How Do You Fly to Tulum Mexico?
What is the best airport to fly into for a trip to Tulum? So, what is the best way to get there? How do you fly to Tulum Mexico? Most arrive to the Cancun Airport because there are more flights. There is also the new Tulum Airport that is available. In this guide we will tell you how to beHere are the best transportation options for you to arrive.
Is There an Airport in Tulum?
Yes! There is the new Felipe Carrillo Puerto International Airport, TQO, which is often called the Tulum Airport. Because it is about 40-minute drive from the center of Tulum, it is technically not in “Tulum“. But almost everyone that uses it is going to Tulum. This is now the main airport for Tulum. It started operation in December of 2023. Since then, more airlines have started servicing in this airport and even the Tren Maya is now connected to the airport.
How do you get from the Tulum Airport to Tulum?
Since the Tulum Airport is the closest airport to Tulum, you might choose to fly into this airport. This means that you will need to figure out which is the best transportation options to and from the airport for your holiday. Here are all the options you have for ground transportation from the Tulum Airport.
- ADO bus. this is the only bus company that services the Tulum Airport. We have an article here on how to take the ADO bus from the Tulum Airport to Tulum, plus many tips. This is faster than taking the Tren Maya. It drops you off in the center of Tulum at the ADO Bus Station on the 307 Highway. From there, you will need to walk or take a taxi to your hotel. There is no public transportation in Tulum. See the ADO website for current bus schedules from the Tulum Airport to downtown Tulum.
- Tren Maya. There is a station at the Tulum Airport for the train. From the terminal there is a paid shuttle bus that takes you to the train. the Tren Maya takes 19 minutes to get to the Tulum downtown station. From the Tulum train station, you can take a taxi or the shuttle bus that is there waiting for the train. The ADO bus is more efficient and faster to get to the center of Tulum from the airport. See the Tren Maya website for the current schedules.
- Private transfers. These are the most popular and most direct transportation you can take from the Tulum Airport to Tulum.
- Renting a car. If you plan on driving around while on vacation, having your own car gives you a lot of freedom.
- Taxis. There are taxis at the Tulum Airport, but we do not recommend them. There are no set prices and no meters on taxis. They cost the same or more than the private transfers and you need to negotiate the prices. Often, they overcharge visitors for the transportation.
See our complete article with all the details on how to get from the Tulum Airport to Tulum here.
Note: There is no Uber service in Tulum. So do not get off the plane and open your app thinking this is a possible option.
The Second Closest Airport to Tulum is the Cancun International Airport
The Cancun International Airport is located south of Cancun, so it is a little closer to Tulum than is City of Cancun. Cancun Airport is vastly larger, both physically and operationally—boasting 4 terminals, longer runways, and a passenger volume about 6–7 times greater than the Tulum Airport. Because Cancun Airport is larger, it often has more flight options and cheaper prices. So, you will need to consider this in choosing one airport over the other.
Best Transportation Option to Tulum from Cancun Airport
Since the Cancun Airport is about an hour and a half direct drive from Tulum, it is best to have a plan so you can get to your holiday as soon as possible. Some of the transportation options take almost 3 hours. It is also good to have a comfortable ride. Below are all the options for transportation between the Cancun Airport and Tulum.
Private Transfers to Tulum from the Cancun Airport
This is the best company to go with and one our readers have enjoyed for years. When you reserve online, you will have a van and driver waiting for you at the Cancun Airport. The price includes a bilingual driver, all taxes and fees and are insured. The price is for the entire van and not per person. A van with up to 8 people costs $165 USD from the Cancun Airport to Tulum. A round-trip costs $320 USD. You save $10 USD if you book a round trip with this transfer company.
Taking a taxi or Uber to Tulum?
There is no Uber service in the Riviera Maya, so this is not an option. Taxis are smaller cars that are available at the Cancun Airport but there is not set price for the transfer. Most of the time people wind up paying more for a taxi after having to “negotiate” with them. You also cannot get a round-trip discount with a taxi. So, we recommend the transfer service mentioned above.
Taking the ADO Bus to Tulum from the Cancun Airport?
There are practically ADO buses leaving every 30 minutes going to Playa Del Carmen, which is on the way to Tulum. Of these buses there are 6 buses that make the connection a little better. The time is still 2 hours and 55 minutes.
The more direct buses with connections leave the Cancun Airport at 11:50am, 1:10pm, 2:30, 3:50pm, 5:50pm, and 7:55pm. These times are from terminal 4 of the airport. Times will vary a little if you are leaving from another terminal. The price is 430 pesos from Cancun Airport to Tulum ADO Bus Station. We recommend buying your ticket at the airport since you don’t know if your flight will be delayed and how long it will take to get out of the airport. Tickets are for specific times. You can buy tickets at the booth inside or stand outside the terminals.
Alternatively, you can take any bus to Playa Del Carmen. Then get a ticket onward to Tulum. There are about 21 buses a day between Playa Del Carmen Turistica Bus Station (5th Avenue and Juarez Avenue) and Tulum downtown ADO Bus Station. You can even stop for lunch or a snack since you are arriving at the bus station on 5th Avenue and Juarez Avenue. There are many places nearby to eat and even the Park Fundadores to see.
Note: A few of the buses only go to Tulum Ruins (Tulum zona arqueológica). So, if your hotel is near here, you can take these buses, if not, make sure you purchase a ticket to Tulum downtown ADO Bus station.
