Things to do in Cancún.

The budget pick is ADO: buses leave from Terminals 2, 3 and 4 and reach the Punta Cancún stop at km 9 of the Hotel Zone in about 45 minutes, for about 170 pesos (2026); from there it's a short walk, taxi or city bus to your hotel. Official taxis are at T2 and T3; agree on the price first. Ride apps can't pick you up at the airport. La Onda's Start here page finds the best-rated ride from the airport for where you're staying.

The Punta Nizuc and Punta Cancún reefs are a national park: the fee is about 125 pesos a day (2026), and life jackets are required. Punta Nizuc, on Cancún's south end, also has 17 sculptures from MUSA, the underwater museum. Isla Mujeres is about 20 minutes away by ferry, with more than 440 MUSA sculptures near Manchones and El Farito, a small reef about 1.5 km off the island.

For a day trip, Cenote Suytun is 8.6 km from Valladolid, with sunbeams through its roof from about noon to 2 pm, and Ik Kil is just 3 km from Chichén Itzá, so it pairs nicely with the ruins. Closer in, the Ruta de los Cenotes runs about 35 km inland from Puerto Morelos, with Siete Bocas and Las Mojarras along the way. Bring cash (about 100 to 300+ pesos, 2026) and shower before you swim.

City buses are the cheapest way around: 15 pesos on the Hotel Zone routes and 13 around town (since December 1, 2025). Uber, DiDi and InDrive are on the state's official list, so they work around town; they just can't pick you up at the airport. Taxis charge by zone, so agree on the price first.

Yes. Whale sharks feed off Isla Mujeres every summer, and the season runs May to September (Holbox has the same season); Isla is about 20 minutes from Cancún by ferry. The whale shark reserve charges about 225 pesos a day. In the water, skip the sunscreen and give the sharks at least 5 m (16 ft).