What the Xichen Deluxe Chichen Itza tour is like to Chichen Itza

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What is the Xichen Deluxe Tour like to Chichen Itza?

Many people want to go to Chichen Itza Mayan ruins. This seems to be on the top of many tourist lists when coming to this part of Mexico. There are a lot of tours to Chichen Itza you will see advertised. So how do you pick one? Well, you need to know what you want, often your choices are between a private tour, small group tour or bus tour. Here is what the very popular Xichen Deluxe Tour is like to Chichen Itza. Here is our review.

Our video introduction to the Xichen Deluxe Tour

We made this video of our day to Chichen Itza and Valladolid with the Xichen Deluxe Tour to show you more of what to expect.

What to expect on this tour to Chichen Itza by Xcaret

Your tour will start with a scheduled pickup from your hotel or meeting point. If you are staying in the Playa Del Carmen area or south at a resort, you will be transferred to Xel Ha Park where there is a bus depot. This is on the way to Chichen Itza and will save time from having to stop at many hotels. Once you get to Xel Ha you can go to the bathroom, grab a coffee and then look for your bus.

Once you transfer to your Xichen bus, you will meet your guides and be served a breakfast snack. The snack contains coffee, juice, a corn muffin and a ham sandwich.

On your want to Chichen Itza your guide will tell you about Mayan history and culture and tell you about some projects that Xcaret works with in conjunction with local communities. Having the guide talk to you makes the trip pass by faster.

Xichen Delue Tour to Chichen Itza
This is what everyone wants to see at Chichen Itza.

 

Time at Chichen Itza Mayan ruins

When you arrive at Chichen Itza you guide will give you a bottle of water with a shoulder strap for carrying it, an optional umbrella for the sun, and an earphone so you can hear the guide.

When you go into the visitors center you will have another chance at a bathroom break before going into the Chichen Itza site. Your tickets will be handed to you and there is no need to get in the long lines for tickets.

Once inside the site, your guide will walk you around to some of the most important sites and give you historical information. This part of the tour is about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Afterward you will have about one hour to walk the ruin site.

Xichen Delue Tour to Chichen Itza
We enjoyed listening the certified guides. Each time we go to Chichen Itza we learn something new.

A stop at Cenote Zaci in Valladolid

After you finish at Chichen Itza you will be greeted at your bus with drinks and then it is off to the colonial city of Valladolid. Depending on the schedule, your first stop might be Cenote Zaci. This is a beautiful cenote right in the middle of the city.

This cenote is available for taking photos but not for swimming with this tour. There is not time or good changing facilities at this cenote. It is nonetheless good to see. It is one of the thousands of cenotes in the Yucatan Peninsula.

Xichen Delue Tour to Chichen Itza
The beautiful Cenote Zaci in the middle of Valladolid.

Lunch at La Casona Restaurant in Valladolid

We were really looking forward to visiting La Casona Restaurant on our tour. Not because we were so hungry but because this is a beautiful restaurant designed by Xcaret. La Casona was a historical building in Valladolid that has been transformed into a spectacular place to dine. This restaurant will give you an authentic taste of the colonial charm of Mexico.

Xichen Delue Tour to Chichen Itza
La Casona Restaurant in Valladolid Yucatan where you will have a buffet lunch.

Here at La Casona Restaurant you will have whatever time you want to eat and relax. Your overall time is about 1 hour and 40 minutes between eating and exploring Valladolid.

What is on the lunch buffet at La Casona?

While all the parks of Xcaret have good food especialy for parks, La Casona has done even more to preserve local cuisine. The buffet features many traditional dishes from the Yucatan and for those not looking to explore their taste buds, they also have international favorites as well.

You can find Mexican mole, fish dishes, tacos, panuchos salads, Mayan dishes like Poc Chuc and much more.

All drinks are included with this buffet. Only wine and alcohol are extra.

Xichen Delue Tour to Chichen Itza
The regional buffet at La Casona Restaurant.

You can sit inside or in the courtyard of La Casona Restaurant. Before you go make sure you go see the beautifully tiled fountain in the back (not pictured here but is in the video).

Xichen Delue Tour to Chichen Itza
The courtyard of La Casona Restaurant in Valladolid.

Free time in Valladolid Yucatan

The colonial city of Valladolid is charming and you will have about 40 minutes to one hour to explore depending on how long you take for lunch. The main square has a church, City Hall with Murals, shops and restaurants. In the center is a plaza where you can sit and watch small town life go by.

Xichen Delue Tour to Chichen Itza
The colonial city of Valladolid has hundreds of years of history and you will be able to walk the historic center after lunch.

What to bring on this tour and what is included

Here are some things that are included on this tour to Chichen Itza:

  • Pick up from your hotel or meeting point.
  • Certified archeological guides that are bilingual.
  • Breakfast snack on the bus. This is coffee, juice, corn bread and ham sandwich.
  • Entrance to Chichen Itza.
  • Waters and beverages during the day, water for the ruins, and drinks on the bus.
  • Audio headphones for the tour in Chichen Itza.
  • Available umbrellas for the sun while touring Chichen Itza.
  • Entrance to Cenote Zaci.
  • Buffet lunch at La Casona Restaurant in Valladolid.

