Tulum, Mexico, has been such a hot vacation spot lately—I can’t scroll through my IG feed without seeing photos of beautiful cenotes, fresh juices, white sandy beaches, and bohemian vibes. So when some of my friends and I decided we needed both a relaxing and adventurous girls’ trip, we knew Tulum would be the perfect destination for an extended weekend.

Here’s my 3-day Tulum travel guide highlighting what to do in Tulum and other relevant visitor information:

What airport do I Fly Into for Tulum?

Cancun International Airport is the central airport hub that most visitors fly into. From Cancun, it’s a 90-minute drive south to Tulum. There are three transportation options: private shuttle, public bus, and taxi.

Private Shuttle from Cancun Airport to Tulum

We snagged an amazing deal with Royal Pick Up for a roundtrip shuttle service for $220 ($55 per person). The drivers were friendly and prompt. I recommend booking your shuttle in advance for the best rate and convenience.

Public Bus from Cancun Airport to Tulum

You can take a local bus with the ADO company. Although this is the cheapest option (262 Pesos/ $13.85 one way), it’s the most inconvenient. I suggest checking in advance to see if a direct ADO bus is going from Cancun Airport to Tulum during your trip dates because they aren’t always available. If you have a non-direct ticket, you must take the bus to Playa Del Carmen and transfer from there. The bus will leave you at a bus terminal in Tulum Centro, and you will have to get a taxi to reach your final destination.

You can book your bus ticket in advance on the ADO website.

Taxi from Cancun Airport to Tulum

Upon arrival, you can catch a taxi for about $100 for 1-4 people. However, I recommend booking the shuttle in advance to avoid the stress of haggling. You can also order an Uber.

Where to Stay in Tulum?

There are two central neighborhoods in Tulum: Tulum Beach (aka Playa) and Tulum Town (aka Pueblo).

Tulum Beach

Tulum Beach is where the beach strip is lined with the most beautiful resorts, trendy restaurants, and nightlife. Recently, Tulum has been experiencing a massive seaweed issue, where all efforts to keep the beach clean can not keep up with the constant arrival of more seaweed. However, the further south you get, the nicer the resorts, and the less seaweed is a problem. Although Tulum Beach is technically public, the hotels own the best part of the land, so you do have to go through the hotels to access the beach.

Great for people with…

• Looser budgets

• Preferences for spending most of the time on the beach and on the resort

• Desires to go to trendy IG-worthy restaurants and cafes

Tulum Town

Tulum Town is the actual village where locals live. Here, you will find the most authentic food and vibes, but you won’t have direct access to the beach. It’s also an ideal location from which to depart for day trips.

Great for people with…

• Strict budgets

• Desires for authentic food

• Preferences for an active vacation over a beach vacation

Tulum Town and Tulum Beach are about 3 miles away from each other.

We booked an Airbnb and stayed at this gorgeous 3-story modern villa in Tulum Pueblo. Our villa had a private pool, jacuzzi, outdoor showers, and lush palm trees. I wished I had more time to lounge and enjoy the space more. Our host, Marc, was phenomenal and connected us to bike rentals, excursions, and even a private chef.

Getting Around Tulum

There are a variety of ways to travel around Tulum:

Bikes

Biking is a fun and affordable way to get around Tulum. We rented bikes for $10 a day, and our AirBnB host arranged for them to be delivered to our villa.

Taxis

Taxis were our primary mode of transportation. As luck would have it, the driver we called to pick us up from dinner on the first night was taking an extremely long time to arrive. We decided to hail a taxi on the street and got into Alex’s taxi. He was friendly and charged half of what we had paid to get to the restaurant, so we used his services throughout our entire stay.

He had such a warm spirit, and he was reliable and punctual. Although his English was limited, my friend Deleine spoke Spanish fluently and helped with translations throughout the trip. However, you can easily use Google Translate to communicate.

If you’re looking for a reliable driver in Tulum, contact Alex on WhatsApp (+52 984 115 0189).

Colectivos

Los colectivos are the shared shuttle vans that locals use. You can catch them along the main road in Tulum Centro. They usually cost between 20-40 pesos. They go to a lot of the touristy areas like Dos Ojos Cenote*, Akumal, and Tulum Ruins

*We didn’t make it here, but many highly recommended it.

Money

The best exchange rate is almost always at CI Banco or San Jorge de Cambio Money Exchange (both are in Tulum Centro). Avoid exchanging at the airport because you will lose about 7 or 8 pesos per dollar. Be prepared to pay for most things in cash while in Tulum. Exchange enough pesos for your trip because ATMs are not the most reliable.

3-Day Itinerary for Tulum

Day 1 – Sail Boat Ride to Punta Venado

We started our first full day in Tulum with a private sailboat ride with Captain Ricardo from Sailing with Rich. The plan was to begin in Puerto Aventuras and head to Punta Venado, a beach that can only be accessed by sea, where we would snorkel with turtles. As we started cruising, I was on such a high: the music was banging, and the delicious cocktails were flowing, but then the waves got aggressive, and my energy went from 100 to 0 real quick. Despite taking two Dramamines, I got terrible motion sickness, and I threw up multiple times. When we finally got to Punta Venado, where we were supposed to get out and snorkel, I was too weak to jump in, and others felt sick, too. It got bad enough that we cut the trip short and headed back to the port.

In theory, this was supposed to be a great day, but the waves had a different plan.

Pro Tip: If you plan to be on a boat, confirm with the captain beforehand to make sure the waves are tolerable and have a backup plan if the waves are bad. Had we known about the wave conditions, we would have substituted the boat ride for a beach trip.

