We explain you how to get to chichen itza by car and recommendations to visit the archaeological site. Chichen Itza is the jewel in the crown of tourism in the Riviera Maya and Yucatan. It is difficult to say NO to this Wonder of the Modern World.
Getting to Chichen Itza by car from the Riviera Maya or any other point on the Peninsula is easy.
We are accredited tour guides and we live in the area, we are up to date : )
HOW TO GET TO CHICHEN ITZÁ BY CAR
Chichen Itza is about 2 hours and a half from the main destinations of the Riviera Maya: Tulum, Playa del Carmen and Cancun. It will take more or less depending on where your hotel is, but the average is about 2 hours and a half from Riviera Maya to Chichen Itza by car.
Chichen Itza is more or less halfway between Merida and Cancun. From Mérida, approximately one hour and a half, and from Valladolid, thirty minutes.
TIP- rent the car one day before leaving for Chichen Itza. The companies that rent a car open around 9 in the morning, you would leave too late.
DISTANCES TO KNOW HOW TO GET TO CHICHÉN ITZÁ
- DISTANCE FROM CANCUN TO CHICHEN ITZA BY CAR: 200 kilometres, by fee it takes just over 2 and a half hours, and on the free road about 3 hours.
- DISTANCE FROM TULUM TO CHICHEN ITZA BY CAR: 150 kilometers that can be done in about 2 hours.
- DISTANCE FROM PLAYA DEL CARMEN TO CHICHEN ITZA BY CAR: 180 kilometers covered in about 2 hours and a half.
- DISTANCE FROM MÉRIDA TO CHICHEN ITZA BY CAR 120 kilometers that can be done in 1 hour and a half more or less by the toll road. Almost 2 hours for free.
- DISTANCE FROM VALLADOLID TO CHICHEN ITZA BY CAR: It is only 45 kilometers away, 45 minutes from Valladolid. For the free one you arrive faster than for the quota one.
ROADS TO GET TO CHICHEN ITZÁ
From highway 307, it is the one that runs through the Riviera Maya, the road is very well indicated, it is not lost. There is a toll road or you can go your own way, take a look at these tips for driving here.
- CARRETERA DE PAGO (DE CUOTA): it is taken from Playa del Carmen or from Cancún. The cost per trip leaves you in about 380 mxn (coin converter). There is direct exit to Chichén Itzá. The road is the 180D.
- FREE ROAD (WITHOUT PAYMENT): from Overall you can go by the free address Cobá-Valladolid (109 road up and then you must take the 108). Since Cancún You can also grab the free one (road 108) towards Valladolid. This road has many buffers, very entertaining. If you are in Playa del Carmen, it is better to go from Tulum. The road towards Cobá that takes you to Valladolid is very good: wide, without stops and well paved.
What 5 archaeological sites of Yucatán I would not miss
SCHEDULE AND PRICE OF CHICHEN ITZÁ 2022
CHICHÉN ITZÁ SCHEDULES: open daily 8 to 17 hours, diary. The best time to visit it because of the heat and the fewest number of tourists, is to enter at 8. So you know, getting up early is the best idea for me. Closing of ticket offices and entrances at 16:00 p.m.
CHICHÉN ITZÁ PRICE: Chichen has a foreigners cost 571 pesos, Mexicans 283 pesos and Yucatecans 85. On Sundays the entrance to INAH is free for Mexicans and permanent residents. Access to the archaeological zones is free every day for children under 13 years of age, students, teachers and seniors with valid credentials. PARKING PRICE: 80 mxn per car.
SHOW LIGHT AND SOUND OF CHICHÉN: in winter it is done at 7 in the afternoon, in summer time at 20 hours. PRICE: about 600 pesos per person and the duration is an hour and a half. (THE SHOW IS SUSPENDED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE)
Do you plan to attend the show of Kukulkan Nights?
PRICE VISIT WITH SPECIALIZED GUIDE: about 1000 mxn for groups up to 10 people, approximately. The rates are official and the guides are at the entrance offering their services.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO VISIT CHICHEN ITZÁ
Chichén Itzá is one of the largest Mayan remains, so take your time to explore it. Personal rhythms and interests in things are so different that it is difficult to answer this question.
