Cancún isn’t a city full of sights. The main reasons to visit are the beaches, the Caribbean Sea, water sports, nightlife and day trips to the surrounding area.

If you’re spending 3 to 5 days in Cancún, we recommend booking no more than one full-day boat trip and one shorter activity.

If you go on more excursions, you won’t have time for the beaches themselves.

Compare activities and excursions in Cancún

Which activities to choose

Activity	Duration	Best time of year	Who it’s for
Isla Contoy and Isla Mujeres	9 to 10 hours	All year round	nature, beaches and snorkelling
Catamaran to Isla Mujeres	8 to 10 hours	all year round	Music, open bar and entertainment
Snorkelling or diving at MUSA	4 to 5 hours	when the sea is calm	the underwater world
Jungle Tour in the Nichuptét Lagoon	2 to 3 hours	all year round	the best short activity
Swimming with whale sharks	7 to 8 hours	May to mid-September	An exceptional nature experience
Chichén Itzá and the cenote	12 to 14 hours	all year round	travellers without a car
Coco Bongo	all evening	all year round	shows and a vibrant nightlife

Beaches and swimming in the sea

The easiest thing to do in Cancún is, of course, a day at the beach.

Public beaches are free, and there’s usually no point in paying for a standard beach club unless you specifically need a sun lounger, service and toilets.

The individual beaches vary considerably:

• Playa Delfines is the best known, the most spacious and boasts an iconic view, but also tends to have more frequent waves.
• Playa Gaviota Azul offers beautiful turquoise water and an excellent location near Punta Cancún, but it tends to be crowded.
• Playa Chac Moollies in the heart of the Zona Hotelera and is ideal for combining a day at the beach with a night out at the clubs.
• Playa Langosta usually has calmer and shallower water, making it more suitable for families.
• We recommendIsla Blancaonly if you have a hire car, as a half-day trip to explore the less developed coastline.

Always check the current levels of seaweed, wave conditions and the colour of the flag just before your visit. A clean beach cannot be guaranteed anywhere during the sargassum season.

Isla Contoy, or a catamaran trip to Isla Mujeres?

These two trips may seem similar, but they are in fact completely different.

Isla Contoy for nature and a more peaceful trip

Isla Contoy is a protected island with no hotels or regular ferry services. You can only get there on an organised trip with an authorised operator.

We visited the island and here is our article about our trip to Isla Contoy.

Full-day trips usually include:

• transport from your hotel or to the embarkation point
• a boat trip to Isla Contoy
• snorkelling, weather permitting
• a tour of the island
• lunch and drinks
• a short stop at Isla Mujeres

We consider the combination of Isla Contoy and Isla Mujeres to be the best full-day boat trip from Cancún. It’s more suited to enjoying nature and swimming than to a party on the boat.

Please note that there is a separate fee for the harbour and the protected area.

Book a trip to Isla Contoy

Catamaran for entertainment and an open bar

Catamarans to Isla Mujeres focus primarily on cruising, music, an open bar, snorkelling and time at the beach club. You’ll usually only spend 1 to 2 hours on the island itself.

We recommend the full-day catamaran trip with an open bar, snorkelling and lunch if you’re mainly looking for a fun day at sea.

If you’d like to visit Playa Norte, Punta Sur, the centre of the island and Garrafón at your own pace, take a regular ferry and spend the whole day on Isla Mujeres or stay overnight there.

With catamarans, a harbour fee of around 20 usd is usually added to the price. Also check whether the price includes transport from your hotel.

Book a catamaran to Isla Mujeres

Snorkelling and diving at MUSA

The MUSA underwater museum consists of hundreds of sculptures gradually becoming overgrown with coral. The individual galleries are located between Cancún and Isla Mujeres and can only be reached by boat.

There are two main options for visiting:

• snorkelling at MUSA and on the Manchones reef
• a taster dive at MUSA for beginners

When snorkelling, you’ll see the sculptures from the surface, but diving offers a much better view. If you don’t want to dive, choose a trip that heads to the Manchones Gallery rather than just a short stop at a few sculptures during another boat trip.

Visibility depends on the wind and waves. If the operator offers an alternative date due to the weather, accept it rather than going ahead with the trip at any cost.

Choose between snorkelling or diving at MUSA

Jungle Tour in the Nichupté Lagoon

In our opinion, the Jungle Tour is the best short paid activity right in Cancún.

You get to steer a small motorboat yourself through the channels of the Nichupté Lagoon and amongst the mangroves, followed by some snorkelling at Punta Nizuc.

The whole activity lasts around 3 hours and starts right in the Zona Hotelera. You can therefore easily combine it with a morning on the beach or an evening visit to Punta Cancún.

Don’t expect a real wilderness expedition or guaranteed wildlife sightings. The main attraction is steering the boat, the mangrove cruise itself and the snorkelling.

