Yucatan Road Trip Itinerary: 2 Weeks, Budget and Tips

2 weeks, 2,600 km, 3 states and dozens of cenotes: that’s our Yucatan road trip in a nutshell! Mexico is a huge country that you can’t possibly see in a single trip, so for this first visit we focused on the Yucatan Peninsula, which is made up of 3 states: Yucatán, Campeche and Quintana Roo. It’s one of the most touristy regions, as it’s home to one of the wonders of the world, Chichen Itza, as well as the famous Cancun and Playa del Carmen. In this article, I’m sharing our 2-week Yucatan road trip itinerary day by day, with the map and driving times, our budget, our best tips, but also our mistakes and what we’d change if we did it again. The practical information was updated in October 2026. Shall we go?

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Our Yucatan road trip at a glance

Our 2-week Yucatan road trip itinerary

To be completely honest with you, I wanted to go to Mexico one day, but not straight away… I wanted to see the US West Coast, the Taj Mahal or Bali first^^. I had a rather negative image of the country, even though I knew we’d definitely love the landscapes, the food, the wildlife and the plants… But a great deal on plane tickets won me over, and off we went for a 2-week road trip in the Yucatan, Mexico.

❕ A word of warning: some of the itineraries we read (and initially took inspiration from) turned out to be far too ambitious once we were there (cenotes, number of islands visited, ferries to catch for the Islas, etc.). There’s a lot of driving (some of it on pretty rough roads, more on that below), and you need to leave yourself some leeway for the unexpected. We lost an afternoon to a heavy tropical downpour, and about 2 hours looking for a cenote… that we never found! So we also wrote an article on the subject: the best cenotes in the Yucatan.

Here are our drives, stage by stage. Distances and driving times are approximate, without stops… and without counting the topes, which slow you down quite a bit!

Day 1: arriving in Cancun

We landed at Cancun airport at 6.30pm. By the time we’d got through immigration, collected our bags and picked up the car, it was almost 8pm. For this first night, we’d booked a cheap hotel from France, as we weren’t planning to hang around. The area around Cancun is pretty deserted, so luckily the hotel had a restaurant and a pool…

➺ Night at the Hacienda de Castilla in Cancun: average location, very basic, but the food was good and cheap.

Day 2: Cancun – Playa del Carmen – Las Coloradas

After breakfast, we left our hotel for a street art walk in Cancun. Then we couldn’t resist driving through the famous Hotel Zone: a long road lined with huge hotels and beaches on one side, and shopping centres and boutiques on the other… We stopped at Playa Delfines, with the colourful Cancun sign, which is actually quite nice.

We only spent a short morning in Playa del Carmen. Still a bit tired from the journey, we relaxed on the beach for a while before having lunch at a trendy and delicious restaurant, El Zorro Plateado.

As this trip was planned rather last-minute, some of the excursions we wanted to do were no longer available on our dates. So we had to rework our itinerary, and to avoid wasting a day around Tulum, we decided to start with a detour to Rio Lagartos and Las Coloradas. After lunch we headed north, hoping to arrive in time for sunset. We drove like crazy, forgetting that Yucatán state is one hour behind! Yes, Mexico has several time zones… Oops! So we arrived with plenty of time for the sunset and even for a short guided tour. A few flamingos even showed up, with a stunning sunset over the Rio Lagartos lagoon… The trip had really begun!

➺ Night at the Hotel Rio Lagartos in the town of the same name: great hotel and an excellent restaurant!

Day 3: Rio Lagartos – Gran Cenote – Akumal

We’d booked the night before, and met at 7am for a 3-hour boat trip in the Rio Lagartos reserve. On the menu? Dozens of birds, iguanas, crocodiles, mangroves and flamingos. Our first wildlife excursion, exactly what we’d hoped for from this trip: an unforgettable experience. We tell you all about it in our dedicated article on Rio Lagartos and Las Coloradas.

We then drove towards Akumal, stopping at Gran Cenote. The first cenote of the trip! Did you know that cenotes are only found in the Yucatan? We’d have happily stayed longer for a swim, but it closed at 4.45pm… Next stop, Akumal beach to see the turtles… or not… You have to pay to get onto the public beach… ironic, isn’t it? We said no, thinking we’d try again the next day.

