Day trips from Cancún

For a quick and easily accessible island getaway, take a ferry across the bay to Isla Mujeres and plant yourself on the powdery white sands of Playa Norte, a postcard-perfect beach with exceptionally calm turquoise waters. Just north of the beach, look for Playa Hermosa Caleta, where you can swim with the fish in a warm and wonderfully translucent natural pool.

Once you’ve had your fill of the beach, rent a golf cart and cruise around the island’s ring road while making stops along the way for snorkeling at Playa Garrafon and perhaps for a sunset stroll at Punta Sur, a sculpture garden and lookout point with sweeping views of the Cancún skyline. For dinner and entertainment, don’t miss the fresh fish, house margaritas and live music at Javi’s Cantina.

If time permits, between May and September, head out on a boat with the good folks at Sea Hawk Divers and swim with massive whale sharks.

How to get there: To reach Isla Mujeres, catch a ferry from the Puerto Juarez terminal in downtown Cancún or leave from the hotel zone docks at Playa Caracol, El Embarcadero, or Playa Tortugas. From the downtown location, Ultramar boats depart every half hour from 5:30 am to 11:00 pm. It takes about 30 minutes to zip across the sparkling cerulean sea.

You got to love an island with no stoplights and where people putter around on sand streets in golf carts. Visitors come to Isla Holbox (pronounced hole-bosh) for its serene turquoise beaches, seasonal whale shark tours, and the surprisingly vibrant party scene. It’s also the self-proclaimed birthplace of lobster pizza but that coveted shellfish topping will cost you a pretty peso. Hit open-air pizza joint Roots for a taste of the island’s signature dish.

Holbox has grown increasingly more popular in recent years as word spreads quickly about its sublime Caribbean coast. But you can always escape from ‘downtown’ on DIY hikes to remote beaches. Or book a kayaking tour and paddle through mangroves teeming with aquatic bird species; if possible, go from April to October when pink flamingos are out in full force. HolboXtreme operates nighttime bioluminescence tours, allowing you to kayak through electric-blue waters under the starry sky.

How to get there: Drive or take an ADO bus to Chiquila, a coastal town about 83 miles northwest of Cancún. From there, catch a ferry to Isla Holbox. It’s safe to leave your car in Chiquila’s parking lots. The ferries depart hourly from 5:00 am to 8:00 pm. From Cancún, the total travel time is three hours.

Shortly after the ancient Maya ruins of Chichen Itza were selected as one of Unesco’s New 7 Wonders of the World, for better or worse, its bucket list cred soared. One look at the mind-blowing Temple of Kukulcan, aka El Castillo, and you’ll understand what all the fuss is about. Rising nearly 100 feet above the surrounding jungle, the architectural marvel was built with 91 steps on each side and is crowned with a square temple. Add the number of stairs and the single platform together and you get 365, the number of days on the calendar. During spring and fall equinoxes, the sun casts a shadow formation of a serpent descending the pyramid’s northeast stairway. Somewhere, the plumed serpent god Kukulcan must be smiling. Chichen Itza is also home to the biggest ball court in Mesoamerica, not to mention a sacred cenote that was once used for human sacrifices.

Chichen Itza is the name of the archaeological site; the town itself is called Piste. Along Highway 180, the main strip, you’ll find a slew of roadside hotels and restaurants. West of town, drop by Tsukán, a limestone swimming hole set in an otherworldly cavern.

How to get there: Take toll road 180D or the toll-free Highway 180 to Piste; the town center is just west of the archaeological site. Alternatively, Oriente operates hourly bus departures (starting at 5:00 am) from Cancún’s ADO terminal to the Piste station; it’s a two-and-a-half-hour ride.

On the way back from Chichen Itza, make it a point to stop at this splendid colonial city, which stands in sharp contrast to the modern stylings of Cancún.

In addition to Valladolid’s striking 16th-century architecture, it’s home to wow-inducing cenotes, especially at Hacienda Cenote Oxman, a former henequen property where you can swim in a deep sinkhole with hanging vines. For another Valladolid highlight, don’t miss the guided tour at Casa de los Venados, a private residence that houses more than 3,000 museum-quality pieces of Mexican folk art. The tour is conducted only once a day at 10:00 am so you may have to spend the night in Valladolid. The colonial B&B Casa San Roque makes for a pleasant stay.

