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The Yucatán has a tropical weather pattern, with a dry season building up in heat from November to June, and a wet season from June to November. The months of September to November are when hurricanes are most possible. The peak seasons for vacation travel (and so for prices) are from mid-December to March, and July and August. The lowest prices are available in May and June, and October and November.

U.S. and Canadian citizens can officially enter Mexico with only their birth certificate or a certified copy of it, but in practice it’s better to take a passport. Citizens of the UK, Ireland, other EU countries, Australia, and New Zealand must have a full passport to enter Mexico, but do not need visas for stays up to six months.

Mexican pesos and U.S. dollars are accepted in the Yucatán. Mexican banks are happy to change American dollars and, to a lesser extent, Canadian dollars, but other currencies can be very problematic and expensive to change. It is therefore best to take credit cards and U.S. dollars in cash or traveler’s checks (see Using U.S. Dollars).

There are few limits on the items that visitors can bring for their personal use, including up to 12 rolls of film or video cassettes. However, there are restrictions on the import of plants and perishable foods, and very strict restrictions on firearms, which can be confiscated without compensation.

Take out a comprehensive travel insurance policy that covers cancellations, loss of baggage, theft, and all medical eventualities, including repatriation. If you intend to go scuba diving you may need additional cover, so check your policy carefully.

Despite the usual warmth in the Yucatán, it’s useful to have a long-sleeved shirt and long trousers when you’re exploring Mayan ruins and forests, to avoid sunburn, scratches, and bug bites. Other things that are cheaper or more easily obtained outside Mexico include film and snorkels, but excellent sunhats can be bought once you’re here.

There are no obligatory inoculations for travelers to Mexico, but as a precaution it’s advisable to be immunized against typhoid, tetanus, polio, and hepatitis A. If you’re heading into forest areas further south in Central America, consult your doctor about taking malaria pills. A basic first-aid kit would include bite cream, antiseptic wipes, and stomach remedies.

Bug repellent is a must anywhere near forests and mangroves, and you will have a better choice of products if you buy before you come to Mexico. The best types contain the common ingredient DEET. There are more natural alternatives that smell better, but unfortunately they’re not as effective.

Electricity operates on a 110 volt system, as in the U.S. and Canada, and with the same American-type flat-pin plugs. If you bring any 220–240 volt equipment, you will need a transformer and plug adaptor.

The main international airport for the Peninsula is 15 km (9 miles) south of Ciudad Cancún, near the southernmost point of Cancún Island. Cozumel and Mérida also have international connections. Flights from the U.S. and Canada are numerous. From the UK, unless you get a charter, expect a stop-off at at Mexico City or a U.S. airport en route.

All visitors must fill in a Mexican Tourist Card, which will be stamped with the length of your permitted stay, from 30 days to six months. Keep it with your passport, since it must be collected at check-in when you leave. If you need more than 30 days, explain this to the Immigration Officer or apply for an extension at the Mexican Immigration Office in Cancún.

You must also fill in a customs form. If you go through the nothing-to-declare channel at the airport you will have to press a button on a machine. It randomly flashes either green (go straight ahead) or red (meaning your bag will be searched).

There are exchange desks in the baggage hall, but they always give very bad rates. Change only the minimum you need to get into Cancún, then find a bank.

Van-sized colectivo buses are the most accessible means of public transport into town. They go along the Hotel Zone and into Ciudad Cancún, dropping each passenger at their hotel, and the full journey takes an hour. Airport taxis are hard to find. However, when you’re leaving, any Cancún city cab can take you to the airport (see Getting Around Tips).

A Riviera bus leaves for Puerto Morelos and Playa del Carmen almost hourly, 10:30am–7pm. There are also hourly colectivos 6am–6pm from outside Domestic Arrivals. An airport cab to Puerto Morelos or Playa will cost around $15. If you’re going anywhere else on the coast, take the bus to Playa and go on from there.

The island’s airport is just north of San Miguel town. Official airport taxis and colectivos are the usual means of transportation.

Mérida airport is about 4 km (3 miles) southwest of the city center. Colectivo buses and airport taxis operate.

