A Short Guide to Tulum Ruins: How to Visit the Coastal Maya Site

The beautiful Tulum Ruins are located right on the Caribbean Sea, just outside the popular town of Tulum. Whilst there are many impressive archeological sites you can visit in Mexico, this is actually the only Maya city that was built on the coast.

We’ve put together a short guide with all the essential information you should know about prior to your visit to the Tulum Ruins. It details all the different ways you can reach the site, as well as information about entry fees, opening times and when the best time of year to visit is. Lastly, we’ll tell you about the best structures to see within the site and what else you can do nearby after your visit.

If you’d like to see our experience at the Tulum Ruins then make sure to watch our dedicated Tulum video, which also includes additional things to do around the town. If you’re interested in more Mexico content, check out the Mexico Playlist on our YouTube Channel.

A Brief History of Tulum Ruins

The ancient city of Tulum was actually one of the last to be built by the Maya. The original name of the city was Zama, which means “dawn”. It was later re-named Tulum, meaning “city wall” in Yucatec Maya.

Construction started in the 6th Century, and between the 13th and 15th Centuries Tulum was a thriving city and an important trading port. Unfortunately, diseases brought into the area by the Spanish invasion decimated the population and the city was abandoned by the end of the 16th Century.

It was then re-discovered in 1840 by John Lloyd Stephens and Frederick Catherwood, who described and illustrated the ancient city in great detail.

How to Get to Tulum Ruins

The Tulum Ruins are located about 3km (2 miles) from Tulum’s town centre and you can get there using many different modes of transport.

On Two-Wheels

One of the easiest ways to get to Tulum Ruins is on two-wheels. You can either rent a bicycle or a scooter, depending on how much physical effort you want to put into reaching the ruins. Since we booked an accommodation with bikes included it made sense to visit the archeological site using the available bicycles.

There are many bike and scooter rental shops in Tulum, with Ola Bike Tulum and IBike Tulum being some of the popular ones.

By Private Vehicle

A fast way to get to Tulum Ruins is by private vehicle. You can either rent a car or take a taxi.

Renting a car is a great option if you want to visit other places outside of Tulum. There are many car rental places in town, including both well-known international agencies and smaller local ones. However, if you wish to secure a vehicle before your trip, check out DiscoverCars where you can find the best rates because they compare local, national and international companies.

Alternatively, you can take a taxi from Tulum Centro if you don’t want to drive. There are always plenty of taxis available around the town centre, or just ask your hotel / hostel to call you one. (There’s no Uber in Tulum.)

Top Tip. Always negotiate and agree on a price, (in Mexican Pesos!), before you jump into a taxi. Many drivers try to inflate their prices, therefore always ask your hotel about current fares so you know if you’re getting a good deal or not.

Note. Parking is 160 MXN pesos for the day. The car park is located quite far from the actual entrance to the ruins, so you’ll need to account for either a short stroll or pay the 50 MXN pesos cost of the shuttle.

On Foot

Probably the most time consuming way to reach Tulum Ruins is on foot. It’s not impossible, but it’ll take a good 45 minutes to reach the ruins from the town centre. If you choose to walk, make sure to set off early and have plenty of water with you.

With an Organised Tour

If you want to learn more about the ruins, you can book an organised tour. There were some information boards on site where we could read about the different structures. However, a guide would be able to explain more about the site’s history in much more detail.

Many organised tours include a variety of other activities, which is perfect if you’re short on time. For example, this tour by Ocean Tours Mexico also includes a snorkeling excursion and a cenote visit after touring the Tulum Ruins.

If you wish to learn more about the site without committing to an organised tour, you can always just hire a guide at the entrance. This will give you some freedom to do other activities in your own time.

Tulum Ruins Entry Fee and Opening Times

The archeological site is open every day from 8AM until 5PM. Note that the last entry is at 3:30PM.

It’s worth highlighting that you need to pay for two separate tickets to enter the ruins. One is for the Jaguar National Park, the second largest conservation area and reserve in Quintana Roo, and the other one is for the ruins themselves.

Admission to Jaguar National Park is 60 MXN pesos. The ticket office is by the car park after you walk through the souvenir shop area. Here, we could pay either cash or card, although the sign said that they preferred card payments. We got a wristband with the current date on it. Then, before we carried on cycling towards the ruins there was a security station where our backpacks were checked.

After that we were able to carry on towards the main entrance of the ruins. We could take our bikes all the way to the entrance, where they had bike stands.

The entry fee to Tulum Ruins is 95 MXN pesos per person. They only accept cash here, so make sure you have enough small change on you.

Just like at many sites in Mexico, if you have a professional camera, you’ll need to pay a small fee to use it. However, you can take pictures with a smartphone free of charge.

