7 days · islands + coast

7 daysRelaxed pacedistance-checked ✓ · updated Jul 3, 2026

1
Cancún
1 night · Land, sleep near the airport or in El Centro — skip the Hotel Zone.
Day 1
⛴ 30 min — Ultramar from Puerto Juárez, about 20 minutes.
2
Isla Mujeres
2 nights · Golf cart the island; Playa Norte early before day-trippers.
Days 2–3
⛴ 1.5h — Ferry back to Cancún, then van or ADO bus south to Playa (~1h).
3
Playa del Carmen
1 night · Base for the Cozumel ferry and a night on Fifth Avenue.
Day 4
🚐 1h — ADO bus or colectivo down the 307.
4
Tulum
2 nights · Ruins at opening, an afternoon cenote, skip the pricey beach clubs.
Days 5–6
Reality check: Sargassum can bury all four beaches May-October — check beach webcams before you commit to a beach hotel.
By Lucía CanulBased in Mérida, Yucatán · updated Jul 3, 2026

The question everyone asks about the Riviera Maya right now is whether it is safe, and the honest answer is that the tourist corridor you will actually travel is calm and heavily policed. The thing that will genuinely wreck a beach day is sargassum, the brown seaweed that piles up May through October. Check beach webcams before you lock in any beachfront hotel, and this whole route stays flexible.

Day 1: Cancún, in and out

Land and just get through the night. Sleep near the airport or in El Centro, where the food is better and cheaper than the Hotel Zone, and grab tacos on a real street. You are not here for Cancún; you are here to catch the ferry tomorrow.

Days 2-3: Isla Mujeres

Take the Ultramar ferry from Puerto Juárez, about 20 minutes. Rent a golf cart, the whole point of the island, and do the loop. Get to Playa Norte early, before the day-trip boats from Cancún dump crowds around midday. A friend who lives here would tell you to buy your ferry tickets from the official Ultramar counter, not from the guys working the dock who will steer you toward a pricier package.

Day 4: Playa del Carmen

Ferry back, then an ADO bus or van down to Playa, roughly an hour. Playa is your hinge point: a walkable town, a night on Fifth Avenue, and the fast ferry to Cozumel if you want a diving detour. It is louder and more commercial than the rest, so treat it as one night.

Days 5-6: Tulum

Colectivo or bus down the 307. Hit the Tulum ruins right at opening, before the heat and tour buses. Spend an afternoon at a cenote inland, where the water is cold and clear regardless of what the sea is doing. Skip the beach clubs charging $30 for a chair; the town side eats better for a fraction of the money.