How to get out of Cancun airport

How to get out of Cancun airport

Do you want to know how to get out of Cancun airport, what are your transportation and transfer options, how far can you walk? Well, that and much more we are going to solve for you right now here in this post.

How to get out of Cancun airport

Cancun’s international airport is the only airport, at least for now, that allows us to have access to the city of Cancun and the Riviera Maya in general.

As such, this airport is located on the outskirts of the city and one of the main advantages of its location is to «intercept» two main avenues: Colosio Avenue, which many misnamed as Tulum Avenue or Cancun – Chetumal federal highway and Punta Niuz Avenue.

Colosio Avenue is the main avenue where cars can enter the city of Cancun or leave the city to other nearby places or regions of the Riviera Maya. Punta Nizuc Avenue is the main avenue that allows direct access to Cancun’s hotel zone.

But then, how can I get out of Cancun airport? Well, here is the explanation:

The first point to consider is that the «Main Plaza» where the 4 terminals that are part of the Cancun airport are located is approximately 3 km away from Colosio Avenue.

This means that you could «walk» to Colosio Avenue and from there take a public transportation service, cab or uber.

Our next option is to take a cab, shuttle service or the ADO bus from any of the airport terminals. Of course, each of these options has advantages and disadvantages, which we will discuss below.

Leaving the airport Walking

The first point to consider here is the luggage: 3 km can be a real ordeal if you carry a lot of luggage, also consider the heat of the city and if you are traveling with children this can be even more «complicated» to do.

Of course, if you are traveling light and you intend to save money on transportation: Then walking is an excellent option and let’s say you’ve made it.

Well, where are you going? If you have to go to downtown Cancun from here you can take a public transportation truck, an UBER or a cab. From the airport I can’t?

Unfortunately UBER is a service not yet available at the airport, but if outside the airport and the cab, really the cab is cheaper outside the airport than at the airport itself and finally, from the airport does not reach the public transport service. But consider this: To go to downtown Cancun.

And if I have to go to the hotel zone, is it enough to take a cab? Yes and at the same time no: If you are staying at a hotel in the hotel zone, you can take a cab or an Uber, the problem is that the cost can be from 250 MXN to 600 MXN.

The best is to take the Playa Express service that costs 55 MXN or a public bus that costs 10 MXN to downtown Cancun.

And from downtown Cancun, take a public transportation to the hotel zone to get to your hotel.

What if I have to go to another place like Puerto Morelos, Playa del Carmen or Tulum? Well, in this case the best alternative is to take an UBER, a cab or any public transportation to downtown. From here you have to find the ADO terminal and buy your ticket to the city you need to go to.

Leaving the airport by shuttle

If you want to save money you certainly don’t have to take any transportation service from the airport, which can be «uncomfortable, cumbersome and a bad vacation experience». However, if you are one of those who prefer comfort and want to leave the airport already with a shuttle service. Then, the options are: Cab, private transportation, ADO and car rental.

Private transportation

Private transportation is a service that can be booked and paid online even before coming to Cancun. This is a competitive advantage, since you won’t «spend more» on it and you can choose the destination you need to go to.

This means that they are not only limited to take you to your hotel in Cancun, they can also take you to your hotel in Playa del Carmen, Tulum and even outside the Riviera Maya like the city of Valladolid.

So this is the best option if you want maximum comfort, attention, service and quality.

Cab

We are not going to lie to you, the cab can be an excellent option for transportation in Cancun but… as such it cannot be booked online or at least not if we consider that we are talking about the usual cab service in the city.

To take this service, first we will have to wait in line and wait our turn. Then get in, but it is necessary to mention three things:

1.- Although there are standardized fares, cab drivers usually «charge» more than usual and therefore, you can pay more.

Normally the units are only and only for 3 people, therefore if more people go, they will have to take another unit and pay for it.

3. – Cab drivers do not have federal permits to take you from the airport to regions that are not part of Cancun, such as Puerto Morelos, Playa del Carmen, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc.

Considering this, you need to consider if this is the ideal «transportation option» to leave the Cancun airport for you.

ADO

The ADO service can be another alternative for transportation to the airport and the advantage is that it is an economical service that can take you to other regions of the Riviera Maya, not all of them as such, but to the busiest ones like Playa del Carmen and Tulum.

The departure can be every 3o minutes or every hour, it all depends on the destination you have to go to and its costs can be from 98 MXN to 350 MXN per person.

Rent a car

Last but not least, the option that gives us a lot of freedom is the car rental. This option is very simple and we pay per day. So if you want to venture out and drive around the city and get to know all the beauty of the Mexican Caribbean at your own pace, this option is for you.

Conclusion

As you can see, getting out of Cancun airport is not that complicated or at least it is not if you have read this article. Just consider that UBER still does not operate inside the airport, but outside the airport, cabs are cheaper outside the airport and not inside it and ADO as such, can drop you off in the «downtown» of Cancun or downtown Playa del Carmen or downtown Tulum and the only or rather, one of the best alternatives to get to your hotel is the private transfer. So without further ado we say goodbye for today.