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Aerial view of Punta Cancún in the Hotel Zone, with hotel towers, a curved white beach and a stone jetty reaching into turquoise Caribbean water

Where to stay in Cancún and the Riviera Maya

Photo: ProtoplasmaKid, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Places to stay in Cancún

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About Cancún

Cancún airport sits between the city and the Riviera Maya: the Hotel Zone is about 23 km away by road, Playa del Carmen about 55 km and Tulum about 117 km. The choice is between the resort strip, the city, an island without the car and the towns down the coast.

Mexico. Guide last checked .

Facts and rules

Last checked . Each fact links to its source.

Airport
Cancún International (CUN), about 23 km by road from the Hotel Zone, about 19 km from downtown Cancún, about 55 km from Playa del Carmen and about 117 km from Tulum. Source
State lodging tax
Quintana Roo: 5% of the price of the stay, and 6% for private apartments, houses and villas since 1 April 2023. It covers the room, not meals, and the host or the platform that takes the payment charges it separately. Source
Cancún sanitation levy
72.80% of the UMA per occupied room per night, about MXN 85 in 2026, in hotels and in homes and rooms, platform bookings included. The guest pays; the hotel or host withholds it. Source
Playa del Carmen and Tulum levies
Per room per night: 30% of the UMA for one guest, plus 20% for a second, 15% for a third and 10% from the fourth, so about MXN 35 for one guest and MXN 88 for four in 2026. Children under 12 do not count as extra guests. Source
Isla Mujeres levy
30% of the UMA per visitor per night, about MXN 35 in 2026, withheld by the lodging. Day visitors pay it through the ferry operator; people who work in the municipality are exempt. Source
Visitax
Foreign visitors entering Quintana Roo pay 2.5 UMA, about MXN 293 in 2026, children included, online at visitax.gob.mx. Visitors entering by the southern border are exempt. Source
VAT
16% IVA on lodging, charged alongside the state tax. A platform selling stays for hosts must show the IVA separately or mark its prices "IVA incluido". Source
Short-term rental rules
Hosts must enrol in the state taxpayer register, hold a certificate of state tax obligations for each property and register on the state tourism platform. No rule requiring a number on listings was found. Source
Parking with a rental car
No parking-meter tariff was found in the municipal finance laws. In Cancún, double parking, blocking a driveway or parking where signs forbid it costs 15 to 20 UMA and the car can go to the depot. Source
Entry
No visa for tourists from the EU, the UK or the US. The officer stamps the passport with the days granted, up to 180, and air arrivals download the migration form (FMM) from the INM portal. Source
Monthly stays
Airbnb calls 28 nights or more a monthly stay. The lodging tax applies to the whole stay and the levies to every night, with no long-stay exemption or cap found. Source
Emergency numbers
911 for police, ambulance and fire; 078 for the Green Angels roadside service on the highways (via GetCar). Source

Areas of Cancún

A wide white-sand beach in Cancún with turquoise surf and hotel towers along the shore in the distance
Photographed in 2016. Photo: Luka Peternel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Hotel Zone

Cancún's resort strip, an island shaped like a 7 that runs parallel to the mainland, with hotel towers along its beaches and ferries to Isla Mujeres from Playa Tortugas and Playa Caracol. It suits a first beach holiday built around a hotel.

Cancún airport
about 23 km
Downtown Cancún
about 15 km
Playa Tortugas ferry
about 3 km

Car and parking

Cancún's traffic rules apply here as in town: no parking on pavements, in double file, in front of driveways or on red kerbs. No parking-meter tariff was found; ask the hotel how guest parking works.

Downtown Cancún

The city itself, seat of the Benito Juárez municipality, inland from the Hotel Zone. It suits city life, apartments for longer stays and a shorter drive to the airport; Puerto Juárez, 2 km north of the centre, has the passenger ferries to Isla Mujeres.

Cancún airport
about 19 km
The Hotel Zone
about 15 km
Puerto Juárez ferry
about 6 km

Car and parking

Street parking follows the municipal rules: no parking on a red kerb or within 10 m of a corner, and restricted zones open on Sundays and holidays unless announced. Double parking or blocking a driveway costs 15 to 20 UMA and can end at the depot.

Aerial view of Playa Norte on Isla Mujeres, with shallow turquoise water, a white beach lined with sun loungers and palms, and hotels behind
Photographed in 2018. Photo: dronepicr, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Isla Mujeres

An island about 13 km off the coast, with its own town, reached by passenger ferry from Puerto Juárez or the Hotel Zone. It suits a stay without the car, with beach days at Playa Norte.

Cancún airport to the Puerto Juárez ferry
about 21 km
The crossing from Puerto Juárez
about 10 km

Car and parking

Isla Mujeres needs no car (via GetCar), so the car stays on the mainland. Parking at the ferry terminals was not verified; ask the host where to leave it.

People walking along the paved Quinta Avenida in Playa del Carmen, past shops, café tables, parasols and palm trees under strings of lights
Photo: Northwest, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Playa del Carmen

A resort city on the Riviera Maya whose centre revolves around Quinta Avenida, a pedestrian street of shops, clubs and restaurants, with ferries across to Cozumel. It suits a walkable base between Cancún and Tulum.

Cancún airport
about 55 km
Tulum
about 64 km
Downtown Cancún
about 68 km

Car and parking

No parking-meter tariff was found in the municipal finance law. Quinta Avenida is pedestrian, so ask the host whether a parking space comes with the booking.

A small beach below the Tulum ruins, with a stone temple on a rocky headland, palms and turquoise sea
Photo: Erik Cleves Kristensen, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Tulum

The town near the Maya ruins, the largest community in its municipality, with Tulum International Airport (TQO) about 20 km to the south-west. It suits the south of the coast and a trip that starts or ends at TQO.

Cancún airport
about 117 km
Playa del Carmen
about 64 km
Tulum ruins
about 4 km

Car and parking

Tulum is on Highway 307, the coast road from Cancún (via GetCar). No parking-meter tariff was found in the municipal finance law; ask the host about parking.

Guides

Questions

Which area is best for a first visit to Cancún?

The Hotel Zone, the resort strip about 23 km from the airport by road, for a beach holiday at a hotel. Downtown Cancún, about 19 km from the airport, suits city life, and Playa del Carmen a walkable base further down the coast.

What taxes are added to a night in Cancún?

16% VAT (IVA), the Quintana Roo lodging tax of 5% (6% for private apartments, houses and villas) and Cancún's sanitation levy of 72.80% of the UMA per occupied room per night, about MXN 85 in 2026. Foreign visitors also pay the Visitax once on entering the state.

Do visitors need a visa for Cancún?

Visitors from the EU, the UK and the US need none for a tourist stay. The immigration officer stamps the passport with the number of days granted, up to the legal maximum of 180.

How far is Tulum from Cancún airport?

About 117 km by road, and Playa del Carmen about 55 km. Tulum also has its own airport, Tulum International (TQO), about 20 km south-west of the town, in service since December 2023.