Tulum is one of the most coveted destinations for its beaches, a place that retains its informal and relaxed air. A town with all the facilities and dreamy surroundings. Tulum is very Caribbean.
Tulum is a unique beach destination in Riviera Maya with small hotels throughout their spectacular beaches. It began to develop as a more backpacker travelers destination, different from the concept of Cancún and the coastal strip that surrounds Playa del Carmen, where the big all-inclusive hotels They are habitual.
Among this vortex Tulum was the idyllic place, dreamed by the traveler on the Mexican coast. I visited it for the first time in the 1994 year and I have hallucinated how the Mexican Caribbean has developed in these years.
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WHAT WAVES WITH TULUM?
Despite this promising start of relaxation accessible to all budgets, the beaches of Tulum have ended up being one of the most expensive destinations in Riviera Maya, with hotels hanging the poster of echo, knowing that they have in favor the irresistible charm of Caribbean Sea. There are fewer and fewer public accesses to reach the beaches, a beach that had that spirit of belonging to everyone. In some stretches of beach you can camp and there are cheaper hostels, but reality has made it an expensive destination.
The more backpackers still find places to camp or share services near the sea, but the truth is that the cheapest places are in Tulum town.
TULUM VILLAGE
Like the rest of the Riviera Maya towns, the town of Tulum is divided by federal highway 307 that runs parallel to the Caribbean coast. The town itself does not have much to travel, along the federal highway that crosses it are all the services that the visitor will require: restaurants, travel agencies, the bus terminal, car and bike rentals, bars, hotels, souvenir shops and handicrafts. Simple and easy for the traveler, with good corners with atmosphere of terraces in the street.
HOW TO GO FROM THE TOWN TO THE BEACH AREA: el town of Tulum is at 4 kilometers from the beaches, and before the unstoppable demand of visitors it has been developed in unison that the strip of sea. It is an option for many who want to enjoy this area of Tulum without having to pay the exorbitant prices of the beach. You can go by bike on the bike path (rent them from 170 pesos a day), walk along the same bike path or take the bus that leaves the center of town to the beach.
It is evident that the restaurants Waterfront win much in charm, but in Tulum village there is surely better culinary offer than in the beach area. To level accommodation the economic range is also much larger, from rooms for rent, hostels and hotels with all services. Clubs to air the night, and the occasional party until dawn on the beach.
WHAT TO DO IN TULUM, PLACES TO VISIT
Tulum preserves the charm of the traveler who moves away from all-inclusive destinations with a plane + hotel package, travelers who like to arrive and discover destinations on their own, a traveler who surely gets to know the destination better. The surroundings of Tulum they are a magnificent opportunity to discover the best corners of the Caribbean area.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL ZONES CLOSE TO TULUM
TULUM: the unmissable postcard of the Mexican Caribbean, just 3 kilometers from the town, you can go by public transport, walking or cycling. The archaeological zone of Tulum they are located about 3 km towards Playa del Carmen on federal highway 307 of Riviera Maya. Hours: open from 8 a.m. to 17 p.m. daily. Sundays are free for nationals and residents with official identification. For 220 pesos you can enter from 5 to 7:30 in the morning and visit it without the crowd. Entry price: 70 mxn. There is a cycle path to the roundabout. Parking lot: 100 pesos per car
COBÁ: one of the most important old cities and with the highest pyramid you can climb. The archaeological zone of Cobá It is 45 km from Tulum following Highway 109. Schedule: open from 8 a.m. to 17 p.m. daily. Sundays are free for nationals and residents with official identification. For 220 pesos you can enter from 5 to 7:30 in the morning and visit it. Entry price: 70 mxn. Parking lot: 40 pesos per car
MUYIL: a smaller area that surely fans of nature and the Mayan world like. The archaeological zone of Muyil It is located at 22 kilometers south of Tulum. Hours: open from 8 a.m. to 17 p.m. daily. Sundays are free for nationals and residents with official identification. Entry price: 70 mxn and 68 are paid from the entry to the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve if you choose to do the interpretive trail. I think it is worth doing the path to the lagoon, it is one of the pluses of Muyi
CHICHÉN ITZÁ: from Tulum the road that leads to Cobá Valladolid, way to Chichén Itzá, the must-see of all the Wonder of the Modern World. The Chichen Itza archaeological zone It is at 2 hours by car from Tulum. Schedule: open from 8 a.m. to 17 p.m. daily. Sundays are free for nationals and residents with official identification. Entry price: foreigners 242 pesos and Mexicans 162 pesos.Parking lot: 50 mxn per car.
PLACES OF NATURE CLOSE TO TULUM
SIAN KA'AN BIOSPHERE RESERVE: the entrance arch to the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve It is located about 15 kilometers from Tulum following the detour from the coastal highway to Boca Paila. Entry price: 65 mxn There is a bike path almost all the way to the entrance to Sian Ka'an.
BEACHES: In addition to the magnificent beaches of Tulum, you have the best beaches of the Mexican Caribbean very close: Tankah Cove, Soliman Bay, Akumal Bay y Xcacelito beach
LAGUNA KAAN L'UUM: It is located 7 kilometers south of Tulum towards Felipe Carrillo Puerto. From the entrance there is a scarce kilometer to the lagoon. The Kaan L'uum lagoon they open from 9 to 5 in the afternoon. Price per person 50 pesos. The divers 150 weights.
CENOTES NEAR TULUM
We made an article dedicated to The best 9 cenotes near TulumSurely you want to discover more than one of these wonderful treasures.
