See Tulum on Two Wheels – A Guide to Biking in Tulum

A fun and affordable way to see what Tulum has to offer is by bike. Renting a bike for a day or two will give you a lot of flexibility to explore many of the popular attractions around this town that would be too far to reach on foot. Since bikes were included in our stay, we decided to use them for a few days to save on car rental. Initially, we weren’t sure about how many places we would actually be able to visit on two wheels, or whether there were bike lanes and other safety measures in place. But it turns out biking in Tulum is surprisingly easy and we ended up using them to cover a lot of ground around this Pueblo Magico.

So, in this guide we’ll give you a lot of information on how to have a safe but fun experience cycling in Tulum, including where to rent bikes, tour options and many safety tips. In addition, we’ll also list all the places that you can realistically reach by bike.

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Ways to See Tulum on Two Wheels

Pros of Biking in Tulum

There are many advantages to biking around Tulum in Mexico.

• The main attractions around Tulum are quite far apart for reaching on foot, but are perfectly accessible by bicycle.
• Renting a bike is going to be cheaper than renting a car, especially if the bike is included in your accommodation.
• Riding a bike is also more environmentally friendly than driving.
• There are many segregated bike lanes around Tulum, which makes it a safe mode of transport.
• It’s easier to hop on and off a bike and lock it somewhere than always trying to find a parking spot for your vehicle. This is especially true along the Tulum Hotel Strip, where beautiful hotel entrances can be quite far apart to walk between, and there’s not much space for a car to stop along the road.
• There are plenty of bike stands at tourist attractions as well as in front of restaurants, where you can lock up and leave your bike.
• It’s a good way to sneak in some exercise during your holiday.
• You can even rent an electric bike if you don’t fancy doing all the work.

Cons of Biking in Tulum

Of course, exploring Tulum on two wheels isn’t necessarily the very best way to get around.

• You have to factor in that you’ll be cycling in high heat and humidity. Even when we left early in the morning, by the time we’d cycled to our destination with some pit stops, it was always the middle of the day by the time we rode back to our accommodation.
• Whilst there are plenty of cycle lanes around Tulum Centro, there’s no dedicated lane along the Hotel Zone, or along Highway 109 which leads to a few popular cenotes.
• Before you know it, you’ll be covering a fair distance on your bike.
• After heavy rainfall, the roads and paths can be flooded.

Is Riding a Bike in Tulum Safe?

Biking in Tulum is a popular method to get around with both locals and tourists. There are segregated cycle lanes around Tulum Downtown and along Coba Avenue (Highway 15) leading to the Tulum Hotel Zone. We personally felt safe cycling around these areas.

The Tulum Hotel Zone street doesn’t have a dedicated bike lane, and vehicles do fly up and down that street. The road along the Tulum Beach Zone also doesn’t have bike lanes, but it was wide and very quiet. There’s no bike lane along Highway 109 either, which leads to some popular cenotes around Tulum. It’s a very busy main road, so be extra cautious cycling there.

Just a heads up. Sometimes the bikes (especially the free ones included in your stay) may or may not be in the best shape. Helmets also don’t tend to come with these bikes. You may get a better bike if you rent one, or if you join a bike tour. (Although, we didn’t get helmets included when we rented a bike in Valladolid either). For this reason, just be extra cautious, especially when you have to cycle in traffic.

Safety Tips for Cycling in Tulum

Below we’ve provided a few extra tips for having the safest possible experience:

1. Test your bike before you ride off and have a pump with you just in case.
2. Always lock your bike whenever you leave it unattended. Even if it’s only for a short time.
3. Obvious, but never leave any of your belongings behind. Once I got distracted and left my bag in the basket with my camera inside it! Luckily, I quickly noticed it was missing.
4. When available, always use the dedicated cycle lane. Otherwise, ride on the sidewalk and be extra cautious on busy main roads.
5. Always be aware of your surroundings and follow traffic rules. You’re only a guest in Mexico.
6. You’ll be sweating a lot, so drink enough water and re-apply sun-cream to avoid sunburn.
7. Don’t forget to enjoy the ride and the freedom it gives you. (As well as the slight breeze).