Taking excursions as a reference, where they tend to be stingy at times, they leave between two hours and two and a half hours: one hour with a guide and the rest of the room alone. Three hours in Chichén, they fly by.
The best Tips for visiting Chichen Itza
HOW TO GET TO CHICHÉN ITZÁ BY RENTAL CAR
We recommend renting a car on the Peninsula as it is a safe and easy place to travel by car. It is one of the topics where we are most asked for advice to travel these lands by car. For us, the car is an excellent option in the sense that it is safe.
KNOW THE PRICE OF HOW TO GET TO CHICHÉN ITZÁ BY CAR
Do your calculations and assess what you want to do according to the information. To go on your own in a rental car does not mean it's cheaper, but you do have more flexibility, that some of us look for that in the trip.
Average rental car: 800 pesos Gasoline from Riviera Maya: 800 pesos Toll road: each way about 380 weights Chichén Itzá entrance: foreigners 571 pesos and Mexicans 283 pesos Guide in Chichen: 800/1000 pesos and the parking 80 pesos. Food: 150 pesos per person
We leave you a series of Excursions to Chichén Itzá from Riviera Maya which may be of interest to you Civitatis is a good tourist company that sells more economically through the internet. You can buy safely from the blog, there are several interesting options.
WHAT TO VISIT ON THE WAY TO CHICHÉN ITZÁ
Most excursions from the Mayan Riviera or from Merida offer an interesting stop along the way, such as a visit to a cenote and the city of Valladolid.
VALLADOLID: On the way you have the colonial city of Valladolid. Since you are going to Chichén Itzá, it is a good opportunity to visit this colonial city, one of the most beautiful in the Yucatan Peninsula. Most organized excursions stop in Valladolid. If you visited Chichén in the morning, you can take advantage of having lunch in Valladolid and strolling around for a while.
CENOTES: you can visit a cenote in the area: You have the Ikkil 5 minutes from the site, the Dzitnup 7 kilometers from Valladolid, even the wonderful Zací cenote in the very center of Valladolid. If you come from Mérida you can visit the beautiful Yokdzonot cenote.
Since you don't know the road and the road is long, you won't have more time. Remember that you have two and a half hours left to return, and it is better that you arrive at your hotel with daylight.
WHEN THE SUNSETS IN RIVIERA MAYA
Quintana Roo, the state where it is located Riviera Maya, It has recently had a particularity with respect to most Mexican states, and it does not change from winter to summer: we do not delay or advance the clock.
This leads us, during winter time, to have a one hour lag from Yucatan, where Chichén Itzá is located. How does this affect you?
- WINTER TIMETABLE (November to May): it means that leaving at 6:30 in the morning you will arrive at Chichen around 8. During these months the sun sets between 6 and 7 in the evening.
- SUMMER SCHEDULE (April to October): to get to Chichen at 8 in the morning you must leave at 5.30. During these months the sun sets between 7 and 9 at night.
Discover the pyramid of Mexico most impressive
I hope you enjoy and organize with your information your visit to Chichén Itzá. This is one of the many excursions by car what can you do from Riviera Maya. Drive in a prudent manner and respect the signs.
Good way,
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- Travel safely with IATI and take advantage of 5% off.
If you prefer, you tell us your idea of the trip and together we organize it.
EXCELLENT article, I find what I was looking for, very complete, I'm going to Cancun in November and I'm going to rent a car to go from the riviera to chichen, with what they write I'm calmer because I do not know Mexico, I'm Colombian ... thank you very much
Hello Oscar, thanks for your comment, it is good to have feedback from readers. Keep in mind that the trip to Chichen from the Riviera Maya is heavy due to the hours of driving, so if you are two drivers it is better for fatigue.
Greetings travelers, any questions you write me.
hello, I loved your page, excellent way to narrate and detail the trips, I try to leave Cancun at Chichenitza, like at 6 am to be like at 8 am and then at Las coloradas, Yucatan, if I have time to move on Valladolid and then to my Hotel in Playa del Carmen ... do you recommend it this way, do you think the day will reach me?
