Cancún & Day-trips

Cancún is the place where you'll likely start your visit, and if sunbathing, water sports, and partying are what you're after, you won't need to set foot outside the Zona Hotelera (or even your resort). If you're staying for a week or so, though, you should definitely check out some of the attractions that are easy day-tripping distance from Cancún: nature parks, Maya ruins, and some of the world's best snorkeling and diving are all just a short drive or boat trip away.

Days 1 & 2: Arrival/Cancún

After arriving at your hotel, spend your first day or two doing what comes naturally: lounging at the hotel pool, playing in the waves, parasailing, and going out for dinner and drinks. If you start to feel restless your second day, you can head to the Museo de Arte Popular, catch an evening performance at El Embarcadero, or take a ride into El Centro (Cancún city) and browse the shops and open-air markets along Avenida Tulum.

Day 3: Cozumel or Isla Mujeres

Spend the day visiting one of the islands off Mexico's Caribbean coast. If beachcombing and a laid-back meal of fresh seafood under a palapa sounds like your bag, take a ferry from Puerto Juárez and head for Isla Mujeres; once you're there, chill on Playa Norte, or rent a moped and hit one of the beach clubs on the southeastern coast (stopping at the Tortugranja turtle farm along the way). If you like underwater sealife, drive or take a bus south from Cancún to Puerto Morelos, where you can catch a boat over to Cozumel. There are over a hundred scuba and snorkeling outfits on the island, all of which run trips out to the spectacular Maya Reef.

Day 4: Playa del Carmen/Xcaret

In the morning, grab your bathing suit and a towel, take a taxi to the Xcaret bus station near Playa Caracol, and grab a 9:45 AM bus to this magical nature park. You can easily spend an entire day here snorkeling through underwater caves; visiting the butterfly pavilion, sea turtle nursery, and reef aquarium; and (if you reserve a spot early) bonding with dolphins. Alternatively, get up early and take a rental car south along Carretera 307 toward Playa del Carmen, about an hour and a half away. Once you arrive, head to Avenida 5 along the waterfront, where you can choose from dozens of places to lunch (if you want to splurge, try the ceviche or the namesake specialty at Blue Lobster). Then spend the afternoon either wandering among the shops and cafés and watching the street performers, or else jump in the car and head 10 minutes south of town to Xcaret.

Days 5 & 6: Tulum/Cobá

If you have the time, it's worth spending a day at each of these beautiful Maya ruin sites near Playa del Carmen; each is entirely different from the other. Cobá, which is about a half-hour's drive west from Playa, is a little-visited but spectacular ancient city that's completely surrounded by jungle; you can climb atop a 79-foot-high temple, explore pyramids and ball courts, all while listening to the calls of exotic birds and howler monkeys in the trees. Tulum, the only major Maya site built right on the water, has less stunning architecture, but a dazzling location overlooking the Caribbean. After picking through the ruins, you can take a path down from the cliffs and laze for a while on the fabulous beach below. Be warned, though: since Tulum is just a 45-minute drive south from Playa, it's the Yucatán's most popular Maya site. You won't have much privacy here.