- Fish tacos and wood-fired everything on the beach road
- Cochinita and lechon tacos in El Pueblo
- Cenote-side loncherias for cheap Yucatan lunches
Tulum Travel Guide
Playa Paraiso beach, Tulum. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Tulum is the Riviera Maya's bohemian end: a walled Maya city on a cliff, a long beach of boutique hotels, and the town behind it where locals actually live. It draws the wellness-and-ruins crowd in roughly equal measure.
The three zones matter: the ruins, the beach road (Zona Hotelera) of boutique hotels and beach clubs, and El Pueblo, the town with the restaurants and cheaper stays.
What to do in Tulum
Ruins and beach
- 1
Tulum archaeological site The walled clifftop city with El Castillo. Arrive at 8am opening. - 2
Playa Paraiso The classic Tulum beach: white sand, palm trees, the ruins on the headland. - 3
Gran Cenote The clear-water cenote on the Coba road, perfect for snorkelling.
Day trips
- 1
Coba The jungle Maya city, 45 minutes inland. - 2
Sian Ka'an The biosphere reserve's lagoons and empty beaches, by guided tour. - 3
Cenotes Dos Ojos and Calavera The cave-diving cenotes on the road to Playa del Carmen.
Tulum Hotel Guide
How to choose the best places to stay in Tulum. Verified properties below; for the full list, search live availability on Booking.com.
Luxury
Papaya Playa Project
The boho-luxury beach institution with Saturday parties.
View on Booking.com
Where to eat
Getting there and around
Fly into Cancun (CUN), ADO bus to Tulum (about 2 hours); the new Tulum airport (TQO) takes some domestic flights. Colectivos run the beach road and the Coba road.