Tulum Itinerary – 3 or 5 Days in Tulum Mexico

The perfect Tulum itinerary includes beach time, ancient Mayan ruins and a refreshing dip in a beautiful cenote, topped off with a margarita and fresh fish tacos. This itinerary covers 5 days in Tulum, with an option for 3 days in Tulum if you’re short on time. Happy planning! 

Tulum is a chilled out beach lovers’ dream. It’s a little bit hip and a little bit hippy. It’s on the tourist radar but not full on touristy like the nearby beach resorts. It’s equally perfect for wasting away the day on the beach or for having a more active holiday. My Tulum 5 day itinerary seeks to explore the best outdoor activities and history that Tulum has to offer, while still leaving plenty of relaxing beach time.

All of the activities in this 5 day Tulum itinerary are covered in more detail in my list of the top 10 things do to in Tulum, so be sure to check that out!

Tulum Itinerary – 5 Days in Tulum

Day 1: Tulum Beach Club

Get your Tulum itinerary off to a relaxing start with a lazy day at one of Tulum’s many beach bars. Tulum beach is lined with beach clubs, where you can relax on a sun lounger for a fee or minimum spend.

Our favorite beach club was Mivida at Punta Piedra Hotel. Mivida is a very chilled beach club on a small stretch of beach with rocky climbs to the next beach at either end. The beer was cold, the fish tacos were good, the music was lounge style (not all doof doof). What more could you want!

Public Service Announcement: There’s a small nudist stretch of beach next to Mivida. Don’t be surprised if you see some meat and vege hanging out in the sun. Yup, we witnessed some.

If you’re after a more trendy Tulum beach club, try either Papaya Playa Project or Ziggy’s Beach Club.

Day 2: Tulum Bike Tour – Tulum Ruins, Town, Cenote

Tulum Bike Tour

Kill a few birds with one stone and go on a Tulum cycling tour. We joined the half-day Classic Bike Tour with Tulum Bike Tours, and absolutely loved it. If you’re short on cash, you can also easily follow the same rough itinerary on a self-guided Tulum bike tour.

Our cycling guide Ocho was excellent. He explained the history of Tulum, the ruins, and the natural wonders of cenotes, while also helping us understand the strain that tourism is putting on Tulum’s fragile eco-system.

It was clear that Tulum Bike Tours seek to put their money where their mouth is by providing eco-tours. Case in point: biking instead of cars, delicious homemade snacks, refillable water bottles and, of course, education.

The biking for the Classic Bike Tour was easy and flat, and suitable for anyone who can ride a bike. We covered around 12 miles / 19km over a leisurely half day. Tulum has many bike lanes, so is very safe to ride around.

Tulum Ruins

Our day started early (8am departure) with a Tulum Ruins tour, to largely avoid the mid-morning crowds. The Tulum Ruins (photo above) are ancient Mayan ruins in a pretty spectacular location overlooking the Tulum Coast (see first featured photo).

The Tulum ruins was where having a guide really paid off. Left to my own devices, I would have meandered around the Tulum ruins site, pondered about what may or may not have taken place here centuries earlier, and perhaps googled a fun fact or two. Our cycling guide Ocho managed to bring the ruins to life. He explained the rich history and cultural traditions of the region, told us about the use of each building, and pointed out small details that I would have missed.

Tulum Town and Cenote Swim

After the Tulum Ruins, we made our way through Tulum town. Tulum town has some colourful street art and some really great restaurants. We stopped to refuel with local tacos and juice (oh so tasty), and then visited a bee sanctuary.

Our bike tour ended with a swim in a local open cenote. While open cenotes are not quite as beautiful as the semi-closed or cavern cenotes, we enjoyed it just as much due to the laidback vibe and lack of crowds.

After all that cycling, you’ll definitely deserve a rest. Stay in town for cold beer or margarita and then hit Tulum beach for dinner.

Day 3: Day Trip from Tulum to Chichen Itza and Valladolid

Hopefully you’re well rested by now, because today’s a big day. If you’re up for it, take a day trip from Tulum to the Chichen Itza pyramids and the Spanish colonial town Valladolid.

If you’re in Tulum for more than a few days, then it’s absolutely worth taking a day trip to visit Chichen Itza if you have even a little bit of interest in history and architecture. Chichen Itza is an ancient Mayan civilisation, and is one of the New 7 Wonders of the World. While it’s a sprawling site, most people visit to check out the famous Pyramid of Kukulcan (above), built to mathematical precision.

Visiting Chichen Itza from Tulum does make for a pretty a long day, at 10-12 hours return. I recommend joining a private or small group tour if your money stretches that far. This way, you’ll get to Chichen Itza faster (and therefore earlier!) than the bus tour crowd. You’ll also have the attention of a guide to learn about Mayan history and the hidden mysteries of Chichen Itza’s architecture. If you do a self-guided tour, take the time to read up on Mayan history and architecture first.

