You can get to Tulum via two airports, by ADO long-distance coach, by the Tren Maya train or by hire car.

The best option depends mainly on where you’re coming from and where you’ll be staying.

If you’re travelling from Europe, it usually makes sense to fly into Cancún Airport, which offers a significantly wider choice of direct flights.

Tulum Airport is more convenient, but there are only good flight options from the US or Mexico City.

From Cancún, Playa del Carmen and Bacalar, the ADO bus is generally the most practical option.

From	Recommended transport	Journey time	Approximate price
Tulum Airport TQO	Direct ADO bus	50 minutes	207 mxn
Cancún Airport CUN	Direct ADO bus	2 hours 15 minutes	420 mxn
Cancún city centre	ADO bus	2 hours 40 minutes	270 mxn
Playa del Carmen	Colectivo ADO bus	1 hour 30 minutes 1 hour	50 mxn 136 mxn
Bacalar	ADO bus	2 hours 50 minutes	450 mxn
Mexico City	Direct flight with Volaris / AeroMexico / Viva	2 hours 10 minutes	from 1 000 mxn

Prices are indicative and are for a single journey. You can always check the current bus fares on the official ADO website before booking. I usually compare flight prices via.

Fly directly to Tulum or to Cancún?

Tulum is served by two airports:

• Tulum TQO is situated approximately 44 km from the town
• Cancún (CUN ) is approximately 125 km from Tulum

Tulum Airport is closer, but that doesn’t automatically mean it’s the best option.

Cancún has significantly more direct flights, and international flights in particular are often much cheaper to Cancún.

When to choose Tulum Airport (TQO)

Flying directly to Tulum is particularly worthwhile if:

• you’re arriving on a domestic flight from Mexico City
• you’re flying from the US or have a connection with no more than one stopover in the US
• you do not want to make a transfer from Cancún lasting more than two hours

As a rule of thumb, I would choose Tulum Airport if the ticket costs no more than 62 eur per person more than a comparable flight to Cancún. The time saved and the simpler transfer often more than make up for the extra cost.

When is Cancún Airport (CUN) the better option?

Cancún is usually the better choice when travelling from Europe, South America or Asia, but also from the USA. It has more international routes, greater competition between airlines and, as a rule, cheaper flights.

You should also choose CUN if, as well as Tulum, you want to visit Cancún, Isla Mujeres or Playa del Carmen. Your journey will then naturally continue southwards along the coast.

A combination of different airports can also work well.

For example, you could fly into Cancún, travel through the Riviera Maya and fly out from Tulum. When searching, therefore, compare a standard return ticket with the option of departing from a different airport.

When comparing options, don’t just look at the ticket price. Also factor in the transfer, any overnight stay near the airport and your arrival time.

A cheaper evening flight to Cancún may ultimately mean having to pay for a hotel and not reaching Tulum until the following morning.

Transport on arrival at a glance

From Tulum Airport (TQO), the easiest option is the direct ADO bus. The journey to the centre takes around 50 minutes and a ticket costs around 207 mxn. If you’re heading straight to the hotel zone, a pre-booked transfer is more convenient.

• 👉 All transport options from Tulum Airport

From Cancún Airport (CUN), there are direct ADO buses to the bus station in the centre of Tulum. The journey takes approximately 2 hours 15 minutes and costs around 420 mxn.

There is no need to change buses in Cancún or Playa del Carmen.

• 👉 A detailed guide to transport from Cancún Airport

How to get from Cancún city centre to Tulum

It depends on whether you’re just going to Tulum or whether you’re planning to travel around the Riviera Maya as well.

ADO bus

Buses depart from the ADO Cancún Centro station at the junction of Avenida Tulum and Avenida Uxmal.

The journey takes approximately 2 hours 40 minutes and a ticket costs 268 mxn. Direct services run approximately every 30 minutes throughout the day.

You can buy tickets at ado.com.mx.

Tren Maya

We wouldn’t choose to take the train when travelling from the centre of Cancún. First, you have to get to the remote station and, upon arrival in Tulum, continue by another bus.

