Traveling from Cancun to Tulum
When I first wrote this blog post, the Tulum International airport was scheduled to complete in April 2024. Since then, the aiport has completed construction, and you now have the option to fly into Tulum directly.
However, you may still want to fly directly into Cancun for a variety of reasons. Maybe you’re starting your trip there, or it’s a significantly cheaper to fly into Cancun first.
If that’s where you’re starting your adventure, here are a few options for your journey from the CUN airport to your final destination.
$ - Take the ADO bus
The cheapest way to get from the Cancun airport to Tulum is by bus. This option is a little uncommon for tourists, so you might find yourself diverging from the rest of the airport arrivals, but it’s a reliable option that the locals themselves use.
There will be two legs to your journey. First, you’ll want to take the ADO bus from your arrival terminal to the Cancun Downtown stop.
Personally, I’d recommend booking your ADO bus tickets inside the airport once you arrive. You never know when a flight delay might mess up your plans, and the buses run frequently enough that you shouldn’t have to wait more than 20 minutes for the next one to arrive.
The attendant at the ADO kiosk should be able to guide you to the bus, but you can map to the pick up spots as well. The buses themselves are hard to miss, they’re quite large and red and white and clearly labeled “ADO” on the side. Although I was convinced that all the guys trying to sell tours and rental cars wouldn’t help me find the pick-up spot, they were also super useful in navigating to where the ADO buses arrive!
Once you’ve made it to the downtown stop, you’ll want to book tickets to Tulum. This is the leg of the journey that starts to lean more locals than tourists. In my experience, the bus to Tulum can be rather packed, and when I took it, I ended up standing for the whole journey. However, the combined cost of the ADO tickets should amount to under $20 USD, making this option the cheapest way to get to Tulum by FAR.
One last thing to note is that the bus route from Cancun to Tulum has a few stops before reaching Tulum, so be sure to keep an eye on Google Maps to know when to get off so you don’t exit prematurely. Book your tickets at the link here.
$ - Take the Maya Train
As of this update, the Maya Train is a new option for travelers looking to commute between Cancun, Playa del Carmen, and Tulum. It only departs once a day at 8am and tickets cost approximately $20, or around $27 if you want to purchase first-class tickets.
The journey is short, approximately 1hr and 36 minutes. Unfortunately there are limited spots on the train, so if you want to use this option, you need to book far in advance. I have yet to try the Maya Train, but excited to test out the experience on my next trip to Tulum! Book your tickets at the link here.
$$ - Rent a car
Car rentals in Cancun are around $25/day before insurance and additional driver/young driver fees! Renting a car is a great option for anyone who is looking to have a more adventurous Tulum trip (visiting cenotes, Chichén Itzá, etc.) since you have to drive between all of these locations.
The Pros:
Some people may find taking taxis overwhelming if they’re used to using apps like Uber and Lyft where you see a price before booking a ride, so this option ensures that driving is fully in your control.
Another thing to consider is the fact that relying on taxis during your time in Tulum might require you to form relationships with drivers. If you plan on staying in an AirBnb in town, taxis won’t frequent those neighborhoods, and you’ll have to have a taxi contact on hand unless you want to walk towards the main street every time you want a ride.
The Cons:
It’s incredibly hard to park on the beach strip, so if you’re looking on spending most of your time on the beach strip but are staying in town, I’d strongly suggest you take a taxi. In that case, a car rental may not be worth it just for the drive from Cancun to Tulum
Car rentals are slightly cheaper in Tulum as opposed to Tulum. You may consider renting a car in town and using one of the other options to make your way into Tulum if you’re on the fence!
Pro tip: don’t forget to ensure that your can rental is for an automatic car if you can’t drive manual cars!
$$$ - Take a taxi
The priciest way to make your way over to Tulum would be to hire a taxi, but it’s definitely the most comfortable option for the 2-hour journey. The total cost of the taxi will likely be around $100 USD, so depending on the number of people you plan to travel with and the amount of luggage you have, it may be worthwhile to have someone else drive while you recover from your flight!
The other pro of using a taxi, outside of the drivers’ familiarity with the route, is the drivers’ familiarity with the roads. Cancun and Tulum have these massive speed bumps, and the first time I discovered them was when it was dark and my group was driving into Tulum, and our the driver from our group didn’t spot the huge bump in the road. It was definitely a rude awakening to go from napping in the back of the car to hitting my head on the car ceiling.
Taxis drivers are also more used to driving with the threat of jaguars on the road. These big cats have a history of being hit and killed by tourists in rental cars, and obviously, this wouldn’t align with leaving a place better than when you found it. If you arrive later in the day, consider getting a taxi to take you to Tulum for this very reason, even if you’re planning on renting a car during your trip. As an added bonus, it’s a little bit cheaper to rent cars in Tulum versus Cancun, so you might end up saving enough money over the course of your visit to offset the cost of the taxi!
$$$ - The Tulum International Airport
As of 2024, the brand-new Felipe Carrillo Puerto Airport is open… but there are a few caveats. The airport is located 45 minutes outside the heart of Tulum, so there is additional transportation costs to consider to get from the airport to your final destination.
As Tulum continues to grow its tourism industry, I’m hoping that the cities continues to focus on sustainable tourism.