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Cancún Travel Tips – A Guide for First-time Visitors

If you’re planning on going to Cancún anytime soon, but you aren’t really sure what to expect, this guide full of Cancún travel tips is for you.

White sandy beaches, crystal clear blue water, fine dining and a thrilling nightlife scene – Cancún has it all! It’s known as Mexico’s Mecca of beautiful beaches, many great spa-offers and pumping nightclubs.

Mandala Beach Club Cancun
Cancun Travel Tips: Soak up the sun at ‘Mandala Beach Club’

And on top of that, Cancun is the perfect starting point for your Maya expedition! This sounds perfect, right?

So, here are some tips for travelling to Cancun. As well as what you can see and do while there.

 


 

Tips for Anyone Wanting to Travel to Cancún

Some simple tips for a Cancún vacation, great for anyone heading on their first-ever trip to this amazing beach holiday spot – even for families:

  • Brush up on your Spanish
    • Most people working in tourism will speak English, but it won’t hurt to make sure you can say some basic phrases. It’ll help when dealing with the locals, as well gain you their respect.
  • Pack LOTS of Sunscreen
    • The Mexican sun can be ruthless, especially to those not used to it. You don’t want to spend your holiday feeling sick and sore with burnt skin, so lather on the SPF and stay hydrated in the shade!
Mandala Beach Club
Handstands never get old, do they?

Cancún Sightseeing Tips

When sightseeing in Cancún, these are the top tips to help you get the most out of your trip:

  1. Take your time

Don’t try to fit too much into one day. Time in Cancún moves ‘slower’, and it’s going to take you longer to do something than you think. So rather pick a few things to do and see, and spend any spare time soaking up the sun on the beach. That’s what Cancún is for.

  1. Lookout for private property

Most, if not all, beachfront hotels are private property and prefer for non-guests to use the public beaches. You can access one of the public access points, just ask a local if you’re not sure.

Cancún Honeymoon Tips

The most important tip, if you’re in Cancún for your honeymoon, is to go easy on the spicy Mexican meals, especially if you’re not used to spicy foods! They may be too delicious to pass up altogether, so eat them in moderation. You don’t want to be suffering from stomach cramps (or worse) while trying to enjoy a romantic holiday.

Cancun travel tips: Married Couple in the ocean
You can either do what this couple did or follow our Cancun travel tips and this itinerary below

Most Important Things To Know When Traveling To Cancún

You’ll no doubt learn a whole lot about Cancún during your stay, but here are some important things to know before you go.

Many people ask the question, is Cancún safe? While the city is relatively safe, it is still advised to be cautious and to keep valuables safe. Just as you would in most new and foreign countries.

The cost of food in Cancún will vary, but prices are quite average when compared to anywhere else. Tipping in Cancún is usually at 10%, so it’s a good idea to add that into your Cancún budget.

Best Cancún Advice

Another great Cancún trip tip: make sure you have the Mexican currency, Pesos on you. Cancún traders will accept dollars, but you’ll have to use your brain power to make sure you get the correct change back, according to the exchange rate. So it’s easier for everyone if you exchange some cash when you arrive.

Things To Know About Cancún

Here are some amazing and interesting facts that should be known by anyone travelling to Cancún:

  1. The beach sand is cool – in more ways than one

Not only can you take advantage of the stunning white coastline, but your bare feet are welcomed by the crushed-coral sand which stays cool constantly. So even though the temperatures soar, you won’t have to worry about burnt feet.

  1. In 1970, just three people lived in Cancún

A massive difference from the large crowds of locals that mingle with the even larger crowd of tourists along the streets and beaches today.

  1. The second largest Coral reef in the world is just off Cancún shores

The Maya Barrier Reef, second only to Australia’s famous Great Barrier Reef, draws many people to Cancún’s shores every year.

Things To Avoid In Cancún

While you are relatively safe in Cancun, there are of course things to be wary of, just like any other place.