You will need a Tourist Card if you travel beyond the 20-km (12-mile) border zone and if you stay for more than 72 hours. You should also obtain Mexican insurance and a Temporary Import Permit for your vehicle, which is valid for six months. Allow five days or so to drive from the Texas border to the Yucatán.

Aerocaribe (see Arriving in the Yucatán), a subsidiary of Mexicana, has the most routes in the Yucatán. Fares are quite high, so it’s worth taking advantage of the Mexipass discount system (see MexiPass Flight Discounts).

Buses are the main form of transport for longer trips, unless you rent a car or fly. First-class buses are air-conditioned and very comfortable, and run between main towns with only a few stops en route. Second-class buses stop more frequently and are cheaper.

Every city has a local bus service. Destinations are usually just displayed on the windscreen, but in Cancún buses have route numbers (routes R-1 and R-2 run up and down the Hotel Zone and to Ciudad Cancún). Combis , also known as colectivos , are minibuses serving districts that are too small to have a full-size bus.

Passenger ferries run from Puerto Juárez, just north of Cancún, about every half hour daily. Fast boats take 20 minutes and the fare is around $4. There are five car ferries daily from Punta Sam, north of Puerto Juárez ($22 for a car and two people). Passenger shuttle boats also run from points along Cancún beach.

Passenger ferries run roughly every hour between Playa del Carmen and Cozumel, and the trip takes 30 minutes. A Cozumel Shuttle runs from Playa Tortugas in Cancún. There is a car ferry from Puerto More-los, but it is infrequent and expensive.

Mexican taxis do not have meters. Instead, there are officially set rates for each locality, with extra charges for longer journeys, which are usually posted up at bus stations and some taxi stands. In Cancún, the official rates are significantly higher for journeys to and from anywhere in the Hotel Zone than in Ciudad Cancún. In Cancún and on the coast, always agree the fare before you get in the cab, to avoid scams (see Taxi Scams).

A car is a huge advantage for getting to Mayan ruins and isolated beaches. There are plenty of rental offices on the Riviera, but if you are touring around the Yucatán it’s best to rent in Mérida, where rates are lower (see Rent a Car in Mérida, not Cancún). To rent a car you need to be over 21 and have your driving license, passport, and a credit card. Jeeps are a popular choice.

Prices are usually higher than in the U.S. but lower than in Europe for both unleaded (magna or higher-grade premium) and diesel fuel. Gas stations are scarce in some areas (see Running Low on Gas). There are two fast toll highways in the Yucatán, the 180-Cuota part of the way between Cancún and Mérida, and another stretch between Campeche and Champotón. Tolls are high ($25, Cancún–Mérida), so most drivers prefer the parallel old road (180–Libre).

Scooters and golf carts are available for rent in many resorts. Cancún has a dedicated cycle track all along the Hotel Zone, and many hotels have bikes for guests’ use. Isla Mujeres is ideally sized for cycling, as are Tulum and Valladolid.

Official Mexican government tourist offices can provide information on major destinations. However, for more detailed and up-to-date information on specialist activities, small-scale hotels, ecotourism, and adventure tours, look at specialist independent agencies and websites.

The Cancún city tourist desks in the town hall and some shopping malls are staffed by students who can provide information on the main local attractions and services.

Mérida, Campeche, and Valladolid have tourist information offices.

A huge amount of information is available on the Internet. For diving, a search under “dive Mexico” will produce results.

English-language freebies available in tourist offices, hotels, and restaurants include Cancún Tips , Cozumel’s Blue Guide, Yucatán Today in Mérida, Playa del Carmen , and Info-Tulum . They contain maps, practical information, and sometimes discount coupons.

Miami Herald produces a special edition for Cancún. The News is an English-language paper produced by the Mexico City daily Novedades .

These can be good for unusual local tours, diving, forest trips, and so on. Among the best are Mundaca Travel on Isla Mujeres and Yucatán Trails in Mérida. Internet cafés (see Internet) are another good resource for finding out local info.

The free magazines have quite decent maps of their areas, but you will need to visit Mérida’s Librería-Papelería Burrel for the best maps.

