The Perfect 9 Day Road Trip through Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula

Just beneath the U.S. and so accessible, Mexico is a popular vacation spot for many Americans whether it be a spring break or a honeymoon. But Mexico has much more to offer than just all inclusive resorts that are all too popular; it is full of culture, delicious food, and natural beauty. Whether you're trying authentic Mexican cuisine, swimming in the bright blue water of cenotes, or admiring Mayan ruins, there' no shortage of things to do.

When I realized my birthday lined up with my boyfriend's spring break, I had the brilliant idea for us to go on a trip together. In my search for a cheap but adventurous vacation, I realized many of my bucket list sites were in Mexico. And so, like I love to do, I planned a road trip through the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. Together we explored the country for 10 days, which resulted in some of the best moments of my life and memories I'll always cherish. 

The 9 day itinerary I planned was packed full of a mixture of adventure and relaxation. It's designed to allow you travel for one week off your routine life, using up the weekend before and after. You can follow it to a T, or take out things out and add a day more to your liking (for example if you need an extra day at the beach - because my personal vacation schedule always tends to move pretty fast). This trip was also more about budget for us, but you can switch it up more to your liking as well (go cheaper than we did or be boujee).

So here we go!

Day 1: Arrive in Cancun, pick up rental car and scram!

Fly into Cancun International Airport. Ideally you'll want your plan to arrive in the morning or early afternoon so you have plenty of time for this first day of travel, which can be exhausting. When you arrive you'll have to go through immigration (which can take longer occasionally) and pick up your rental car. To save some time you can book a rental car beforehand on renatlcars.com , rentals.com or discovercarhire.com (don't book insurance through them though, do it at the car rental place where you'll pay). Renting a car can be around $15-$40 a day depending on deals etc. When picking up your car make sure and take pictures or videos of the exterior and interior for proof of the car's condition.

Once you have your rental car you'll want to stop at the Walmart in Cancun and get food for dinner, snacks for the road, and also grab some duct tape to cover the back of your car where it says "rental car." Police in Mexico are corrupt and can target you (actually happened to us). If you don't mind spending more time and money, you could grab dinner in a restaurant in Cancun, but we kept it simple and cheap our first day.

When you've got your essentials (aka food) then hit the road to Valladolid! It takes 2 hours to get to Valladolid, and you don't want to spend too much time in Cancun because driving in the dark later can be sketch. My boyfriend and I actually arrived after dark and were fine - but it makes finding your hotel more complicated - and it's your first day in the country which can be overwhelming! Once there, check into your accomodation and get a good night's sleep!

Another option:

If this is too much travel for you in one day, or you only have the option of a flight arriving later in the day, then you could just stay the night in Cancun and then head to Valladolid in the morning. Personally, I think Cancun is either resorts or just not a nice area so I wanted to head out to avoid higher tourist fees etc.

Day 2: Your first day in Valladolid! Exploring the city

After a long day of traveling the day before, you made it! My boyfriend and I took the opportunity to sleep in a little and then really enjoy the city after some rest. Some activities are best done early morning, but the city of Valladolid is small, everything in walking distance, and not overwhelming at all. So on your first day, no need to jump out of bed for a sunrise. Our day started around 10am.

We started off in the city center where we enjoyed a nice late breakfast at El Atrio. This restaurant has a beautiful courtyard and delicious food! (We ended up eating there twice but breakfast was my favorite!)

After you've had your coffee, it's time to explore! Which is easy because you're already in the city center. Right outside El Atrio is Iglesia de San Servacio. This beautiful and historic church is the pillar of Valladolid and a view you'll never grow tired of seeing. You can go inside the church depending on the time, just remember to be respectful of people praying inside.

After getting God's blessing, then you can explore the city! The city itself is small but walking along the streets with curiosity is a lot of fun. The buildings are painted different colors, there are shops to explore, and you get a glimpse into the lives of the locals.

Depending on where you wander through the city, you're sure to see signs pointing you towards Cenote Zaci. This is a MUST do. Only 30 pesos to enter, this hidden paradise will have you in awe. Not only is it beautiful but it's fun to swim in - so don't forget to wear your bathing suit!

Day 3: A Day Trip to Chichén Itzá and Cenotes

Grab breakfast in Valladolid, or make it yourself at your accommodation, then jump in your car and head to Chichén Itzá! The Mayan Ruins of Chichén Itzá are 45 minutes away from Valladolid, an easy drive. I would advise to leave earlier to avoid as much crowds as possible (there's always going to be a lot of people here though) and the sun beating down on you in the middle of the day. The park is open from 8am-4pm and the entrance fee to Chichén Itzá is around 240 pesos ($13). They only accept cash - so don't forget to bring enough! Be sure to walk around the park and admire all the ruins - although fair warning the "cenotes" in the park or not worth it! They only offer viewpoints where you cannot see anything and if you can it's just a hole in the ground with dirty water, really.