  • Walking about alone, especially at night

It’s hardly safe to be in a deserted street wherever you are in the world these days. So it should come as no surprise that tourists are not encouraged to walk the streets at night alone. Be sure to stay in a group and be aware of your surroundings.

  • Timeshare presentations

There seems to be a large group of people specifically trying to sell timeshares. Try not to fall for their charms, and avoid them at the airports and information stands.

  • Tap water

Unless filtered, the water in Cancún is most likely not going to agree with your body. Hotels and restaurants will have filters to serve water to their guests, but while out exploring it is advised to carry bottled water.

Cancún, Mexico Travel Guide

In addition to the above Cancún tips, here’s a rough guide on how to get the best out of your vacation.

Accommodation: Where To Stay In Cancún?

No list of Cancún Mexico travel tips would be complete without tips on where to stay.

Depending on your budget and the type of travel you are planning, Cancún offers two options: the centre/downtown area or the Hotel Zone (“Zona Hotelera”). For me as a nomad/ long-term traveller, I am always chasing the most economic and convenient options. At the moment I am house sitting in Merida, for example, in order to lower my budget…but that’s a different story.

If you want to save money on accommodation in Cancún you’re better off staying in the city centre. We chose a wonderful hostel called Mezcal Hostel, close to the ADO bus terminal in Cancún. For one month we formed part of their team and supported the hostel in the area of marketing and guest relations. It was a great way to save money and put some action into our daily travel-life.

We found this place on a website called Worldpackers which is an organisation that helps travellers and hostels around the world to connect. You don’t work for money but volunteer and receive free accommodation in exchange. On top of that, we got some free tours to some of the attractions in and around Cancún! Not bad for 4 hours of social media marketing.

Hammock_Mezcal-Hostel
‘Working’ on some social media projects… this is the kind of office that I like!

NEED MORE TRAVEL TIPS FOR CANCÚN AND SURROUNDING?

Check out my other post if you want to know which day trips you can do from Cancún.

Or perhaps you are looking to stay in Playa del Carmen – here is my hostel review from our stay.


Beaches: Best Beaches In Cancún

I could stand there all day and take pictures of all that BLUE!!

If you chose to stay in the “Hotel Zone” you’ll be surrounded by restaurants, bars, clubs and also Cancún’s beaches. And there are many of them on the 18 km long strip that divides Cancún’s centre and the beach area. Most of the important hotels have their beaches in front of them.

Playa Delfines
I could stand there all day and take pictures of that BLUE!!

Cancún’s top public beaches:

  • Playa Tortugas
  • Playa Marlín
  • Playa Ballenas
  • Playa Delfines (*my favourite beach, all photos in this section!)

If you stay in the city centre as we did, you can get to all the above beaches with the local bus R1. It takes about 15-25 minutes, depending on which one you choose (Playa Delfines is the furthest away, Playa Tortugas is the closest). The bus costs 10.50 Mexican Pesos no matter where you get off (as of Oct. 2015).

Playa Delfines, Cancun
Playa Delfines: Plenty of umbrellas to stay in the shade…free of charge!

My favourite beach is definitely “Playa Delfines”, where you can find the very colourful Cancún sign. Out of all my Cancún travel tips, here is one of my favourite one: If you intend on taking a picture with the sign, bring some time and patience: people line-up for it!

Cancun Sign
Bring some time to stand in line…this is a popular photo spot!!!

 

Shopping: What Else To Do In Cancún?

Along with all of the other tips for vacationing in Cancún, we suggest doing some serious shopping!

Apart from the beaches, shops and restaurants, there is a very popular market among tourists where you will find all sorts of Mexican souvenirs: Mercado 28. You can buy everything from Sombreros, Ponchos, Ceramics, Pottery, Jewellery to Tequila, Sweets, Spices and more.

A fun way to spend a couple of hours! Make sure to hang out until lunchtime, some of the restaurants sell great food. Look out for the “Menú del Día” options, where you can taste some delicious local food for a good price!