Transportation from the ADO Bus Station to your hotel
It should be noted that Tulum is a town in three separate parts, meaning it is spread out. There is the downtown, Tulum ruins area and the Hotel Zone along the ocean. If you are not staying near the bus station you will need to take a taxi, and this can add 10-20 minutes to your journey. There is no other form of public transportation within Tulum.
The Hotel Zone along the beach is about 10km (6.2miles) long and can take a while to get to in a taxi especially during busy season. Parts of La Veleta and Aldea Zama can be a 5–8-minute taxi trip. Taxis are expensive in Tulum and do not have meters. They will charge between $12-$35 USD to destinations from the ADO Bus station.
We only recommend the ADO bus Tulum airport connection for backpackers staying in the downtown. For most people it is totally worth it to have a private transfer and take you directly to your hotel.
How to take the Tren Maya from Cancun Airport to Tulum
The first thing you will need to do is get the shuttle bus for 35 pesos to the Cancun Airport Tren Maya Station. This takes about 15 minutes on the shuttle bus. At the station you will need to purchase your tickets. We do not recommend buying your tickets in advance because if your flight is delayed or it take a while to get through customs and immigration, you can miss the time you purchased your ticket for
There are three trains a day currently that go from the Cancun Airport to the Tulum Tren Maya Station. The first train is at 9:00am, the second at 11:46am, and the last one is at 3:33pm. The time to get to the Tulum station is 1 hour and 43 minutes. There are two services of class on the Tren Maya. Premier (first class), and tourist (second class). Premier class costs 747.50 pesos. Tourist class is 467 pesos. Honestly the tourist class is just fine, there is not much difference between classes, especially for short trips like this one.
Once you arrive at the Tulum downtown station, there is a shuttle bus that takes you to the downtown ADO Bus Station for 55 pesos. There are also taxis at the station that can take you directly to your hotel.
The total price of the Tren Maya from the Cancun Airport costs either 837.50 pesos or 557 pesos depending on what class you take. The total time from getting the shuttle bus to the Tren Maya Cancun Airport Station to the ADO Bus Station in the center of Tulum is just over 2 1/2 hours.
If you have any questions or comments about getting to Tulum, let us know in the comments below. We will be happy to answer you.
About The Author
It’s going to be my first time to Tulum. I have not been back to Mexico in years and I look forward to seeing how things are different.Thanks for all the tips. It really looks like things have changed and there are new places, cenotes and parks to visit when there. I will write abck with a trip report and how everything went with the transportation. Big Thanks.
Thank you for your kind words Rosa. We hope you have a great vacation to Tulum. If you need any further information, just let us know. We will be happy to help you out.
My wife and I are bigs fans of your website. We have been coming to the area for three years now and will be exploring more of the Tulum area. WE like it so much we might end up moving to the area.
Hello Cliff
Thank you for reading the website. That is great you are coming back and might even move to the area. We just did a video on real estate in the Tulum area you might be interested in.
I remember when Tulum was going to open it’s own airport. That was big buzz. On google maps you can see it is made but it is not used. Maybe they ran into some cenotes or something.
Hurrah! After all the planning I am finally going to Tulum! Thanks for all your help travel planning. I am also glad to see the beaches looking so great lately.
Have you ever making maps for tourists? I like the print out ones. I know you have maps on your website but something in print is always helpful
Hello Santi
Maps can be helpful. We do not have time to expand to that type of business. It is also hard because so much changes month to month. For example in Tulum many new streets open and new restaurants that the maps would be out of date as soon as we printed them.
Is it safe to rent a car drive and drive around this area?
Hello Mike
It is very safe to drive around the area. The one thing that freaks people out is the checkpoints with the police. They dont usually pull people over, they just wait for them to come to them. The checkpoints are for security and checking for drunk drivers and things like that. Just be polite and they might ask to see your license and rental papers. Lock you car when you park. When at supermarkets or large areas in cities dont leave things in sight in your car. Be sure to read our article about gas stations and not getting tricked. https://everythingplayadelcarmen.com/how-to-avoid-scams-at-the-gas-station/
I keep looking at the flights to Tulum. I have not found any good deals from where I so I guess it is Cancun Airport.
Hi, I was going to fly into Tulum but the airline cut the flight, so now I am going to Cancun. I guess all this info is still correct on how to get to Tulum?
Hello Tomas
Yes, there have been several airlines that have cut service to Tulum. Cancun Airport is taking the flights and the old way of bus train or personal transport options are still available. This article is also up to date.
I was thinking about flying into Tulum Airport, but the flights were about 100 USD more, SO I decided it was easier to fly into Cancun. Do you recommend the Tren Maya to Tulum from the Cancun Airport?
Hello Martin
Here are several things to think about. The Tren Maya has limited trains per day, so first check the schedule to see if there is a train departure about 1.5 hours after you land. We say this because you will need to deplane, go through immigration and customs and take the Tren Maya shuttle to the train station. The second thing to think about is the transportation from the Tulum Tren Maya Station to your hotel. The station is outside of the downtown and about 15 minutes to the Hotel Zone by taxi. Taxis in Tulum are not metered and can charge $35-55 USD one way. You can always use the bus to Tulum or Playa Del Carmen and then to Tulum if there is not a train lined up with your arrival or book a shared shuttle to Tulum. We hope this helps you make a decision.
This is a very helpful breakdown of the two airports for Tulum. Thanks!