After spending time at Chichén Itzá, on your way home you can stop at Cenote Ik Kil, which is only 5 minutes away. But fair warning, this cenote is SUPER crowded, and in my opinion overrated and not where I want want to swim simply because of the crowd. However it is beautiful to see! The entrance fee is 70 pesos ($5) - again bring cash. This cenote is open from 8am - 5pm; so if you REALLY wanted to try and have this place to yourself, you could show up at 8am, then head to Chichén Itzá after the crowds arrive. My boyfriend and I, however, were really struggling with the early mornings, and when that alarm goes off, it's really difficult to make myself care about getting a picture without people or getting in cold water at 8am. But an option nevertheless!

Because Chichen Itza and Cenote Ik Kil will not take up your full day (especially if you go earlier and don't swim like us), you'll have time to stop at Cenote Suytun back in Valladolid, just in time for the last tour bus at 4pm. That way you can have it relatively to yourself from 4pm-5pm to admire. This is not a tiring activity as it's really just admiring the cave and taking pictures. However, if you got a late start or are wiped out by this point, you could skip this for the day and see it another day. Head back to Valladolid and have dinner at El Meson del Marques, where they may have live music!

Day 4: Take a day trip to Las Coloradas Pink Lake

Las Coloradas Pink Lake will be a bit more of a road trip than driving to Chichén Itzá, as it is 2 hours away. So prepare yourself by grabbing snacks for the road and filling up your gas tank before you leave Valladolid (you will not pass any stations on the way). Las Coloradas Pink Lake is absolutely unreal to see, however you cannot swim! Therefore your time there will not take long. Around there are beaches but I've read they are dirty. For the remaining of the day, my boyfriend and I drove back to Valladolid and took the extra time as an opportunity to enjoy our nicer hotel that we had booked just for that night called Hotel Zentik Project. We mostly booked it for the saline caves but the food ended up being delicious as well and our room was like a private bungalow with a swinging bed - REALLY strange feeling).

You could do something similar, or you could take the extra time to visit Cenote Suytun, further explore Valladolid, or go to another cenote such as Palomitas.

Day 5: Drive to Tulum and stop at Coba Ruins

If you haven't explored Cenote Suytun as I mentioned on Day 3, you could stop here first thing in the morning to avoid the crowds (15 minutes outside of Valladolid and in the direction of Tulum).

Cenote Suytun

Otherwise, pack your bags and head straight to Tulum! The drive there is about an hour and half. Halfway there, is Coba Ruins, where you can stop if you would like. I'll be honest, we did not. It was in our plans but at the time we were more eager to arrive in Tulum. However, Coba Ruins is said to be really amazing, full of history, and unlike Chichén Itzá, you can actually climb the ruins and see from above. The entrance fee is 75 pesos ($4).

Day 6: Explore Tulum

Tulum is full of shops, restaurants, cafes, and beaches. My favorite way to get acquainted with the area is to rent bikes and ride around, sight seeing, and easily being able to stop when you want. There are bike shops to rent along the main road of downtown Tulum, but we actually rented from our Airbnb host which was 100 pesos for the day ($5).

We rode our bikes up and down the main road and then up and down the beach road where all the resorts are. The weather was beautiful, we got exercise, and got to stop and admire the beaches and enjoy some food! I recommend Don Cafeto!

Day 7: Day Trip to Akumal beach for Snorkeling!

Akumal beach is both beautiful to sunbathe at and is famous for snorkeling to see sea turtles! It is only 30 minutes outside of Tulum and worth it! Most beaches in Tulum are actually covered in seaweed or are only accessed by resorts; so in my opinion Akumal beach is better than all the beaches in Tulum!

Back in Tulum you can walk the streets at night and choose from a number of restaurants. We chose an Italian restaurant (the name eludes me) that had delicious pizza. If you sit outside you can enjoy street musicians who may decide to play in front of your restaurant. We were lucky enough and they even sang to me for my birthday! (Courtesy of my boyfriend sliding a few pesos 😊).

Day 8: Explore Cenotes and Mayan Riviera

First thing in the the morning, I would head to Cenote Calavera or Gran Cenote. You could technically do both, but we ended up at just Cenote Calavera and staying there for some time. Gran cenote is probably better for swimming as it is bigger, but it is more expensive and crowded.

Afterwards, head to Mayan Riviera! Because it is an archeological park, you do have to pay to enter which was about 250 pesos ($12). But I thought it worth it! Not only are the ruins beautiful and full of history but you also have access to the beach where you can sunbathe. Be sure to watch out for all the iguanas though! There are TONS of them here!

For dinner or lunch be sure to grab tacos from Antojitos La Chiapaneca! It's a hole in the wall type place run by locals but it was the BEST tacos and super cheap!!

Day 9: Drive back to Cancun Airport

Unfortunately the day has come..it's time to head back. Cancun International Airport is about an hour and a half drive away from Tulum. Be sure to leave early enough to return your car (which may take some time if it needs inspecting and if there's a line), and then head to your gate. Our flight was at 5pm so we left Tulum around 11am or so.

And there you have it!!! The perfect 9 day itinerary which will turn into your perfect Mexican vacation!