Of course, anything can happen to you, which is why you should never travel without travel insurance. There are many different companies out there offering different levels of coverage depending on your needs. We personally use SafetyWing which offers coverage at a much more affordable price than most other insurances.

Places to Bike to in Tulum

1. Tulum Centro (Downtown)

Although you can generally walk around the main area of Tulum Centro, it’s much quicker to get from A to B on a bike. There are many dedicated bike lanes connecting the streets of Tulum, so you won’t need to cycle on the main road.

This way, you can also see more of Tulum than just its main touristy avenue. Our favourite activity in Tulum Downtown was spotting beautiful murals. There were a lot along Calle Sol Oriente, but we spotted a few in other places as we cycled around.

Whether you’re hungry for some tacos, are craving a healthy smoothie at Matcha Mama, or just want to grab a marquesita at Parque Dos Aguas, getting there on two wheels will be easy and fun.

2. Tulum Hotel Zone

One of the most popular areas of Tulum is the Hotel Zone. Here you’ll see all the cool, artsy hotel and beach club entrances, as well as many independent shops, small cafes and restaurants. You can easily spend half a day or more in the area.

Leaving Tulum Centro, join Coba Avenue (Highway 15), which has a segregated cycle lane up until about here on the map. From there, the road becomes quite narrow and heavily trafficked. Some of the hotel shuttles and colectivos drive along like lunatics, so be extra cautious. We cycled all the way to the Maya Arch, stopping at multiple locations to take photos, and then rode back to our apartment the same way.

Don’t underestimate just how long it’ll take you to cycle this route though. It’s a good 20km roundtrip and can take between 30 to 45 minutes just to get from one end to the other, not including all the stops you’ll be doing to take photos.

3. Tulum Maya Ruins

One of our favourite bike rides was to the Tulum Maya Ruins. Perched on the cliffs above the turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea, it’s actually the only Maya city that was built on the coast. Whilst there are no massive pyramids here like at Chichen Itza or Tikal in Guatemala, it’s still a beautiful site to visit.

To get there by bike, just follow Highway 307 out of Tulum Centro until you arrive here. There will be a sign on the highway saying ‘Ruinas Tulum’. Here, turn right off the main road and cycle through the car park area until you reach the nature reserve entry point. This area is pretty commercialised, with some souvenir shops and eateries. You’ll need to buy a ticket here granting you entry to the reserve. Then, carry on cycling down the path to the ruins. Once you’re there, you can buy your separate ticket to the archeological site.

There are bike stands around the entrance.

4. Tulum Beach Zone

Once you’ve visited the Tulum Ruins, we recommend to carry on cycling along the road towards the junction with Coba Avenue (Highway 15). After all, you’ve already paid your entry to the park, so you might as well make the most of it. Along this stretch of road, you’ll find some beautiful public beaches such as Playa Paraiso, or Paradise Beach. There are a couple of other points of interest here that you may also want to stop at:

• Faro de Tulum (Tulum Lighthouse)
• Playa Santa Fe
• Playa Pescadores

You can spend the rest of the day beach-hopping and sunbathing before riding back to Tulum Centro.

5. Cenotes Around Tulum

There are many popular cenotes in the vicinity of Tulum Centro. The closest ones that we suggest visiting on two wheels are Cenote Cristal, Cenote Escondido and Cenote Calavera. The first two are located to the west of Tulum and are the ones some bike tours will take you too. Cenote Calavera is located to the north of Tulum, just off Highway 109.

Now, it’s worth noting that there’s no dedicated cycle lane along this particular highway and, since it’s the main road towards places like Coba and Valladolid, it’ll be busy. We actually hired a car for a day to visit the archeological site as well as some other cenotes, so don’t have any experience cycling along this highway.

Final Thoughts on Biking in Tulum

We were so happy that we could book a place that had bikes included. It definitely saved us some pennies in both car and bike rental. We also loved the freedom they gave us, without having to worry too much about stopping and finding parking spots. Of course, cycling in the heat and humidity wasn’t always fun, but at least we got a pretty good workout in on those days. Lastly, we also felt very safe, even cycling on the main road, although we were always careful.

Have you ever visited Tulum before? If so, did you rent a bike during your stay? If not, would you explore Tulum on two wheels? Let us know in the comments below.