Things to do in Playa del Carmen
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Playa del Carmen
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Dry season, best weather, clearest sea and minimal sargassum, with peak prices inside it.
Shoulder value, cheaper and quieter, hotter and more humid with first rains and rising sargassum.
Wettest and cheapest, sargassum peak and hurricane risk, not a beach first trip.
What's on
- Festival of Life and Death Traditions at Xcaret 30 October-2 November
Altars, theatre, dance and food for Dia de los Muertos and Hanal Pixan at Xcaret.
- Hanal Pixan 31 Oct-2 Nov
Maya Day of the Dead altars at Plaza 28 de Julio and the Gran Desfile de Catrinas parade in town.
- Riviera Maya Jazz Festival last weekend of November
Historically free at Mamitas Beach since 2003, but reported suspended in 2026, so check before booking for it.
- Arena Festival early February
LGBTQ+ electronic circuit festival, with Playa at maximum nightlife volume.
- Equinox at Chichen Itza 20-21 March
Afternoon shadow forms the serpent on El Castillo. Also around 22-23 September and extremely crowded.
- Wine and Food Festival Cancun-Riviera Maya April
Regional wine and food festival worth timing a food led trip around.
Best things to do in Playa del Carmen
Quinta Avenida
The town's 4 km pedestrian spine, best as an evening walk when heat drops and street performers come out.
Cenote Azul
Open air cenote with shallow shelves, deep blue water and a small cliff jump, easy to do without a tour.
Río Secreto
Guided wade and swim through a vast cavern and underground river, a strong rainy day option near town.
Xcaret Park
Polished full day eco park with underground rivers, Mayan village and the evening Mexico Espectacular show.
Akumal
Sheltered bay where green turtles graze in shallow water, snorkelled in small groups with a licensed guide.
Parque Fundadores
Playa's original square by the ferry pier, with the Portal Maya sculpture, Voladores and free local life.
Punta Esmeralda
Wide public beach with a freshwater cenote stream into the sea, shallow and popular with local families.
Mamitas Beach Club
The original Playa beach club on Calle 28, with DJs, beds, pool and a minimum spend model.
Where to stay in Playa del Carmen
North Centro / Zazil-Ha, around Calle 38
best overall base, most visitors
Tree canopied Calle 38 with top mid range restaurants, five minutes to Mamitas beach and away from club noise.
Centro South, 5th Avenue Calles 6-14
first timers without a car, nightlife
Maximum walkability to the ADO station, ferry pier and restaurants, with noise and tout density as the trade off.
Playacar
families, resort travellers, light sleepers
Gated leafy suburb south of the ferry pier with wider beaches and a walk or short taxi into Centro.
Mayakoba / Maroma corridor
luxury resort holiday
Gated mangrove and lagoon hotels with superb beaches and golf, but you taxi or drive for dinners outside resorts.
Gonzalo Guerrero / Colonia Hollywood
longer stays and value, digital nomads
Residential grid west of the tourist core with local restaurants, ten minutes walk to the beach and lower prices.
Colosio
budget and authenticity, experienced travellers
Most local and cheapest in town area with excellent cheap food, but longer beach walks and care needed after dark.
Think twice about
- West of Highway 307, Ejido and beyond
Not built for visitors, far from the beach, poorer lighting and every trip home is a taxi negotiation. Stay east of the highway.
- In House, Villas del Sol and far west or far north suburbs
Less tourist infrastructure and less consistent security presence. Fine by day for a specific restaurant, not a base.
- Calle 12 between the beach and Avenida 10, and directly over 5th Avenue
The club block, loud until 3am or later. Party here and sleep two blocks away.
- Avenida Juarez commercial strip by the highway
Low end and noisy with no upside for a visitor despite its central looking position on a map.
Best restaurants in Playa del Carmen
El Fogón
Playa's best known taqueria for tacos al pastor carved from the trompo, open late and priced for locals.
Taquería Honorio
Local morning stop for cochinita pibil and lechon tortas and tacos, best before it sells out.
El Pirata
No frills local seafood house for ceviche, seafood cocktails and whole fried fish at lunch.
La Cueva del Chango
Tropical garden restaurant serving the best all around Mexican meal in town, breakfast through dinner.
Los Aguachiles
Bright casual spot for seafood tacos, tostadas and properly hot aguachiles with a beer.
La Perla Pixan
Traditional regional cooking on Calle 38 with live music some nights and a serious mezcal list.
Axiote Cocina de México
Great-value modern Yucatecan cooking under a palapa, the best value serious dinner in Playa.
Oh Lala!
Tiny chef run room doing polished international plates, consistently among Playa's top fine casual picks.
Outdoor things to do in Playa del Carmen
El Camaleón Mayakoba Golf Course
Greg Norman trophy course through jungle and canals to two oceanfront greens, with a cenote bunker.
