Reasons for visiting Cancun (as if you needed any more reasons...)

Incredible beaches, especially Cancún's clean North and East Beaches, with their white powder sand and calm waters. Excellent for tanning and swimming, the beautiful Caribbean is also great for sailing, windsurfing, jet-skiing, and casual snorkeling.

Ideal climate, with sunshine most of the year, thanks to the region's position just south of the Tropic of Cancer. From December until the end of April, the average temperature is between 71-89°.

Internationally famous nightlife, ranging from romantic piano lounges, to dance clubs, to sports bars, to party cruises. At the end of the day, this abundance of nightlife is Cancún's raison d'être.

Mayan archaeological treasures are rife in the area - over 1200 sites are scattered within a few hours drive from Cancún in the Riviera Maya, including major sites at Tulum, Cobá, and Chichén Itzá. Many sites have been wonderfully restored, while others are still shrouded by tangled jungle vegetation. Even Cancún's ultramodern resort zone harbors ruins dating to the 12th century.

Cancún and the Riviera Maya masterfully mix the exotic with the familiar, so Americans can experience a completely different way of life without the struggle of trying to adapt to the unknown. English is spoken everywhere, the US dollar is valid currency, and familiar names in hotels, restaurants, and shopping eliminate the disorientation and lost time that often hinder foreign travel. As soon as you land, you are off and ready to have fun!

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Cancún means "nest of snakes" in Mayan, referring to the long and narrow island half of this coastal city. Located in the Yucatán Peninsula, it is surrounded by water on 3 sides - the Caribbean Sea, the Nichupté Lagoon, and the Bahia de Mujeres - and is known internationally for its tropical beauty and fantastically preserved archaeological treasures. One of the most modern, and by far the most visited, tourist resorts in the country, it is characterized by rows of resort hotels and beautiful beaches, where the sand is particularly fine and brilliantly white due to its coral origin. Cancún is stunning, with seas that sparkle in every imaginable shade of emerald and turquoise while sheltering a wealth of reef life.

Just south of Cancún, the Riviera Maya is taking shape as Mexico's newest holiday land. The region is filled with scenic and natural wonders, bordered by a craggy limestone shore of sugar-white, palm-fringed beaches, grottoes, and tropical coves. Also, some of the most fantastic archaeological sites in Mexico are found here. Resorts are generally all-inclusive and are confined to a few pockets of developed areas, leaving most of the region uninhabited and ideal for visitors seeking a Mexican-Caribbean getaway in a secluded setting.

Approximate Air Travel Time

• New York City: 4.25 hrs
• Boston: 6 hrs
• Miami: 1.5 hrs
• Philadelphia: 4.5 hrs
• Los Angeles: 6 hrs
• Chicago: 4 hrs
• Dallas-Forth Worth: 4.5 hrs
• San Francisco: 6.5 hrs

Please note that limited nonstop flights are available; all travel times are subject to change.

Areas Within the Cancun region

Zona Hotelera

This area includes a string of beachfront hotels on a sandy strip of land, and is where most visitors spend their whole vacation. The action centers around the three distinct bodies of water: the Caribbean Sea, with amazing scenery and strong surf; the Bahia de Mujeres, with calm waters perfect for family fun; and the Nichupté Lagoon, for water sports.

Zona Comercial

This is the downtown residential and shopping center, but there is little in the way of attractions for tourists, so vacationers generally spend very little, if any, time here, opting instead for the Zona Hotelera.

Topography

Cancún lies on a tropical, coastal lowland at the northeastern shore of the Yucatán Peninsula. The landscape contains beautiful scenery, lush plants, and exotic wildlife.

Climate

Cancún and the Riviera Maya are sunny most of the year, with a coastal location that brings trade winds to make summers cooler than the interior jungles. Winters are very pleasant, with warm and mild weather. The average year-round temperature is 85° during the day and 75° at night. The heart of hurricane season lasts from early September to late October, though strikes are rare and there is plenty of advance notice to prepare. When threatened by a hurricane strike, one should expect a 2-day displacement from evacuation to safe return.

Best Time to Visit

The official high season is December 20 to Easter, when crowds are at their peak, but in the low season of May through November, crowds thin out a bit. Mexicans, Europeans, and school-vacationers travel a great deal between July and September, so there is a middle ground in the crowds between the high and low seasons. There is a brief lull in January, while spring breakers flock to the destination in March.

