Tulum's combination of beautiful beaches, rich history, vibrant culture, and unique attractions make it a must-visit destination in Mexico. Whether you're staying for 36 hours in Tulum or a week, there's plenty to see and do.
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Worst Times to Visit TulumTravelers in search of rest and relaxation — sans large crowds — should avoid visiting during peak season, which includes the holidays and spring break. Budget-conscious travelers should also steer clear of these months, since their high demand causes airfare and hotel prices to skyrocket.
Many travelers choose to stay in Tulum town to save some cash. You can always whip down to the beach in a taxi, bike, or by foot. Plus, Tulum town is a better base for getting out and checking out all the day trips from Tulum.
Whether you're there for a single night or an entire month, any trip to Tulum is memorable. As a baseline, we think that 5-7 days is a perfect amount of time to enjoy everything the city offers. You'll have time for the beach, to visit Mayan ruins, and even have enough extra days for a trip to a nearby destination.
They both offer beautiful beaches, breathtaking coastlines, and comforting weather. Their main differences rest in the type of experience you are looking for. Cancun tends to be more upbeat and caters more to the tourist crowd. Tulum is more relaxing and gives you a greater authentic local experience.
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.
Tulum is largely safe for travel but has recently seen an increase in high profile safety incidents and unrest. Much of the safety issues are connected to cartels, corruption, and the clash of rapid development with local residents.
While Tulum is trendy, note that most of the best hotels offer eco-chic luxury (if you're looking for a large resort experience, look elsewhere) and are located along the 6-mile-long stretch of beachfront from the Tulum Ruins to the soft sand beach in the south end.
Best Times to Visit Tulum for Smaller CrowdsKeep in mind that hurricane season does take place between June and November (and October is the wettest month), so you should expect at least some rain at this time of year.
The beaches are already covered with the seaweed, making it difficult for tourists to enjoy the main attraction they seek out when visiting the region. For this reason, many Tulum tourists are skipping the beach due to the sargassum.
While exposed eastern shores are most likely to get hit by surges of sargassum, some beaches in Mexico have no sargassum. This includes Playa Norte on Isla Mujeres, Quintana Roo and Cozumel's western shore. They're generally seaweed-free. However, much depends on winds and ocean currents.
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.
Tulum offers access to a number of prominent Mayan ruin sites in the Yucatan peninsula. First, the northern edge of the Tulum beach is adorned by Mayan ruins that overlook the beach from a spectacular perch on a cliff! Second, the much larger ruins at Coba are a mere hour or so north of Tulum.
Some popular locations you can walk to from the hotel zone include Tulum Beach, Tulum Archeological Zone, and many of the resorts, restaurants, and bars in that area. Downtown Tulum is also very walkable, and there's plenty to see on foot when you're in Tulum Centro.
Tulumoffers access to a number of prominent Mayan ruin sites in the Yucatan peninsula. First, the northern edge of the Tulum beach is adorned by Mayan ruins that overlook the beach from a spectacular perch on a cliff! Second, the much larger ruins at Coba are a mere hour or so north of Tulum.