Transportation Options: Tulum Airport to Playa Del Carmen
If you are flying into the Tulum Airport (Aeropuerto Internacional Felipe Carrillo Puerto TQO) what is the best way to get to Playa Del Carmen? Here are all the transportation options including renting a car, private transportation, train, taxi and bus.
First, let’s mention a few details that will help you understand distances and options for getting from the Tulum Airport. The Tulum Airport is about 45 minutes south of Tulum. Since Playa Del Carmen is another 45 minutes north of Tulum, a direct drive would take about 1.5 hours (104km/65 miles). This does not include wait times, transfer times, and time to hotels not in the center of Playa Del Carmen. In this guide we will be as specific as possible so you can make the best decision on what transportation option is best for you. We will also include the prices, so if you are searching for the cheapest option or a combination of transportation time and costs, it is here.
What is the fastest and most popular way to get to Playa Del Carmen
If you are looking for the easiest and fastest way to get from the Tulum Airport to the Playa Del Carmen area, a private transfer is the best option. These are vans that are private and just for you and those traveling with you. You will have a driver waiting for you at the airport. These will take you direct to your hotel or destination in about 1 hour and 40 minutes.
This is the most common airport transportation that people choose to book in advance. You do need to book in advance so a driver and van will be waiting for you at the airport. The reasons these are the most popular option are:
- You have your transportation waiting for you at the airport. They will have a sign with your name at arrivals.
- It is the most direct and quickest way to your hotel from the airport, creating a seamless transfer.
- You can choose how you pay and no negotiating with taxis.
- You will be in a large airconditioned van unlike the cars that taxis use.
The price for this private one-way transportation is $195 USD for one or two people. If you have three people, it is $213 USD or $71 USD per person. This transportation is the best price for up to 4 people. You also save about $20 USD when you book a round trip with this transportation.
Group transportation to Playa Del Carmen
If you have 5-8 people looking to get a transfer from the Tulum Airport to Playa Del Carmen, the transportation listed below will be your best prices and most reliable service. The one-way price between the Tulum Airport and Playa Del Carmen is $242 USD for the whole group. This works out to between $30-$48 USD per person. All taxes and fees are added to this. This same company offers luxury transferes from the airport for up to 6 people. The luxury transfers are done in a Suburban or similar (Sienna, Yukon, Explorer, Expedition). The price is $466 USD one way from the Tulum Airport to Playa Del Carmen.
Taking the ADO Bus to Playa Del Carmen
ADO Bus Company has 5 buses a day that connect to Playa Del Carmen. These buses either stop briefly at the Tulum ADO Station or have a 30-minute stopover. The time between the Tulum Airport and Playa Del Carmen is either 1 hour 40 minutes or 2 hours and 10 minutes. So how do you tell which bus takes less time? Go to the ADO website (only available in Spanish) and search Aeropuerto Tulum to Playa Del Carmen. When you have the list of bus times, click the Ver Mapa (see map). At the top right it will show the duration time of either 1 hour 40 minutes or 2 hours and 10 minutes. This is how you can tell which buses are quicker to Playa Del Carmen.
All ADO buses will arrive at the ADO Bus Station on 5th Avenue and Juarez Avenue in Playa Del Carmen. This is called the Playa Del Carmen Turistica bus station.
ADO Bus Schedule and prices from Tulum Airport to Playa Del Carmen
There are buses at 10:20am, 2:00pm, 3:30pm, 4:20pm, and 5:15pm. These are the buses that stop briefly at the Tulum ADO Station or have a 30-minute layover. There are however other ADO buses that only go from the Tulum Airport to the Tulum ADO Station. Alternatively, you can take the ADO bus into Tulum and wait there for a bus to Playa Del Carmen. There are other buses coming through Tulum from Bacalar or Valladolid that might have seats going to Playa Del Carmen and you might have a quick connection.
The ADO bus costs about 300 pesos from the Tulum Airport to Playa Del Carmen. If you buy a ticket from the airport to Tulum it is about 200 pesos.
