20 THINGS TO SEE AND DO IN PLAYA DEL CARMEN

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The vast majority of travelers visiting the Riviera Maya They are based in Cancun or Playa del Carmen. The reasons are essentially three: they have turquoise water beaches that travelers always appreciate (as long as sargassum allows), being top destinations there is a lot hotel offer and they have all the comforts to enjoy the stay, and finally your location It will allow you to explore (almost) the entire region and its main attractions on day trips. We already tell you everything you can do in Cancun, so today it's time to see the 20 things to see and do in Playa del Carmen.

Find cheap accommodationin Playa del Carmenhere. We stayed at the Anah Suites

1. Stroll through the Fifth Avenue, the heart of the nightlife of Playa del Carmen. We are not especially fans of this pedestrian street full of shops, bars and restaurants, but it is undeniable that it is the great artery of Playa del Carmen and that leaving without going through here would be a crime.

2. If you want to drink something in a cool place, with good prices, we recommend the restaurant Tropical, where there is an offer of 2 beers for $ 61 at happy hour.

3. A good way to get to know the city is to participate in afree tour of Playa del Carmen, which will take you to know the main tourist points by local experts. The tour is free but remember to leave a good tip. You can book it here.

4. If you travel to Playa del Carmen in February, you can enjoy your Carnival. They say it is one of the best places to celebrate it throughout Mexico.

5. On this trip we did not visit Mexico City, and I could not fulfill the dream of visiting the Blue House of Frida Kalho. Peeeeero in Playa del Carmen there is a museum dedicated to Frida! We booked the tickets on Tripadvisor (€ 13) and we were not disappointed at all. The guided tour is included with the ticket and thanks to the girl who accompanied us throughout the tour we learned lots of things about the extravagant and great artist. It inspired us to write 20 curiosities about Frida Kahlo.

6. The beach Playa del Carmen disappointed us a lot, mostly because there was a lot of sargassum when we visited. But if you're lucky, surely you can enjoy it a few hours a day.

7. We were told that the Xpu-ha beach It is a good alternative to that of Playa del Carmen, although when we went we did not find any free public access, so we decided to go home and enjoy the pool. In this part of Mexico there are many people who take advantage and charge access to the beach, the fact is that the beaches are free, but if you have to go through a private property to get there you can ask for a little money.

8. Playa del Carmen is the perfect place to enjoy the good mexican life: try the typical dishes of the local cuisine, and take one (or two) margaritas. And if you want to end the night dancing, an almost legendary place is the Salsanera Raices Room... to move the skeleton!

9. If you want eat some good tacos write down these names:El Fogón Y The king of tacos. Soon we will tell you more places to eat in Playa del Carmen well and cheaply.

10. Although it is not a city with especially interesting monuments, you can always take a walk and learn more about local life. You can go through theParish of Our Lady of Carmen, a typical completely white Mexican church, the small lighthouse on the main beach, with its characteristic exterior staircase, or of course, the sign PLAYA DEL CARMEN, in the Founders Park.

11. Approach the Cenote Azul, one of the most beautiful cenotes in the entire Riviera Maya. The entrance costs 100 pesos (€ 4.5).

12. Another cenote that we recommended to visit and that is also close to the Cenote Azul, is the Cenote Garden Eden. But the entry of 200 pesos threw us back.

13. Take out one photo with the Mayan Portal, a statue of José Arturo Tavarez Padilla representing two figures, one male and one female, forming a kind of arch. It is an icon of the city and is located in the Founders Park.

14. Playa del Carmen has a perfect location to explore other interesting areas of Riviera Maya. You can't miss one Tulum excursion, with its famous Mayan ruins. We spent 3 days there, and this is all you can do in Tulum at that time. But if you do not have a car or want to visit on the day, you can sign up for a day trip from Playa del Carmen to learn the essentials.

15. Another recommended place is Akumal, although in recent years it has had to hit a brutal change due to tourism and is no longer what it was. Its main attraction is power swim with turtles. Upon arrival the tourist circus is mounted and you will not be able to access the beach without going through the ticket office (100 pesos per person). We end up parking (free) in the parking lot of the restaurant Lol ha That, in exchange for spending on your restaurant (without minimum consumption) you have access to the beach at no cost. Here with 40 pesos you have entrance and a coke. Do not forget to bring your own snorkel glasses because the rent is a steal, and yes, there are turtles! We did not quite like it, although we found what we were looking for: one of the 3 statues of Gonzalo Guerrero (it is inside the property of the Lol Ha restaurant itself).

16. As we said before, it is a good place to find super cool accommodations And at good prices. We stayed at the Anah Suites, a beautiful apartment complex that we booked through Airbnb. Look at both this platform and other accommodation reservations.

17. The excursion that usually triumphs most among local tourism agencies is Cozumel. Although it can also be done for free, all you have to do is take a ferry that will leave you on the island in about 40 minutes (it costs 390 pesos i / v). If you want to go on an organized tour, there is a snorkeling tour that includes everything.

18. The Sian Ka'an Nature Reserve It will please all lovers of the environment. It is not super close (110 km approx) but it can be a beautiful and different day getaway. If you have several days in Playa del Carmen it is a good idea to make a road trip there.

19. Although if yours are the archeological zones, a very interesting (and very visited) is that of Coba, especially if you are not going to see more Mayan ruins, besides obviously Chichen Itza. You can go for free renting a car (early morning!) Or sign up for this tour to Coba that also includes a visit to a cenote.

20. And of course, the great excursion of Riviera Maya, the one that everyone should do too: go to visit Chichen Itza. In this case too, if you do not want to rent a car, there are tours that take you to know one of the 7 wonders of the world like this.

20-1 Many people recommended visiting parks like Xcaret, but after informing us and seeing that there are experiences like swimming with dolphins, equestrian shows, aquariums ... we decided not to go. It is a super personal decision but we prefer not to contribute to parks and centers where activities are done with animals. The Park are "sold" as an ecological reserve, but from what we read, it does not seem so at all. For the rest, the park looks very good but ... the scales weigh much more being a responsible tourist.

So far our selection of the best 20 things to see and do in Playa del Carmen. As you can see, it is a destination where getting bored is almost impossible! Do we forget something? Leave us your recommendation!