What is the best airport to fly into for a trip to Tulum?
If you are planning a trip to Tulum, Mexico which is the better airport to fly into? There is Cancun Airport and the Tulum Airport that opened in late 2023. In this guide we are going to compare the distance, ground transportation prices, travel times to Tulum from the two airports, and ease of connecting to the airport. This way you can decide if flying into Cancun Airport (CUN) or the Tulum Airport (Felipe Carrillo Puerto International Airport, TQO) is better. Even if there is a sale on airfare, how this adds up in your decision for choosing your flight and which airport to use.
How Far is the Cancun Airport from Tulum?
The Cancun Airport is 120 km (75 miles) from Tulum. the average drive time is 1 hour and 35 minutes. Times will vary a little depending on what part of Tulum you are staying in. For example, if you are staying in the Hotel Zone, you can add another 20 minutes to your travel time.
It should be noted that there is only one road (the 307 Highway) that goes from Cancun to Tulum. This is the only road that goes up and down the state of Quintana Roo. If there are accidents, traffic can back up quickly and delays can happen. About 3 times a month there is a bad backup. The good thing with booking the private transfers is the company monitors traffic and conditions and scheduled pickups going back to the airport accordingly, as much as possible.
How Far is the Tulum Airport from Tulum?
Even though the nickname is the Tulum Airport, it technically is not in Tulum, hence the name, Felipe Carrillo Puerto International Airport. The Tulum Airport is 40km (25 miles) from the center of Tulum. The drive from the airport to Tulum is about 40 minutes. If you are staying in the Hotel Zone, you can add another 15-20 minutes to the travel time.
When you look at how far each airport is from Tulum, Cancun Airport is about one hour farther away than the Tulum Airport.
How much are private transfers from each airport to Tulum?
Private transfers are the most popular form of transportation to and from the airports. These services get you directly to your hotel without having to haggle or take multiple transportation options.
Private transfers 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.
Private transfers from the Tulum Airport to Tulum
Here are the prices for private transfers from the Tulum Airport to Tulum. We have two sections, one for 1-3 people and another for when you have 4-8 people traveling together.
A private transfer for 1-3 persons for one-way transportation is $59 USD per person. This is the best option is you are 1-3 people looking for a ride from the Tulum Airport.
Private Transportation from the Tulum Airport to Tulum Hotels (4-8 people)
This airport private transfer company is a favorite of our readers and has been working for over a decade in the Riviera Maya. This is the most economical if you have 4-8 people in need of transportation. They are very reliable and provide consistent service. These transfers need to be prebooked, so a driver and van are waiting for you at the airport. With this company you get a small discount when booking a round trip to and from the airport. They also provide service to all parts of the Riviera Maya.
Prices are $156 USD for one way transportation. This works out to about $20-$40 USD per person. They also offer luxury transportation for up to 6 people for $300 USD one way from Tulum Airport.
Comparison of Private Transfers from the Cancun and Tulum Airports to Tulum
This is where Cancun almost has an advantage. Prices are very reasonable from the Cancun Airport to Tulum, especially when you factor in the distances. This is why this form of transportation is the most popular option from Cancun Airport to Tulum.
How does the ADO bus compare from each airport to Tulum?
ADO is the only bus company that offers public transportation to and from both airports. These are modern airconditioned buses that are pretty efficient to use. The two things you have to think about is time and costs. If you are not staying in the downtown area, you will need to get a taxi from the bus station to where you are staying. Since taxis are not metered and there are not fixed prices, it will cost about $12-$35 USD in addition to the bus and about 8-20 minutes more in transportation time.
Tip: Here is a link to the ADO Bus Website. It is only in Spanish but fairly easy to use. Use this to check the latest timetables.
ADO Bus from Tulum Airport to Tulum Downtown
Currently there are 8 ADO buses scheduled to meet flights that are arriving. The trip takes about 45 minutes between the airport and the downtown ADO Bus Station. The price of the ticket between the Tulum Airport and Tulum is 220-226 pesos or about $12 USD by current exchange rates.
The times are 10:20am, 12:00 noon, 12:50pm, 1:15pm, 2:00pm, 3:30pm, 4:20pm, and 5:15pm.
ADO Bus from Cancun Airport to Tulum Downtown
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.