➺ Night in Akumal at the Condo Hotel: hard to find in Akumal village as it was brand new and had no signs! Edit: apparently this hotel no longer exists!

Day 4: Akumal – Tulum

We got up very early to try to get onto Akumal beach without paying… It was 7.30am, but the hotel “security guards” were already there… We’d spotted a paid entrance the day before, so we went there: nobody around, but the beach at that spot was impossible to use because of big rocks… We walked over to the restaurants and were told we could get in at 9am for 50 pesos per person, or that we could have breakfast at the hotel restaurant, which would give us access to the beach… So today it’s impossible to get onto Akumal beach without paying. Expats living in the area confirmed this a few days later. We were told about the beach near Cenote Manati, where you can apparently see turtles, but we didn’t try it.

We then had an excursion booked, but our guide preferred to postpone it as storms were forecast for the afternoon… So we moved it to two days later, which meant staying an extra day in the area…

So we took the opportunity to visit the Tulum ruins, one of the most beautiful Mayan archaeological sites thanks to its location by the sea, and a must-see historical site. We stayed from about 10.30am to 1pm, and just as we were leaving, a tropical downpour hit us… We ate there, hoping it would ease off, but no… We spent the afternoon at the hotel, with a few attempts at walking around town… Good to know: since our visit, the ruins have become part of the Parque del Jaguar. In 2026, expect to pay around 265 pesos per foreign visitor for the park entrance, the national park fee and the archaeological site.

Read our article on things to do in Tulum and the surrounding area for all the details on the town!

➺ Night at the Jabin boutique hotel in Tulum, with a light breakfast, but probably one of the nicest rooms of the trip.

Day 5: Cenote Zacil Ha – Sian Ka’an

We got up early to try to see a cenote or two before the excursion planned that day… We stopped at Cenote Carwash, which charges 50 pesos even if you only go in for 5 minutes to have a look… We moved on… We arrived at Cenote Zacil Ha, and there was nobody at the entrance…. I went in and found the place empty, perfect for a few sneaky photos…

We then met Martine to visit the Sian Ka’an reserve, a wonderful day that you can read about in our dedicated article. This excursion took us into the jungle, to the Muyil ruins, and through the aquatic part and beautiful beaches of the reserve. A day of wildlife spotting, shared with a lovely group of holidaymakers and punctuated by plenty of tasty breaks! (For those who asked, you can contact Martine by email: martinedufour.excursions@hotmail.com).

➺ Night in Tulum at the same hotel as the night before.

Day 6: Cenote Dos Ojos – Punta Laguna

I nagged Alcino into going to see Cenote Dos Ojos, because I’d read it was one of the most beautiful… I should have known better: it’s also one of the most expensive, and the road there is really rough… After the entrance, there are 3 km of stony track… All that to spend only 30 minutes there because we had another excursion planned… Anyway… Sometimes you just have to back out early! In fact, I’d only recommend this cenote if you’re a diver.

Luckily, the rest of the day was amazing! We set off with Anna, one of Martine’s colleagues, to the Punta Laguna reserve and its lagoon! On the menu? A wonderful time with a Mayan family, our first encounter with spider monkeys (and a howler monkey), a zip line, and abseiling down into a very special cenote… I tell you all about this day in our dedicated article on Punta Laguna!

We then hit the road straight away, around 5pm, heading for Bacalar and another famous lagoon!

➺ Night in Bacalar: Casa Ichakabal Bacalar. The hotel is nice, mainly because it has a small jetty, and free bikes and kayaks, but the rooms themselves were average.

Day 7: Bacalar

At first, I wasn’t particularly keen on going to Bacalar. Yes, the photos looked nice, beautiful blue water and so on… but I don’t know, to me it was just a lagoon… As it was a convenient stop between Tulum and Calakmul, we stopped… and thank goodness we did! It was THE great surprise of our road trip! The town has a kind of magical aura, you feel good there, zen, relaxed… We loved it! And the colour of the water… even better than in the photos! It’s one of the places where we’d happily have stayed an extra night… Our article is here: the magic of Bacalar and its lagoon of 7 colours.

