Could someone please tell me how long it takes to drive from Cancun to Chichen Itza and then to Tulum? We are wondering if one overnight is enough at the hotel mayaland (in Chichen Itza) before heading to Tulum. Thankyou.

From Chichen Itza to Tulum it's about two hours on the Coba road. I'm not sure of the time from Cancun to Chichen Itza on the highway but it's probably about the same (there is a toll on that highway). You can do the loop in one day depending on what time you get to Chichen Itza. Arrive early to avoid the crowds.

Last Jan we drove from Cancun to Chitzen Itza on the toll road. It's about 2 hours plus the time it takes to get to the toll road. Plenty of signs. One overnight is more than enough.
We got an early morning start (0730) the and returned to Cancun the same day. Easier than changing hotels. The next day we did Coba and Tulum, again returning to Cancun. Coba is about 75 minutes away and then stopped in Tulum on the way back. Plenty of time for a cool beer on the beach. We didn't care for Cancun, except for a place to travel from.

Thankyou! That was very helpful. We went to Costa Rica last year and it took so long to go anywhere but it sounds like the roads are easier to travel on in the Yucatan. We are not expecting to like Cancun either, but the other areas should be interesting.

I diid both ways last Spring with 2 kids and a shaky car and had the BEST time driving. The toll road back from Merida (after visiting both C. Itza and Uxmal) was glorious. Being from SoCal, I could get used to the deserted roads. the trip from Playa to C. Itza was easy, also fairly empty. We took three days, two nights and didn't feel rushed.

Alpal...when you drove from Playa to Chichen Itza, did you take the back roads, or did you drive north to Cancun and then take the toll road? How long did it take you to drive from Playa to Chichen Itza?

I've done the drive from PDC to Chichen Itza on the back Coba road a few times. It takes about 2 1/2 hours straight through. If you stop (especially to buy hammocks at the prison!) it takes longer. The toll road is nice but the toll price is very high. I'd rather go the back way and see Valladoloid along the way.

colokid....thank you for the helpful information. I didn't like the idea of driving all the way north to Cancun to pick up the toll road. Now, knowing that it is only 2.5 hours from Playa to Chichen Itza, it seems that it will be faster going the backroads. That's what I'll do, and I'll definitely make a stop in Valladolid.

Have a great time. If you're looking for hammocks the prison is just east of Valladoloid on the right hand side of the road. You can't miss them all hanging there. One of the best things I've bought down there.

The Chichen Itza map from cancunmap.com is a very handy resource - for Chichen and the drive toward Tulum and the town of Valladolid.

Thankyou! I just ordered the map.