Chichen Itza or Tulum...from Isla
 

Which of these two sites is easiest to get to from Isla Mujeres? How long does it take to get to each? What is the taxi fare? Please help!

I don't know about distances, but my fiance and I loooved Tulum. Very relaxed and neat ruins, cenotes, and nice beach. We stayed at Cabanas Copal.
Just my 2 cents!
Miles

Both are quite a distance from Isla. You need to take the ferry from Isla back to Cancun and then it's about a hour drive to Playa del Carmen. From Playa del Carmen about another hour. A taxi will be very expensive. Either use the bus, collectives or purchase a tour.

Tulum is much smaller and located directly on the beach. Chichen Itza has much more ruiuns to look at.

Thanks for the replys. I've been to Tulum and agree the setting is fantastic. A group of girlfriends (8 of us!) are renting a house on Isla. One of my friends really wants to see some ruins, but doesn't really want to spend the night in the area as we already have a house on Isla. That's why I'm asking about which runs are better for her. It sounds like timewise she'd be better going to Tulum, but if she wants more to look at, she should make a longer day and go to Chichen. I know she would not really enjoy a big 'tour' experience, and the private tours I found can be upwards of $350 for just two people, and we don't want to spend that much. So, how expensive would the taxi be? Maybe if I can convince one or two more of our group to go we could split the cost making it less expensive.

A tour of Chichen Itza should run around $100 person--maybe more, maybe less.

Given your last requirements, I would opt for Tulum. If there is a group maybe just rent a car for the day. I would say getting from/to Isla will be the time constraint you will need to work with.
But it should be a fun trip and Ruins on the beach is certainly a great day.

I'm not positive about the distances but I thought Tulum was quite a bit closer to Cancun than is CI. There is however, no comparing the ruins themselves. CI is a much more extensive site and would take several hours to see and appreciate. On the other hand, Tulum ruins can be seen in an hour or less and THEN head to the beaches south....the most beautiful beaches in the world are located a short cab ride from the Tulum ruins.

Try this site: "Tours for People who Don't do Tours".

http://www.playa.info/tours-anna-james-tulum.html

We did the Tulum and Beyond and loved it. You have to get your own tansporation to the meeating place in Playa del Carmen and back to Isla.

Okay, I'm convinced Tulum is the place for my friend.
KVC, thanks for the link, that tour looks perfect for her!

KVR/Ally, I've also done the "Tulum and Beyond" tour with James, back when he was actually doing them himself. It is a GREAT tour.

You also might want to look into Coba, you can climb the ruins there if that is something your friends would like to do. It is about 45 minutes west of Tulum.

Thanks jamie....yes, my friend was hoping to climb some runs. I didn't know that anyone still allowed that.

Hi Ally,

Yes and you can also climb at Ek Balam, a really beautiful ruin that is not visited as often as the others, just a bit north of Valladolid.

Might want to look into a private tour, my late husband and I always drove ourselves. I used this company last two years for private airport transfers (transfer company called USA Transfers) and they have been in business for a long time and have a good rep. If you get 3-4 peeps the cost goes down quite a bit. They do private tours so you are not stuck on a big bus picking up lots of people and having to endure forced shopping stops.

entertainment-plus.net

Thanks Jamie. I am really excited about the tour KVR suggested as it's not huge either and quite reasonable in price, but I will look into this other one too!

Not to stir the pot, but have you considered Ek Balam? They're about 10-15 miles north of Valladolid and much less visited, though the biggest temple there is a third again as tall as the tallest at Chichen Itza. The jungly setting is nicer, too, and you can climb all around and in the buildings. There are incredible sculptures of winged men, dazzling views, and good birding in the surrounding trees. We've been to a lot of ruins in 4 countries and Ek Balam instantly became one of our favorites. You could head out early, visit the ruins 1st, then have a nice lunch in Valladolid before heading back. There are some amazing cenotes in and around Valladolid, too, if you want to cool off. My photos/blogs/travelogues are linked below if you're interestsed. Happy trails and good luck deciding!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/staceyholeman/collections

I'm glad I could help with a tour. They also go to Chichen Itza, Coba and Ek Balam/Valladolid if interested in those also.

We're returning in December and have decided on Coba this time. I found a tour that goes to Coba and a monkey sanctuary along with a few cenotes for snorkeling.

KVR - can you share a link to the Coba tour you just mentioned? We're going back to the area in December, too (this time Playa del Carmen) and saved Coba for that trip. We're also considering this tour because it sounds like a full, fun day:
http://www.alltournative.com/tours-p...maya-encounter

Here's the link:

http://www.playadelcarmentours.com/p...-sanctuary.htm

It's all day also - 11 hours. We don't do zip lines, so this was better for us.

We are staying in Playa this time at the Mahekal Beach Resort. We've already been to Tulum and Chichen Itza, so thought Coba would be good this time. We actually want to go to Costa Rica, and will hopefully next year. When I found this tour with the monkeys it reminded me of what I've been researching for Costa Rica.

KVR I looked at that tour as well as it looks like a good deal. But it's been saying 'this tour is temp unavail' at the bottom for a while. Do you know if this is just a glitch in their system, or something else? That is funny you are staying at Mahekal, both Plumboy and myself are both strongly considering it for our trips as well.

I've been looking at this tour for awhile also and never noticed that it said it was temp. unavailable. I just sent them an e-mail and asked about it's status and will post what they say.

We're real excited about the Mahekal. We've been going AI for years and just tired of it. Hoping it is all we are looking for.