Around 5pm, we drove to the village of Conhuas to be as close as possible to the Calakmul reserve the next morning.

➺ Night in Conhuas in one of the Calakmul cabins: an unusual experience guaranteed! A wooden cabin, a bit basic but very clean, with everything you need: a good bed, a mosquito net, hot water, and a good restaurant on site as a bonus.

Day 8: Calakmul

Up at the crack of dawn, hoping to see the famous jaguar on the road to the reserve… Instead we saw peacocks, a deer, a sort of wild boar… This site is simply magnificent! Here we saw the most impressive Mayan temples in terms of size, in the middle of dense jungle, and with very few tourists… The icing on the cake? The many howler monkeys we saw… and above all heard! We left the park around 1pm, taking our time on the way back in case we spotted more animals. Our account of our visit to Calakmul is here.

Back in town, we had a relaxed lunch while waiting for 4.30pm. Then we headed to a cave (the Zotz Cave), where every day at around 5.15/5.20pm an incredible show takes place… Millions of bats fly out all at once in a swirling cloud… I’d never seen anything like it! Apparently this phenomenon only happens here, in the Yucatan, and in Malaysia!

We then drove on to the city of Campeche so as not to waste any time. This stretch of road is quite long, with lots of roadworks too. But we don’t regret it one bit!

➺ Night in Campeche at the Hotel Francis Drake: old-fashioned hotel, cockroaches, very noisy air conditioning and neon lights, unfriendly staff… We don’t recommend it.

Day 9: Campeche

After the hectic pace of the previous 24 hours, we took our time strolling around the city centre, enjoying its colourful houses, churches, malecón and market… We’ll tell you about our day in Campeche in a dedicated article, but to give you an idea, the city reminded us a lot of Trinidad in Cuba!

➺ Night in Campeche at the same hotel, where we’d unfortunately already paid for both nights…

Day 10: Uxmal – Hacienda Ochil – Cenote Sambula – Mérida

We set off fairly early towards Mérida, with several stops on the way. But before that… we were pulled over by the police, who made up a speeding offence… We found ourselves completely powerless, having to pay 2,500 pesos to a corrupt cop who pocketed the money… A horrible moment that ruined our day, and even part of our holiday… I don’t know if I’ll write an article about it, but in the meantime, if you want to know more, feel free to ask your questions in the comments…

Anyway, back on the road, heading for the archaeological site of Uxmal, which we found really stunning. You can climb one of the pyramids for a superb panoramic view. We finished the visit just in time for lunch at Hacienda Ochil, which isn’t far away. Then we stopped at Cenote Sambula: almost nobody there, brilliant! A swim was very welcome after all that climbing in the morning!

We arrived in Mérida at sunset, which gave us time for a stroll around the city while waiting for the lunar eclipse!

➺ Night in Mérida at the Hotel Santiago: nice, with discounted rates at the car park opposite, but a very light breakfast!

Day 11: Mérida – Cuzama cenotes

We continued exploring Mérida until midday, then went looking for Cenote Noh-Mozon… which we never found! We wasted time going round in circles on dirt tracks in poor condition… so we settled for the Cuzama cenotes instead. These are 3 cenotes reached by a horse-drawn cart, in the village of Cuzama. It’s unusual and the cenotes are very special, but the horse-drawn part made us a little uncomfortable…

We set off for Valladolid, where we’d already booked our night, when we spotted a really pretty church by the road… We stopped, and a father playing football with his son came over to talk to us. He’s a local guide trying to promote his little-known village, its beautiful cenotes and this historic church, which has the third-largest forecourt in the world after the Vatican and Izamal! We had a lovely time with him, and were really glad we could speak Spanish at that moment! If you’d like to discover less touristy cenotes, and this church, stop in Homún!

❕ If we did it again, we’d book our accommodation in Chichen Itza’s town, Pisté, as we had to backtrack the next morning. Prices in Pisté and Valladolid are about the same anyway!

➺ Night in Valladolid at the Hotel Maria de la Luz, which we recommend! The room is simple but spacious, with a huge breakfast buffet and free private parking, all right in the city centre!