Here are some possible things you can bring with you to make this tour comfortable:

  • Money for souvenirs, optional wine or alcoholic drinks with lunch, and for tips.
  • Depending on the schedule for the day, you might have a later lunch. You might bring a snack bar to hold you over.
  • Comfortable shoes for walking. Chichen Itza ruins are big and the tour will cover a lot of ground.
  • A sun hat and glasses are good for walking around Chichen Itza.

How to book this Xichen Deluxe Tour to Chichen Itza

If this Xichen Deluxe Tour looks like something you want to do while on vacation in Mexico, you can reserve by clicking the button below. This will take you to the official site for booking and support our website. The regular price is $109 but you can book here for $98.10. Children are 50% off for this tour. Children under 4 years old are free.

If you want to go on a Xichen tour but want to swim in a cenote, Xichen has a second tour (Xichen Clasico) that goes to Cenote Ik’ Kil. You will also eat at the buffet at this cenote. This tour is $71.10 USD per person if you book online here. Children are also 50% off on this tour and you can save up to 15% by booking at least 21 days in advance.

Our recommendations for this Chichen Itza tour

Since Chichen Itza is so popular for a tour, you have many options. We wondered how it would be on a big bus since we have been only on private tours and small group tours to Chichen Itza. There were three things we noticed.

  1. One, the guides were exceptional on this tour. Of course there are going to be different guides each day, but if you go, we hope you get the same ones as us. Since this is a large tour, Xcaret makes sure that there are great knowledgeable guides that can care for you for the full day.
  2. Secondly, any tour to Chichen Itza from the Riviera Maya or Cancun is going to involve transportation time. Most people don’t realize that this is about 3 hours each way. So you might as well be comfortable. We found the big bus with air conditioning very comfortable and actually got some power naps in.
  3. How is it with a large group? Do you feel like a mass tourist? We were surprised that even though there were about 30 people in our group, it did not feel that big. We had two guides on the bus and when we got to Chichen Itza the group was split in two. Everyone was on time for departures and we did not waste much time.

Don’t shop by price for a Chichen Itza tour

This is a good tour to go on and there are always options for what you can do on a tour to Chichen Itza. Some tours stop at a cenote you can swim in, others go to more ruin sites. You just have to decide what you want to see on your important vacation trip. The one thing we will mention is that we don’t recommend those cheap bus tours. Once you start seeing prices in the $60 dollar range or below, you need to read the fine print. Not only might you be in for a cheap in quality, it might cost you more in both your time and money.

Have you been on the Xichen Deluxe Tour? What did you think? Let us know in the comments below, we would love to hear from you.

 

If this tour to Chichen Itza is not exactly what you are looking for, see our article on the best tours to Chichen Itza from the Riviera Maya with other options.

Xichen Delue Tour to Chichen Itza
You will gain a greater appreciation for Chichen Itza with the guides from Xichen.

About The Author

12 Comments

  1. We went on the Xichen tour recently. The tour was good and the meal at La Casona was very good. I liked the comfort of the bus and Xcaret does a good job setting up the tours. I would recommend this tour.

  2. Fully agree with your review. It was a good tour. We are looking forward to doing the Coba tour with Xcaret next time we are in Mexico. Top notch tour.

  3. We have been thinking of driving to Chichen Itza because we are three people but this tour looks cool.

  4. We did this tour to Chichen Itza with Xichen. It was much easier then renting a car and driving there ourselves. The tour guides was good, I forgot his name though. The lunch was great with so many options and a beautiful restaurant.

  5. I highly recommend this tour. We love the busses because they are comfortable and you can spread out a little while they are on the road. IT is a long day but worth it.

  6. I love your video on this tour. It captures it perfectly. We went on it last year and really liked it. It is a long day but you just have to do it if you want to see Chichen Itza.

  7. I think Xcaret does pretty good with tours. We have taken one tour to Coba and are looking forward this year to going to Chichen Itza. I know we did it backwards because everyone wants to go to Chichen Itza first.

  8. We have been looking at going on a tour to Chichen Itza because we don’t want to drive. We will check this tour out. Thanks for the review.

  9. We will be taking the ferry from and to Cozumel. What is the tour times for departure and return to Playa?

  10. After reading your articles, we decide to join the Xichen deluxe tour, Can you tell me if we stay in downtown playa de Carmen or Cancun hotel zone , what is the hotel pick up time for both, I am afraid the time is too early and only waste in picking up people. Thank you for your help

    • We are not sure where the pick up will be in Cancun. Usually in Playa there is a central point of 32nd street and the buses go to Xel Ha to reorganize and move to the final bus to Chichen Itza. It is impossible to say where you will meet and how long it will be because we dont know where you are staying.

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