Comparison of ADO Bus Service to Tulum from the Two Airports
The time difference between taking the ADO bus from Cancun Airport to Tulum compared to the bus from the Tulum Airport is 2 hours and 15 minutes. The reason the time is so much more is because of the stop in Playa Del Carmen and the 80 km (50 miles).
The cost difference is about 220 pesos from Tulum Airport and 430 pesos from the Cancun Airport.
Personally, the ADO bus from Cancun adds a lot of time especially afer a long flight. If a flight to Tulum was a little more expensive, it still might be worth it to save about 4 hours of round-trip bus travel on your vacation.
How does the Tren Maya work from both airports to Tulum?
The Tren Maya connects both the Cancun Airport and the Tulum Airport to Tulum and the entire network. Here are the details on travel with the train from both airports.
Taking the Tren Maya from the 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.
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.
See our full article and instructions on how to make this airport connection on the Tren Maya.
Taking the Tren Maya from the Tulum Airport to Tulum
The first thing you will have to do is take the Tren Maya shuttle bus to the train station. These are timed with the departure of the trains. The cost is 35 pesos. Then at the Tulum Airport Tren Maya Station you can purchase your tickets.
The Tren Maya currently operates 3 trains daily from the Tulum Airport Tren Maya Station to the Downtown Tulum Station. Trains depart at 1:10pm 5:55pm, and 7:41pm. The ride takes 19 minutes. There are two services of class on the Tren Maya. Premier (first class), and tourist (second class). Premier class costs 137.50 pesos. Tourist class is 86 pesos. Honestly the tourist class is just fine, there is not much difference between classes, especially for short trips like this one.
You should calculate about 1 hour to deplane, go through customs, collect your bags and go to meet the shuttle bus to the Tren Maya. The shuttle bus takes about 8 minutes to get to the station. Here you will get off the bus, collect your bags, purchase tickets and go up to the platform. When you arrive at the Tulum Downtown Tren Maya Station you can take a shuttle bus for 55 pesos to the ADO Bus Station in the center of Tulum or take a taxi to your hotel.
The total costs of taking the Tren Maya from the Tulum Airport to the ADO in downtown Tulum is 227.5 pesos or 176 pesos depending on what class ticket you buy. The total time from the Tulum Airport to the ADO Bus Station in the center of Tulum is one hour.
Schedules can change, so be sure to double check the departure times for the Tren Maya on their official website here.
Comparison of Taking the Tren Maya to Tulum from the Two Airports
From Cancun Airport it costs 747.50 pesos for premier class and 467 pesos for tourist class. From the Tulum Airport on the Tren Maya it costs 137.50 pesos for premier class and 86 pesos for tourist class.
The time it takes from the Cancun Airport to the ADO Bus Station is about 2.5 hours. The time it takes from the Tulum Airport to the ADO Bus Station in the downtown of Tulum is about 1 hour.
Taxis and Uber to Tulum from the Cancun and Tulum Airports
Unfortunately, Uber does not operate in the Riviera Maya and is not an option for getting to Tulum. The taxi unions have been efective at keeping Uber from entering the market. So, Uber is not an option for travel to Tulum.
Taxis are available at both airports, however there are no set prices, no meters and no taxi desks to buy tickets. Each person much negotiate fares. Often these are the same or more than the private transfers. Taxis are smaller cars, Nissan Tida, most likely. The private transfers are vans with a lot more space and these are what most people choose. You do however need to book these before arriving at the airport, so a driver and van are waiting for you.
Conclusion
The Riviera Maya is more connected than ever before. There are more transportation options and things are always evolving. Cancun Airport is a much bigger airport and offers many more flight options to the area, but Tulum Airport is just getting started and you might find some good deals to the area. We hope you have found this guide helpful and a good comparison or transportation options, and we also hope you have an enjoyable vacation in Tulum.
About The Author
I am glad I found your article because it has everything laid out so nice and easy to understand. I am arriving next week and also wanted to ask about the beaches no in Tulum.
Hello Leia
Right now, there is seaweed (sargassum) that is washing up on the shore. Hotels work hard to remove it daily or every few hours. Usually, the clearer parts of the beaches of Tulum are on the north end by the ruins or further south in the Hotel Zone.