At the entrance, you can hire a guide for an extra cost if you wish.

Best Time to Visit the Tulum Ruins

In terms of season, the best weather is between December and April, which coincides with the dry season when temperatures are much more pleasant. However, this is also the peak tourist season, so expect bigger crowds. The rainy season is from May to October. It’s actually hotter and more humid during this time. Hurricane season is between June and November, peaking from August to October. We actually visited in September and it was very hot and humid. We had quite a few hurricanes pass close by the Yucatan during our time there that caused devastating damage in the USA. If you visit during the hurricane season, you’ll definitely experience fewer crowds but you also have to be more alert and keep an eye on local / international news and forecasts.

Overall, for the best of both worlds (less crowds and good weather) we suggest visiting the ruins either in May or November.

In terms of best day of the week, we generally recommend visiting during the weekdays if you can. Weekends are normally busier, especially on Sundays when Mexican citizens and foreign residents can visit the site free of charge.

When you’re thinking about the time of day to visit, we suggest getting to the ruins earlier in the morning. The site is open from 8AM which means that by visiting early you can avoid walking around in the hottest part of the day. Plus, if you’re visiting independently, you can also avoid getting stuck behind big tour groups coming from places like Cancun. They usually get there around 10-11AM.

Must-See Structures of Tulum Ruins

El Castillo (The Castle)

With a height of 7.5 m (25 ft) El Castillo is the tallest and most impressive structure within the archeological site. It was built in multiple phases and served multiple purposes; at one time it was a temple and at another a lighthouse guiding ships to port. You’ll see snakelike columns in the upper temple similar to those found at Chichen Itza.

Unfortunately, you’re not allowed to climb the structure, so you can only admire it from a distance.

The Temple of the Descending God

Located right next to El Castillo, this temple is dedicated to the Descending God (or Diving God), who is always depicted in an upside-down position.

The Temple of the Frescoes

Directly across from El Castillo is a small two-story building known as the Temple of the Frescoes. Its name comes from the colourful frescoes that adorn the walls inside the first floor. Unfortunately, visitors aren’t allowed inside the building, so we weren’t able to really appreciate the faded but detailed paintings.

At least we could admire the carved figures on the structure’s facades.

El Palacio (House of Columns) and Halach Uinic

Next to the Temple of the Frescoes are two palatial buildings: the House of Columns (or the Palace) and the House of Halach Uinic.

The Palace is a large complex that consists of four rooms, and served as a residence for Maya leaders. Halach Uinic was most likely the residence of the supreme leader.

The Temple of the Wind God

Perched atop a rocky outcrop, the Temple of the Wind is one of the most photographed structures within the ancient city. Some sources suggest that the structure served as a warning system for incoming storms such as hurricanes.

Tulum Ruins Beach

Can you guess how many ancient Maya Ruins we’ve visited where we could’ve also enjoyed some beach time? The answer is zero, and we’ve been to quite a few Maya sites in Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize. This is why the Tulum Ruins are actually quite unique compared to other ancient Maya cities.

If you follow the wooden staircase, you’ll be able to reach the sandy beach below, where you can cool down after walking around the site.

Note that June to October is turtle hatching season, therefore the beach is closed. Which was very unlucky for us because we were there in September. This didn’t take away from our overall experience, but it’s worth keeping in mind.

Other Things to Do Near Tulum Ruins

There are a few things you can do after your visit to the ruins, especially if you’ve arrived independently.

Tulum Beach Zone

Since you’ve already paid your entry to the Jaguar National Park, we suggest carrying on cycling along the road that runs parallel to the Tulum Beach Zone. 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.

Tulum Hotel Zone

After reaching the junction with Coba Avenue, if you carry on cycling straight down the road you’ll arrive within the Tulum Hotel Zone. Here you’ll see a lot of cool, artsy hotel and beach club entrances, as well as many independent shops, small cafes and restaurants. You can easily spend a few hours here taking photos or grabbing something to eat.

Note. It’s a long distance to cycle, (unless you’re staying in the hotel zone), but doable in one day, especially if you’re short on time. Having a scooter would actually be much more time effective than cycling.

Final Thoughts on Visiting Tulum Ruins

We actually really enjoyed visiting the Tulum Ruins. Some blogs we had read prior to our visit said that it’s not as exciting as other Maya sites like Chichen Itza or Tikal in Guatemala because this one doesn’t have any massive pyramids and you can’t climb the structures. However, we still really loved our visit, mainly because of the site’s unique location along the rugged coastline, with the aqua blue sea all around it.

Getting there by bike was also fun and easy and we were able to carry on cycling along the coast, stopping at the beaches after touring the ruins.

Have you ever visited the Tulum Ruins before? If not, let us know in the comments which would be your preferred method of getting there.