Mercado 28
Colourful, spices and yum!!!
 

Not into local shopping? Why not search for your souvenirs on Amazon and let them send directly to your friends and family:

 


Nightlife: Where To Shake Your Booty In Cancún?

Cancún attracts many club lovers for its vibrant nightlife scene, and this is a must-do for all the party animals out there. People come to party in Mexico’s tourist hotspot in order to see the “Cirque de Soleil” of Cancún at various clubs such as Coco Bongo, Palazzo and Co.

Palazzo
One of the main reasons people come to Cancun: it’s pumping nightlife!

Most clubs offer ‘open bar’ for their pricy entry fees, so you really have a mission to complete by the end of the night: get as many drinks as possible so your 80 USD is well spent. Luckily we are not passionate about clubs, so we didn’t spend money on it.

However, as part of our hostel volunteer program, we went once, for free, and watched the spectacle. I prefer smaller places, like Señor Frog, for example, even though they are sometimes not really less crazy.

Cancun travel tips: Enjoy a night out at Senor Frog
A night out at Señor Frog’s crazy restaurant and club…

How To Get Around In Cancún

If you’re not sure how to travel in Cancún, taking the bus is the easiest and most cost-effective way to get around. Bus drivers in Cancún are used to transporting tourists through the streets. You’ll be met by friendly and helpful answers to any questions you may have.

For those wanting a bit more of a structured trip, why not book a guided tour. Going through Cancún, with someone who knows where they are going, will help you familiarise yourself with the place. You’ll also get to hear the best bits of history, news and interesting facts about the place you pass.

For organised tours, check out these great deals:

 

Itinerary: Cancún Travel Tips For One Day

Last on our list of travel tips for Cancún is an itinerary for the best day you could spend in the city. Don’t be lost as to what to do while in Cancún, just use these ideas.

  • Have breakfast at your hotel or hostel (most places offer breakfast included or for a small additional fee they will prepare something for you)
  • Stroll through the stalls at Mercado 28 and find some nice Mexican souvenirs!
  • Eat lunch at one of the local restaurants close to the ‘Ayuntamiento’ before you hop on the bus R1 to the Hotel Zone.
  • Relax at one of Cancún’s many beautiful beaches like “Playa Delfines”, “Playa Marlin” or “Playa Tortugas”
  • Sip a Margarita and watch the sunset at JC Capitan and stay for dinner!
  • Dance the night away in one of the many bars and nightclubs on the hotel strip
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But the best part starts now: From Cancún, you can make a ton of day trips…So, make sure to check out my other blog post with travel tips on where to go and what to see in one day. This post includes a trip to Isla Mujeres, Chichen Itza, Cozumel, Playa del Carmen and Holbox Island!!

DID YOU LIKE THESE Cancún TRAVEL TIPS? Feel free to like, share and comment below!!! Happy travels, Y’all!

 

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What to do in CANCUN? Travel tips

Do you want to read more about some of the best things to do in Cancun? Here you go! 🙂

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Travel Tips for the Mayan Ruins in Copan

Honduras has a lot to offer right from the start: If you begin your trip in Guatemala like us, then you will most likely pass through the little town of Copan. That’s where one of the most important Mayan cities was built. Today, you can admire the well-preserved ruins and walk around on the former city’s area. Read here how to get from Guatemala to Honduras by bus. But don’t copy our style, we found ourselves in a mildly bewildered situation when we arrived at the border…

Welcome to Honduras!
Dark and no one around… a rocky start into a new adventure!

We should have done some more research before we started our trip from Guatemala to the Honduran border. But who could have known that the public transport system runs only until 6:30 pm! We could hardly believe it when the friendly Immigration officer told us that there were no more buses or taxis at this hour (7 pm!!) It was especially annoying, because minutes before, we politely waved away a very insisting Tuk-tuk driver…had we known that he was our last option for that night….! Yes, we even thought about walking all the way to Copan that lies 10 km from the border! But to be honest, the combination of too much luggage and the fact that is was already dark outside and little lighting on the street made this a bad idea. On top of that, came the friendly reminder of the officer that it was a rather unsafe way to take….