The highly rated Jungle Tour with a speedboat and snorkelling usually involves a separate harbour and marine fee 20 usd.

Book the Jungle Tour

Swimming with whale sharks

From May to mid-September, whale sharks gather in the sea north of Isla Contoy and Isla Mujeres. Despite their name, they are harmless and feed on plankton.

It is one of the most expensive, yet also one of the most extraordinary, activities in Cancún.

The trip usually includes transport to the harbour, a cruise lasting several hours, snorkelling equipment and a subsequent stop at Playa Norte.

Choose only a licensed operator and follow the guide’s instructions. Swimmers must not approach the animals in large numbers, touch them or chase them.

Please bear in mind that:

• sightings cannot be 100 per cent guaranteed
• the trip takes place on a small motorboat
• the sea may be very rough
• if you suffer from seasickness, take your medication before setting sail

Book a swim with great white sharks

Cenotes, Chichén Itzá and inland excursions

Chichén Itzá for travellers without a car only

We only recommend an organised trip from Cancún if you are spending your entire holiday at a single hotel and do not plan to travel around Yucatán.

The full-day trip usually lasts 12 to 14 hours and combines a visit to Chichén Itzá, a swim in a cenote, lunch and a short stop in Valladolid.

However, on group tours, the stop in Valladolid is usually limited to just a few dozen minutes.

When booking, choose an option that actually includes:

• admission to Chichén Itzá
• entry to a cenote (ideally Ik-Kil or Suytun)
• a compulsory life jacket
• hotel pick-up

The cheapest price shown often does not include admission to Chichén Itzá or other compulsory fees.

• 👉 Compare tours to Chichén Itzá – GetYourGuide.com

If you’ve hired a car, we recommend staying overnight in Valladolid and arriving at Chichén Itzá in the morning before the main wave of coach tours.

• 👉 Book a hire car at Cancún Airport
• 👉 View hotels in Valladolid

Quad bikes, zip-lining and swimming in a cenote

A shorter alternative is a combined excursion featuring quad biking, a zipline and swimming in a cenote.

This isn’t a visit to the most beautiful natural cenote, but rather an organised entertainment programme at a single venue.

Reviews frequently mention offers for paid photographs, lockers, insurance and various upgrades. You should therefore read carefully what is included in the price before booking.

One of the more tried-and-tested options is a combination of quad bikes, a zipline and a cenote.

We would only book trips to Tulum, Akumal, Xcaret or Río Secreto from Cancún if you’re staying at a single resort. If you’re heading further south, visit these places whilst you’re staying on the Riviera Maya and save yourself a few hours on the bus.

Nightlife and Coco Bongo

The centre of the nightlife is Punta Cancún in the northern part of the Zona Hotelera. All the main clubs are within walking distance of each other.

Each venue caters to a different kind of evening:

• Coco Bongo is primarily a big show featuring acrobats, dancers, confetti and musical performances.
• Mandala is reminiscent of a classic open-plan nightclub and is better suited for dancing.
• The City is a huge venue that’s best visited during a specific concert or a set by a well-known DJ.
• Coco Bongo Beach Party and Mandala Beach organise daytime parties by the beach and pool.

If you only want to experience one famous night out in Cancún, choose Coco Bongo. It isn’t the best traditional club, but as a combination of show and party, it offers a truly unique experience.

The cheapest ticket usually means standing in a crowded part of the club. If you want your own spot and a better view, check out the more expensive categories, but read the details carefully to see whether they include a seat, a table and what drinks are included.

Buy tickets for Coco Bongo

Are there cenotes in Cancún?

The Yucatán Peninsula is famous for its cenotes – sinkholes through which you can enter vast cave systems and swim in underground rivers or pools.

However, there aren’t any really lovely cenotes in Cancún itself or in its immediate vicinity.

If you want to visit one of the famous cenotes, you’ll need to set off from Cancún on at least a half-day trip.

We would recommend the following:

• Aktun Chen – 106 km south of the city, ideal for a self-drive trip in a hire car
• Río Secreto – a more challenging tour, suitable only for organised tours
• Suytun – an iconic cenote with a walkway/jetty, around 160 km from the city, ideal for a self-drive trip in a hire caror an organised tour

What to choose depending on the length of your stay

Cancún for 3 days

• a full day on the beaches
• Isla Contoy or a catamaran trip to Isla Mujeres
• Jungle Tour on the Nichupté Lagoon or an evening at Coco Bongo

Cancún for 5 days

• Two days on various beaches
• Isla Contoy or Isla Mujeres
• MUSA or Jungle Tour
• Coco Bongo or another club
• Chichén Itzá, only if you’re not planning to travel around Yucatán

Cancún for a week

Add to the above activities: swimming with whale sharks in season, a road trip to Isla Blanca or a separate stay on Isla Mujeres.

Even during a week-long stay, there’s no point in booking a full-day organised excursion every day.