Overview
Once a Mayan port city, Tulum grew famous for the setting of its ruins — grey stone temples on a low cliff above turquoise water and a beach. The modern town split into the ruins and beach zone on the sea and the growing town inland on the highway, and it draws a stylish crowd to its eco-hotels, yoga and beach clubs. It is warm and busy in the dry winter season, and the coast and cenotes are its real wealth.
Highlights
The clifftop ruins look out over the Caribbean, with a beach below the walls that pairs swimming with the archaeology. Inland, the freshwater cenotes of the Riviera Maya — sinkholes for swimming and diving — are among the region’s finest, and the vast ruins of Cobá lie a short drive away. The beach road strings together hotels, restaurants and clubs along the sand.