Day 12: Chichen Itza – Uayma – X-Keken & Samula cenotes

We got up early to arrive at Chichen Itza for opening time and… the car park was already full of vehicles!! We quickly found a French couple to share a guide with, and off we went to see another wonder of the world! The Mayan archaeological site is really beautiful and the guided tour quite interesting. Arriving early means you can take photos without anyone in them, which is no longer the case by midday. On the other hand, we were glad we visited this site last, because it’s nothing like the others… It’s extremely touristy, with souvenir stalls absolutely everywhere! In 2026, entry to Chichen Itza costs 697 pesos for foreign visitors, now with a single ticket paid in one go.

On the way to the afternoon’s cenotes, we made a detour to a church I’d spotted online, in Uayma. It’s so unusual that I really wanted to see it in real life! It’s a colourful historic church, really pretty! Then we enjoyed some downtime at X-Keken and Samula, before heading back to Valladolid.

➺ Night in Valladolid at the same hotel as the night before.

Day 13: Valladolid – Cenote Zaci – Cenote Suytun

We spent the morning exploring Valladolid a little, but above all visiting Cenote Zaci. One of the craziest we’ve been to, as it’s right in the heart of the town! On the way, we stopped at Suytun, but the number of coaches in the car park put us off swimming. We took a few photos and set off for Chiquilá, where we boarded the ferry to Holbox around 4pm, supposedly a paradise island. We checked into the hotel and headed to the beach to enjoy the last rays of sunshine, before soaking up the atmosphere of the town.

➺ Night on Holbox at the Hotel Paseo Kuka: a bit out of the way, but really nice with a lovely room!

Day 14: Holbox

Relaxing, resting, strolling, golf cart hire, etc. That’s the programme on Holbox island (Isla Holbox)! We were still disappointed though: yes, the island has a laid-back, slightly hipster vibe, but everything is expensive and, above all, the beaches are really dirty!!! The hotels clean up in front of “their door” and throw the seaweed and leaves onto the strip of sand between them and the sea. As a result, the hotel terraces are clean, but the rest isn’t at all. To find the nice beach on the island, you have to go to its tip at Punta Coco, where there’s less seaweed, but it’s still 2.5 km from the town centre! It was sold to us as a paradise island, and that’s not what we found…

➺ Night on Holbox at the same hotel as the night before.

Day 15: Holbox – Cancun

It’s departure day! The weather was awful, so after one last short walk on Holbox beach, we took the ferry back to Chiquilá. We picked up our car and drove back towards Cancun. We had a wander around the market to do some shopping and have a relaxed lunch. The weather got worse and we got caught in another tropical downpour! One last stop at Cancun beach, soaked to the skin, but at least we made the most of it until the very end!

We returned the car before our 8pm flight, with an extra 2,600 km on the clock! What a road trip through the heart of the peninsula!

Yucatan road trip in 10 days or 1 week: our shorter versions

Don’t have 2 weeks? Don’t panic… With hindsight, here’s how we’d organise our trip with less time, keeping our favourites and skipping what disappointed us. Be warned, you’ll have to make some choices!

Yucatan itinerary in 10 days

• Day 1: arrive in Cancun
• Day 2: drive to Valladolid, Cenote Zaci and Cenote Suytun
• Day 3: Chichen Itza at opening time, Uayma church, X-Keken and Samula cenotes, night in Valladolid or Pisté
• Day 4: Cuzama or Homún cenotes, then Mérida
• Day 5: Uxmal and Hacienda Ochil, then Campeche
• Day 6: Campeche in the morning, then drive to Conhuas in time for the bats coming out
• Day 7: Calakmul at sunrise, then Bacalar
• Day 8: Bacalar and its lagoon of 7 colours
• Day 9: Tulum, its ruins and cenotes
• Day 10: Akumal and Playa del Carmen on the way back to Cancun

We’d skip Holbox, our big disappointment, as well as Rio Lagartos and Las Coloradas, even though we loved them: it’s quite a long detour when you’re short on time.

