What to do in Mexico in 2 weeks

One of the few countries in the world with no significant Covid-19 restrictions, Mexico easily made the top of our travel bucket list this year. Here’s a brief summary of our trip, to help you get the most out of your schedule. Let’s take off!

Day 1-3: Isla Mujeres

Accomodation: Casa Talavera (141$/2 people/3 nights)

Day 1: You’ve just set foot in Cancun, Mexico – time for action! Drive about 30 minutes to Puerto Juarez, the ferry departure point to Isla Mujeres. The boat round trip costs 17$ with Ultramar, live music onboard included – you can find the timetable here. Chill down after a long flight and stroll the vibrant streets to get a first taste of Mexico.

Day 2: Spend the day swimming and get a tan at Playa Norte. Whenever you need a cool-off, a giant glass of Margarita is waiting for you at Tarzan beach bar. Come back to the beach at sunset for another couple of drinks, great music, and latin party vibes at Green Demon.

Day 3: If you’ve never tried scuba diving before, Isla Mujeres is the perfect place to start. We highly recommend Mexico Divers! This was our first time diving, so we chose to do the Beginner Discovery Diving tour (140$). The tour included an introductory session, followed by two dives exploring Manchones Reef and the magnificent MUSA Underwater Museum.

Day 4-7: Valladolid

Accomodation: El Zaguán Colonial by GuruHotel (129$/2 people/3 nights)

Day 4: Move further away from Cancun towards the colonial town of Valladolid. However, there is one place you should definitely see along your way. Check out the Instagram famous Cenote Suytun and take your own viral picture! The entrance fee is quite pricey – 385 pesos – and you are only allowed to spend one hour inside the cenote.

Make sure you are starving by lunchtime. Local Sopa de Lima, mayan Poc-Chuc or the traditional Lomitos de Valladolid, everything is absolutely delicious at Restaurante Las Campanas. Later on, take a free walking tour so you can deep-dive into the city’s history. We went for this one and had a really great time.

Day 5: Start your day early by exploring the Mayan ruins of Ek Balam (around 470 pesos). If you don’t feel like hiring a guide, just download an audio guide and explore the site at your own pace. After walking in the heat for a few hours, there is no better place to be than the nearby Cenote X-Canché.

Due to the limited no. of visitors (cheers ‘rona!), we got a discounted price of 300 pesos each – activities included (zip lines, rappelling, and bike rental to the cenote). X-Canché was one of our favorite cenotes in Mexico – unlike Suytun, there are no crowds around and much more stuff to do here.

If you’ve got any energy left, check out Sac Aua Cenote on your way back. We were recommended this hidden gem by our free walking tour guide and boy, it was no disappointment! Luckily, we happened to be the only ones there by the time we arrived. We had the whole place to ourselves, enjoyed a kayak ride inside the cenote, and got to explore the recently discovered cave with a guide.

Day 6: In case you didn’t have enough of the Yucatan cenotes, guess what! There’s two more for you to discover during the first half of the day: cenotes X-Kekén and Samula (price: 350 pesos). Head back into town by noon for another mouth-watering meal at the cute local Yum Kaax restaurant.

Spend the rest of the day exploring more of Valladolid. Whenever you need a cool-off, Cenote Zaci – the cheapest cenote ever (30 pesos) – is just 5 minutes walking from the center.

Don’t miss the projection mapping that takes place every evening at Convento de San Bernardino de Siena. The light show starts at 9 pm (Spanish) and 9:25 (English) and walks the attendants through the story of Valladolid.

Day 7-9: Chichén-Itzá and Merida

Accomodation: Hotel Doralba Inn (63$/ 2 people/2 nights)

Day 7: You can’t come to Mexico and miss one of the 7 world’s wonders! Try to be at Chichen Itza as early as possible to avoid huge crowds and the terrible heat. Site admission costs 480 pesos per person – an audio guide (at least) is mandatory to get the most out of this experience. We downloaded this one and it was so comprehensive! Oh, and don’t forget water and sunscreen!