TULUM BY BIKE
Tulum is an ideal place to rent a bicycle, a calm and inexpensive way to get to know the area. In the vicinity of Tulum we find beautiful places, this offers us several Bike routes from Tulum very interesting. The bike riders (bike lanes) have been built from Tulum, facilitating the mobility of the local and the tourist who likes to ride a bike. If you like this roll, you already have a destination.
EXCURSIONS FROM TULUM
Tulum It gives that Caribbean flavor that is more opaque in large populations such as Cancun and Playa del Carmen, here everything is smaller, more familiar and casual. Tulum is a great place to base a few days and discover the charms and attractions of the area. Evidently also you can hire excursions They take you to these places, with the convenience of passing through your hotel to look for you and you do not have to think about anything else, just enjoy yourself. I leave you the extensive and interesting tour offer of GET YOUR GUIDE, a company that sells online easily, safely and comfortably. They allow you to cancel for free until 24 hours before the tour.
Tulum, towns
LOCATION: Tulum is located 63 km south of Playa del Carmen, to 131 from Cancún by federal highway 307HOW TO GET IN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION? Sale ADO and public transportation from Playa del Carmen, Puerto Morelos and Cancun to Tulum
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hello Sandra, I travel the 26 from February to Cancun 20 days and I want to visit Cancun Playa del Carmen and Tulum staying a few days in each one, where do you recommend that I have more days of stay? and you have some recommendations for economic stays in Tulum
Hello Gabriela,
I would stay between Playa and Tulum, I like the atmosphere more. Beach is cheaper, more options, and Tulum, despite being more casual and casual, is more expensive. From both populations you will have the possibility to move freely. A friend was recently at the Hostal Chalupa and he liked it, I do not know what price you are thinking. Tell me and I'll try to support you as much as I can.
If you go to Cancun there are several hostels with good atmosphere, but I recommend going to Isla Mujeres.
Best regards, anything you tell me.
Hi, I'm going to go to 2018 in October and I would like to know if you can recommend a place to rent a bike and if you can recommend places to eat rich and cheap, thank you in advance.
Hi Edgar,
A local in particular that I would recommend, there are hotels that rent bicycles, I do not know if it will be your case. In the village walk there are several places, the one that suits you according to price and the bike itself. I leave an article that can give you ideas: https://www.elcaminomascorto.es/rutas-en-bici-desde-tulum/
Local restaurants in the town you find the Barracuda and the Fonda de Tulum, family of fish and seafood, also the Salsería. In Tulum downtown there are many restaurants, almost all have their menu at the entrance so check it before entering. From pizzería, taquerías, argentinos .... Tulum has developed a lot in services.
I hope it serves you a little, kind regards,
Hey.
In a week I want to visit the Tulum area. I want to establish 4 days in the town of Tulum to make trips from there. We travel two friends, some hotel recommendation of medium price and without much fuss? Thank you.
Hello Paula, just the other day I was talking with a friend that I do not know what to recommend in Tulum. The prices went up a lot and I do not have a place that I feel comfortable to recommend, sure there are, but I do not know a place with good value for money. There is a big economic difference between staying in the town and in the beach area, that I can tell you.
Sorry I can not recommend anything, I hope you can do it and we can help the next traveler.
Best regards, have a great trip.
Hello Sandra, I'm from Spain and I'm looking for a non-tourist town to stay and live in Mexico, my only priority is to be near the beach.
I hope you can help me, I do not have a preference in any State, be it South, West or East.
Thank you .
Hello Víctor Manuel, as Spaniards we can stay with the tourism visa during 6 months in Mexico, that would be the first requirement. Mexico is sooo big and I can not help you in that knowledge. I leave you an entry where I link to a website that helps expatriates much better than what I can do: https://www.elcaminomascorto.es/vivir-en-mexico-extranjero/ From the area I like Costa Esmeralda very much to live in peace, in case you like to look around: https://www.elcaminomascorto.es/costa-esmeralda/
Contact the web that I leave you, sure you find the answers you are looking for.
Good luck on your way,
Hello Sandra, first of all congratulate you and thank you for the work you do on your blog. On January 10 I leave for Cancun from Spain, we rented a car and we plan to do a 20-day tour of the Yucatan Peninsula. For the design of the route, your recommendations have been very useful, especially for the references to points far from the usual tourist routes. I would ask you an infinity of questions but now I want to ask you for some clarification about our 4-day stay in Tulum. Apart from visiting the archaeological zone and the Sian Kan reserve, we would like to access the most interesting beaches in that area. I have read that access to the beaches is increasingly complicated by the privatization of the coast. I would like to know your opinion about the best beaches in the area of Tulum and, specifically, about Akumal and the possibility of swimming with turtles. Is access free at any point? Is it necessary to pay to swim? I thank you in advance for your attention.
Hello Rafael, I am glad that the blog is useful for planning :-) 20 days sounds like a great trip to get closer and get to know this land well, anything you find us here. The privatization of the coasts is unfortunately a thorny issue, and there is almost no quota left in what we know as the Riviera Maya (many the quota is to eat there, as it happens in Paamul, XpuHa and Soliman). In Tulum you have Paraíso beach, with public access, little more access without fee. In fact you pay the "right of way" because the coast is not private, but made the law cheated. Playa del Carmen does have public access beaches, but surely they are not the best http://www.elcaminomascorto.es/mejores-playas-riviera-maya-2/
On Akumal, if you are not from Quintana Roo, you pay for access to the beach. In the buoy area they do not allow you to enter without payment, it is where you can surely see the turtles. In fact, you can see them all along the beach, so we have seen them more than once. There are other accesses to Akumal, but they are secondary and do not lead you to the beach of the turtles. I recommend you take your mask and fins if you use them, because they charge you for everything. The same mask works for cenotes 🙂
Any questions we follow,