Playa del Carmen and Cancun are very popular holiday destinations in the Riviera Maya region in Mexico. There is so much to explore beyond resorts and hotels! We spent a full week exploring Mexico on a budget seeing amazing Mayan ruins, traditional towns, pristine beaches and stunning nature. Booking everything ourselves allowed us to be more flexible and save money. We have put together an affordable guide covering the top attractions to see around Playa del Carmen and tips on saving money during your trip.
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Budget Tips
We would advise you to avoid booking a package holiday in Playa del Carmen if you want to travel Mexico on a budget. It might seem like an easy option but it’s overpriced compared to booking flights and accommodation on your own. In comparison our week-long holiday cost us around £800 per person (flights and accommodation) compared to a minimum price of £1500 per person for a package.
An all inclusive package might seem like a good option to have food and drinks included. However, in most cases is still more expensive than eating out in affordable restaurants around Playa del Carmen. You will also have a better experience trying local Mexican food. The main street is filled with great food options where you will spend less than £10 per person for a good meal and drink. Our recommendations in Playa del Carmen include:
- Tropical Tacos for amazing tacos at great prices
- BIO-Natural for healthy options and great brunch
- COMET 984 – 50’s Diner for a vegan version of an American diner
- Falafel Nessya for very affordable middle eastern option
We also recommend avoiding taking taxis as the prices are very high. There is no Uber in Playa del Carmen but local colectivos are a great option to move around and reach most destinations. Colectivos are shared minibuses that will stop on request and drop you off where you want on their route. You can easily flag one down along Avenida 30 or the main terminal is located in front of Chedraui supermarket at the intersection of Calle 1 Sur and Avenida 45 Norte. We usually walked there in the morning to catch one of them and never waited longer than 5 minutes. You can expect to pay around £2 for a 30 minute journey.
Playa del Carmen Things to Do
Playa del Carmen is a great place filled with beautiful beaches, cool nightlife and cenotes (natural water holes formed by collapse of limestone). We stayed near Playa Coco, a perfect beach for refreshing swims and relaxing on the sand. However, Playa Punta Esmeralda was our favorite beach. It’s located around 30-40 minutes walk from the centre but you can also take a colectivo. The beach has more of a local vibe and it’s surrounded by beautiful nature. Soft white sand stretches along calm waters that are ideal for swimming. You can also find a small shallow cenote that merges with the sea at high tide, a very unique hidden gem!
A trip to Playa del Carmen wouldn’t be completed without visiting amazing cenotes. There are around 15 of them that are easily accessible from the centre. We visited Cenote Azul and Cenote Cristalino. They’re both on route between Playa del Carmen and Tulum so we took a colectivo there and paid around £2 per person one way. Both cenotes are surrounded by lush jungle and rock formations. They’re ideal for a refreshing swim and great for snorkeling. You can expect to pay around £5 per person for an entrance to Cenote Azul and £7 for Cenote Cristalino. We didn’t have enough time to visit the other cenotes, but a local recommended Cenote Dos Ojos (Two Eyes Cenote). A twin cenote connected by an underwater cavern tunnel making it look like a giant’s eyes opening into a freshwater cave from above.
In the evening we recommend a visit to La Quinta Avenida (Fifth Avenue). It’s a lively pedestrian-only promenade stretching for around 2 kilometers along the coast. It offers a lovely mix of bars, street food, cafes and souvenir shops.
Chichen Itza
Everyone wants to visit one of the 7 Wonders of the Word! Chichen Itza is over 1,500 years old and it used to serve as a religious, political and economical centre for the Maya civilisation. It’s a must see and we were very impressed with the ancient Mayan architecture and how well it was preserved.
We decided to book a tour to get there easily from Playa del Carmen, we booked via Get Your Guide and paid £35 per person. We were picked up in the morning and first headed to see Chichen Itza. There was some time with a guide that shared interesting facts about the wonder. However, our time there was a little rushed and we felt we didn’t get long enough to properly take it in.
Afterwards, we stopped off at a cenote for a quick swim. The cenote was nice but very crowded since many tours seemed to arrive at the same time. In the afternoon, we went to a Mayan Village for lunch. The buffet lunch wasn’t the best but it filled us up. Unfortunately, we spent over 2 hours there and it didn’t feel as authentic as advertised with sellers pushing to buy souvenirs. We felt like our time would have been spent better somewhere else.
On our way back we visited the colourful colonial city of Valladolid. We enjoyed strolling through its colourful streets and soaking up a more authentic atmosphere. However, we only had 30 minutes there which also included a rushed dinner.
Overall, the tour allowed us to see Chichen Itza at an affordable price but meant less flexibility and not being able to visit at quieter times. If you’re travelling Mexico on a budget, you can also make your own way to Chichen Itza by taking the ADO Bus. The journey would take around 3-4 hours but it’s a great option if you want to avoid doing a tour.
Tulum
Tulum offers a great blend of white sand beaches, historical sites and amazing nature. You can get there from Playa del Carmen by taking a collectivo for £5 per person one way. It will stop multiple times and the journey will be slower so if you want to travel more comfortably the ADO bus is direct and costs £10 per person one way.
Tulum is a resort town but you can still enter public beaches easily and find great spots to chill in the shade. One of the main attractions are Tulum Ruins that are located right on the beach. It’s an ancient Mayan site and the entrance costs £5 per person.
There are also plenty of cenotes around Tulum that are worth visiting. Gran Cenote is the biggest and most touristy. The water can get pretty deep and it’s a great place for snorkeling and it’s even possible to see turtles. Cenote Calavera is another great spot to visit, located only 20 minutes walk from the centre.
Akumal
Akumal is a tranquil seaside town located only 30 minutes drive from Playa del Carmen. We caught another collectivo there and paid around £3 per person one way. You will need to stop one heading towards Tulum.
Akumal literally means ‘place of turtles’ in Mayan as it’s known for a large population of loggerhead sea turtles. They come to graze on the seagrass just off the shore. However, there are cordoned-off zones and you will need to pay for a tour with a guide to see them. This was initially set up as a measure to preserve the habitat and ensure visitors are not touching or chasing the turtles. When we went, it felt partly to make money.
Puerto Morelos
We really enjoyed visiting the peaceful town of Puerto Morelos, located halfway between Cancun and Playa del Carmen. Again, colectivo is the best way to move around if you’re travelling Mexico on a budget! The journey takes around 30 minutes from the centre of Playa del Carmen and costs less than £4 per person one way.
We enjoyed the laid-back vibe and strolled around the streets filled with artisanal shops, cafes and traditional houses. We also relaxed on the beach with fine white sand and crystal clear waters.
Puerto Morelos is where you can find the second largest coral reef system in the world called Mesoamerican Barrier Reef. The reef is located just 500 meters off the shore. You will easy to see plenty of colourful fish, underwater plants and even some turtles if you’re lucky! However, you might want to consider booking a tour to take you deeper into the centre of the reef to make sure you see the rich marine life.
Final Thoughts
Rivera Maya region is an amazing place to visit, with Playa del Carmen being the perfect base to explore the top sights from. Travelling there doesn’t have to mean staying in a resort and you can definitely have a holiday in Mexico on a budget. We hope our guide inspired you to visit this beautiful region and helped you plan your trip.