You’ll certainly be longing for a cenote to dip into afterwards. Don’t worry, we have you covered. Hop in the car and you’ll be at Cenote Ik-Kil in less than 10 minutes.

In the evening, meet the vibrant city center of Merida, your home for the next couple of days. Grab a drink around the lively Parque de Santa Lucia and have a sweet street-made Marquesita, a crunchy crepe with a variety of fillings 😉

Day 8: Hacienda Mucuyche is about an hour drive away – here’s where your day starts. The whole experience costs 480 pesos and includes a guided tour of the old hacienda (farm), the cenotes, and access to the pool area for the rest of the day. Unfortunately, we couldn’t take advantage of the latter due to lack of time. That’s when we realized we needed at least one more day in/around Merida.

Once back in the city, try a late lunch at Lucas de Galvez Market. You can’t get any more local than this! Nachos con pastor is something to die for. Later on, take a walk on Paseo de Montejo to see how posh lifestyle looks like in Merida.

Day 9-11: Cozumel and Xel-Ha Park

Accommodation: Kinta Kan Hotel Boutique Cozumel (99$/2 people/2 nights)

Day 9: Wake up early and get ready for a long drive to Playa del Carmen. Enjoy a few hours on the beach before taking the ferry to Cozumel. There are 2 ferry companies, Ultramar and Winjet, which run alternatively, one day each. You can have a look at the ferry schedule and rates here.

Spend the evening by the pool with some nice tequila and have a quick go around San Miguel de Cozumel. If you’re looking for a nice place to chill out, Sabino’s 140 is a small outdoor garden with live music and lots of street food trucks. Save your energy for tomorrow, you’re gonna need it!

Day 10: “Find a better way to explore the island than cycle around by the ocean’s shore, I’ll wait!” That’s what we thought, at least. What we didn’t know was that the coastline is mostly hidden behind vegetation or huge resorts. Also, 64km may take longer than expected on a rusty, old bike.

As a result, we only made it to Palancar beach – but had an awesome time there. The only way to the beach is through the beach bar. Although there is no fee to get in, everyone is required a minimum 10$ order at the bar. They have an activities center as well – we took a 2h snorkeling tour to El Cielo, Palancar, and Colombia reefs for 35$. The tour was amazing as we got to see plenty of starfish and colorful fish banks.

Day 11: We saved this whole day to spend at Xel-Ha adventure park. Book tickets online in advance to get up to 15% off. We went for the “all-inclusive” ticket and the open buffet was definitely worth it. However, you won’t come to an adventure water park for the food. Every activity was super fun, I promise you won’t get bored.

Day 12-15: Tulum

Accommodation: Mayan Monkey Tulum (330$/2 people/4 nights)

Day 12: Welcome to the nightlife capital of Tulum! There is a wide range of hostels and hotels you can pick from, but we just can’t emphasize enough how cool our stay at Mayan Monkey was. Our private room, the common areas, the pool and the bar, everything felt so cozy – let alone the great atmosphere in the evenings.

Spend the first half of the day relaxing and swimming at Playa Paraiso, the main beach in Tulum. If you are a sports addict, you’ll just love the free outdoor gym by the beach. Later on, explore the most famous cenote in Tulum: Gran Cenote (entry price: 300 pesos). Make sure you get back to the hostel in time for the cocktails happy hour 🙂 and blend in with the party vibes.

Day 13: Get another valuable history lesson at Tulum Ruins in the morning. After that, head to Cenote Calavera for cliff jumping and a well-deserved swim. Grab some lovely tacos at one of the many food stalls downtown, then return to the beach for sunset. Sip some beers and witness natives performing beautiful Mayan rituals to praise the sun.

Day 14: No trip to Tulum is complete without cycling along the coastline. Rent a bike and visit the most Instagrammable spots of Tulum: the Follow that dream sign and the Ven a la Luz sculpture at Ahau Tulum. Get there early or you’ll have to stand in queue for the pic! If you are into fancy, expensive places, try out the infamous Azulik.

Day 15: Sadly, this is your last day in Mexico. If time allows you, stop in Akumal to swim with the turtles or spend it at the beach strip in Cancun before catching your flight back home.