Yucatan itinerary in 1 week

• Day 1: arrive in Cancun
• Day 2: drive to Valladolid and its cenotes
• Day 3: Chichen Itza early in the morning, then Rio Lagartos and Las Coloradas for sunset
• Day 4: boat trip in the Rio Lagartos reserve, then drive to Tulum
• Day 5: Tulum ruins and cenotes
• Day 6: Bacalar, or the Sian Ka’an excursion if you’d rather avoid the drive
• Day 7: back to Cancun (allow about 4 hours’ drive from Bacalar)

In 1 week, we’d skip Calakmul, Campeche and Mérida, which are too far for such a short trip. It’s a shame, but it’s a good excuse to come back!

Yucatan road trip: practical tips

Before you go & visa

➺ UK, EU, US and Canadian citizens don’t need a visa for a tourist stay in Mexico (up to 180 days). You’ll need a passport valid for the whole length of your stay and a return ticket. On arrival, you may be asked where you’re staying and how you’re funding your trip, so keep your bookings handy. No vaccinations are compulsory. Check your government’s latest travel advice for Mexico before you leave.

➺ To pack in your suitcase: mosquito repellent, or even a mosquito net depending on the season. In January we didn’t need a net, but we used a battery-powered repellent device.

When is the best time to visit the Yucatan?

➺ The best time for a Yucatan road trip is the dry season, from November to April. From December to March, it’s warm without being stifling, perfect for combining Mayan sites and cenotes. We went in January, and apart from two heavy tropical downpours, the weather was good.

➺ April and May are very hot, especially inland (Mérida, Campeche, Calakmul). The rainy season then runs from June to October, with showers that are often short but intense, and a risk of hurricanes from June to the end of November.

➺ Also watch out for sargassum, the brown seaweed that washes up on the Caribbean coast (Tulum, Akumal, Playa del Carmen…) roughly from April to October. 2025 and 2026 broke records! Holbox and Isla Mujeres are often less affected. If you’re travelling during this period, check the sargassum tracking maps before booking beachfront hotels.

Mexican pesos

We exchanged some of our Mexican pesos in France before leaving (we don’t like arriving without local currency), but in the end the exchange rate was much better over there. Today, the easiest option is to travel with a bank card with no foreign transaction fees and withdraw cash from bank ATMs, declining the conversion into your home currency offered by the machine. Always keep some cash for cenotes, tolls, small restaurants and tips.

Getting around the Yucatan

We chose to hire a car, for more freedom with our schedule, but also to reach less touristy places.

That said, it’s also a very easy region to explore by bus. The network is very well developed, and we saw lots of ADO bus stations (their website: ADO buses). In the towns, there are plenty of “colectivos” that will take you to the cenotes or tourist sites.

➺ New since our trip: the Tren Maya! Opened at the end of 2023, this train links Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Bacalar, Campeche, Mérida and Valladolid, with a stop for Chichen Itza. In 2026, a Cancun – Mérida ticket costs around 547 pesos at the tourist rate, for a journey of just over 3.5 hours. It’s handy for travelling between the main towns, but for cenotes, Calakmul or Las Coloradas, a car is still much more flexible.

Car hire

We booked our car on the Auto Europe website, with good value for money, and ended up with a car from Europcar. The booking was very clear, and we took basic insurance, which seemed enough for us (we almost always parked in private car parks). We picked up the car at Cancun airport and returned it there 14 days later. Auto Europe is a leading car hire company, not only because of its unbeatable prices, but also because it works with all rental companies, both international and local. You can even hire campervans!

➺ Good to know: foreign car insurance isn’t valid in Mexico, and Mexican third-party liability insurance is compulsory. On comparison sites, it isn’t always included in the price shown, so check carefully what’s covered before booking to avoid nasty surprises at the counter.