Most ecotours are run by small-scale operators, which can be hard to locate. An essential resource is the Eco Travels in Mexico website. The Pronatura organization (www.pronatura.org.mx) is another useful resource. (see Eco and Adventure Tours)

Mexico’s currency is the peso. There are coins for 1, 2, 5, 10, and 20 pesos; and notes for 20, 50, 100, 200, and 500 pesos. There are also tiny coins for 5, 10, 20, and 50 centavos , of which there are 100 to the peso. The usual symbol for the peso is the same as the dollar sign; prices quoted in U.S. dollars usually have the prefix US$ or suffix USD.

Many Riviera businesses accept U.S. dollars as well as pesos, and a substantial number of visitors use only U.S. dollars during their trip. Hotel and restaurant listings in this book are given in price categories of U.S. dollars. Note, though, that U.S. dollar prices usually work out a bit higher than pesos. In the rest of the Yucatán, shops and businesses usually take pesos only.

There are clusters of banks in the center of all main towns, but they can be hard to find in rural areas. Banks are generally open 8:30am–4pm Monday to Friday, and 9am– 1pm Saturday, but some may not exchange money in the afternoons and on Saturdays. Most banks even in small towns now have ATMs, often the most economical way of obtaining cash (see Running Low on Cash).

All tourist areas have many small exchange offices (cambios ), open daily. Exchange rates are usually almost as good as in the banks.

MasterCard and VISA are widely accepted for larger purchases in shops, diving schools, and in hotels of mid-range level and above; Amex is less popular. Credit cards are virtually essential for car rentals, but restaurants and smaller shops rarely accept them.

White lada (long distance) payphones are easy to find in towns and tourist areas. Most take phone cards (tarjeta de teléfonos ) , which can be bought for 30, 50, or 100 pesos at any shop with the blue and yellow Ladatel sign. In villages, there is always a caseta, or phone office, where the attendant dials the number for you and you take the call in a booth. Cellphones operate on the same band as in the USA (European mobiles do not usually work).

To call anywhere in Mexico outside your local area you must first dial 01, then a three-figure area code (998 for Cancún, 999 for Mérida, and given with all numbers in this guide) and then the number. Within the same area code you need only dial the seven-figure number. To call outside Mexico, dial 00 followed by the country code. To call Mexico from abroad the international code is 52.

Telephone charges are high in Mexico. Making an international call from your hotel room will be the most expensive of all – ask people to ring you from abroad whenever possible.

Post offices in towns generally open 9am–6pm Monday to Friday, and 9am–1pm Saturday. Small village branches may open only on weekday mornings. Stamps (estampillas ) can also be bought at any shop with an Expendio de Estampillas sign. The Mexican mail service is very erratic, and postcards sent abroad can take weeks. For anything important, use the Mexpost courier service, available at main post offices.

There are central phone numbers for all emergency services in Cancún (060) and Mérida (066), but in general it’s better to call the local police directly, or the Red Cross in case of medical emergencies. In Cancún, the private, English-speaking clinics also have emergency ambulances.

Most waters around the Yucatán are placid, but take care on the eastern beaches of Isla Mujeres and Cozumel and on the surf beaches of Cancún Island, where seas are rougher and there can be a strong undertow. Check the warning flags (blue, safe; yellow, use caution; red, do not swim) before swimming. Several high-standard emergency facilities for divers are set along the Riviera, which all dive-masters will be in touch with.

The Yucatán is a fairly tranquil place, but be wary of pickpocketing and other petty crime in Playa del Carmen. Cheaper cabañas on the north beach in Tulum are sometimes subject to break-ins at night.

There is a certain amount of street-hassling in Cancún, Playa, and Mérida, generally in the form of trying to sell you hammocks or other cheap craftwork rather than straight begging.

In most towns, the police station can always be found in the main square or next to the town hall. Cancún, Playa, Mérida, and some other towns have special Tourist Police (Policía Turística) units with English-speaking officers.

There are U.S. consulates in Cancún, Cozumel, and Mérida. The UK and several other countries have consulates in Cancún.

Lone women need to be careful in Playa del Carmen and parts of Cancún and Tulum. Avoid empty streets at night, lonely beaches around Playa, and obscure areas of Mayan sites.

