Must-see attractions in Quintana Roo

  • ba01413.jpg

    Tulum Ruins

    Tulum

    Tulum is one of the most visited archaeological zones in Mexico and for good reason: it’s sublime. The ruins sit on seaside cliffs, high above turquoise…

  • Aerial of a path between palm trees on Isla Contoy.

    Parque Nacional Isla Contoy

    Cancún

    A white sand beach with manta rays gliding through the shimmering turquoise waters. No hotels. No nightclubs. No roads or cars of any kind. It’s hard to…

  • SFER IK

    Tulum

    Wandering barefoot through the contemporary art museum at Azulik hotel, you feel like you’re in a giant cocoon. Nature surrounds you, inside and out:…

  • Museo Maya de Cancún

    Cancún

    Surrounded by dense tropical forest, the contemporary Museo Maya de Cancún is a welcome respite from the beach and buffet lines of the neighboring high…

  • San Miguelito

    Cancún

    You don't have to leave the Zona Hotelera to find Mayan culture in Cancún. Before the beach umbrellas, resorts, banana boats and  Spanish conquistadors…

  • Destroyed jetty on a white sandy beach at Isla Blanca.

    Isla Blanca

    Cancún

    Driving down a narrow sand road, the turquoise Caribbean on one side, the glimmering Laguna Chacmuchuch on the other, you feel like you’re a thousand…

  • Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve

    Reserva de la Biosfera Sian Ka'an

    Tulum

    While floating down a canal that Mayans dug by hand centuries ago, you see tall grasses on either side and colorful birds flying overhead. You hear the…

  • Beautiful Cenote Manatee, ( a.k.a. Casa Cenote, and Cenote Manatí ), in Tankah Bay, Quintana Roo, Mexico.

    Tankah Tres

    Tulum

    At the end of a sand road is the hamlet of Tankah Tres (aka Tankah Bay), a seaside community of vacation homes and small hotels in Mexico, all facing a…

  • Mexico, Quintana Roo State, Riviera Maya, Cancun, Playa Delfines

    Playa Delfines

    Cancún

    Unfolding from the base of a mild seaside bluff, Playa Delfines is one of the most scenic beaches in Cancún. A languid stretch of sand with turquoise…

  • The Mayan ruins of the Coba pyramid in the Yucatan Peninsula.

    Cobá Ruins

    Cobá

    Cobá's ruins include the tallest pyramid in Quintana Roo (the second tallest in all the Yucatán) and the thick jungle setting makes you feel like you’re…

  • Chacchoben

    Mahahual

    Chacchoben means 'Place of Red Corn' in Maya and like so many ruins, its origin and use remain a mystery. It has several impressive structures, including…

  • Síijil Noh Há

    Costa Maya & Southern Caribbean Coast

    About 8km south of Felipe Carrillo Puerto, off Hwy 307, you'll find a bumpy 3km dirt road leading to this sublime, solar-powered ecotourism center. Run by…

  • Templo de las Pinturas

    Tulum

    This two-story temple has some of Tulum's most intricate decorations, including relief masks, carvings, columns and partially restored color murals on an…

  • Laguna Milagros

    Chetumal

    Paddle out on a kayak or simply have a swim in the azure waters of Laguna Milagros, about 23km west of Chetumal, in the town of Huay-Pix. Waterfront…

  • El Cielo

    Isla Cozumel

    Living up to its heavenly name, El Cielo's shallow turquoise waters are ideal for snorkeling and swimming among starfish, stingrays and small fish…

  • Punta Mosquito

    Isla Holbox

    On the eastern side of the island, Punta Mosquito is about 2.5km east of the downtown area. It has a large sandbar and is a good place to spot flamingos…

  • Playa Garrafón

    Isla Mujeres

    Head to this beach for excellent snorkeling. It's 6.5km from the tourist center. A cab costs M$100.

  • Aquarium

    Playa del Carmen

    An impressive three-story aquarium with 200 marine species and 45 exhibits. One of the few options in Playa for nonbeach days.