Driving in Mexico

Driving in Mexico is quite an adventure… For 2 reasons: the topes and… Mexican drivers! They never use their indicators, overtake on the right… in short, pretty sporty driving… But what really made Alcino sweat were the topes, huge speed bumps that aren’t always signposted… The roads are sometimes in good condition and sometimes full of huge potholes that force you to drive at 20 km/h…

We’d also read that you have to be very careful with speed limits as the police don’t mess around. So we were very careful. Unfortunately, when the police are corrupt and acting in bad faith, even if you’re careful you can have a bad experience like ours… And get a fine you have to pay without a word… We’d have liked to protest, but as we didn’t know how it would end, we preferred to keep quiet and pay… We had no desire to end up at the police station or something like that…

We’d also read that the road near Belize and Guatemala was the most heavily checked. During our stay, we only saw 2 checkpoints: a military one between Bacalar and Conhuas checking lorries, and a police one between Conhuas and Campeche.

And finally, we’d read that driving at night was not recommended… At first we “respected” this rule, but after a few days we felt confident enough to drive even after dark… In fact, our impression was that since tourists are advised not to drive at night, they don’t, and the police no longer carry out checks in the evening. Besides, our “fine” happened at around 9am…

Two weeks after we got home, other travellers we follow on Instagram were stopped in the same place as us, with the same speech from the police officer: “you were speeding blah blah, you have to pay a fine”. They managed to get out of it by showing a photocopy of their driving licence and saying they had no money on them… Be extra careful when leaving Campeche towards Mérida.

➺ The French government’s advice if you’re stopped by the police: never hand money to an officer directly (or at an ATM), ask for the exact offence and the payment procedure, and note the officers’ names and badge numbers. It also recommends using toll motorways and filling up in daylight, at petrol stations in towns.

Budget

In 2019, we spent around €3,100 on our 2-week Yucatan road trip, or €1,550 per person, broken down as follows:

Flights: €700 for 2 people (promotional fares, from Paris)
Accommodation: €722 for 14 nights, an average of €51 per night
Car hire for 14 days: €150
Car expenses: fuel = €180, tolls = €12.70 and additional driver €50
Food: €491, or €35 per day
Excursions & visits: €626
Other (souvenirs, tips…): €81.50
Fine: €125

And today? Prices have gone up quite a bit since our trip, especially entry fees to the sites: in 2026, Chichen Itza costs 697 pesos per person for foreign visitors, and the whole Tulum area around 265 pesos. Also allow some extra for car hire once the compulsory insurance is added.

Where to stay?

We only booked our first night in Cancun in advance, then booked each night the day before on Booking. We chose this approach because it gives us maximum freedom, though it can sometimes be more expensive than booking ahead. For this road trip through the Yucatan Peninsula, it didn’t cost much more, with rooms between roughly €25 and €40. Our favourite was the hotel in Tulum, even though it wasn’t close to the beach!

Where and what to eat?

Restaurants, street food, markets… To be honest, we tried a bit of everything everywhere! We stuffed ourselves with guacamole, tacos and exotic fruit, discovered new fruit juices we’d never heard of, and ate our fill of corn tortillas! We even made some ourselves, for a real culinary experience! Mexico is also a great destination if you’re gluten intolerant, as most dishes are made with corn! We’ve written a delicious article on Mexican and Yucatecan food, but no surprise: we ate really well!!

Our tips

➺ As I said at the beginning of the article, some of the itineraries we took inspiration from seemed impossible once we were there. They don’t take into account distances, village roads, the weather… we lost several hours looking for cenotes and a day to torrential rain in Tulum. First tip: give yourself plenty of leeway.

➺ Be very careful when driving, because unfortunately, like us, you may come across corrupt cops and have to pay a fine with no way out.

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This 2-week Yucatan road trip let us see a million different things. We swam in dozens of cenotes, saw loads of animals in their natural habitat, climbed dozens of Mayan temples, ate 10 kilos of guacamole and tacos… A rich and varied trip that amazed us every day… I won’t lie to you, the fine/bribe from that corrupt cop spoiled part of our stay, and we really struggled to get over it… Now that 2 weeks have passed, we’ve calmed down, we’re only keeping the positives from this trip, and our heads are full of wonderful memories. I’d love to go back and discover all the Yucatan islands: Isla Mujeres or Cozumel… I’d go back to Holbox to change my mind about the island… And why not see the flamingos on the other side of the peninsula this time? Hehe! Mexico has 32 states after all, so… there’s plenty to see!

FAQ – 2-week Yucatan road trip