All we could do was sit and wait, hoping it would not be for the rest of the night. Only two hours later, we got lucky: a lonesome car appeared from the Guatemalan side! We stopped the car after it passed through border control and asked the driver to give us a lift. Done! The driver let us hop onto the loading zone of his pickup truck and took us to Copan. Relieved that we did not have to spend the whole night in the middle of nowhere, waiting for the next bus in the morning, we got to our hotel in Copan…exhausted but happy!

Wide and open to walk around and admire the archeological remains...
The Mayan City Copan was constructed on a huge area open for visitors today.

The next day, early in the morning, we went to see the Copan Ruins. It is the main attraction of Copan. The main entrance gate lies about 1 km away from the town centre. You can easily walk there or hop on a Tuk-tuk. Contrary to my personal weather preference, we were told that the unusual cool temperatures were doing us a favour. Usually, it is a very humid and hot place to visit as this ancient Mayan city lies in the middle of the jungle. But with clouds out, we had the perfect climate to stroll around undistracted and could fully enjoy the amazing architecture of this former civilisation.

Me being the absolute tourist!
You can actually climb up to some of the Mayan temples…

Inside the park, shortly past the entrance gate and before we arrived at the Pre-Columbian ruins, some ‘Guacamayos’, the national birds of Honduras, were flying around freely above our heads. These beautiful and colourful birds that I had only known from zoos or inside cages were so delightful to watch in their natural habitat. It was a very cheerful moment and it seemed like they were enjoying their attention very much, as they curiously stared back at us and sat still for the million photos that we took 😀

We almost forgot about the ruins...

Bird love!

They were lining up for us!!!
Patient parrots posed for our photo shoot…

After this highlight, the ruins were almost boring. Just kidding! They were very impressive too and, of course, we gave them, at least the same amount of attention as the birds… The ruins’ construction dates back to 427 A.D. which gives me the chills: such a long time back!!! In that time, the Maya leader ‘Yax Kuk Mo’ came from the area of Tikal (which is in today’s Guatemala) and arrived in the Copan Valley. With his arrival, a dynasty of 16 rulers began and turned Copan into one of the greatest Maya cities during the Classic Maya Period. Today it is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Centre.

Mayan statue.
Many of the statues are still in good condition.

Here are some more historical facts: It is said that the main period of Copan (like other bigger Mayan cities), was during the Classical period, AD 300-900. During that period, the Mayas made some significant achievements in mathematics, astronomy and hieroglyphic writing. These become evident when analysing their way of building: today’s archaeological remains reveal the three main stages of development in Mayan culture, during which evolved the temples, plazas, altar complexes and ball courts that can be seen today. The Maya civilisation inhabited the Copan city until the early 10th century.

Mayan Ruins of Copan
Today you can see temples, plazas, altar complexes and ball courts on the area.

Today the Mayan city of Copan has one main complex of ruins which includes the Acropolis and important plazas. Then there are several secondary complexes that surround the main complex. You also find many sculptured monoliths and altars. On the risers of the Hieroglyphic Stairway Plaza there are more than 1,800 individual glyphs which constitute the longest known Mayan inscription. Impressive stone construction that has over-lived centuries...There is some restoration work at the moment, so some of the statues and stone walls were covered or under a little tin roof.

Little tins roofs hover over some of the statues.
Little tin roofs ruin our pictures but supposedly protect the stones from bad weather…

You can easily spend 2-3 hours walking around the whole area. Of course, if you take a tour or go with a guide, the time varies and may be even longer. If you are planning your trip to this Honduran highlight, check out our post about ‘Where to stay in Copan during your visit to the Mayan Ruins’  for a very comfortable stay in Copan!

How was your visit to the Copan Ruins? Did you have a hot and humid climate when there? What other Mayan sites have you visited or would you like to see?