  • This is one of the well preserved ancient Mayan temples at the Dzibanche's archeological Mayan ruins site about two hours inland in the Yucatan region of Mexico. They still allow visitors to climb to the top of the temples but may need to restrict it in the future due to the expansion of tourism in the area.
Dzibanche

    Dzibanché

    Costa Maya & Southern Caribbean Coast

    Though it’s a chore to get to, this site is definitely worth a visit for its secluded, semi-wild nature. Dzibanché (meaning ‘writing on wood’) was a major…

  • Hacienda Mundaca

    Isla Mujeres

    A 19th-century slave trader and reputed pirate, Fermín Antonio Mundaca de Marechaja fell in love with a local woman known as La Trigueña (The Brunette)…

  • Small PYramid at Mayan ruins of Coba, Caribe. Quintana Roo state. Mayan Riviera. Yucatan Peninsula. Mexico

    Grupo Cobá

    Cobá

    The most prominent structure in the Grupo Cobá is La Iglesia (the Church). It's an enormous pyramid; if you were allowed to climb it, you could see the…

  • El Cedral Mayan archaeological site, Cozumel

    El Cedral

    Isla Cozumel

    This Maya ruin, a fertility temple, is the oldest on the island. It’s the size of a small house and has no ornamentation. El Cedral is thought to have…

  • San Gervasio Ruins

    San Gervasio Ruins

    Isla Cozumel

    This overpriced Maya complex is Cozumel’s only preserved ruin. It's thought to have been the location of the sanctuary of Ixchel, goddess of fertility,…

  • Bahías de Punta Solimán

    Riviera Maya

    These two beautiful, protected bays are separated by a narrow point, 123km south of Cancún and 11km north of Tulum. To get here, head east (toward the…

  • Parque Punta Sur

    Isla Cozumel

    For the price of admission to this park, you can visit a lighthouse, a small nautical museum and a Maya ruin. The park road leads past an observation…

  • Snorkeler at Beach in Cozumel

    Playa Palancar

    Isla Cozumel

    About 17km south of San Miguel, Palancar is a great beach to visit during the week when the crowds thin out. It has a beach club renting snorkel gear (US…

  • Zona Arqueológica El Rey

    Cancún

    In the Zona Arqueológica El Rey, on the west side of Blvd Kukulcán, there’s a small temple and several ceremonial platforms. The site gets its name from a…

  • Iguanas at Punta Sur on Isla Mujeres, Quintana Roo

    Punta Sur

    Isla Mujeres

    At the island's southernmost point you’ll find a lighthouse, a sculpture garden and the worn remains of a temple dedicated to Ixchel, Maya goddess of the…

  • Playa Norte, Isla Mujeres

    Playa Norte

    Isla Mujeres

    Once you reach Playa Norte, the island’s main beach, you won’t want to leave. Its warm, shallow waters are the color of blue raspberry syrup and the beach…

  • Destroyed jetty on a white sandy beach at Isla Blanca.

    Cabañas Playa Blanca

    Cancún

    A beach club and rustic cabins on a lovely stretch of white-sand beach overlooking Isla Mujeres. Get here before the big hotels attempt to completely take…

  • Kohunlich

    Costa Maya & Southern Caribbean Coast

    This archaeological site sits on a jungle-backed grassy area. The ruins, dating from both the late pre-Classic (AD 100–200) and the early Classic (AD 300…

  • Paamul

    Riviera Maya

    Paamul, 87km south of Cancún, is a de facto private beach on a sheltered bay. Like many other spots along the Caribbean coast, it has signs prohibiting…

  • Xcacel-Xcacelito

    Riviera Maya

    Between the Chemuyil and Xel-Há exits is a tiny sign on the east side of the highway marking the short dirt road that leads to the two arching bays Xcacel…

  • Museo de la Cultura Maya

    Chetumal

    The Museo de la Cultura Maya is the city’s claim to cultural fame – a bold showpiece that's beautifully conceived and executed, though regrettably short…

  • Punta Laguna

    Riviera Maya

    Punta Laguna is a fair-sized lake with a small Maya community nearby, 20km northeast of Cobá on the road to Nuevo Xcan. Thus far, it's remained relatively…

  • Grupo de las Pinturas

    Cobá

    The temple at Grupo de las Pinturas (Paintings Group) bears traces of glyphs and frescoes above its door and remnants of richly colored plaster inside…

  • El Castillo Real

    Isla Cozumel

    Down the same intimidating road that leads to Punta Molas are the large Maya ruins known as El Castillo Real (The Royal Castle). The archaeological site,…

  • Kinich-Ná

    Costa Maya & Southern Caribbean Coast

    Part of Dzibanché (ticket price includes entry to both), but well removed from the main site, Kinich-Ná consists of one building. But what a building: the…

  • Museo de la Guerra de Castas

    Costa Maya & Southern Caribbean Coast

    Housed in an 18th-century building and with a passionate director, this small museum does a fine job of detailing the more than four centuries of…

    • placement: fullWidth
    • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
    • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [300, 250], [320, 50], [1, 1],
    • targeting:
      {
        "position": "superzone"
      }