Tulum Archaeological Site
Tulum Archaeological Site
4.5
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Tulum (Spanish pronunciation: [tu'lum], Yucatec: Tulu'um) is the site of a Pre-Columbian Maya walled city serving as a major port for Coba.[1] The ruins are situated on 12-meter (39 ft) tall cliffs, along the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula on the Caribbean Sea in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico.[1] Tulum was one of the last cities built and inhabited by the Maya; it was at its height between the 13th and 15th centuries and managed to survive about 70 years after the Spanish began occupying Mexico. Old World diseases brought by the Spanish settlers appear to have resulted in very high fatalities, disrupting the society and eventually causing the city to be abandoned.[citation needed] One of the best-preserved coastal Maya sites, Tulum is today a popular site for tourists.[1]
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< 1 hour
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  • William S
    Clinton, New Jersey387 contributions
    Beautiful historic Mayan site on the sea
    Tulum Archaeological Site is unique Mayan site sitting right on the Caribbean, a rarity for Mayan ruins. The site is easily accessible and can easily be seen in 90 minutes (60 if you are in a hurry). There is also a public beach just south of the ruins. When we visited, there was a nice ocean breeze reducing the heat that one might feel at other inland ruins. We also saw several iguanas on the premise. There are terrific photo opportunities with the beautiful sea as a backdrop.
    Visited November 2022
    Written December 2, 2022
  • theflyingdoctor
    Stockton-on-Tees, United Kingdom820 contributions
    Superb archeological site
    This site dates to the 16th century and is more sophisticated than others as a result. Stunning location above the Carribean. Reckon on 90 -120 minutes. Relatively little shade so can get very hot. Lots of shops, ATM's etc at the car park which is about 1/2 mile from the site. If you don't want to walk there is a bus for US$5 each ( WOW).
    Visited October 2022
    Written December 6, 2022
  • Vacation4Fam
    Frisco, Texas13 contributions
    Nice to walk around and enjoy the views
    Great views and lovely garden. This place is right in the waters so you will enjoy the views from the top. They only take pesos to enter, but you can buy the tickets using a credit card at the Kiosks. Be wary of hustlers that will try to sell you a guided tour that 10 times the entry ticket.
    Visited December 2022
    Written December 9, 2022
  • Adriana M
    Syracuse, New York164 contributions
    Significant Historical Site
    I would highly recommend a visit to Tulum Ruins. This is a significant historic location and I would try to book a tour ahead of time, preferably one led by a Mayan guide. We booked one through Tour Guru and were given a very informative tour by our Mayan guide Gabriel. He taught us so much about the Ancient Mayan culture and the significance of the sight. Bring water and be prepared for large crowds (go early) and direct sun (wear sunscreen).
    Visited December 2022
    Written December 11, 2022
  • Sunday’s Dad
    Harrisburg, North Carolina3 contributions
    A ton of people will try to scam you on your way there
    While the site was very cool, there were about a hundred people claiming to represent the official site telling us to park here, buy this ticket, pay for this, pay for that, etc. There is very little organization and it’s immensely hard to tell who is being honest and who is trying to scam you. The only ticket you should pay for is at the ruins site itself. It’s 85 pesos and they only take exact change. No USD. There is no ATM at the ticket counter, so bring cash with you or get some at the CIBanco ATM near the tourist traps. It’s a long walk back if you don’t have the cash. I had a lot of fun once I got there, but getting there was super stressful.
    Visited December 2022
    Traveled with friends
    Written December 17, 2022
  • Visagan G
    Naperville, Illinois3 contributions
    Worth the visit
    Definitely worth visiting. If you are looking for budget-friendly travel from Cancun, I would suggest taking the ADO bus from downtown Cancun to Tulum Ruins. Its roughly costs 100 pesos per person. Be careful with the local people as they try to sell you the tickets for x10 times the original cost (85 pesos/person). Always go to the official counter to get the tickets. No USD, only pesos accepted. Beware of stalls with "Official information center" signs. Please make sure you hydrate yourself and carry hats and sunglasses.
