ksmthornton

We are spending 12 days in the Yucatan in October and November (thanks to november_moon for your report)). We are visiting Tulum, Chichen Itza, Valladolidad, and Merida. We are flying into Cancun. Is it possible to visit all these places by bus (with an occasional taxi)? We are hoping to not rent a car.

kja

Yes -- for these locations, no car would be needed. All can be visited by bus.

jamie99

I've always had a car and preferred it although I hear the ADO buses are pretty good. The driving is pretty easy, from Cancun to Tulum is a wide, well signed four lane highway and you can either take the toll road to Chichen Itza (boring but fast) or take the free road down near Tulum heading toward Coba ruins and then take the turnoff for Valladolid.

suze

A co-worker just got back and they didn't use a car. Just got around the area with shuttles, taxi, tours.

SambaChula

I like the convenience of having a personal vehicle to go where I want (off the beaten path when we choose, to meet locals and see places we might not have otherwise), when I want, in air conditioned comfort, and without the stress of meeting bus schedules and waiting for them in the extreme heat. I find the driving to be easy in the Yucatan, and not expensive.
If you plan well (we ran into a guy stranded at Coba after he missed the last bus, and was trying to hitch a ride) and stick to the touristed places you mention, the bus should do, or you could pay more for tours and taxis.

scdreamer

We visited the Yucatan for two weeks a few years ago and had a rental car. We were so glad we did - there are many back road areas and little villages you can easily get to with a car, and especially access to some of the cenotes that are not on the main highways. We had the opportunity to swim in a lot of cenotes, and that was a major highlight of our travel experience. We were able to be very spontaneous, and found the roads in general to be well maintained and easily navigated.