Iberostar Golf Club Playa Paraíso
Tough P.B. Dye course north of town where food and drink are included in the green fee.
Gran Coyote Golf
Nick Price course on Playa's edge, the easiest round logistically if you are staying in town.
Cenote Dos Ojos
Vast white limestone cavern system in gin clear water, the favourite cavern dive tour for certified divers.
Cenote The Pit
Deep open cenote with a sulfide cloud around 30 metres and a shaft of sun, best for experienced divers.
Bull shark diving Playa del Carmen
Seasonal winter dive with bull sharks on a sandy plateau offshore, for Advanced divers in current.
Cozumel
Ferry to Cozumel for Palancar and Colombia reef drift diving or a Palancar and El Cielo snorkel boat day.
Xplor Park
Adventure park with two long zipline circuits, amphibious vehicles and underground river swims.
Best hotels in Playa del Carmen
Rosewood Mayakoba
All suite lagoon and beach resort with private docks and plunge pools, the region's consensus top hotel.
Banyan Tree Mayakoba
All private pool villas in a serene lagoon setting, the quietest luxury option of the big three.
Grand Velas Riviera Maya
Luxury all inclusive respected for its food, home to the starred Cocina de Autor.
La Casa de la Playa
Ultra luxury adults only Xcaret hotel with all parks included, the top of the price range in Playa.
Mahekal Beach Resort
Palapa bungalows in tropical gardens directly on the beach at Calle 38, the best mid range in town pick.
Hyatt Centric Playa del Carmen
Stylish in town hotel on 5th Avenue with a beach house and rooftop pool, right on top of the nightlife.
The Fives Beach Hotel & Residences
Suite and residence style all inclusive with multiple pools, good for families wanting apartment space.
Hotel Xcaret México
All parks included resort south of town, strong value if your plan is already Xcaret, Xplor and Xel-Ha.
Is Playa del Carmen expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | MX$1,400 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | MX$1,800 a person |
| Splurge | MX$4,500 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Río Secreto: a few days ahead
- Xcaret Park: a few days ahead
- Mamitas Beach Club: a few days ahead
- Coco Bongo Playa del Carmen: a few days ahead
- Playa del Carmen street food tour and cooking class: a few days ahead
- Cenote Chaak Tun: a few days ahead
- Cirque du Soleil JOYÀ: weeks ahead
- El Camaleón Mayakoba Golf Course: weeks ahead
- Reserve before you fly: Axiote, Oh Lala!, Ha' and Cocina de Autor, weeks ahead in season.
- Book Rio Secreto, Chaak-Tun, cenote dive days and seasonal whale shark and bull shark boats ahead.
- Buy Xcaret and Xplor tickets online for the advance discount, and Coco Bongo premium tiers and Mamitas beds ahead for groups.
- Do not book independent cenotes, colectivos or ferries ahead. Pay at the gate and queue at El Fogon, Honorio and El Pirata.
- At Christmas, New Year, Thanksgiving and Semana Santa, book accommodation first, as the best Calle 38 and Playacar stock goes early.
Is Playa del Carmen safe?
- Check your government's current travel advice before you go.
- Carry only the day's cash, around 1000 to 1500 MXN, and leave passports in the hotel safe.
- Do not buy drugs, do not flash valuables on empty streets after midnight, and do not walk the dark beach alone at night.
- If police stop you, be polite, pay no cash fine on the street and ask to go to the station.
- Respect swim flags, as the undertow is real and most beach deaths are drownings.
- Stay east of Highway 307 as a base and use main lit avenues in Colosio after dark.
Playa del Carmen travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- 5th Avenue restaurants with a tout and a photo menu charge 30 to 60 percent more. Walk one or two blocks west.
- Timeshare and free breakfast invitations at the airport and on 5th Avenue cost half a day of hard selling. Decline and keep walking.
- Use bank ATMs inside banks and decline the ATM conversion offer, choosing to be charged in pesos instead.
- Street tour sellers add surprise dock, park and photo fees. Book a specific product online with inclusions in writing.
- Confirm beach club minimum spend and Coco Bongo ticket tier online in advance and keep the confirmation on your phone.
Getting around Playa del Carmen: public transport and more
- Take the ADO bus from Cancun Airport to Playa, about 60 to 70 minutes and far cheaper than a private transfer.
- Walk in town. Centro, Zazil-Ha, Gonzalo Guerrero and Playacar Phase 1 are all walkable.
- Use colectivos on Avenida 30 for cenotes, Akumal and Tulum, cheap and frequent, paid in cash in pesos.
- Taxis have no meters. Agree the price in pesos before you get in and walk a block from ferry or 5th Avenue ranks for a lower fare.
- Do not count on Uber, which does not operate in practice in Playa. Ferries to Cozumel run roughly hourly with Ultramar and Winjet.
Who Playa del Carmen suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Great |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Great |
Make Playa del Carmen your trip
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