After the tour, grab a bite at the inexpensive downtown food market or hit IX CAT IK for classic Yucatecan fare like sopa de lima (lime soup) or longaniza de valladolid (Valladolid-style sausage).

How to get there: From Cancún, Highway 180D is a straight shoot to Valladolid, or hop on a bus from the downtown ADO station. It’s a two-hour ride.

Sitting pretty just 24 miles south of downtown, Puerto Morelos serves as a fast and easy escape from the hubbub of Cancún. We love the small fishing town’s oceanfront palapa restaurants, the excellent hammocks sold in the crafts market, and most of all, the unhurried pace.

During your visit, consider heading out on a snorkeling or diving tour. Wet Set runs diving excursions to wreck sites and reefs brimming with tropical fish. Or for a more adventurous outing, book a bull shark dive from November to February, and no, they do not feed the sharks, meaning it’s a reputable dive shop.

While in the area, drop by Croco Cun, an interactive zoo where you can have up-close encounters with crocodiles, snakes and free-roaming spider monkeys. And don’t go back to Cancún without dining at Le Chique, which gets high praise for its exquisite 20-course tasting menu. It’s in the Azul Beach Resort and you must reserve ahead.

How to get there: From downtown Cancún’s ADO station, take a Playa del Carmen-bound bus or passenger van to the highway turnoff, where it’s about a 1-mile walk or cab ride into town.

Tulum may not have the Yucatan’s biggest or most sophisticated ruins but it’s got one fine ocean view from its phenomenal cliffside perch. What’s more, after getting a closer look at the walled city’s sunbaked temples and famous Descending God stone carvings, you can head down to the site’s exclusive beach and cool off with a swim in the shimmering blue sea.

After visiting the ruins, make your way south to the city center, which consists of two distinct neighborhoods: Tulum Pueblo, the inland residential part of town; and the hotel zone, which is essentially a long coastal road lined with intentionally rustic hotels, bohemian beach bars, and open-air restaurants. Hartwood gets kudos for its wood-fired fish dishes. Tulum has many nearby cenotes worth visiting. One of the closest ones, Gran Cenote, makes for a refreshing stop en route to the ruins of Coba.

How to get there: If you’re driving, take the toll-free Highway 307 south to Tulum. Frequent ADO buses depart to Tulum from the downtown Cancún terminal.

Assuming you’re not ruined yet from seeing too many ruins, you should definitely check out the archaeological site of Coba. The jungle-set structures are connected by sacbes, ancient paths that can be explored on foot or while pedaling around on bikes that are rented out at the entrance. The towering Nohuch Mul, which means ‘great mound’ in Maya, rises 137 feet above the verdant jungle, making it the tallest temple pyramid in the Yucatan.

After visiting the ruins, take a stroll along the lagoon boardwalk, which is home to a large crocodile population. Or rent a bike once again and ride south to visit a series of small cenotes.

How to get there: Once in Tulum, board a bus from the ADO station on Avenida Tulum or walk two blocks east to take a passenger van departing from Calle Osiris Norte. If you’re driving, pick up Highway 109 from Tulum and look for the Coba turnoff. It’s less than an hour from Tulum.

Playa, as locals call it, is the biggest city in the Riviera Maya region and it’s also one of the most festive as well, especially in the area in and around the traffic-free pedestrian corridor Quinta Avenida. For live music and nighttime fire-dancing pull up a lounge chair at beach bar Fusion, then mosey over to La Bodeguita del Medio and groove to the spirited salsa beats.

How to get there: Passenger vans and buses leave every half hour from Cancún’s ADO bus terminal. If you have wheels, it’s about an hour-and-15-minute drive south on Highway 307.

What does the afterlife look like for scuba divers? Probably a lot like Cozumel but without the cruise ships. Not only is this drift-diving haven bursting with vivid marine life but it also boasts some of the most incredible wall dives you’ll ever experience.

Even non-divers will find plenty to do here. Deep Blue runs snorkeling trips to the shallows of Palancar, Columbia, and El Cielo to give you a taste of Cozumel’s colorful underwater world. Or rent a moped and zoom down to Punta Sur, an ecological park with an unspoiled beach and boat tours through a wildlife-rich lagoon. For dinner, the fine dining and sunset views at Buccanos at Night work like a charm every time.

How to get there: From Playa del Carmen, take an Ultramar or Winjet ferry to the maritime terminal in Cozumel. The 45-minute ride can get choppy during certain times of the year.