Chichen Itzá Ruins

2.5 hour drive from Playa del Carmen (FULL DAY)

The most popular and best-preserved Mayan ruins in all of Mexico. The highlights are the massive Temple of Kukulkan and the observatory. 

It’s a full day excursion so renting a car would make the most out of your day.  You can also go by ADO bus or tour company (~$50 USD per person), but I think renting a car is your best option so you can explore the nearby town of Vallodolid and a nearby cenote (see below). 

Entrance fee for ruins (<$10 USD)

Coba Ruins

1.5 hour drive from Playa del Carmen. 

The name of these Mayan ruins means “water stirred by wind.”  The site is located in the jungle between several lakes, and the Coba pyramid, the tallest pyramid in the Yucatan is open to the public for climbing. Once on the top you will feel like you are on top of the world. You can also rent bikes and ride through the jungle as you pass ancient Mayan Hand Ball courts and pyramids.  

$250 pesos for English speaking guide for 45 minutes

Tulum Ruins

45 mins drive south of Playa del Carmen

The Mayan ruins of Tulum are located South of Playa del Carmen. The ruins are intricate and interesting, and the site is located on a gorgeous public beach where you can swim. It is a very popular site and can get crowded, so the earlier you can go the better. Combine the ruins visit with a nearby cenote visit.

Chaak Tun Cenote

15 minute drive from Playa del Carmen
Open daily from 8:00am-4:30pm

This cenote has a mysterious, spooky kind of feel.  It has many rooms to explore, impressive stalactites, and limited crowds.  It is one of the best in the Yucatan and very close to Playa del Carmen.

* 15 minute taxi from Playa del Carmen (100-200 pesos). 
* Entrance Fee: $100 pesos without guide (includes life vest and hardhat). 
* 450 pesos (~$30 USD) per person is cost for 2 hour tour with a guide and comes with wet suit, mask, light, and water shoes. Bring a towel.

Water can be cool, so you might want to use the wet suit.  Consider having cab come back in 2 hours to pick you up.  If driving, head out Avenue Juarez North past the large school on the right and past where the road converts from 4 lanes to 2, it's probably 1/2 mile after that on the right. Get there around 1:30pm as the afternoon is less crowded

Cenote Jardin del Eden

20 mins drive south of Playa del Carmen
Open daily 8:00am-5:00pm, except Saturday

Beautiful open air cenote.  You can swim and jump off of the 14 foot cliffs and trees into the crystal clear blue waters.  Less crowded in morning.

$100 pesos entrance fee. Snorkeling gear is 50 pesos extra.  
You can drive, taxi, or take a colectivo van (30 pesos) from Playa del Carmen.

Buses: depart and arrive from 2nd street.  From the highway it is a 15 minutes walk down to the cenote.  When going home you can hail down a colectivo van which comes every 10-15 minutes on the opposite side of the highway. 

By Car: Drive south on the 307 highway from Playa Del Carmen. You will pass Puerto Aventuras and about 5 minutes past there you will see the main entrance to Barceló Hotel on the left. On the right are four separate cenotes to visit. You will see the sign on the right and enter the dirt road. You will come to a small building where you pay and get wrist bands. Parking is available

Cenote Azul

20 mins drive south of Playa del Carmen

This open cenote is surrounded by vegetation, and has crystal clear water perfect for swimming and jumping into.  It is nearby Jardin del Eden as well as within walking distance to Cenote Cristalino. 

Entrance Fee: $80 pesos/person. 

Family friendly.  Easy to get to by car, taxi or van colectivo.

Cenote Dos Ojos

40 mins drive south of Playa del Carmen

Dos Ojos, meaning ‘two eyes’, refers to the two cenotes connected by a large cavern zone. One of these cenotes is clear blue water, giving snorkelers high visibility. The other, named the "black eye," is virtually light-free & you need a flashlight to dive here. There are also dry caves including the famous bat cave.  This cenote caters best to scuba divers but also a good experience for snorkeling.

Entrance Fee: $100-200 pesos for swimmers, snorkelers, and onlookers.
Tour: $450 pesos
2 hours is good amount of time for exploring. 
Water can be chilly so consider the wetsuit.

Sac Actun

1 hour drive south of Playa del Carmen

BEST OPTION for the ADVENTUROUS type who wants a unique experience in a closed cenote.  Intensely gorgeous, haunting space, you travel from one cavern to another, looking at the stalactites/stalagmites, enjoying crystal clear blue water amidst groups of bats. You'll start at Pet Cemetary cenote which links up to Sac Actun.  Scenery is above the water so you don’t use the snorkel and mask much.  You easily float the whole time and could choose to look under water using your mask, or keep your head above water and just paddle forward.  Can be a bit chilly and claustrophobic for some people.  Not for jumping and swimming, and not for small children
 
Entrance Fee: $450 pesos, includes everything. 

Take the Dos Ojos cenote entrance and tell the guys you are going to Sac Actun (do not pay the Dos Ojos entrance fee even if they ask for it). It's about 3 miles (15mins) down a bumpy dirt road and you’ll pass several other cenotes. There are no lockers at the facility.  If you don’t drive then have the taxi either wait for you for 2 hours or come back to pick you up.  Tips: Wear a t-shirt as the jacket rubs. Take a waterproof camera. There are bathrooms to change in so you can take a change of clothing. Bring your own waterproof flashlight.  Wet suits not currently provided but that may change. 

Cenote Samula

Near Chichen Itza, 2.5 hours drive from Playa del Carmen

Near Chichen Itza (15 mins away) and Valladolid, located in Dzitnup, this underground cenote is one of the most photographed cenotes in the Yucatan. The massive hole in the ceiling allows a huge system of roots to reach towards the water nearly 8 meters below. you can swim through the crystal clear water or rent snorkeling equipment. There is a second cenote across the street called Xkeken, it is also worth visiting and has lots of bats. 

Each cenote requires an entrance fee ~$5 USD.