City Go

A few years ago Playa del Carmen was a small fishing town. That all changed with the ferry to Cozumel island, which made this once small town a touristic destination on its own. The population increased from 17.6 thousand inhabitants in 1995 to 186.7 thousand inhabitants in 2014. Touristic activity centres around Fifth avenue which stretches across the city, with hundreds of shops, restaurants and bars. There are many small boutique hotels both in Fifth avenue and by the beach.

Xcaret Eco Park is a Mexican themed eco-archaeological park. Xcaret was an important harbour and trade centre at the height of the Mayan civilisation and remains from this era can be seen in the park. As a theme park, it displays some natural and cultural features, representative of Yucatán. The nature-based attractions include a river going through a Mayan village, a subterranean concrete sluice in wich people can swim and snorkel, swimming with the dolphins and a beach with a number of activities. The cultural activities include a replica of a Mayan village and a series of Mexican-themed shows. Opening hours : 8h30 a.m. to 9h30 p.m. Ticket (standard) : 129 USD (about 120 €); discounts apply for buying tickets in advance online here .

Xel-Ha Park is an ecotourism park. It's named after Xelha, a Mayan archaeological site, part of which is located on the lands leased to the park. The park is centred around a natural inlet and lagoon, where a river flows into the Caribbean sea, allowing for hundreds of fresh and salt water species to inhabit close to each other. In 2014 Xel-Ha was the first tourism park in the World to be awarded the Earthcheck Gold certification, for its investment on research and sustainability programs. Opening hours: 8h30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Ticket (standard): 89USD (about 83€), including meals and snorkelling equipment. Discounts available online  here . How to go: You can go by bus or, if you don't want to go through much trouble, you can schedule a tour at your hotel.

Tulum is an archaeological site consisting of a walled city, founded in 564. However, most findings date from the 1200s. It was used as a fishing and probably trade harbour by the larger city of Coba. The city was called Zàma by the Mayans, meaning the City of Dawn. The word Tulum means walls or barrier, explained by the walls surrounding the city.  The first detailed archaeological description of the site was published by archaeologists John Lloyd Stephens and Frederick Cartwright, in the 19th century. Opening hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Ticket (standard): 59 pesos plus 20 pesos for the tractor train ride that takes you from the parking lot to the ruins (about €3.60 total, 2016). Bring water, hat and sunscreen as there isn't much shade. How to go: It's easy to book an excursion at your hotel.

Coba is an ancient Mayan city, with the tallest temple pyramid in the Yucatan Peninsula (42 m). It contains many stelae depicting important events of Mayan life and in Mayan times one could almost say "all roads lead to Coba" as it was the centre of the largest network of stone causeways of the Mayan civilisation, that connected Coba to other places in the Yucatan Peninsula. Rent a bicycle or a bicycle rickshaw to take you through the site. Opening hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Entrance fee: MXN 70 (€3.35 April 2017) How to go: You can take a bus either from Cancun or Playa del Carmen. The operating bus network in this area is ADO . You can also search for buses on this  site.  There are also several tour operators that will pick you up at your hotel, I travelled with Alltournative .

Chichen Itza translates to something like "at the mouth of the well of the Itza people". It entered popular imagination, in 1843, with the book "Incidents of Travel in Yucatan", by explorers John Lloyd Stephens and Frederick Catherwood. The Temple of Kukulcan, also known as "El Castillo", is the most recognisable structure.The site opens daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.. Bring cash, as payment with credit card costs extra 10%.