Thank you very much Erika,
From Playa del Carmen you have a toll road to Chichén, you do not need to go to Cancún. By car all this journey is a beating if you are not used to driving hours on the road, would be a total of 8 hours (Playa-Chichen by fee about two and a half hours each way, and from Valladolid to Las Coloradas 3 hours, adding one way and return). You are retired Las Coloradas ... Maybe he would change them for a cenote near Valladolid or Chichén. The busiest are Hubiku, the Dzitnup and the Ik Kil, less tourist you have the Oxman in Valladolid, or the cenote X-Ca'anjaltun or Palomitas at about 40 minutes from Valladolid.
If you have more days you could do Ek Balam, some cenote and Las Coloradas.
Anything we continue with the doubts.
Greetings travelers,
Hello, come back from my trip through the Riviera Maya
I tell you, I had planned to leave before the 6 am from Cancun to Chichenitza, but several setbacks arose and I left a little late like the 8: 30 am as at the 11 we were in chichenitza, we hired the guide's express tour and the 4 pm we were already in the reds we stayed there for a while, we went to the beach cancunscito in yucatan that is between the red and river lizards, unfortunately we could not go to river lizards because it was about to darken and I wanted to get to Tzimin with a little light, we stopped for an hour in tzimin to rest and eat something in the square, from there we went to Valladolid and we stayed to see the light show light show in the convent of San Bernardino de Siena I think it started as a the 9 pm I think it lasts like 20 min, and ending the show we went to playa del Carmen to sleep, if we had not had setbacks in the morning that couple of hours that we missed in the morning we would have used them to go to the river lizards, no way will it be at another time.
Fact: the locals in the reds told us that the best time to see the super red water was at dawn or when the sun is getting into.
Do not try this trip unless you are used to walking on the highway for many hours and have breakfast, lunch and dinner on board the car
regards
Go Erika machines, how complete! 🙂 Insurance helps your comment to any traveler who wants to combine. The most beautiful Coloradas, as they told you, is at dawn or dusk, but that's complicated for you.
Thanks for the super complete report of your trip.
A abrazo.
Ah, at this time we are already with the change of schedule, one hour less in Yucatan, so you have it in mind.
Greetings Erika,
Hi. In November it is possible to go from Riviera Maya to Chichen Itza, and return in the same day through Tulum, arriving at the hotel in Riviera Maya by day. thank you. very useful the blog
Hi Emma, in November there is a time change between Quintana Roo (state of Riviera Maya) and Chichen Itza (Yucatan), so if you start early, it favors you and you can be in Chichen when you open the 8. If you arrive in Tulum, taking into account the time change and knowing that Tulum closes access to the 16: 30, you can. Cuidadito driving, which is a good tute to go to Chichen and return.
Very good trip, enjoy a lot.
Hello, your blog and your photos are very nice! We traveled in a few days to Riviera Maya, very excited because this time I will do it alone with my daughters of 10 and 13 years. I do not encourage driving, but I do not want to take a tour and be tied to schedules, could you tell me how to do it through public transport? Thank you!
Hello Carina, I link a link where you have information on how to go to Chichén, and other archaeological sites, public transport, I hope you serve: https://www.elcaminomascorto.es/bus-ado-desde-riviera-maya-zonas-arqueologias/
That you enjoy your trip a lot with your girls 🙂
Regards,
Thank you very much for the information! We plan to rent a car and travel with a friend the peninsula in February. Super use your data! Recommended to get to Chichen Itza and hire a guide at the entrance or is it preferable and possible to do it on our own?
Hello Ceci, I am very happy that you are useful for planning.
Personally I think it's worth a guided introduction to better appreciate the Mayan civilization. The guides of the archaeological zones are trained and contribute to the visit. Then you can continue traveling at your own pace. In Chichén I think that the guide is on the 600 pesos, you can join a small group of travelers and share costs. Many do it on their own, which is also valid.