What To Do & See Around Cancun

Chichén Itzá

This is the most famous site of the Maya, one of the world's oldest and most mysterious cultures. The city was founded in 445 AD and inhabited until 1204 AD, when it was inexplicably abandoned. The most important structure is the Castle, with stairs crowned by serpent heads. During the March and September equinoxes, shadows resembling a reptile descending the temple appear on the steps. Other structures include the Temple of the Warriors, the Observatory, the Temple of the Thousand Columns, and the Temple of the Jaguars.

Plaza de Toros Bullfights

Cancún has a small bullring near the northern end of town. There are usually 4 bulls to challenge the toreador, and the spectacle begins with a folkloric dance exhibition.

Isla Mujeres (Island of Women)

This is the perfect spot for those who prefer a tranquil setting. Sail to the island and spend a few hours snorkeling the Fariio reef, then have lunch in town and do some quality shopping at very accessible prices.

Ruinas del Rey

Though the Mayan structures here are not Mexico's most famous, the site has other benefits like plenty of soothing solitude and great bird- and iguana-watching.

Museo de Anthropología

Engaging exhibits on Mesoamerican and Mayan history, the museum is a nice cultural diversion from the tourist scene.

Day Trip to Cozumel

Discover the appeal of this easygoing, sleepy island. Includes shopping and snorkeling, city tour, lunch with drinks.

Tulum

This imposing fortress city sits high on a cliff of the Riviera Maya overlooking the Caribbean. Built over many centuries in the first millennium AD, it contains one of the most amazing archaeological finds in all the ruins - the Temple of the Frescos. This is the most visited of the ruins in the Mundo Maya, and you should take along a bathing suit for a dip in the exquisite beaches at the base of the city.

Xcaret

A singularly unique ecological park on the Riviera Maya, it was built over the ancient Mayan jungle seaport of Polé. Its privileged location amid an archaeological site and the natural splendor of the peninsula inspired the fusion of nature, culture, history, and technology in perfect harmony. Dive the underground rivers that join the most extensive subterranean water system in the world, snorkel the crystal waters bursting with colorful life, swim with dolphins, and float down the Maya River to an authentic recreation of a Mayan village. At night, ancient Mayan rituals are re-enacted in illuminated grottoes and culminate in a traditional show in the moonlit amphitheater.

Cobá Ruins

The ruins of this important Mayan site in the Riviera Maya are still shrouded by thick jungle, imparting the feeling of "discovery" for visitors. The city, still being unearthed, is an enormous 50 square miles! Excavations have located the tallest pyramid in the Yucatán, a 9-tiered castle, and a ball court. Also, it has the most sacbe (wide, limestone-paved ancient roads) of any site yet discovered.

Dining in Cancun

Cancún's restaurants outnumber its hotels, with most of the downtown tourist eateries lining Boulevard Kukulcán and its side streets, where you can enjoy an energetic disco beat with your meal. Seafood and steak are the staple of most menus, but you can also find Arabic, Chinese, Italian, French, Cajun, and Polynesian food, not to mention the US and local fast-food joints. Restaurants are dominated by well-known US franchises, such as Hard Rock Café, Planet Hollywood, and TGI Fridays. Thankfully, there are also many locally-owned restaurants where you can enjoy authentic local dishes, often with live musical entertainment. All the beach hotels have at least one formal restaurant, some of which are truly elegant. Most of these hotels also offer casual beach and poolside dining rooms. Yucatecan cuisine, the local specialty, has gained a reputation as one of the finest in all Mexico and combines Mayan and Europeaningredients - a tasty by-product of the Spanish Conquest. While the Riviera Maya does not have as large a number of restaurants as Cancún, the quality and variety of cuisine is just as great, especially along Quinta Avenida in Playa del Carmen.

Nightlife in Cancun

Cancún is internationally known for its discotheques, bars, clubs, and party cruises. Since the town's whole reason for being is to create a fun experience for tourists, it is only natural that the entertainment is unlimited! The range is extensive, from romantic piano lounges, to dance clubs, to sports bars. There are several "booze cruises" with open bars, and they often include a stopover for a beach barbecue. More serene dinner cruises have romantic dining with live music. Your tour or transfer operator can usually provide current guides for nightlife and other events, and you'll also find the latest issues of free guides handed out at the airports and distributed around town.

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