Things to do · Cancún · Mexico
15 best things to do in Cancún
15 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Quick answer
The essential sights in Cancún are Playa Delfines (El Mirador), MUSA Underwater Museum of Art and Isla Mujeres. Of the 15 picks below, 6 are free, 1 work on a rainy day and 7 suit children. Allow about 7 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- Playa Delfines (El Mirador)
- Free sights
- 6
- Good on a rainy day
- Museo Maya de Cancún and San Miguelito
- Time to see the highlights
- 7 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Playa Delfines (El Mirador) | Southern Hotel Zone | 2–3 hours | Free |
| MUSA Underwater Museum of Art | Bahía de Mujeres | 2–3 hours | Mid-priced |
| Isla Mujeres | Isla Mujeres | Full day | Low cost |
| Swimming with whale sharks | Caribbean Sea | Full day | Expensive |
| Coco Bongo | Punta Cancún | 4–5 hours | Expensive |
| Playa Langosta and Playa Tortugas | Northern Hotel Zone | Half a day | Free |
| Museo Maya de Cancún and San Miguelito | Southern Hotel Zone | 1.5–2 hours | Low cost |
| El Rey archaeological site | Southern Hotel Zone | 45 minutes | Low cost |
| Isla Contoy | Isla Contoy | Full day | Expensive |
| Nichupté Lagoon mangroves | Nichupté Lagoon | 2–3 hours | Mid-priced |
| Mercado 28 | Downtown Cancún | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Parque de las Palapas | Downtown Cancún | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Isla Blanca | Costa Mujeres | Half a day | Free |
| Punta Nizuc snorkelling | Southern Hotel Zone | 2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Playa Chac Mool and Playa Gaviota Azul | Punta Cancún | 2 hours | Free |
The 15 best things to do
Beach · Southern Hotel Zone
1.Playa Delfines (El Mirador)
One of the few long stretches of the Hotel Zone without hotels directly on the sand, Playa Delfines around km 18 has a lookout point over the open Caribbean and the colourful CANCÚN letters that everyone photographs. The water is a striking turquoise, but the surf and currents can be strong.
Check the flag colour before swimming and stay on the sand on red-flag days; bring shade, as there is little natural cover.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Iconic
- Photo spot
- Views
Experience · Bahía de Mujeres
2.MUSA Underwater Museum of Art
The Museo Subacuático de Arte has hundreds of life-size sculptures by Jason deCaires Taylor and other artists placed on the seabed between Cancún and Isla Mujeres to form artificial reefs. Shallower sections can be seen by snorkelling, deeper ones by diving or from glass-bottom boats, and corals and fish now cover many of the figures.
Visit with a tour operator that includes the marine-park fee, and wear a rash guard rather than ordinary sunscreen.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Kids
- Nature
- Iconic
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Island · Isla Mujeres
3.Isla Mujeres
Twenty minutes by ferry from Cancún, Isla Mujeres is about 7 km long, with the calm, shallow turquoise water of Playa Norte at its northern tip, a walkable town of colourful streets and seafood restaurants, and cliffs and a sculpture park at Punta Sur in the south. Visitors get around by golf cart, scooter or bike.
Take the ferry from Puerto Juárez for the lower fare, rent a golf cart to circle the island and stay for sunset at Playa Norte.
- Time needed
- Full day
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- Kids
- Couples
- Outdoors
- Views
Experience · Caribbean Sea
4.Swimming with whale sharks
From about June to mid-September, whale sharks, the world's largest fish, gather to feed off the north-eastern tip of the Yucatán, and licensed boats from Cancún, Isla Mujeres and Holbox take swimmers out to snorkel beside them under strict rules on numbers and distance.
Take seasickness tablets before you go; the boat ride can take more than an hour each way across open sea.
- Time needed
- Full day
- Cost
- Expensive
- Book ahead
- Book with a licensed operator in advance; trips leave very early and can be cancelled in rough seas.
- Nature
- Iconic
- Active
Experience · Punta Cancún
5.Coco Bongo
Cancún's most famous nightclub, at Punta Cancún, is part club and part Las Vegas-style show, with acrobats, tribute acts and confetti cannons running through the night. Entry packages usually include an open bar.
Arrive early; queues build fast at weekends and the show runs late into the night.
- Time needed
- 4–5 hours
- Cost
- Expensive
- Book ahead
- Buy tickets ahead for weekends and spring break, and check what the package includes.
- After dark
- Iconic
Beach · Northern Hotel Zone
6.Playa Langosta and Playa Tortugas
On the calm, north-facing stretch of the Hotel Zone, these public beaches have shallow, gentle water ideal for children and weaker swimmers, with snack bars, palapa shade and water-sports rentals. Playa Tortugas also has a ferry pier for Isla Mujeres.
Head here when the east-facing beaches fly red flags or are affected by seaweed.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Outdoors
Museum · Southern Hotel Zone
7.Museo Maya de Cancún and San Miguelito
Opened in 2012 at km 16.5 and run by Mexico's national institute of anthropology and history (INAH), the museum displays Maya pottery, jade, sculpture and finds from Quintana Roo's sites, including prehistoric human remains found in flooded caves near Tulum. The same ticket covers the San Miguelito archaeological site in the jungle behind it, with small temples and palaces.