Greetings travelers 🙂
TOO MUCH clear and complete the summary, I will follow all the instructions. I travel now at the end of July, I have a doubt with the light show that some offer, is it worth seeing? They say it's good. It encourages me to go at our pace, I travel as a couple.
Hello Daniela, I'm glad that it serves you, thank you. The show does like it, personally I'm not a fan, but I do like it. I think they did it for free right now, ask when you get to Chichen.
Enjoy the trip a lot?
Hello, I congratulate you for the very complete blog.
I'm on playa del Carmen the December 7. I liked the idea of doing the tour by car, I wanted to ask you if the tolls are expensive and if it takes much longer for the free route. also with respect to the guide if the value of 600 is per person or per group and if the group is managed by them or we have to look for people who want to add since we are only 2 people. From already thank you very much
Hello Andres, I'm glad that you provide for planning.
If you go by the freeway Tulum-Valladolid and then to Chichén, you do not take much longer than the fee. Depending on where your hotel is located, but that's a good option. The road is good, without problems. The one of quota of leaves by 360 pesos by trip from Riviera Maya.
The guide is by group 600 pesos, I think there is a maximum of people, so you can gather a few at the entrance to distribute expenses.
I leave an entry for you if you bring: https://www.elcaminomascorto.es/consejos-conducir-peninsula-yucatan/
Best regards, good trip
Hello Sandra, I love your blog. Thanks for your articles 🙂
One question, What cenote do you recommend? I will stay in Akumal and we will make excursions to Chichen Itza, Tulum and Coba. We rent a car.
Thank you very much in advance.
Greetings, Tania
Hello Tania,
For me there are excellent 4 cenotes if you go to Chichén, you have to deviate a little, but I write them down: Chooj Ja ', Popcorn, Agua Dulce and X-Ca'anajaltun. In the area of Cobá you have Multun Ha and Choo Ha. Ik kil is beautiful, but it is always full. Grand Cenote and Car Wash are en route to Cobá, also beautiful. You find them all in the blog, except Car Wash.
Enjoy a lot here
I travel to Cancun the first week of February of 2018 with my family. I want to rent a car to move to Chichén Itzá. Could you help me with the price in Colombian currency of renting a car for five people?
highly appreciative
omar
Hello Omar,
So you can do it yourself I pass the webs where you can look at it.
Here you can check prices of car hire in Riviera Maya: http://www.rentalcars.com/es/region/mx/mayanriviere/
A simple currency converter to use, you can download it in an application for your cell phone, so it's useful for you on the trip. The Mexican currency is the Mexican peso (mxn): http://www.xe.com/es/currencyconverter/
That you enjoy the stay very much, kind regards,
Hello! Very clear and useful all the information.
I have a question, maybe you can help me.
When is a guide in Chichen itza? Come 5 friends, and we had intentions to hire private guide. Thank you
Hello Jimena,
A guide in Chichén Itzá is 600 Mexican pesos for groups of about 10 people, between one hour and an hour and a half the guided tour. All are trained, they are good. You meet them at the entrance, their service is reserved there. The prices are in the entrance, they are official, in case I am mistaken something in the price.
Enjoy the place 🙂
Hello.! I loved your super explanation .. I am planning a trip at the end of October arriving in Merida and ending in Cancun with a car rental .. I thought to go from Mérida to Chichen Itzá super early and finish in Valladolid and there to sleep .. I thought that I could take all the day in Chichen Itza, but I see that you recommend to go early and finish in Valladolid, or we even ventured to the Cenotes that you mention .. My question was if it was necessary to book a tour from before, since I search and they all include transportation, in my case I will take my rental car. But what I see coming in can pay for the entrance and a guide .. is it like that? hehe
Hello Julissa, I'm glad that the blog is useful for you.
As you say, if you go by car, it is very easy to get to Chichén Itzá, buy your ticket there and the guide service. You can also combine it with one of the beautiful cenotes in the area. After the tour of Chichén, nothing better than cooling 🙂
Have a great time, best regards 🙂
Hello! I loved the post! In April, I travel to Cancun and rent a car from the company Thrifty. I wanted to know your opinion about this company since its reputation is quite bad and I want to know if I have to be attentive. On the other hand, could you tell me the costs of the ticket at Chichen Itza, and the toll road? Thank you!!!
