Itinerary · Cancún · Mexico
4 days in Cancún
A day-by-day plan grouped by neighbourhood, so you spend your time seeing Cancún, not crossing it.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Peter Maas 16:07, 3 December 2006 (UTC), CC BY-SA 2.5
Quick answer
4 days covers the main sights, though 7 lets you slow down. Day 1: Playa Delfines (El Mirador) and Museo Maya de Cancún and San Miguelito. Day 2: Punta Nizuc snorkelling and MUSA Underwater Museum of Art. Day 3: Swimming with whale sharks and Playa Chac Mool and Playa Gaviota Azul. Base yourself in Northern Hotel Zone.
Key facts
- Days
- 4
- Sights covered
- 11
- Day trips
- 1
- Best base
- Northern Hotel Zone
- Book ahead
- Swimming with whale sharks and Coco Bongo
Day by day
Day 1: Playa Delfines (El Mirador) and Museo Maya de Cancún and San Miguelito
Playa Delfines (El Mirador), Museo Maya de Cancún and San Miguelito and El Rey archaeological site, then Coco Bongo in the evening.
Morning
Playa Delfines (El Mirador)
Allow 2–3 hours (free). Check the flag colour before swimming and stay on the sand on red-flag days; bring shade, as there is little natural cover.
Late morning
Museo Maya de Cancún and San Miguelito
The same ticket covers the San Miguelito archaeological site in the jungle behind it, with small temples and palaces.
Lunch
Lunch: Cochinita pibil
Downtown taquerías and market fondas, mostly in the morning; popular places often sell out by early afternoon.
Afternoon
El Rey archaeological site
Allow 45 minutes (low cost). Combine it with Playa Delfines across the road; go early or late to avoid the strongest sun.
Evening
Coco Bongo
Arrive early; queues build fast at weekends and the show runs late into the night.
Day 2: Punta Nizuc snorkelling and MUSA Underwater Museum of Art
Punta Nizuc snorkelling, MUSA Underwater Museum of Art and Isla Mujeres, then Parque de las Palapas in the evening.
Morning
Punta Nizuc snorkelling
Snorkel tours from the lagoon visit its corals, tropical fish and some shallow underwater sculptures.
Late morning
MUSA Underwater Museum of Art
Allow 2–3 hours (mid-priced). Visit with a tour operator that includes the marine-park fee, and wear a rash guard rather than ordinary sunscreen.
Lunch
Lunch: Sopa de lima
Yucatecan restaurants downtown and in Mercado 28, and many Hotel Zone menus.
Afternoon
Isla Mujeres
Visitors get around by golf cart, scooter or bike.
Evening
Parque de las Palapas
Come after sunset when the stalls are busiest, then walk to nearby Avenida Yaxchilán for dinner or a drink.
Day 3: Swimming with whale sharks and Playa Chac Mool and Playa Gaviota Azul
Swimming with whale sharks, Playa Chac Mool and Playa Gaviota Azul and Playa Langosta and Playa Tortugas, then Punta Cancún (Party Center) in the evening.
Morning
Swimming with whale sharks
Allow Full day (expensive). Take seasickness tablets before you go; the boat ride can take more than an hour each way across open sea.
Late morning
Playa Chac Mool and Playa Gaviota Azul
Waves are often stronger here than on the bay side.
Lunch
Lunch: Poc chuc
Yucatecan restaurants downtown and around Parque de las Palapas.
Afternoon
Playa Langosta and Playa Tortugas
Allow Half a day (free). Head here when the east-facing beaches fly red flags or are affected by seaweed.
Evening
Punta Cancún (Party Center)
Coco Bongo and other big clubs, bars with open-bar deals and late-night food around km 9.
Day 4: Day trip to Chichén Itzá
About 2.5–3 hours by car or bus each way. Getting there: Car, ADO bus or organised tour.
Morning
Travel to Chichén Itzá
About 2.5–3 hours by car or bus (Car, ADO bus or organised tour); about 200 km.
Day
Chichén Itzá
The great Maya city in the Yucatán interior, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is dominated by El Castillo, the Temple of Kukulcán, whose stairs cast a serpent shadow at the equinoxes. Arrive at opening to beat the heat and the tour buses, and combine it with a swim in a cenote and lunch in Valladolid.
Evening
Back in Cancún
Dinner: try Panuchos and salbutes.
Before you go
Reserve timed tickets for Swimming with whale sharks and Coco Bongo before you travel; the rest of this plan needs no advance booking.
Where to stay for this itinerary
With 4 nights, Northern Hotel Zone keeps most of this route within easy reach. For a calmer or cheaper base, Southern Hotel Zone ($$$$) suits luxury, couples, beach and families. Compare every area.
Pace and daylight
The sights in this plan add up to roughly 30–40 hours of visiting over 4 days, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 10.9 hours in December to 13.4 hours in June.
More or fewer days
Questions travellers ask
+Is 4 days enough in Cancún?
4 days covers the main sights, though 7 lets you slow down. How many days Cancún needs.
+What should I book before visiting Cancún?
Swimming with whale sharks and Coco Bongo.