    Visited December 2022
    Written December 21, 2022
  • Charles de Lastic
    St. Albans, United Kingdom131 contributions
    Preferred to Chichen itza
    If staying in Tulum this is much easier to get to than a 3-hour bus ride from Cancun to Chichen Itza. Even though they are expensive pay for a taxi or tour as the Bike ride is very long and very hot. Except for the big main temple, not much difference except this is Much nicer and cooler to walk around. If it came to a choice I would do this rather than Chichen Itza
    Visited December 2022
    Written December 23, 2022
  • Bluefronted
    Parys, South Africa5 contributions
    Tulum self drive tour
    Visited Tulum Ruins today. Was a nice hot and humid day. You do not need a guide to visit or to tour the ruins. Can be done in an hour. Tickets costed $85 pesos each. You can avoid being harrassed to take on a guide by telling the guidess that you already have a guide. We hired a car at the start of our holidays in Cancun and drove to the ruins. Driving in the area is easy but be cautious of drivers making legal U turns on the highway. Speeding is the norm, no one adheres to the speed limits.
    Visited December 2022
    Traveled with family
    Written December 23, 2022
  • WeekendTreker
    Charlotte, North Carolina389 contributions
    Very Informative Tour
    Stopped by with a tour group while cruising on the Carnival Horizon. During the 1 hour ride from the cruise port at Playa Del Carmen to the site in Tulum our tour guide Jorge provided insight on Mayan language, culture and customs and presented a comparative history of the decline in Mayan society in contrast with the rise of the Spanish empire and the rapid development that has reduced the amount of territory for the 5 million Mayans remaining in the area. Jorge kept us safe and made reccomendations for dining and shopping nearby without being scammed. I reccomend a guided tour to navigate the site and provide a deeper perspective.
    Visited November 2022
    Traveled as a couple
    Written December 23, 2022
  • Vivek M
    5 contributions
    Tulum ruins
    Beautiful site of Mayan ruins by the sea. It takes about an hour to walk around the ruins. There are info boards at all the sites with some details of the ruins. Many people use a guide but we didn’t do that. Entry is very reasonable at around $4 per person. Ticket counter only accepts mxn pesos in cash. Other option is a kiosk thag accepts credit / debit cards. In case if kiosks kids pay regular price. Otherwise they are free. There is no food or drink available inside the park but there are options outside. We took a colectivo to and from Tulum. Very convenient and the cheapest way to get there. Its a 10 minute walk to the ticket counter if you take the colectivo.
    Visited December 2022
    Traveled with family
    Written December 27, 2022
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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carolzinhay
Washington DC, DC23 contributions
Aug 2021 • Couples
Do not let the huge scam of tourism agency and groups rob you right from the get go. We arrived on site at 3:10 pm and the first set of “guides” told us the site was closed. I said “I saw at the website that it closed at 5 pm” and he replied that due to covid they actually closed at 3 pm. We didn’t listen to them and passed all the tourist “traps” lots of people selling you tours, and bs.. we kept walking 5 min and yo your left, there’s the entrance to the site. The ticket costs $5 per person and the site actually closed at 4:30 pm (August 2021). We entered the ruins and we toured for about 30/40 min. It’s beautiful but unfortunately not well taken care of (specially if you have been to Chichen Itza). On the way back, we took the truck that usually transports people back and forth and it costed $1 per person. It saved us from getting wet from the summer storms that usually lasts 10-15 min and then stops. I saw some couples with strollers and it’s def. not the place for it. Little kids looked miserable due to the heat and there was not many places you can sit to rest and no one sells water or anything like that inside the site. The fun kids for the kids must be all the iguanas on site, they are everywhere!
PS: we took the “locomotivas/vans” that’s their equivalente of public bus back and forth from our hotel Barcelo Maya and it costs $4 on the way there and $6 on the way back and it’s takes between 25/35 min each way (depending on the driver!).
Written August 29, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