Visit in the heat of the afternoon or on a cloudy day; the galleries are air-conditioned.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Rainy day
- Kids
Historic site · Southern Hotel Zone
8.El Rey archaeological site
Opposite Playa Delfines around km 18, this small Maya site has the remains of a late Maya town, with platforms, small temples and a central street, now home to hundreds of sunbathing iguanas. It takes under an hour and is rarely busy.
Combine it with Playa Delfines across the road; go early or late to avoid the strongest sun.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Kids
- Off the beaten path
Island · Isla Contoy
1.Isla Contoy
A protected island national park about 30 km north of Isla Mujeres, Isla Contoy is a nesting site for frigatebirds, brown pelicans and cormorants. Daily visitor numbers are capped, so it is visited only on licensed tours, which usually combine a nature trail, a lookout tower and snorkelling with a stop at Isla Mujeres.
Bring binoculars and plenty of water; there is little shade on the boat or the beach.
- Time needed
- Full day
- Cost
- Expensive
- Book ahead
- Only licensed operators can land on the island and numbers are limited each day; book a tour a few days ahead.
- Nature
- Off the beaten path
- Outdoors
Nature · Nichupté Lagoon
2.Nichupté Lagoon mangroves
Behind the Hotel Zone, the Nichupté Lagoon system is fringed with mangroves where herons, egrets and the occasional crocodile live. Popular 'jungle tours' let you drive small speedboats through the channels out to the reef for snorkelling, while kayak and paddleboard trips are calmer ways to explore.
Book a late-afternoon paddle and watch the sun set over the lagoon, which faces west.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Nature
- Active
- Outdoors
- Couples
Market · Downtown Cancún
3.Mercado 28
Downtown's best-known market is a horseshoe of stalls selling hammocks, silver, embroidered blouses, ceramics and souvenirs at lower prices than in the Hotel Zone, with small fondas in the central courtyard serving Yucatecan lunches.
Bargaining is expected; start well below the first price and settle with a smile.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Shopping
- Food
- Free
Experience · Downtown Cancún
4.Parque de las Palapas
The downtown square where Cancún's families gather in the evening, with food stalls selling marquesitas, esquites, tacos and churros, and live music or dancing at weekends. It is the easiest place to see local life, a short bus ride from the Hotel Zone.
Come after sunset when the stalls are busiest, then walk to nearby Avenida Yaxchilán for dinner or a drink.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Food
- After dark
- Kids
Beach · Costa Mujeres
5.Isla Blanca
North of Costa Mujeres, Isla Blanca is a narrow sandy peninsula between the Caribbean and the Chacmuchuch Lagoon, mostly undeveloped and reached by a rough sandy road. Its steady winds and flat lagoon water make it a favourite with kitesurfers, and its beaches are far quieter than the Hotel Zone's.
Bring water, food and shade; facilities are basic, and a high-clearance car or taxi helps on the access road.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Nature
- Off the beaten path
- Outdoors
- Active
Nature · Southern Hotel Zone
6.Punta Nizuc snorkelling
At the southern tip of the Hotel Zone, the reef at Punta Nizuc lies within the national marine park that also covers Isla Mujeres' western coast and Punta Cancún. Snorkel tours from the lagoon visit its corals, tropical fish and some shallow underwater sculptures.
Wear a rash guard and use biodegradable sunscreen; operators often ask you not to wear ordinary sunscreen in the water.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Nature
- Kids
- Active
Beach · Punta Cancún
7.Playa Chac Mool and Playa Gaviota Azul
Just south of Punta Cancún around km 9–10, these neighbouring public beaches have white sand and the first open-Caribbean views of the Hotel Zone, handy for a swim between restaurants and bars. Waves are often stronger here than on the bay side.
Use the public access paths between hotels, and swim only where lifeguards are posted.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Photo spot
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | MUSA Underwater Museum of Art and Museo Maya de Cancún and San Miguelito |
| History | Museo Maya de Cancún and San Miguelito and El Rey archaeological site |
| Views | Playa Delfines (El Mirador) and Isla Mujeres |
| Outdoors and nature | MUSA Underwater Museum of Art, Isla Mujeres, Swimming with whale sharks and Playa Langosta and Playa Tortugas |
| Food and markets | Mercado 28 and Parque de las Palapas |
| After dark | Parque de las Palapas and Coco Bongo |
| With children | Playa Langosta and Playa Tortugas, Museo Maya de Cancún and San Miguelito, El Rey archaeological site and MUSA Underwater Museum of Art |
| On a rainy day | Museo Maya de Cancún and San Miguelito |
What to book ahead
- Swimming with whale sharks: Book with a licensed operator in advance; trips leave very early and can be cancelled in rough seas.
- Coco Bongo: Buy tickets ahead for weekends and spring break, and check what the package includes.
- Isla Contoy: Only licensed operators can land on the island and numbers are limited each day; book a tour a few days ahead.
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Cancún?
Playa Delfines (El Mirador). One of the few long stretches of the Hotel Zone without hotels directly on the sand, Playa Delfines around km 18 has a lookout point over the open Caribbean and the colourful CANCÚN letters that everyone photographs.
+What can you do for free in Cancún?
Playa Delfines (El Mirador), Playa Langosta and Playa Tortugas, Mercado 28, Parque de las Palapas and Isla Blanca. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Cancún when it rains?
Head indoors to Museo Maya de Cancún and San Miguelito.
+What is there to do in Cancún at night?
Parque de las Palapas and Coco Bongo are best after dark.