Visitors with full travel health insurance should turn to private clinics, such as the American Hospital in Cancún, or the Centro Médico de las Américas in Mérida, which have English-speaking staff. In small towns and country areas there are small public health centers (centros de salud ) with emergency facilities.

All Mexican towns and villages have pharmacies, often open 24 hours, which stock a huge range of medications.

Taxis are subject to set fees (see Taxis). In Cancún, Playa del Carmen, and Tulum, though, cab drivers have a bad reputation for trying out exaggerated rates on all foreigners. In Cancún, also, the complicated official system, with different prices for the Hotel Zone and Ciudad Cancún, makes scams easier. Always agree a price before getting into the cab, and be firm in refusing any outrageous demands.

The main peculiarity of driving in Mexico is the tope , or speed bump, designed to make the streets safer for pedestrians and children. Very steep, they are usually signposted but can catch drivers unaware and cause damage to vehicles going at any speed above a crawl.

Fuel stations are few and far between in many rural areas, so fill up whenever you can.

Occasionally, attendants start the pump with 30 or 50 pesos already on the gauge, or try to short-change tourists. To avoid these and any other scams, get out of the car and look straight at the pump. The attendant should then demonstrate that it is set at zero.

Night falls very quickly in the tropics, and there is no lighting at all in country areas. Topes , potholes, and people on bicycles can rapidly become hazardous.

Along Avenida Tulum in Cancún, Avenida Quinta in Playa del Carmen, and some other locations there are any number of kiosks with eager staff buttonholing tourists and asking if they’re looking for “information.” They are actually selling specific tours or, at worst, timeshares. For less biased advice, stick to the official tourist offices (see Sources of Information).

At present there are no banks or ATMs on the southern Riviera between Playa del Carmen and Tulum, and only a few cambio offices, so plan accordingly. On Isla Mujeres and Cozumel, there are no money-exchange facilities outside Isla Town and San Miguel except in big hotels.

The best-known Mayan ruins at Chichén Itzá and Tulum are very crowded around the middle of the day when most tour groups arrive, and especially on Sundays when admission is free. Therefore, try to get to them earlier in the day, after 8am, and forget the free Sundays. Lesser-known ruins in Yucatán State and Campeche are rarely subject to crowds.

September to November are the months when hurricanes are most likely to hit. Mexico has extensive anti-hurricane precautions, and many buildings in Cancún and the Riviera have orange signs identifying them as an official Refugio Anticiclón, to be used as a public hurricane shelter when necessary.

Some of the larger hotels and resort complexes in Cancún and Cozumel, especially those of Intercontinental, now have good wheelchair facilities. Hotels set in colonial-style patio buildings are difficult for access, but several have attractive ground-floor rooms. Check when booking.

Most Cancún sidewalks now have wheel-chair ramps at street junctions. Elsewhere, dips in the sidewalk provided for handcarts often do the job as well.

Public transportation provision for disabled people is poor, although there are wheelchair ramps and disabled toilets at Cancún Airport. Buses rarely have any special provision for wheelchairs or people with mobility problems, but this is often compensated for by the willingness of drivers to help disabled travelers. Many car rental agencies have larger vehicles: make clear what you need when booking.

The main state museums, including the Anthropology Museum in Mérida, now have access ramps, and more are being provided (the Campeche fortress museums are entered by ramps in any case). Of the other attractions around the Yucatán, eco-parks and especially Xcaret (see Playa del Carmen: Xcaret) are generally the easiest to visit and appreciate.

Larger Mayan ruins, such as Chichén Itzá and Uxmal, have (relatively) smooth walkways, and Cobá has a long forest path that is easy to negotiate at most points and is also great for bird-watching. Most ruins, though, have many steps and narrow, stony paths.

The slow ferries to Isla Mujeres are much easier to get aboard with a wheelchair than the fast, enclosed boats, and the crews are very helpful. For Cozumel, there is no real alternative to the enclosed boats from Playa del Carmen, but staff, again, are helpful.

All hotels and public pools are now obliged to provide access and safety facilities for people with mobility problems, but upgrading amenities is proving a slow process.

Yucatek Divers in Playa del Carmen has a special program for disabled divers and can also arrange accommodation at the Casa Tucán hotel (see Casa Tucán, Playa del Carmen).