globalnomad300
Istanbul, Türkiye11 contributions
Jan 2020 • Couples
Horrible management, I booked this hotel thinking it was manned by people who understood customers and customers service but I was seriously mistaken: Due to surgery I couldn’t go on the trip but the hotel management wanted to milk me for everything they could and take advantage of me by first falsely claiming I had a non refundable booking (I didn’t) then claiming I owe them $1500 USD “non negotiable” and went further by fabricating stories that they contacted me twice prior to check in which is completely false. This hotel doesn’t care about you nor me nor customers and they worship only one thing and one thing only: the mighty dollar. A disgrace and a total disappointment don’t stay at this hotel unless you want to be taken for a ride like they are doing to me.
Written January 27, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

realtangobabe
NEW ZEALAND73 contributions
Mar 2020 • Couples
It’s worth arriving at 8am to avoid the crowds and the queues. When we left at 10.30 the queues to get in were massive. But the toilets weren’t open at 8 am and the beach which was supposed to be open at 10am was still roped off when we left at 10.30am. You can’t access the toilets once you are in the park. We parked our car near Tulum beach - the public access beach so didn’t need to pay for parking. There isn’t a huge amount of parking but plenty if you arrive at 8am. The normal car park is is a pay car park with an even longer walk. We saw lots of people cycle to the ruins and there is a good cycle way so would recommend if you don’t have a car.
Written March 8, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

wilmawatson1981
Innisfail, Canada35 contributions
Feb 2020 • Friends
We visited the Tulum Ruins many years ago and we couldn’t believe the changes. Definitely more touristy now! Would recommend a guide if you want to understand some of the history, we paid $600.00 peso + our entrance fees. Would also recommend getting there right when it opens as by 10:00 am it’s packed and hard to get good pictures. Should only take a couple of hours to see the whole site. Worth the visit.
Written February 10, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Edward D.
Lucena, PB2,993 contributions
Mar 2020
We visited here in early March, before the COVID-19 pandemic. These extensive ruins are located not far from the wonderful city of Cancun. They were built towards the end of the Mayan empire, so historically, they are very interesting. Visually, they are incredible, because they are located right on the coast, so you can get some breathtaking photos and unforgettable memories from a trip here.
We came here via tour bus, but I’d recommend that you consider renting a car in Cancun and driving here yourself. The roads and the signage are excellent and it’s close to Cancun and it’ll cost you less than a tour.
Tulum was a port city for another nearby Mayan (ruined) city of Coba and was inhabited from about the 13th to the 15th Century. It’s very interesting and if you’re in Cancun & want to take in some culture, I’d recommend a visit here.
I just gotta add that I don’t know how somebody gives this place less than 5 stars? What do you have to do to get a 5-star rating from some people? An 800 year-old ruin from an Empire that doesn’t exist anymore filled with pyramids and beautiful views of the Caribbean Sea...tough crowd.
Written March 28, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Joe N
Newmarket, Canada51 contributions
Jan 2020 • Family
We took the “Tulum Express Tour” from our hotel, the Beach Palace in Cancún. The bus ride was approximately 2 hours (recommend taking some Gravol if you tend to get motion sick), we then had a guided tour that took about an hour and hour of free time.

The site itself isn’t huge but the history here is amazing, I wouldn’t recommend doing this without a guide simply because you will miss out on so much information about the ruins and the Mayan’s who lived there.

There are plenty of places to get food, drinks, and souvenirs as well. Just be aware, that like most places the majority of the vendors here are expecting you to bargain for a better price and the price posted isn’t fixed.
Written January 8, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Mark S
Kelowna, Canada31 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
We did a self guided tour with an app from the app store we downloaded before we left. I think it was $4 cdn to get the full tour. Walk right past all the people selling the we will let you skip the line for whatever they are charging. When we got there we walked up and paid our $80 peso each and walked straight in. The line up when we left was longer but will was probably a 5 minute wait to get in.