Hello, Marina,
Regarding the company Thrifty I can not comment first hand because I never hired their services and I do not know anyone who has used their services.
Regarding the price of Chichen are in this same article. I pass an article about driving tips for the Peninsula where the prices of the toll road, insurance is going well to schedule the trip. https://www.elcaminomascorto.es/consejos-conducir-peninsula-yucatan/
That you enjoy your trip a lot, kind regards.
Good, I would like to know if there are tolls from playa del carmen to the pyramid thanks
Hi Camilo, you have two options: go for the toll / toll that you take from Playa, and without tolls you can go from Tulum to Valladolid to Coba. You can use the google maps tool to follow the instructions https://www.google.com.mx/maps
Greetings and good trip,
Hello Sandra
I liked your blog very Good information to the ke we do not know the place ... Soon I'm going to Cancun and I have hired a car I have a little fear for the rumors about the violence ... I would go to Chichen Itza and the Cirque du Soleil in car. Would you recommend me ???
Thank you so much
rafa
Hi Rafael, sorry I was traveling. Go quiet to these places, really yes. I know the fear caused by news, which are true in many cases, but they do not affect Chcihén Itzá or Cirque du Soleil. Enjoy your holidays 🙂
Regards,
Hi Sandra, I'm also worried about that.
I go to Cancun in early March and we want to go to the night show in Chichen Itza. I read that there is couta highway. But I want to know if it is safe to return at night to Cancun by toll road. Here where I am the roads are very dangerous.
I await your comments
Hello Sandy, I understand your concern, and more traveling with children. Luckily here we do not live this situation on the roads, you can return by the quota in a quiet way after the show. In fact yesterday I was in the show at night, and some friends returned for the quota with their daughter to Cancun.
Enjoy a lot, kind regards,
Hello, one question, in Tulum there are car rental options from local agencies? I mean, of people from Tulum and not international agencies or the entire country?
It is to know if there are several options there to rent.
Thank you,
Hello Ariel, because I owe that to you because I do not know how to answer with security, the question is good. I know mex car rental, which is Mexican, but international, small places I do not know. If you find any and tell me, I will include it in the blog to favor local businesses.
Good trip Ariel,
hello sandra, very useful and complete the information, a question, I am with my family staying in Cancun, we have a rental car, you think that in one day we can visit tulum and chichen itza and finally return to Cancun again, thank you for your time
Hello Rogelio, look, I tell you a little bit the times and you decide yourself, you can do it, it depends on the habit of driving and the speed of views: Cancun-Tulum by car an hour and a half, visit Tulum just over an hour , from Tulum to Chichén two hours. Back to Cancun take the fee, you have something more than two hours back. He does give the time to do it, although he is tired.
Enjoy the trip,
Excellent page, where can I buy the ticket to enter chichen itza?
Thank you!
Hello Romina, the ticket offices are at the entrance to the venue.
Good trip,
Hello good afternoon
I would like to update the toll fees, the entrance fee to Chichen Itza and the guides. I am planning to visit Chichen Itza in Cancun by the free highway, to be able to visit some cenote. What is the closest cenote to Chichen Itza and its cost of entry?
Hi Daniel, the fees are up to date, take them as a reference. Nearby cenotes that you do not have to deviate from the route is the famous Ik Kil, but in Valladolid you find several such as those of Dzitnup, Oxman or the same Zaci from Valladolid. There are others, but you have to deviate a little. Any questions you tell us. I don't know if the quota for the guides went up from 1000 to 1500, depending on the group. You can see that detail there.
Have a good trip, enjoy yourself.
Hello! I am with my family on a walk through Mexico. We came determined to see the light and sound show at Chichen Itza but unfortunately it has been suspended since the 12th of
January 2023 until further notice. Maybe it would be good to update this information.
Regards!
Thank you very much for telling me Mercedes, I'll update it once and for all. Very kind ?