If you want to sail around Tulum, I recommend Captain Ricardo and Adam. Despite the mishaps, they did their best to ensure we had an enjoyable time. You can contact Ricardo to book the sailboat at akkinsurl@gmail.com.

Day 2- Punta Laguna Natural Reserve

Our second day was an adventure. We started in the natural reserve of Punta Laguna, where we trekked to see spider and howler monkeys and learn about the different types of trees in the jungle.

We ziplined 150 meters above the lagoon and canoed to the other side to reach the cenote. Cenotes are underground sinkholes, and about 6,000 are on the Yucatan Peninsula alone! The cenote we went into was once a Mayan sacrifice center. We abseiled into the cenote, stood for about 10 minutes, and climbed back up.

Mayan Village

We also visited a Mayan village, where a shaman showed us medicinal plants and talked about life there. The children and their dog performed a little for us, playing instruments and singing traditional songs.

Coba Ruins Archaeological Park

After visiting the Mayan village, we visited the Coba Ruins Archaeological Park. Coba is an ancient Mayan city about one hour from Tulum and a bit off the beaten path.

The park is enormous, but there are multiple ways you can get around:

Walking/Hiking: Not ideal if you are on a time crunch.

Biking: Towards the park’s entrance, we rented bikes for 50 pesos ($2.61), per our guide’s recommendation. The paths are flat and easy to ride on. Riding the bike was enjoyable and provided us with a much-needed breeze.

Hire a bicycle taxi: If you don’t like riding around, you can hire a bicycle taxi. Each taxi holds two people and costs 200 pesos ($10).

There are many interesting things to see in Coba, including the Mayan Ball Courts, gravestones, and calendar pieces. But the main attraction is the great pyramid, Nohoch Mul. This is one of the few ancient Mayan pyramids you can still climb. Nohoch Mul is 137 feet tall! Be prepared for a solid workout, as the stairs are steep and narrow. Doing a bear crawl was the easiest and safest way to go up and down the pyramid, but a few brave souls hiked up and down, standing upright. There’s a thick rope in the pyramid’s center to hold onto if needed.

Coba is an active archaeological dig site, and more ancient structures are excavated daily. At the top of the Nohoch Mul, we had a beautiful view of the jungle and a glimpse of the many unexcavated pyramids and courtyards.

Private Chef

After having such an eventful day, we hired Chef Eduardo Reyes to cook dinner for us in our villa. The dinner was by far one of our best dining experiences in Tulum!

Day 3 – Chichén Itzá + Akumal

Chichén Itzá

On our final full day in Tulum, we visited Chichén Itzá, one of the seven man-made wonders of the world. One of the most fascinating things about Chichén Itzá is that many of its structures were built in alignment with significant astronomical events, such as solstices, equinoxes, and the shifting moon.⠀

To make the most of your visit to the historic site, I recommend the following:

Get there early!

Chichén Itzá is two hours away from Tulum. The temple city is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day. The best time to visit to avoid huge groups of tourists is before 11 a.m. or around 3 p.m. We spent about three hours there. There are ADO buses that go from Tulum to Chichén Itza, but we hired a private driver for convenience. ⠀

Get a tour guide.

I highly recommend getting a guide. The site isn’t labeled well so that you won’t understand the context of the city without one. We lucked out with finding Guillermo! His tour was technologically advanced. He showed us photos showcasing Chichén in its earlier form on his iPad, had us connect to his WiFi, and AirDropped us with many other pictures of Chichén and its artifacts.

Explore the site beyond El Castillo. ⠀

The El Castillo, aka Temple of Kukulcan, is the most recognizable temple in Chichén Itza, but there are plenty of other things to explore around the site, like the intricate stone carvings and the Great ball court where Mayan sportsmen would compete. ⠀⠀

Akumal Beach

After Chichén Itza, we headed to Akumal Beach to eat. Akumal is about 30 minutes from Central Tulum and a good place to go to see a lot of sea life, including turtles. We had originally planned on having a full beach day here, but unbeknownst to us, the beach closed at 5pm! So instead we just ate at La Bueno Vida and soaked up the views.

Essential Packing List for Tulum

Health & Wellness

• Sunscreen: I use sunscreen with at least SPF 30. SPF 30 blocks 97% of UVB rays and is an absolute necessity for sun protection. I love the Neutrogena ultra-sheer, non-greasy sunscreen sticks for my face and body.
  
• Bug spray: There are a lot of mosquitoes and other bugs in Tulum. Use bug spray to protect yourself from pesky bug bites and the viruses they may carry. If I’m in the jungle, I use the Repel 100 Insect repellent spray with a high level of Deet for optimal protection. For an everyday Deet-free option, these insect repellent bands with insect repelling oil are a great alternative that doesn’t require you to put bug spray on your skin. Wear one on your wrist and ankle for complete body protection.
  
• Hand sanitizer: This is a great item to have while traveling. I love Purell.

Activities

• Snorkel & Fins: If you plan to swim in cenotes or snorkeling more than once, purchase your snorkel mask and fins. Although you can rent this equipment at the cenotes, it will add up if you want to visit multiple cenotes. Also, it may be a more sanitary option as you have to put the snorkel piece in your mouth.
  
• Swim Shoes: If you’re visiting Tulum, you will likely engage in a water-related activity, and swim shoes are a clutch item to have.

Tulum was incredible! I will explore more cenotes, beaches, and restaurants on my next trip.

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