Fully-adapted disabled restrooms are slowly being installed in official buildings (which include airports, state museums, some bus stations), but they are rarely found in private facilities. You are most likely to find good ones in Cancún and the main resort areas.

Most shops open around 8:30am and close at 9pm, Monday to Saturday, with the more traditional ones closing for lunch from 1–3pm. Some local stores will always stay open for longer hours, and on Sundays, too. Sunday is a full shopping day in Valladolid and some other towns. Markets generally begin very early, before 8am, and close up by 2–3pm.

Trying to haggle is fine in markets, especially for larger items, but should rarely be intensive or drawn-out. Many shops will offer discounts if you want to buy more than one of any article.

Mérida and Campeche have official handicrafts stores (Casas de Artesanías), which showcase all the traditional crafts of each state. They are a little more expensive than the norm, but provide an attractive overview of the work.

The Riviera is a huge souvenir repository: you’ll find whole malls dedicated to souvenir items in Cancún and Playa del Carmen. The quality ranges from finely worked pieces to junk, so take time to browse. Favorite items include enamelled metal plaques and ornaments, Mayan-style wooden figures, brightly painted wooden parrots and toucans, and colorful coasters.

Gleaming jewelry stores aimed at cruise passengers and including some major names (Van Cleef & Arpels), are a specialty of Cozumel and, to a lesser extent, Isla Mujeres and Cancún. As well as a lot of fine silver, they have items made with local precious materials such as jade, amber, coral, and black obsidian. Prices are rising but are still tax-free and low. Playa del Carmen and Cancún have many stores showcasing ornate fine silver work from Taxco in central Mexico.

Genuine Cuban Havana cigars are easy to obtain in Mexico, and are relatively cheap. All the Cancún malls contain specialist cigar stores with a full range of labels.

Sadly, tequila is now peculiarly expensive in its homeland. Take advantage of duty-free sales at Cancún airport, where there is an excellent selection. Cheaper and more local Yucatán specialties include several fine rums and Xtabentún , a sweet, herby, traditional Mayan drink made from honey.

Fine embroidery of bright flower patterns on a plain white background is one of the foremost traditional products of the Yucatán, most often seen in the simple huípil dresses worn by Mayan women but also now used on other items like blouses, handkerchiefs, and tablecloths. Valladolid and Mérida are the best places to find good embroidery. Textiles from other parts of Mexico (Chiapas weaving, sarape blankets) are also available, but note that sarapes , especially, are often factory-made.

Hammocks vary a lot in quality. The cheap nylon ones sold by most street-sellers wear out quickly. The toughest ones are 100% cotton, and the specialist hammock shops in the market area in Mérida are by far the best places to look for one.

The MexiPass system offers foreign visitors nearly 50% discount on Mexicana, AeroCaribe, and Aeroméxico domestic flights. Visitors traveling from North America need to book at least three internal flights to qualify for the discount; visitors from Europe need only two. You must book the MexiPass tickets at the same time as booking your entry flight (which can be with any airline).

Several small car-rental agencies in Mérida offer the best rates in the whole of the Yucatán – about 25% cheaper than in Cancún – especially for rentals of a week or more. Also, local agencies often look after their cars better than the bigger chains.

Hotel prices shoot up in the peak winter season, above all around Christmas and New Year, from mid-December to mid-January. To get the best combination of prices and weather, travel in May to June or late November to early December.

It may be convenient to pay in U.S. dollars, but you will save money in the long run if you change your money to pesos.

Local free magazines (see Free Magazines) often contain discount coupons for a whole range of local hotels, bars, restaurants, and other attractions, and you may also be given booklets of nothing but discount coupons for free drinks, meals, or park admissions. They may be annoying to carry around, but can save you significant amounts of money, especially in Cancún.

Admission to all Mexican national monuments, including Mayan ruins, is free on Sundays. The hitch is that everybody knows this, so the most popular ruins become very crowded – you may prefer to go on a weekday and pay the admission.

There is always a row of simple restaurants in the food markets, offering traditional Yucatecan and Mexican food. These are the cheapest and often also the most atmospheric places to eat a full meal. You’ll also find plenty of snack stands, offering tacos, tortas, peeled fruit, and other pleasures, which are very good value for money.

