Tulum – formerly a peaceful fishing town and now a tourist spot
After we returned from the island of Isla Mujeres, we immediately got on the ADO bus and traveled to Tulum. The trip took about 2 hours, but it went by quickly thanks to the comfortable seats and the movie. The ADO bus stopped in the center of Tulum (here) and from there we still had 2 km to the accommodation. We were sweating again and a bit nervous as we went to uptown with all our stuff. Fortunately, it was still light and the accommodation was worth it. We had a large room, a pool, a kitchen, and a washing machine. We could also rent bikes for free, which was a great perk since biking around Tulum is the best form of transportation. For those interested, here is a link to our cheap airbnb accommodation.
Best places to visit in Tulum
Mayan ruins of Tulum (Tulum Archaeological Zone)
The ruins are located on 12-meter-high cliffs along the eastern coast of the Yucatán Peninsula. In addition to the ruins, you can also swim here on the beach, which was unfortunately closed during our visit. We spent about an hour in the area and we recommend taking plenty of water and a hat with you because the heat and little shade area were a killer combination. We reached the ruins by bicycle. There is a nice bike path and it is about 5 km from the center of Tulum, so nothing terrible. The entrance fee costs around 80 MXN per person (approx. 4,5 USD, November/2022) and bikes can be parked outside for free in front of the entrance.
Beach Playa Paraiso
The only beach we visited in Tulum and we really liked it! We came here by bike so we didn’t have to pay for parking. But if you come by car, you will have to pay or we noticed that people parked along the road as well. We recommend rolling out here and just relaxing 🙂
Tulum Hotel zone
If you have the time and desire, we recommend a drive through the hotel zone. There are several interesting buildings that reminded us of the type of architecture in Bali. The Insta-famous sculpture Escultura Ven a la Luz is also located here.
Escultura Ven a la Luz
A wooden sculpture that not only looks great in photos, but also in reality. It is part of the Ahau Tulum hotel complex and has an entrance fee of MXN 60. They also wanted 100 MXN per bike in the official parking lot, so we drove a little further and left them at some closed bar (I think it was Aua de Mar). Officially, we were supposed to have 1 minute to take a photo, but we arrived here right at the opening at 9 am, they were almost alone here and no one bothered about our time spent at the statue 🙂
Tulum cenotes
There are several beautiful cenotes around Tulum, which are open or closed pools with underground water. Due to the high entrance fee, we ended up visiting only one and that was Cenote Calavera. The entrance fee was 250 MXN, plus we paid another 200 MXN for a camera (you also have to pay if you want to use GoPro or a drone). You will love this cenote if you are a fan of jumping into the water 😀 In addition to one big hole, there are also two smaller ones, which are for the braver person. In the end, I jumped into one of them and survived, so I recommend it 😀 Other popular cenotes around Tulum are Gran cenote, Two Eyes cenote, Cenote Azul, Taak Bi ha with a stalactite cave.
Best restaurants to try in Tulum
Honestly, we liked two restaurants so we ended up with them and didn’t discover anything else. They had cheap and delicious food, so if you go there, you definitely won’t go wrong 🙂
- Taqueria La Chiapaneca – definitely our most favorite. The prices are unbeatable and so is the food. They have several types of tortillas here, for example, Gringas, Salbutes, Sopes (leavened flatbread), Tostadas (fried tacos) or Panuchos (crispy tacos). From the selection of meats, we recommend trying Al Pastor, which is pork that reminded us gyros style.
- Gran Promocion – delicious Mexican food and unbeatable price. You should definitely try their tacos and sopes!
- La Cordobesita Tulum – vegan stall where we recommend trying jackfruit tacos.
- Burrito Amor – the only restaurant that we didn’t try because it is more expensive, but anyway, it’s a well-known burrito restaurant, if anyone wants to visit something more famous in the city 🙂
EXTRA TIP: Where to buy cheap coconut in Tulum
If you love drinking coconut water as much as we do, go to Fruteria El Kiosko. A fresh coconut here costs 25 MXN which is an unbeatable price. In addition, they cut it for you so that you can put it in the basket on your bike and open it at home 😀 This was our everyday routine 😀
How to get to Tulum by bus, car or colectivo
- ADO BUS – the most convenient and relatively cheap mode of transportation in general throughout the Yucatan. We went to Tulum from Cancún, but ADO buses also go here for example directly from Cancún airport, from Playa del Carmen, Bacalar or Valladolid. The ADO bus terminal in Cancun is located here and in Tulum is located here
- Car rental – the most easiest and flexible way of transport around Yucatan
- Colectivo z Playa del Carmen – if you are going to Tulum from Playa del Carmen and want to save money at the expense of comfort, then there is an option to take the Colectivo. The stop is located under the 307 Freeway, Juarez Avenue. If you are not sure ask the locals, they were always willing to give us advice. Colectivo buses usually only leave when they are full, it usually takes about 10 minutes
