How to get to Tulum from Playa del Carmen

Tulum in the past was an important city and the only city in Mexico that has an incredible archaeological zone in front of the sea. Of course, these two characteristics alone make it worthy of your visit, but there are still a lot of tourist attractions that will catch, impress and seduce you, so this city becomes a tourist spot that you have to visit.

And while we have already seen in another post, how to get to Tulum from Cancun, in this one we will know how we can get to Tulum from Playa del Carmen or better said and as many know it, how to get to Tulum from the heart in the Riviera Maya, so we start, but first visit our post about: What to do in Tulum.

How to get to Tulum from Playa del Carmen

If you are staying in Playa del Carmen, first of all congratulations because maybe you don’t know it but you are in the heart of the Riviera Maya, the largest city in the state and the most cosmopolitan place in the region.

So close to you you have incredible beaches, natural parks, islands, cenotes, nightclubs, restaurants, bars and an endless number of places and attractions that will make you come back to visit the city.

However, less than an hour away from Playa del Carmen we find the city of Tulum. Like Cancun, Isla Mujeres or Playa del Carmen, Tulum has its own charm and life, so it is worthy of your visit and to get to this important city, you have 4 different options: Bus to Tulum, Bus to Tulum, Car Rental and Tour to Tulum.

Public bus to Tulum

Very close to the famous Quinta Avenida there is the route Playa del Carmen – Tulum. A collective transportation type “Van”, which has a cost of 45.00 MXN, can take you to Tulum. This type of transportation is economical, but you have to consider the departure times and although you can “take” it from the main carts, it is not convenient.

Since it is the only public route, most people go directly to the terminal to take it, so it may already be at full capacity when passing through one of the main avenues.

ADO bus to Tulum

Another economical alternative to go to Tulum from Playa del Carmen, is to go to Fifth Avenue, exactly at the ADO terminal and take the bus to the city. The difference between the ADO and the colectivo is that the ADO is a slightly larger unit with the capacity to carry up to 100 passengers in a single trip.

Just remember that this means of transportation has different prices and schedules, for which we leave below an image of the possible costs it may have.

Tour to Tulum

If you want to avoid many problems with the transfer, the best thing to do is to take a tour to Tulum. You can buy this tour in several tourist agencies in Playa del Carmen and the transportation is already included. You just have to consider that this kind of trip is “fast”, so they will only take you to some of the main areas of the city like the archaeological zone, the beaches, Coba and maybe the sculpture of mother earth.

If you are a little pressed for time, then this is the ideal option for you, but if you have a lot of time we recommend you to go on your own, because Tulum is to enjoy.

Tour to Tulum If you want to avoid many problems with the transfer, the best thing to do is to take a tour to Tulum. You can buy this tour in several tourist agencies in Playa del Carmen and the transportation is already included. You just have to consider that this kind of trip is “fast”, so they will only take you to some of the main areas of the city like the archaeological zone, the beaches, Coba and maybe the sculpture of mother earth. If you are a little pressed for time, then this is the ideal option for you, but if you have a lot of time we recommend you to go on your own, because Tulum is to enjoy.

Car Rental

Another alternative to visit Tulum is to rent a car. Let’s remember that renting a car surpasses by far the previous options mentioned here, and this is because you will be able to move without problems between both cities and even take a detour to make short stops at tourist points of interest.

Distance from Playa del Carmen to Tulum

The distance from Playa del Carmen to Tulum is 65.1 km, with a travel time of approximately 1 hour and 8 minutes.

How much is the fare from Playa del Carmen to Tulum?

Remember that the costs to go to Tulum from Playa del Carmen vary a lot, depending on the type of transportation you choose, however the cost of public transportation (Colectivo) is 45.00 MXN, while the ADO bus costs between 90.00 MXN to 120.00 MXN. Cab is not recommended because it would cost almost 1,500.00 MXN and renting a car to go to Playa del Carmen can cost up to 450.00 MXN per day.

How much is the entrance fee to Tulum?

The entrance fee to the archaeological site of Tulum is approximately 100.00 MXN, and if you are Mexican or local, on Sundays you don’t pay the entrance fee, it is totally free.

How long does it take to get to Tulum?

The average time to get to Tulum from Cancun is 2 hours and 30 minutes, while the average time to get from Playa del Carmen to Tulum is 1 hour and 5 minutes.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are several ways and ways to get to Tulum from Playa del Carmen and although each of them has its advantages and disadvantages, we can only tell you to enjoy your stay in the city and if you are looking for private transportation from Cancun Airport, contact us now and find out the incredible prices we have for you.