Riviera Maya & the Yucatan attractions

More things to do in the area

Showing 76-105 of 118 attractions in Riviera Maya & the Yucatan

#76

Fundadores Park (El Zócalo)

Located just off the ferry dock, Fundadores Park (El Zócalo) is the center of Playa del Carmen. This beachside park sits along Playa del Carmen’s famous Fifth Avenue, and it’s the main square from which the rest of the tourist area branches out. From El Zócalo you’ll have a gorgeous view of the ocean and easy access to the beaches.

3 Tours and Activities

#77

Discover Mexico Park Cozumel

Discover Mexico Park Cozumel showcases Mexican history, culture, and art through several indoor and outdoor exhibitions. Outside, miniature models depict famous sites and a botanical garden showcases Mexico’s rich wildlife. Inside, you can peruse artisanal crafts and taste traditional Mexican foods and beverages at the snack bar.

#78

El Rey Archaeological Zone (Zona Arqueológica El Rey)

Located in Cancun’s Hotel Zone, El Rey Archaeological Zone (Zona Arqueológica El Rey) is an archaeological site containing 47 ancient Maya stone structures. Named for a mask and skull found on-site thought to honor the Maya sun god, these ruins are the remains of ceremonial buildings and market areas.

13 Tours and Activities

#79

Plaza del Sol

Located adjacent to Cozumel’s ferry port, Plaza del Sol is the cultural and economic heart of San Miguel. With bustling shops, restaurants, and breezy ocean views, this sunlit square is a good place to people-watch, browse souvenirs, and grab a bite. When evening nears, the street scene transforms as locals and tourists flock to nearby bars for live music and dancing.

1 Tour and Activity

#80

Cenote Nohoch Nah Chich

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Dive into the depths of the Yucatan’s longest subterranean cave system at Nohoch Nah Chich outside Cancun. Exploring this enormous cenote studded with stalactites and stalagmites offers the experience of a lifetime for diving enthusiasts, while nondivers can swim and snorkel in its freshwater rivers and pools.

12 Tours and Activities

#81

Punta Laguna Nature Reserve (Otoch Ma'ax Yetel Kooh)

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With miles of untamed jungle, the Punta Laguna Nature Reserve (Otoch Ma'ax Yetel Kooh) is one of the best places to get up close to the Yucatan’s varied wildlife. The 12,355-acre (5,000-hectare) reserve is home to more than 600 spider and howler monkeys, as well as pumas, crocodiles, coatimundi, white-tailed deer, and a large variety of tropical birds.

12 Tours and Activities

#82

Kin Ha Water Park (Balneario Kin Ha)

In one central location, Kin Ha Water Park (Balneario Kin Ha) brings together some of Isla Mujeres’ top activities, including snorkeling, paddleboarding, and beachside relaxation. Highlights include an adults-only pool with swim-up bar, several freshwater pools, and water slides, as well as sweeping views over the Mexican Caribbean.

1 Tour and Activity

#83

Palacio Municipal

A landmark of downtown Mérida, the free-to-enter City Hall (Palacio Municipal) spans the west flank of the city’s Plaza Grande and is characterized by its salmon pink façade, arches, and clock tower. Inside, visitors can enjoy murals and paintings on the second floor, cool interior courtyards, and admire sweeping views over the plaza below.

2 Tours and Activities

#84

Garrafon Natural Reef Park

Located just outside Cancun, Garrafon Natural Reef Park is a natural amusement park that offers recreational activities such as snorkeling, kayaking, ziplining, and biking. With colorful coral reefs, tropical hills, and rugged coastal cliffs, Garrafon Natural Reef Park allows you to experience some of the best of Mexico’s outdoor treasures.

2 Tours and Activities

#85

Chetumal

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The state capital of Quintana Roo, Chetumal is a vibrant port city on the Yucatan Peninsula’s east coast. Surrounded by jungle and just minutes from Maya ruins, Chetumal sits on the border with Belize and serves as a jumping-off point for trips to the Belize Cayes and Tikal in Guatemala. Between the two countries is a duty-free shopping zone.

10 Tours and Activities

#86

Aké Ruins and Hacienda

Mesoamerican and Spanish cultures collide at the Aké Ruins and Hacienda, one of the Yucatán’s smaller but still significant archaeological and cultural sites. Explore the remains of an ancient Maya sacbe (raised road), central pyramidal palace, and two concentric border walls before stepping back to the 19th century at the henequen hacienda or climbing to the Aké chapel, which sits atop a Maya pyramid.

1 Tour and Activity

#87

Choco Story

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Near the Uxmal ruins in Mexico’s Yucatan, the Choco-Story interactive chocolate museum and cacao plantation focuses on the history, culture, and sustainability of cacao growth in the area. It’s a community-driven, eco-friendly enterprise that makes for a unique and educational visit for the whole family.

10 Tours and Activities

#88

Cancun Scenic Tower (Torre Escénica)

Soak up dramatic panoramic views over Xcaret Park and the Caribbean coastline from the highest viewpoint in the Riviera Maya, the Cancún Scenic Tower (Torre Escénica). After climbing over 250 feet (76 meters), enjoy the sights as you gently rotate 360 degrees while learning about your surroundings by way of bilingual audio commentary.

2 Tours and Activities

#89

Ría Lagartos

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Ría Lagartos, a little fishing village on the Mexican Riviera, is home to Parque Natural Ría Lagartos, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve best known for its flocks of flamingos. Situated alongside a long estuary, the park boasts more than 380 bird species, including tens of thousands of flamingos. The birds use Ría Lagartos as their breeding ground.

