If you're basing yourself out of the town of Tulum, the Tulum Archaeological Site is worth visiting no matter what. Being that the ruins zone is quite compact, it doesn't take long to explore Tulum.
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The greatest attraction at the Tulum Ruins is its location. Built on a bluff facing the rising sun, this ruin site is the only Maya settlement located on the beaches of the Caribbean. The views continue to be described as spectacular as millions of people visit this Maya ruin in the Riviera Maya.
Set aside at least one hour to visit the ruins, maybe 2-hours if you want to go swimming at the beach below. It's not that big compared to other Maya archaeological sites in Mexico.
In fact, many people actively prefer Tulum because it's less crowded! Tulum is quiet, serene, and. Tulum is a much more compact archeological site than the sprawling Chichen Itza. The structures within Tulum are close together and don't feature many stairs.
If you wish, you can hire a guide to take you around the ruins for around 600 pesos (~ 30 USD). I think visiting Tulum ruins without a tour guide is also possible since each site has an English and Spanish sign to help you understand what you are seeing.
Yes, that's right, Tulum ruins beach, there is a beach just down the cliff from the ruins and it's the perfect place to cool off and take a swim in the Caribbean sea halfway round.
The Tulum ruins open at 8:00 and it's worth being here then. You'll avoid the crowds, get better views, and the temperature will be more pleasant. Alternatively, come later in the afternoon when the tour groups have all left and it's starting to cool down after the heat of the middle of the day.
Climbing is not permitted at the Tulum ruins. Because the ruins are very old and unstable, the central structures like Pyramid El Castillo and Temple of the Frescoes have been roped off. Visitors are required to stay on the designated walking paths.
Tulum has many beautiful traces of Mayan culture and history, much like the rest of the Yucatán Peninsula and Quintana Roo. Visiting Tulum is worth it simply for the experience of seeing the historical Tulum Ruins in person.
The beach area of Tulum can really be split into two sections. There's the area towards the north where the hotels tend to be a bit cheaper and the public can access the beach more easily, and then there's the southern beach area which is the more expensive part home to Tulum's luxury resorts.
Is Tulum safer than Cancun? Not really. They're both generally safe. The key difference is that Cancun's mainstream holidaymakers tend to stick more to their hotels, especially the all-inclusives.
Be cautious at night if you're traveling alone – Tulum isn't the most dangerous place at night, but in some places, it's not as well lit as it should be. Don't walk around alone late at night if you can avoid it — especially between the center of town and the beachfront hotel zone.
I highly recommend you leave expensive and sentimental pieces of jewelry at home while you travel, so you don't risk never seeing them again. Also, Tulum is quite hot, so you might not even want to wear jewelry when you arrive, so you might skip bringing it at all.
Chichen Itza – MexicoThe area is the most visited archeological site in Mexico and roughly 1.2 million tourists comed to marvel at the ruins each year. The Kukulcán pyramid is one of the most famous and best preserved Mayan temples in the area.
A must-see Mayan ruin in Mexico is Chichen Itza. Located not too far from Cancun, Chichen Itza is easily the most well-known Mexican Mayan ruins in the world. Chichen Itza is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, adding more to the appeal of why its a must-visit if traveling around the Yucatan Peninsula.