1. From the centre of Cancún, you’ll need to take the Tren Maya shuttle bus to the train station, which is near the airport
2. Then take the train
3. From Tulum station, you’ll need to take the shuttle bus back to the centre (more than 20 minutes)

Furthermore, the Tren Maya has significantly fewer services than ADO (only 3–4 a day).

By hire car

If you’re not just visiting Tulum for a beach holiday, I’d probably hire a car straight away in Cancún and use it to explore the whole area.

In my opinion, this is the best way to see as many sights, beaches and cenotes as possible.

• 👉 Our experience of hiring a car on the Riviera Maya
• 👉 Compare car hire prices at Cancún Airport

A day trip from Cancún

If you’re staying in Cancún and just want to visit Tulum, you don’t need to make your own way there.

Organised tours usually include transport, a visit to the Tulum ruins and a stop at a cenote or Cobá.

• 👉 View tours from Cancún to Tulum

Alternative	Journey time	Price	Frequency
ADO bus from Cancún city centre

 

How to get from Playa del Carmen to Tulum

You can travel between Playa del Carmen and Tulum by ADO bus or by a cheaper colectivo.

ADO bus

The ADO bus is more comfortable if you have luggage and if you want the certainty of a fixed timetable. The journey takes approximately 1 hour 15 minutes and costs around 136 mxn.

There are two bus stations in Playa del Carmen. Tourists most often use ADO Turística on 5th Avenue and Avenida Benito Juárez, just a few minutes’ walk from the Cozumel ferry terminal.

Some services depart from the ADO Alterna station, so always check which station is listed on your ticket.

You can buy tickets at ado.com.mx.

Colectivo

The colectivo is the cheapest option and, when traffic is good, only slightly slower. Vans depart from the terminal at 50 Avenida Norte and Calle 1 Sur.

The fare is approximately 50 mxn, payable in cash to the driver.

There is no fixed timetable. The colectivo leaves as soon as it is full, on average every 10–15 minutes.

If you have a large suitcase, I’d recommend taking the ADO. Colectivos don’t have a luggage compartment, and the driver may refuse to take you if the van is full.

The Tren Maya train

The Tren Maya train takes just under an hour between the two stations, but it doesn’t make much sense for this route. The stations are located outside the city centres of both towns, and the train runs far less frequently than the bus.

How to get from Bacalar to Tulum

From Bacalar, you can take an ADO bus or the Tren Maya train.

ADO bus

The bus is the more practical option for travelling to the centre of Tulum.

The journey takes approximately 2 hours 50 minutes and costs around 450 mxn. The bus arrives directly at the ADO bus station in the centre of Tulum.

Check the current location of the departure point on the ADO Bacalar map. The bus does not depart directly from the centre, so you’ll need to take an Uber or a taxi to get to the station.

Tren Maya

You should mainly use the train if its departure time fits in better with your itinerary.

The Tren Maya station in Bacalar is located approximately 3 km from the town centre. A connecting minibus runs to the station for 25 mxn.

You’ll also need to take a connecting bus from Tulum station to the town centre.

When buying a ticket, please note that there are two stations:

• Tulum is located near the town and Parque del Jaguar
• Tulum Aeropuerto serves the airport

We travelled from Bacalar to Tulum Aeropuerto station because we were collecting a hire car at the airport. For a standard journey to the town centre, we would have chosen ADO.

Buy your tickets via the official Tren Maya booking system.

From Mérida and Valladolid to Tulum

There are direct ADO buses and Tren Maya trains from both cities.

From Valladolid

The bus journey takes approximately 1 hour 40 minutes. ADO buses arrive directly in the centre of Tulum and usually run more frequently than the train.

From Mérida

The fastest bus takes around 4 hours 30 minutes. The Tren Maya may be more convenient if its timetable fits in with your plans.

If you’re taking the train, always allow for transport from Tulum station to the town centre.

From Cozumel to Tulum

From Cozumel, first take the ferry to Playa del Carmen. The crossing takes approximately 45 minutes.

The ferries are operated by Ultramar and Winjet. A one-way ticket with Winjet costs around 285 mxn.

The port in Playa del Carmen is a few minutes’ walk from the ADO Turística bus station. From there, continue by bus to Tulum.

If you don’t have any large luggage, you can also take a colectivo.