6 Tours and Activities

#90

Playacar

Playacar is a gated community just south of Playa del Carmen, Mexico, which is known for its all-inclusive resorts and private beachfront villas. It's ideal for those who want to stay right on the sand and still be close to the excitement of Fifth Avenue. Playacar’s wide and not-too-crowded beaches are some of the nicest in Playa.

1 Tour and Activity

#91

Nichupté Lagoon

Overlooking Cancún and the Caribbean Sea, Nichupté Lagoon System is an enormous nature reserve that holds seven fresh and saltwater lagoons including Río Inglés, Rio del Amor, Caleta Nizuc y Bojórquez, and Nichupté itself. Surrounded by natural beauty, it’s an ideal spot for water-based adventures, wildlife-spotting, and sunset-viewing.

#92

Izamal

A small colonial city in Mexico’s Yucatan region, Izamal combines the aesthetics of old and new, with ancient pyramids standing alongside an old Spanish monastery and yellow-painted town buildings. The city was once an ancient Maya ceremonial center, and the largest pyramid—dubbedKinich Kak Mo—was a holy site built for the Maya sun god.

4 Tours and Activities

#93

Interactive Aquarium Cancun

As one of the top family-friendly attractions in the resort town, the Cancun Interactive Aquarium offers visitors a peek into the Caribbean and the chance to touch, feed, and interact with a variety of marine life. Home to schools of colorful tropical fish, seahorses, jellyfish, stingrays, tiger and bull sharks, sea turtles, and more, the aquarium provides the chance to learn about the animals’ natural habitats and their role in the underwater ecosystem.

#94

Costa Maya Port

Specifically designed for cruisers, Costa Maya Port sits on Mexico’s Caribbean coast, south of Riviera Maya and the Yucatan region, and just north of Belize. While the port’s resort–like atmosphere draws many tourists, visitors can also venture out on shore excursions if they would like to get out on the water or visit ancient Maya ruins.

1 Tour and Activity

#95

Cancun Wax Museum (Museo de Cera Cancún)

Conveniently situated in the Cancún Hotel Zone, the family-friendly Cancún Wax Museum (Museo de Cera Cancún) is the only one of its kind in the city. Marvel over more than 100 national and international figures from the worlds of music, cinema, and sport—including Amy Winehouse, Madonna, and David Beckham—as well as cartoon characters.

1 Tour and Activity

#96

Xotik-Ha EcoPark

At Xpu-Ha’s Xotik-Ha EcoPark outside Cancun, test your courage on a treetop ropes course and swim and snorkel in Cenote Minotauro, a labyrinth of subterranean rivers and caves studded with stalactites and stalagmites. The park includes snorkel gear, catamaran rides, and kayaking near some of the Yucatan’s best beaches and lagoons for snorkeling.

1 Tour and Activity

#97

Cuzamá

The Cuzamá area of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula is known for its cluster of cenotes, or underwater sinkholes, which are unique in their methods of access. The three main cenotes are Chelentun, Chacsinicche, and Bolonchojol, and getting there is half the fun—the trip from Cuzamá’s town square to the cenotes is via traditional horse-drawn cart.

2 Tours and Activities

#98

Mesoamerican Barrier Reef

The Mesoamerican Barrier Reef stretches just off the coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula all the way down to Honduras. It's the largest coral reef in the western hemisphere and half the length of the Great Barrier Reef (the world's largest). Also commonly referred to as the Great Maya Reef, it’s a must-see for nature and wildlife lovers.

#99

Celestun Biosphere Reserve

A relaxed fishing village located along the Yucatan coast, Celestun lies within the Celestun Biosphere Reserve, or sometimes known as the Celestun Wildlife Refuge. Comprised of over 146,000 acres (hectares) of mangroves, the reserve makes ideal habitat for animals, especially birds, and more than 300 bird species, including the popular flamingo, live here.

1 Tour and Activity

#100

Eknakán

Eknakán, in Mexico’s Yucatán, is the site of one of many haciendas as well as a German Gothic-style church—which is what makes it an interesting small village to experience. Known as the Iglesia de la Soledad (La Soledad Church), the yellow church stands tall over the center of town, with stained glass–diffused lighting throughout.

2 Tours and Activities

#101

Cenote Zazil Tunich

Located in the colonial town of Valladolid in the Yucatán, Cenote Zazil Tunich is a site of natural beauty. Here, you can admire rock formations such as the Mayan Kiss and Guardian of the Caves; learn about the nine levels of the Mayan Underworld and associated mythology; and swim in the crystalline waters of the limestone sinkhole.

2 Tours and Activities

#102

Mandala Beach Club

Set on the white-sand beaches of the Caribbean, Mandala Beach Club is known for its beach parties, bikini contests, and crowds of revelers that flock to the club day and night. Party-goers can sip tropical beverages on lounge chairs and splash in the pool by day and dance the night away to electronic DJ sets.

#103

Royal Castle (Castillo Real)

Cozumel’s Royal Castle (Castillo Real) is a small Maya ruin on the island’s remote northeastern shore. Centuries ago, this stone outpost was likely a guard station to keep watch for enemy ships on the open sea. Today the structure is notable for its high vantage point, offering panoramic views of the coastline and the Caribbean Sea.

#104

Cenote Hubiku

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Cenotes, underground sinkholes filled with cool, fresh water, are a highlight of any visit to the Yucatan. As sunlight floods through the vine-decked ceiling of Hubiku Cenote, illuminating the turquoise waters and limestone formations, it’s easy to see why the ancient Maya considered these sacred places gateways to the underworld.

93 Tours and Activities

#105

Labna

A must-see site for archaeology lovers and architectural buffs, Labna boasts Maya ruins built in the ancient Puuc style, marked by the use of concrete and decorative elements. Located in the Yucatan Peninsula, near the larger Uxmal ruins, Labna is a compact structure hidden within the Puuc Hills.

1 Tour and Activity