hotel Zone but not the other way around.
Bus
While I didn't take it, the bus system is an excellent way to get around the Hotel Zone. R1 and R2 go straight through the strip and only cost about 70 cents to ride. While we were interested in taking the bus one late night on the strip, every time the bus passed us it was completely packed and there was no room to enter. Just remember that while the bus is one of the best options, you may need to have a backup plan.
Car
You can rent a car as well, but I wouldn't recommend it as drivers often speed and tailgate. Cancun is also known for police pulling over tourists without clear reason, so it's good to know the traffic violations in the area and the price associated beforehand. I have also heard multiple stories of friends stopped by people dressed as police near iconic sites like Chichén Itzá saying there is an additional fee to enter as an attempt to get more money from tourists.
Safety
Cancun is incredibly touristy and therefore pretty safe! It's always best to be a bit cautious after dark, although I was walking around with my friends in the evening and didn't have any problems. Completely secluded beaches are also best to avoid in the evening, just use your best judgment and you should be fine.
Itinerary
Day 1: Enjoy a relaxing beach day
On our first day, my friends and I left from DFW and landed at Cancun International Airport. After a complete taxi fiasco (post about it to come soon), we finally arrived at our Airbnb. We decided to stay in downtown Cancun to save money, but if you want to be close to the action, stay within the Hotel Zone. Take a while to chill and get accustomed to your surroundings. If you arrive early enough in the day, you can head to the beach at Playa Delfines or Playa Tortuga. We went to the latter as it is more easily accessible from our Airbnb downtown, but Delfines is largely considered the best beach in the area. Here we relaxed by the water after (unfortunately) paying for seats to put our things down. Depending on the time of year that you go, you may see lots of sargassum, a type of seaweed that can be found all over beaches. The city has done a better job in recent years to take care of it, but just remember that it is to be expected, along with a high amount of crowds.
We headed back to our Airbnb and got changed into nicer clothes to head to a fancy dinner at the Hotel Zone. You have lots of options to choose from; I highly recommend Porfirio's. This was some of the best food I've ever had and considering it was one of the more expensive places to eat in the area, it was still at an affordable price. I wouldn't skip the bone marrow appetizer or churros, but it seems like everything on the menu is a win. We also sat outside and got to enjoy the incredible sunset and live music to top off the night.
We ended our night with one quick stop at the beach at night before heading home for an early morning.
Day 2: Take a Chichén Itzá and Cenote Tour
Today we woke up bright and early to begin our Chichén Itzá and Cenote Tour, which we booked here. We headed onto the bus and our tour guide taught us about the history of the site until we finally reached. We went on a lovely guided tour where we walked around the site and learned about its significance, then had some free time to walk to a nearby cenote and purchase souvenirs. This is definitely a great way to learn about the culture in the area and visit one of the seven wonders of the world!
Our next stop was to the beautiful waters of a cenote, essentially a cave with a permanent body of water inside, where we first enjoyed a buffet lunch. We wanted to make the most of our time at the cenote, so we ate quickly, put our items into a locker, and headed in. There are plenty of videos of me jumping off of a platform into the cool waters below and trying to convince my friend who doesn't know how to swim to come in and trust in the life jacket! This was one of my favorite stops of the Cancun visit — who doesn't love hanging out by the water and a little taste of adventure?
Our last stop was the colonial city of Valladolid where we enjoyed a free tasting of 5 different kinds of distilled agave at Mayapan Tequila Distillery. We also stopped in a nearby store to pick up some aguas frescas on the way out. The only thing that would've made this day perfect was a quick return back to our hotel, but we were unfortunately met with 2 hours of traffic due to construction and ended up being one of the last to be dropped off. After a super long day, we called it a night and were excited to have more of a chill day tomorrow.
Day 3: Buy a resort day pass and enjoy the nightlife
We took an Uber from our location downtown Cancun to Club Med, where we would be spending the day. We decided on this location after reviewing the available day pass options on Resort Pass and settling on an option that had unlimited activities such as kayaking, archery, yoga, salsa lessons, and even flying trapeze. Of course, we didn't have time or even want to do all of these activities in one day, but it was nice to have a plethora of options since none of us like to tan on the beach all day.
Club Med allowed us to enjoy an included breakfast and lunch buffet, which was great for the deal. They also had free golf cart transportation between the most popular sites, so you could hop on and off instead of walking across the large resort. We started by relaxing by the water and the nearby bar with unlimited drinks (although they tasted more like juice). Then, we decided to go kayaking but were met with rain after a few minutes on the water. The rest of the day was drizzly on and off, so we were unable to take advantage of the trapeze or snorkeling, but we did enjoy the archery lessons in between our pool relaxation. All in all, this location is a great bang for your buck for one day and gave us a taste of the all-inclusive experience.
No Cancun itinerary is complete without a stop by Señor Frog's, where you're almost guaranteed to have a great time. There's a $5 cover charge past 8 pm, and you can enjoy dancing the night away after some good food.
Day 4: Explore Downtown Cancun and more nightlife
You'll probably start your day late like we did, so take a slower day walking around downtown Cancun. Head to Market 28 and Market 23 for some food and souvenir shopping. You could easily spend half a day here, so I would recommend getting quick bites at multiple different places to enjoy a variety of tacos, elote, and margaritas.
Unfortunately, this trip for us was a quick one, so we had to head back home after this. Hopefully you have more than four days and can read on!
If you are staying, spend the rest of the day exploring the parks and street art around downtown, or head to the beach for some more R&R. Then, buy tickets for Coco Bongo and experience some of the best nightlife Cancun has to offer. Tickets are steep and start around $115 from the official website for the show, but it will be a fantastic experience.
Day 5: Isla Mujeres Tour
Today you'll go to the beautiful Isla Mujeres, a beach paradise just 13 km off of the coast of Cancun. The easiest way to visit is on a tour, but if you're interested in having a more customizable experience on the island, check out my Isla Mujeres day trip guide here for additional options. Enjoy a beautiful catamaran ride along the coastline, enjoy the open bar, and hop into the water to enjoy the fish and coral. Once at the island, you can enjoy drinks, lunch, and time on the island to explore or buy some souvenirs. You'll then head back, full and tired from the day's adventures.
Day 6: Tulum, Coba, and cenote tour
Book a tour and visit Tulum, home of a beautiful walled city near the beach. After touring the ruins, you'll head to a gorgeous cenote to take a dip in the water. You will also experience Mayan traditions, such as a visit to a Shaman who will perform a Mayan ceremony and a cocoa sed demonstration. Finish the tour in Coba, where you'll find the highest pyramid of the Yucatan Peninsula.
As an alternative, you can spend your day at Xcaret Park, particularly if you have children. It houses a water park, eco-archeological park, underground cenotes, tropical jungle trails, and more. You could easily spend more than a day here; visit the website and determine which package works best for you!
Day 7: Beach day and water sports
While you may have time to visit Akumal Bay and swim with turtles on a half-day tour, I assume that most will only have a short time on their last day in Cancun. Spend it visiting one of the beaches you haven't been to yet. Playa Chac Mool and Playa Marlin are recommended for jet skiing, parasailing, surfing, and banana boats, and you can find people on the beach eager to sign you up for one of the activities.
While most will find 5 days satisfactory in Cancun, an extended trip to enjoy more of the beach life or resorts sounds like the perfect vacation. Leave a comment if there's anything you think I missed!
*None of the links in this article are sponsored
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