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 : )

temple_kukulkan_chichen_itza

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.

How to get to Chichen Itza by car from Riviera Maya 1
Google maps

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 Tulum 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.

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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

Chichen Itza Archaeological Site, Yucatan, Mexico
The great Ball Game of Chichén Itzá almost desert

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.

Tips for renting a car in Riviera Maya

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.

Cenote Samula, Dzitnup, Valladolid
Cenote Samula, Dzitnup

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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Sandra Salvadó Training photographer, traveler by vocation and certified tourism guide by the Government of Mexico. We promote natural wonders and contemporary Mayan culture. Great fan of pre-Hispanic history. Author of the blog and co-founder of The Shortest Path Travel, agency that guides you through alternative paths in Mayan lands. Social and sustainable tourism in the Yucatan Peninsula and Chiapas.
I am at your disposal for whatever you need. Let's talk.

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