Cancun and the Riviera Maya are one of the main tourist destinations in Mexico, paradisiacal places to spend a pleasant and unforgettable vacation. A region of Mexico that has the most beautiful beaches in the country, natural areas, archeological sites, caverns, rivers, sunken ships, reefs, a sub aquatic museum and of course, luxury hotels in front of the sea, as well as humble accommodations in the center of the city.

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But something people don’t tell you is that the city of Cancun and the Riviera Maya are places that are very close to each other: There are places that you can get to in 20 minutes, and others that take more than 3 hours to get to.

This time is much longer if we visit other places near the Riviera Maya or Cancun, for example the beautiful city of Bacalar or the archaeological site of Chichen Itza. That is why it is necessary to know how to get from Cancun to these areas and places and mainly, to know how to get from Cancun airport, the possible transfer options and the approximate costs.

That is why in this page we are going to help you with all the possible information you need to know to have an excellent transfer experience to and from Cancun airport to your hotel.

Interesting Information

From Cancun to Costa Mujeres

From Cancun to Costa Mujeres

From Cancun to Isla Mujeres

From Cancun to Isla Mujeres

Does Uber exist in Cancun?

Yes, in the city of Cancun and in several regions of the Riviera Maya, the Uber transfer service is still in force and operating. However, it is necessary to clarify that as such there are not many Uber operators.

Therefore, it will be necessary first to see if in the place where you are there is coverage and Uber operators, in order to be able to move where you want to go.

uber in cancun

How to get around Cancun?

The city of Cancun is not as big as many people think and for this reason, there are several options for transportation in the city. It should be noted that the costs of transportation services, whether private or shared, vary greatly depending on the area from where you are and where you take it.

For example: A cab from the hotel zone to downtown Cancun can cost up to 500.00 MXN and a cab in downtown Cancun to Plaza las Americas can cost 60.00 MXN.

In short, many of the transportation services are usually more expensive if you take it in the hotel zone and cheaper if you take it from downtown Cancun.

How to get around Cancun

Types of Transfers in Cancun

Public Transportation

Public transportation is the most common service to move from one place to another in the city of Cancun. Generally this can be a bus or a colectivo.

The cost of this service is 10.00 MXN considering that it is only and only within the urban and rural area, for example: From Plaza las Americas to the Government esplanade or from the ADO terminal to the Ibis downtown hotel.

public transportation cancun

Hotel Zone Transportation

Transportation to the Cancun Hotel Zone or within the Cancun Hotel Zone is a service provided by bus type units which cost 12.00 MXN per person.

This means of transportation can generally be taken from downtown Cancun and its destination is the 22 km long hotel zone of the city. Therefore, if you want to go to Playa Dolphins which is located at km 18.5 of the Hotel Zone. This type of transfer is the ideal way to do it.

It is worth mentioning that this type of service is distinguished from the others by having on its windshield the letter «R», which can be R-1 or R-2 and red and blue.

transportation cancun hotel zone

Cabs

Cab service is a service that can be taken from the Cancun airport, from downtown Cancun or from the Cancun hotel zone and is a private service, provided in small Tsuru type vehicles with a maximum capacity of 4 passengers.

If you are at the Cancun airport and you are in a hurry to get to your hotel downtown or in the hotel zone, this transfer service can be an option for you.

But if you are in the hotel zone and want to get to downtown Cancun, we do not recommend you to use this service, because the cost can be up to 500.00 MXN.

If you are in downtown Cancun and want to move to another point in the center or urban area of the city, the cab has an average cost of 60.00 MXN to 80.00 MXN.

In conclusion: Taking a cab downtown, to move to another point in the center of the city is a good option, but not to go to the hotel zone or from the hotel zone, to go to another similar point, since the cost is excessively expensive.

cancun cab

Private Transportation

The private transfer service is the most comfortable option to go from the Cancun city airport to the door of your hotel in downtown Cancun, in the hotel zone and even in other regions of the Riviera Maya.

It is a service that can be booked online and which already has «standardized» costs, so you would not pay more than what is indicated.

In addition, it is a private shuttle service that is provided in a unit with a maximum capacity of 9 people, with ample space, air conditioning, free WIFI and of course, very comfortable to travel without worries to your destination.

It is worth mentioning that this service not only provides the transfer from the airport to your hotel, or from your hotel to the airport, it also offers a transfer service to nightclubs, bars, restaurants, cenotes, beaches and even the possibility of reserving the vehicle for up to 12 hours and go wherever you indicate during that time.

cancun airport transportation

ADO

As such, ADO’s shared transportation service is not a service that can be used to move within the city of Cancun, since its objective is to move long distances, for example: from Cancun to Playa del Carmen or from Cancun to Merida and even from Cancun to Mexico City.

However, there is a small route that can be taken with this bus and it is the route to Cancun airport. In short, if you want to get to the Cancun airport you can do it with the ADO shuttle service.

To do this, you have to go downtown, find the ADO terminal and buy your ticket to go to the airport. It is worth mentioning that from the airport you can buy your ADO ticket to get to downtown Cancun.

ado bus cancun

Playa Express Collective

Playa Express is a transportation service similar to ADO, only in this case we are talking about a shared van. But it is not a public transportation that you can take to go anywhere in downtown or the hotel zone.

It is a shared transportation service to go from Cancun to Puerto Morelos or Playa del Carmen. The cost is 55.00 MXN and it departs every 30 minutes from its base in downtown Cancun, more specifically in front of the ADO terminal.

shared shuttle cancun

Private Transfer Price

Generally there are many private transfer agencies in Cancun whose purpose is to offer transportation service from the Cancun airport to your hotel in downtown Cancun or the hotel zone. Most of them have a standardized price which we will show you below.

 

From / To
Private Service Private Service Private Service Transfer duration Distance
1-3 Pasajeros 4-6 Pasajeros 7-8 pasajeros
Single Round trip Single Round trip Single Round trip
Cancun Downtown 35 USD 55 USD 40 USD 65 USD 50 USD 80 USD 25 minutos 18 km
Hotel Zone 35 USD 55 USD 40 USD 65 USD 50 USD 80 USD 35 minutos 23.5 km

 

Conclusion

The city of Cancun is not as big as it seems and if you are in downtown Cancun and want to move to other places either in the center or in the hotel zone, no doubt the public transportation would be the ideal for you and of course, the one that would help you to save money.

Therefore, if you are at the Cancun airport the cab or private transfer service may be your best options to move to your hotel in downtown or in the hotel zone.

On the other hand, if your hotel is in a nearby area such as Puerto Morelos, Puerto Juarez or Costa Mujeres, private transfer is your best option.