We chose the World Wonder Discovery with Mexico Kan Tours for three reasons. First, they focus on sustainable eco-tours. Secondly, Mexico Kan Tours have small group tours by van (8 people in our group). Thirdly, as well as visiting Chichen Itza, our day trip included a swim in a cenote and lunch at Valladolid with free time to explore the colourful Spanish colonial town.

Day 4: Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve

So we fully intended to visit Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve. We are animal and nature lovers and this looked right up our street. However, we left our planning a leeeetle late (okay, totally late … to the day before!), and the tours we wanted to do were booked out.

In the end, this turned out to be good ‘non-planning’ on our part as the weather gods didn’t come to the party and it rained on and off all day. This meant it was a great day to hole up at another beach bar!

Most Sian Ka’an tours are by boat, sometimes with a walking component. You can do a full day tour from Punta Allen to explore both the lagoon and ocean side (with dolphins!). If you’re tight on time, you can take a half day tour from the Muyil side to visit the Muyil ruins and float through the lagoon.

Both of the local Tulum tour companies that I used and recommend offer tours of Sian Ka’an Biosphere. For a full day tour, check out the Sian Ka’an Adventure with Mexico Kan Tours. For a half day tour, check out the Mayan Wetlands Adventure from Tulum Bike Tours (note, this is a walking / boat tour, not a bike tour).

When we couldn’t find a tour to join, we wondered if it was possible to take a self-guided tour to Sian Ka’an Nature Reserve. Yup, it is possible, but we put it in the too-hard basket given the inclement weather. If you’re wanting to save some coin or up for a challenge, take a self-guided tour of Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve.

Day 5: Tulum Chill Day!

You’ve earned it, time for another chill day! Ok, so the rest of the Tulum itinerary has not exactly been strenuous, but I do recommend having a fairly loose itinerary for Tulum. Leave time for at least a couple of chill days, as this is what Tulum is all about.

Use your final day in Tulum to visit the sites you’ve missed or go back to some old favs (you’ll totally have some after just a couple of days in Tulum!). Jump on a bike and mosey around Tulum town, eat some good tacos, drink margaritas, ride to another cenote, or simply relax at the beach.

We spent much of our final day relaxing at our local fav Mateo’s Mexican Grill (photo above). As much as we didn’t want our Tulum trip to end, it was time to catch our evening flight to much colder climates: the Canadian winter (brrr!).

Tulum Itinerary – 3 Days in Tulum

If you only have 3 days in Tulum, then my suggested Tulum itinerary depends on whether you want to pack in Tulum sightseeing, or whether you prefer to take it easier.

Action Packed Tulum Itinerary: If you’re keen to pack in as many activities as you can during your Tulum 3 day itinerary, then follow Days 1 – 3 of the 5 day Tulum itinerary above. Switch the day trip from Tulum to Chichen Itza and Valladolid to Day 2, as it’s a really long day.

Relaxed Tulum Itinerary: If you want to get into a Tulum frame of mind and take it slow, then follow Days 1, 2 and 5 of the Tulum itinerary above.

Tulum Travel Tips

Money in Tulum

Make sure you bring lots of Mexican pesos to Tulum. Many ATMs were out of order when we visited, some places don’t accept card payment, and others will only accept card payment or USD with a rather hefty mark-up. (Sadly, we only discovered this once we arrived in Tulum, whoops!)

Transport in Tulum

Bike: It won’t surprise you to hear that (at least in my view) the best way to explore Tulum and its surroundings is by bike. Many hotels provide bikes or you can easily rent one in town or at the beach.

Taxi: Taxis are plentiful and cheapish, but make sure you agree the rate in advance. You can also take the colectivo (shared shuttle van) for longer trips.

Where to Stay in Tulum

Beach Options: My vote for Tulum accommodation is at the beach if you can afford it. Chose a cabana on the beach front for maximum chill time and minimum road noise. We stayed on the jungle side of the beach main road in the middle of a busy strip of bars and restaurants which I wouldn’t recommend due to the noise.

Budget Options: If you’re on a budget, there’s some good options in Tulum town. Tulum town has great food, is a good kick off point for day tours, and you’re only a short (5km) bike away from the beach.

Tulum Mindset

Last of all, come to Tulum with an open frame of mind. Tulum is a lazy beach town that is rapidly expanding, and infrastructure understandably hasn’t kept pace with tourism growth. You may sometimes be frustrated by limited or no water, power cuts, and basic facilities, but you’ll always be charmed by Tulum.

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