Search the app store before you go and download a self tour guide and listen to what they say. Was very interesting and the GPS told us about stuff as we went.

Bring water. It is hot and watch out for the iguanas. There was a few places they do chase you out of areas if you get close to what I'm assuming is nesting areas or to there baby's or lady iguanas. Take a wide path around them and don't walk between two of them and you never know if they may try chase you out.

If I could say a bad word I'd say it was $&$#-(- cool site to see and worth more than the 80 peso to visit. Wouldn't pay the price of the tours that are offered though. For us It was 45 peso to get there on the colectivo then 80 each to enter and the $4 cdn for the self guided tour app.

Written February 21, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

honey_badger1888
United Kingdom717 contributions
Feb 2022
These ruins set by the stunning Caribbean are something to behold and a must see on a visit to Tulum.

There are some lovely grounds inside and it's all well marked, well kept, neatly presented and safe. There is no serious hill climbing or gradients. It's a pleasant easy stroll.

The most important ruin is El Castillo/The Castle, but there are many ruins here that are worth a moment of your time to look at. The Palace of the the Great Lord also attracts lots of interest. The viewpoint at these ruins must rank as one of the best in the world. It looks down on to the Caribbean Sea and it truly gorgeous.

The cost of entry is minimal, 80 pesos (£3), although the line outside can be VERY long. There is an opportunity to buy jump the line tickets for 200 pesos (£7.80) and these come with a guide for 40 minutes. I would recommend paying the 200 pesos to skip the hot, humid and sweaty line, but then, after the guide has finished his tour, you should go off on your own and explore it more. 40 minutes is nowhere near enough to see this place. It DOES NOT cost extra money to stay in after your guide has finished his tour.

There is a visitors centre to buy trinkets, cafes and also transport to take you to the entrance of the ruins. That transport is a "train" that costs about a £1 for the 500m to the entrance. The park is open daily from 8 am to 5 pm.
Written March 10, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Steve Lewis
Lausanne, Switzerland945 contributions
Feb 2020 • Family
The Place is huge. Come early in the morning as it starts being crowded around 10:30.

They don’t accept credit card for the entrance. The site is well kept. You can access to beach b and enjoy a good swim while visiting
Written February 17, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

NH-Enigma1989
Keene, NH175 contributions
Feb 2020
I am a tourista. We chose this excursion due to booking on a cruise and time was essential. Our tour guide was very informative and talked about mayan history versus mexican history and how they vary. He really utilized our drive to the are. We stopped along the way before reaching Tulum ruins to witness a mayan ritual. Nothing was explained about the ritual but it was cool to look at. We were brought through the gift shop to buy things and spend our gringo money. Once you land at the site, you are shuttled in and must walk through the very tourist area with food shops, a subway, hagendaz ice cream, a pharmacy and china-made souvenirs and other tchotkes. People will force things in your hands and vendors demanding money for taking your photos. You will be prepared to walk and walk in the hot sun and humidity of about 100%. Bring water, and a hat/shade as there is a LOT of walking and no water drinking places for a great walk. You will need to go through the gate and i recommend using a tour guide. The walk from the gate to the actual ruins we learned about trees and their importance to the ancient mayans, how they used tree gum for building their site, how the doorways are 5 feet in height as they were very small people and other amazing facts about the lighthouse being a beacon of false hope leading ships directly to their demise on the reef. Everything is banned from being climbed on due to years of tourist damage and disrespect. Our tour guide told us that so many tourist had peed in the Cenote and the temple that they had to ban tourists from being able to swim or climb. How saddening. What remains is stunning. There is a walkway down to the beach that has very high steps and is slanted making it a very rewarding climb down and back up. There is a vendor asking for cash to rinse your feet. Once you walk away from the ruins make your way back out to the shopping mall and wifi waiting are (yes there is a wifi hub). I've heard there are other more fascinating and less crowded mayan ruins. This is a good place for those who want adventure without all the risks say for sunburn and heat stroke and overpriced imported souvenirs.
Written February 21, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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