Things to do in Tulum, splurging
Destination dinners, mezcal bars, cenotes and the beach strip at its best.
This is Tulum for someone who wants the full picture: mornings at the right coffee spots, afternoons in cenotes and sculpture parks, evenings at tables that earned their reputation. It splits time between the beach road and Pueblo so you actually see both, and it skips nothing worth doing.
Day 1: The beach strip, front to back
Breakfast at Matcha Mama, a long lunch at Ziggy's, a striking sculpture stop at Ahau, a spa hour at Yäan, and dinner at Casa Banana before mezcal negronis at Gitano Beach.
- 9:30 AM
Matcha Mama
Start the morning with matcha and açaí bowls, the go-to breakfast fuel on the beach strip.
Map - 12:30 PM
- 2:30 PM
Ven a la Luz sculpture at Ahau sculpture park
Ven a la Luz, giant wooden sculpture at Ahau park; a striking 20-minute photo stop right on the beach.
Map - 4:30 PM
Yäan Healing Sanctuary
A jungle spa on the beach road; book a long treatment in the late afternoon before dinner.
Map - 7:30 PM
Casa Banana
An Argentine wood-fire grill on the beach road; share a big steak and a grilled provoleta.
Map - 9:30 PM
Day 2: Pueblo, cenotes and the market
Coffee at Ki'Bok, the plastic-chair institution El Camello Jr. for whole fried fish, a DIY cenote double at Cristal and Escondido, then an evening grazing Veleta Market.
- 9:30 AM
Ki'Bok Coffee
On every local list as the casual morning stop in Pueblo, great local coffee to start the day.
Map - 12:30 PM
El Camello Jr.
Big loud plastic-chair institution beloved by locals, whole fried fish and ceviche by weight, the best casual lunch in Pueblo.
Map - 2:30 PM
Cenote Cristal and Cenote Escondido (Mayan Blue) DIY pair by colectivo
Two jungle cenotes facing each other across the highway: jump platform at Cristal, rope swing at Escondido.
Map - 7:30 PM
Veleta Market
An open-air food market in La Veleta; graze a few stalls and settle in with a drink.
Map
Day 3: Centro, shopping and the main event
DelCielo for coffee, lunch at Negro Huitlacoxe, a dramatic swim at Cenote Calavera, and Cetli for the dinner that earns the trip.
- 9:30 AM
- 12:30 PM
Negro huitlacoxe
Contemporary Mexican plates in Tulum Centro built around corn and huitlacoche; ask what's on today.
Map - 2:30 PM
Cenote Calavera (Temple of Doom)
A collapsed-roof cenote with three holes to jump through into clear water, a short ride from Centro.
Map - 7:30 PM
Cetli
Chef Claudia Pérez Rivas cooks Mexican classics in a small Centro house; the moles are the order.
Map
Where to stay
Papaya Playa Project
Cabanas right on the north end of the beach road, with its own stretch of sand and a design-led feel.
Mezzanine (Colibri Boutique Hotels)
Mezzanine is a well-regarded boutique on the coastal road with a rooftop bar and a price point that signals you mean it.
Make Tulum your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App StoreBefore you go
Book ahead
- Yäan Healing Sanctuary: a few days ahead
- Xel-Há Park: a few days ahead
- Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve: a few days ahead
- Cenote Cavern Diving, Tulum: a few days ahead
- Chichén Itzá: a few days ahead
- Kiteboarding, Tulum North Beach: a few days ahead
Skip these
- Taxi fares not agreed in advance are the number one scam by volume.
- Beach club minimum spends of 50 to 125 dollars buy a lounger and a tab dispute risk. Playa Paraíso costs only the Jaguar Park entry.
- Gas station plays include pumps not zeroed and sleight of hand on notes. Pay cash, watch the pump, count change aloud.
- The Azulik museum is worth its ticket; the open ended hotel and restaurant tab is the splurge most people regret.
The full Tulum travel guide: when to go, safety, getting around