For most travellers, Cancún Airport is the main gateway to the Yucatán. It offers the widest choice of international flights and is situated close to Valladolid, the cenotes and Chichén Itzá.

If you can find a good flight to Mérida, you’ll save yourself a few hours’ drive. Tulum Airport is particularly useful if you’re combining a visit to the Yucatán with a stay on the Riviera Maya.

Airports	Best for	Continued
Cancún CUN	Valladolid, Chichén Itzá, cenotes and Holbox	hire car, ADO, Tren Maya
Mérida MID	Mérida, the north coast and Las Coloradas	hire car, bus to the city centre
Tulum TQO	Connections between Yucatán, Tulum and the Riviera Maya	hire car, ADO, Tren Maya

Cancún Airport: the best choice for most journeys

Cancún is not in the state of Yucatán, but in neighbouring Quintana Roo. Nevertheless, thanks to the large number of international flights, it is the most common starting point for a trip.

The journey by car from the airport to Valladolid takes approximately 2 hours. Allow around 3.5 hours to reach Mérida.

We drove through Yucatán in a hire car, and for a combination of cenotes, Chichén Itzá and Las Coloradas, this definitely gave us the greatest freedom.

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Without a car: ADO or Tren Maya

Direct ADO buses run from the airport to Valladolid, and selected services also continue on to Mérida. Buses depart from Terminals 2, 3 and 4.

Another option is the Tren Maya. A free shuttle bus connects the airport terminals to the railway station, and trains continue to Valladolid, Chichén Itzá and Mérida.

ADO is usually more practical. It runs more frequently and drops you off closer to the centre in both Valladolid and Mérida. The train is mainly a good option if its departure time connects well with your arrival.

You can find details on transport from the terminals in our guide to Cancún Airport.

Late arrival in Cancún

If you’re arriving in the evening, we wouldn’t plan a long journey to Valladolid or Mérida. Immigration checks, baggage collection and picking up your hire car can significantly delay your journey.

It’s safer to stay overnight near the airport and set off in the morning.

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Mérida Airport: the quickest way directly to Yucatán

Mérida Airport is just a few kilometres from the city centre. The range of flights is smaller than at Cancún, but there are frequent flights to Mexican cities and the US.

Mérida is the best choice if you want to start your trip in the city of the same name and continue on to the north coast, Río Lagartos or Las Coloradas.

The IE-TRAM airport shuttle service runs to the city centre. For onward travel, you can use ADO buses, but for the north coast and the cenotes, it’s more practical to hire a car directly at Mérida Airport.

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Tulum Airport: when combining the Yucatán with the Riviera Maya

Like Cancún, Tulum is situated in the state of Quintana Roo. You wouldn’t specifically choose it as a base for a trip around the Yucatán on its own, but it can be a convenient option when visiting Tulum, Akumal or the resorts on the Riviera Maya.

It takes approximately 2 hours to reach Valladolid by car from the airport. Without a car, you can take the Tren Maya or an ADO bus, changing in Tulum.

You can find the latest options in our guide to transport from Tulum Airport.

Flying into one airport and out of another?

An interesting option is to fly into Cancún and depart from Mérida, or vice versa.

You won’t have to spend several hours travelling back the same way, and it’s easier to plan an itinerary taking in Valladolid, Chichén Itzá, Mérida and the northern coast.

Before booking, compare the price of combined flight tickets and the fee for returning your hire car at a different airport. This fee may partially or completely offset the time saved.

Be aware of the time difference

Cancún and Tulum are one hour ahead of the state of Yucatán all year round. When travelling to Valladolid or Mérida, you’ll therefore need to set your watch back by one hour.

Thanks to this, we gained an extra hour on our journey from the Riviera Maya and managed to arrive at the Suytun cenote by around 10:00.

What would we choose?

For our first trip, we’d fly into Cancún and hire a car. There’s the widest choice of flights and car hire companies, and you can reach Valladolid in about two hours.

If you don’t want to drive, take the ADO bus. The Tren Maya is an interesting alternative, but as some stations are located far from the city centre and the fare is higher, it isn’t necessarily the most convenient option.