Buying tickets and where to get the ADO Bus at the Tulum Airport
Tickets can be purchased at a kiosk at the Tulum Airport. You can pay with card, Pesos or USD in small bills. We do not recommend buying tickets before arriving to Mexico. For one, you don’t know when you will get out of the airport after customs and immigration and the tickets are for a certain time only. A second reason for not buying them on their website is the fact that foreign credit cards often do not work on the ADO website. Buying the tickets at the airport is pretty easy.
We do however suggest buying your return tickets to the airport in advance. This way you secure the bus time you want for your return home.
The Tulum Airport is not that large, and it is easy to find the ADO Bus. As you are leaving the airport, it is parked to the right of the main terminal. Looks for the red bus.
Renting a car in Tulum Airport
If you plan on doing some road trips during your time in the Riviera Maya, renting a car from the Tulum Airport can be a good option. You should definitely reserve in advance because there are not a lot of rental cars at the Tulum Airport. The reserve now button will take you to a booking site that has all the companies available at the Tulum Airport for rental cars. From there, you can select which car and company you wish to rent from. Most rental cars in Mexico will cost about $35-$60 USD per day. You should calculate buying some insurance for your rental because the laws are different in Mexico.
Important Tips: It is good to buy local liability insurance. Even if your credit card offers this, they will not have a representative come to an accident site. Police have the right to detail you until proof of payment is provided for damage. If you are renting a car, you will be going to a gas station. See our detailed article on how to avoid scams at the gas stations in Mexico.
Hop aboard the Tren Maya to Playa from the Tulum Airport
The (train) Tren Maya has a stop at the Tulum Airport which connects to the Tren Maya Station in Playa Del Carmen. There is only one station stop before you arrive at the Playa Del Carmen Tren Maya Station. The time it takes is about 1 hour and 10 minutes. However, you do need to calculate the costs and the time it takes getting to and from the train stations. The total time is about 2 hours from the Tulum Airport to the center of Playa Del Carmen. the total cost is either 409 pesos or 600 pesos depending on what class ticket you buy.
We do recommend buying your ticket for the train when you arrive. For one, if your flight is delayed or it takes a while to go through customs and immigration, there is a chance you will miss your train. In this case, you would need to take a different form of transportation like the bus, and your ticket would be useless for the Tren Maya.
Arrival at the Tulum International Airport
At the Tulum Airport there is a shuttle bus that takes you to the train station (yes, the station is a few kilometers from the terminal). The shuttle busses are lined up with the departure times of the train. This bus cost 35 pesos one way to the station. Technically you could walk it, but it is several kilometers down a trail. Between getting on the shuttle, getting off at the Tren Maya station and buying your ticket, you should at least count on 20-35 minutes.
Getting from the Tren Maya Station in Playa Del Carmen to your Destination
The Tren Maya Station in Playa Del Carmen is about a 20-minute drive to the center of town. There is a shuttle bus that meets each train that will take you to the ADO Bus Station on 20th Avenue and 12th Street. This shuttle costs 55 pesos. From the ADO Bus Station, you can walk or take a taxi to your final destination.
What is the Tren Maya schedule between Tulum Airport and Playa Del Carmen?
There are currently trains leaving the airport at 1:10pm, 5:55pm, and 7:41pm. Check the official Tren Maya website for current train schedule.
How much are the tickets on the train between the Tulum Airport and Playa Del Carmen?
There are two classes of service on the train. First class is called premier class, and second class is called tourist class. For the relatively short train ride there is not much difference between the two. We recommend just getting the tourist class ticket. The prices are 510 pesos for premier class and 319 pesos for the tourist class.
Taxis from the airport to Playa Del Carmen
There are no set prices for the taxis at the Tulum Airport, and they are not metered. This means you need to ask when getting a taxi and possible negotiate a price. Most of the time people overpay, so we do not recommend taking taxis from the airport. Taxis often charge the same as a private transfer or more, they are usually never cheaper. Airport taxis are also cars, and private transfers are larger vans, which make the transfer a little more comfortable. Taxis are also usually cash only and do not offer a discount on a round trip since the same taxi driver will not be taking you back to the airport.
Is there Uber from the Tulum Airport?
No! Uber only operates in parts of Cancun but is very limited. The Taxi unions have protested and been successful in keeping Uber from operating in most of the State of Quintana Roo (where Tulum is). Uber is usually a convenient way to get to and from an airport in the world, but you should not count on this option for transportation. There is no service available.
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