Cancún
Caribbean sand, cenotes in the jungle and Maya cities along the coast.
Cancún is the gateway to the Riviera Maya, a coast of white beaches and turquoise sea running south to Playa del Carmen and Tulum, with the reef offshore, cenotes — flooded limestone sinkholes — in the jungle behind and the pyramids of Chichén Itzá inland. The hotel zone is a strip of sand between a lagoon and the sea.
Why go
For an easy beach holiday with real things to do beyond the pool: swimming in a cenote's clear water, snorkelling the reef off Cozumel or Puerto Morelos, the ruins on the cliff at Tulum, a day at Chichén Itzá.
And for the range of the coast: resort strips for those who want them, the cafés and beach clubs of Tulum, the island quiet of Holbox and Isla Mujeres, and the bird-filled biosphere of Sian Ka'an.
Highlights
What people go for, in no particular order.
01Chichén Itzá
The stepped pyramid of El Castillo, the great ball court and the sacred cenote of the Maya city, a couple of hours inland. Arrive at opening, before the heat and the coaches, and pair it with a cenote swim.
02The cenotes
Open pools, caverns and underground rivers of clear fresh water across the peninsula, from the well-known ones near Tulum to quieter village cenotes off the road to Valladolid.
03Tulum
The Maya ruins on the cliff above the sea, the beach road of palapa hotels and clubs, and the town's taquerias behind. The reef is a short boat ride out.
04The beaches
Cancún's own long strip, Playa del Carmen's town beach, the calmer bays at Akumal where turtles graze, and Tulum's wide sand under the palms.
05The reef and the islands
Snorkelling and diving on the reef off Cozumel and Puerto Morelos, the underwater museum off Cancún, and the low-key islands of Isla Mujeres and Holbox, where whale sharks pass in summer.
06Valladolid and Cobá
The colonial town with its pastel streets and cenotes, and the jungle pyramids of Cobá, climbed for the view over the canopy, on the road inland.
Areas
Where to base yourself, and what each area is like.
The Cancún hotel zone
Large resorts along the sand between the lagoon and the sea, close to the airport and the nightlife.
Playa del Carmen
A walkable town with a beach, the Fifth Avenue strip, ferries to Cozumel and hotels of every size.
Tulum
Beach-road boutique hotels and the town's newer guesthouses, for the ruins, the cenotes and the scene.
Isla Mujeres and Holbox
Island stays by ferry, small, slow and sandy.
When to go: Cancún
- Dry seasonDecember – April
- Warm, dry and sunny with a cooling breeze: the high season, fullest over the winter holidays and spring break.
- Shoulder monthsMay, June and November
- Hotter and more humid, with the whale sharks arriving in June and the crowds thinner.
- Wet seasonJuly – October
- Hot, humid and showery, with the hurricane season at its height in September and October. Quiet and green.
Getting there
Airports
One airport in our search serves Cancún. Distances are measured in a straight line.
- CUNCancún International
Distance from
- JFKNew York2,490 km
- LHRLondon7,940 km
- CDGParis8,210 km
- DXBDubai13,440 km
- JNBJohannesburg13,450 km
- SYDSydney14,200 km
- BOMMumbai15,020 km
- SINSingapore17,250 km
Getting around: Cancún
The airport is between Cancún and Playa del Carmen; transfers and buses run down the coast road, and the new Maya Train links the airport, Playa, Tulum and the inland cities.
Colectivo minibuses and buses connect the coastal towns; taxis and hire cars cover the rest. Ferries cross to Cozumel and Isla Mujeres; Chichén Itzá is a coach tour or a hire-car day.
Practical facts
The country, its currency and languages, the time zone and the time there now.
- Country
- Mexico
- Currency
- MXN · Mexican Peso
- Languages
- Spanish
- Time zone
- Eastern Standard Time
- Local time now
- Calling code
- +52
The atlas
Cancún in figures
The figures under this guide: the climate on modelled 2001–2020 averages, how far it is from the UAE, and the places around it.
Climate
The weather in Cancún, month by month
- Jan26°
- Feb27°
- Mar28°
- Apr29°
- May30°
- Jun30°
- Jul30°
- Aug30°
- Sept30°
- Oct29°
- Nov27°
- Dec27°
- Mild to warm and dry
- Mild to warm, humid or showery
- Hot
- Cool
- Wet
- Cold
Good for going, on these averages: July, August and November to May.
Mean highs run from 26°C in January to 30°C in August, with about 1,251 mm of rain in a year.
These are modelled averages for 2001–2020; the seasons described above are our own reading of a typical year.
Month-by-month climate for CancúnModelled averages for an area about 50 km across, not a weather station's record: NASA POWER climatology, 2001–2020.
Airports
How far it is from the UAE
From DXBCancún
13,440 km
16 hrs 35 mins · Estimate
From AUHCancún
13,450 km
16 hrs 35 mins · Estimate
The great-circle distance, and a rough flying time: the distance at an average 850 km/h plus 45 minutes for take-off and landing. Real flights follow airways, meet headwinds and wait for traffic, so schedules differ.
On the map
Places near Cancún
In pictures: Cancún
Plan this trip: Cancún
Open the trip builder with Cancún already filled in. Flights, stays and everything else are priced together in one quote, prepared by a person on our team.
