Playa del Carmen is the sister city of Cancun. Something like the party-lover sister. Both cities have their own beauties. Cancun offers a more familiar and relaxing atmosphere in its all-inclusive hotels. Playa del Carmen offers its young visitors a more bohemian environment, incredible parties until dawn, beach clubs and nice party-souled hostels. Truth is, whether your destination is Cancun or Playa del Carmen, you will have to land in Cancun Airport to get to any of them. For this reason, we found it useful to share our readers a post about how to get transportation from Cancun Airport to Playa del Carmen.
First thing to know
We include it in every post, and will still do, according to our clients’ feedback. Some timeshare promoters have a small headquarter at the airport, which allows them to approach tourists that don’t know how this tourism modality works at all. The modus operandi (already very known by a lot of travelers) is to offer tour discounts, some special breakfast or brunch, walkarounds in certain hotel’s facilities and even free tickets to some tours (which are commonly useless). Don’t waste your time.
If interested, you would have done some research already (wouldn’t you?)
In order to evade a forced purchase, just say “No, thanks” and keep on walking.
Nobody wants to harm you
There are some rumors about Cancun (and some about Playa del Carmen) being an unsafe place.
Not just distanced from reality. It’s actually not even the truth.
The people living and working here are as honest, hard-worker and committed as any other person. None would destroy a whole tourism-based economic system to obtain a little immediate benefit. It is a fact, as in any part of the world, there is a small percentage of criminal activity. However, these issues are not related to tourism at all. It is actually related to small mafias activities, such as narcotic selling in zones considered as “ghetto”. Just have common sense in front of any situation. Don’t be afraid of coming to Cancun or Playa del Carmen and getting out of your resort. We are more of the good people wishing to contribute something enriching to your experience, than the bad people trying to fool you. That’s for sure.
recommended post: Things to consider at Cancun Airport
That said, imagine that you are landing at Cancun Airport and your destination is Playa del Carmen. There is more than one way to get there. The more popular are the following:
Cancun Airport to Playa del Carmen
Cancun Airport — Cancun Downtown — Playa del Carmen
Some adventurer travelers prefer to take a shared public van from Cancun to Playa del Carmen. To do this, the first step is to get to Cancun Downtown. Once there, there are 3 options.
By now, Cancun Downtown has three Playa del Carmen-Cancun van stations. One of them is in front of ADO terminal node, another one is beside Soriana’s Supermarket parking lot over Tulum Avenue, and the last one, mostly used by locals, is a bit far from the center. Once you have located one of these stations, pay, aboard the van, and tell the driver where are you going. These vans charge in pesos depending on the traveled distance, so it would be a good idea to have some. They may speed up more than recommended, so you will get to Playa del Carmen quickly, but maybe a bit scared.
Bus from Cancun Airport to Playa del Carmen (stopping by Cancun Downtown)
To get to Cancun Downtown first, you will have to get a bus from Cancun Airport (recommended post: Type of transportation at Cancun Airport). If you travel solo, this is the most economic, but also the slowest option. Slowest because the bus waits until most seats are occupied to take off, and the time of your arrival may not coincide with the departing times of these buses. Another option is to take a taxi.
How to get from Cancun Airport to Playa del Carmen
Cancun Airport — Playa del Carmen
If you prefer to evade that possible scramble, there are still other options, such as a direct transportation from Cancun Airport to Playa del Carmen. The most preferred are to rent a car or to book private transportation.
Rent a car
There are several companies dedicated to car rental for tourists, some of them have very reasonable rates. If you don’t have a problem with driving during your vacation time, this may be a really good option. There are many models to choose from, suitable for most usages. You will be able to drive to Playa del Carmen and any other destination in the area.
Book a private transportation from Cancun Airport to Playa del Carmen
According to many travelers’ opinions, this is the best option when traveling to Cancun, Playa del Carmen, or any destination around Riviera Maya. Bearing in mind that many hotels are located over highly transited highways and boulevards, tourists find it safer to delegate the driving to specialized private transportation companies. The standard vehicle for private transportations is an air-conditioned van for up to 9 passengers.
There are other accessible and more comfortable options to get to Playa del Carmen, like SUVs for luxury transportation. These SUVs usually carry a maximum of 6 passengers. In this category, most popular models are from Chevrolet, Toyota, and Chrysler brands. Wide, spacious, fine, and elegant.
Already decided what option to take to get to Playa del Carmen from Cancun Airport? Enjoy your trip!