Boat trips to see flamingos in such places as Río Lagartos and Celestún, fishing trips, and tours to nature reserves like Sian Ka’an are often very expensive if you travel alone or as a couple; or there may be a minimum number to make a trip viable for the guide or tour operator. You can cut costs drastically and avoid disappointment by getting together a group of four to six to share a boat or bus.

Most diving operators offer discounts for people diving in a group, or booking several dives at the same time. Many operators will also offer discount rates if you book in advance.

Many companies on the Riviera and in Mérida offer guided tours to the main Mayan sites, bookable through hotels and travel agents. Unfortunately, few allow more than an hour and a half on-site, and they often arrive all together at the hottest part of the day.

Chichén Itzá, Uxmal, and Cobá have official, licensed guides who can show you round for an hourly fee. Able linguists, they are often highly informative. Guides at the smaller sites are less likely to be genuinely knowledgeable.

Aerosaab from Playa del Carmen and Isla Mujeres, and Cozumel-based Aerobanana offer light-plane trips, while Helitours offers helicopter tours over Cancún. (see Playa del Carmen)

Mérida’s Paseo Turístico bus leaves from Parque Santa Lucía four times daily Monday to Saturday, and twice on Sunday – the trip around Mérida’s main sights takes about two hours. In Campeche, the Tranvía de la Ciudad runs from the Parque Principal, and another bus, El Guapo, also runs to the fortress-museums of San José and San Miguel.

Agencies in the Sian Ka’an reserve offer excellent day tours (see Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve), and a growing number of companies specialize in nature and birdwatching trips.

Local boatmen in Río Lagartos and Celestún run trips to see the flamingos; while some fishermen in the Campeche Petenes can take you to places you’d never discover without local knowledge. In Puerto Morelos, American resident Goyo Morgan offers a popular “jungle adventure.”

Cenote pools are a unique attraction of the Yucatán (see Cenotes and Caves). Several specialists offer cenote tours, incorporating diving or snorkeling, especially around Tulum.

Dive shops abound on the Riviera, offering one-day “resort courses” for beginners, longer courses, and night dives.

Cozumel is a great snorkeling area. Most dive centers and many small-boat operations offer snorkel tours to inshore reefs, often in glass-bottomed boats.

Anywhere called a restaurante will usually be neater and more comfortable than a cheap, plastic-chaired lonchería (where you have your “lonch”) or a cocina económica (“cheap kitchen”), the place to find no-nonsense local cooking.

Mexicans are constant snackers. In every town, vendors offer tacos, tortas (filled bread rolls) and other antojitos (savory snacks), ice cream, or peeled fruit, from stalls or little hand-carts. The most popular Yucatecan taco filling is cochinita pibil – spicy marinated pork. They’re very cheap and don’t usually have a bad effect on your stomach.

The Yucatán’s fruit is wonderfully fresh and juicy, from familiar types like watermelon to tropical mangos and mamey. Juice shops usually serve it three ways: as straight juice; a licuado , put through a blender with a little water; or an agua , diluted with water and ice. (see Agua de Jamaica)

The first meal of the day, before the heat rises, is an important part of the Mexican diet. Many restaurants offer hearty breakfasts, rich in eggs, beans, and sauces, followed by fresh fruit.

Set meals do not fit easily with Mexican cooking. Some dishes are small and snack-like, others are big platters of mixed fish, seafood, and salads. There’s no real obligation to have a first course, a second course, and a dessert. When Mexicans do have a first course, it’s often a surprisingly heavy soup.

On most restaurant tables you’ll find two little bowls of sauce. The red one is (relatively) gentle; the green one, made with habanero chilis, blows the head off the uninitiated. Apart from this, many local dishes are more fragrant than spicy.

Most waiters will not bring you the check/bill (la cuenta or la nota ) until you ask for it. It’s normal to tip – the usual rate is about 10%, but on the Riviera waiters often expect the U.S. rate of 15%. Some restaurants now put a service charge – generally 10% – on the bill, in which case you’re not expected to add more.

Mexico’s beers are among its most successful exports. As well as internationally marketed brands (Corona, Dos Equis, Superior), the Yucatán has its own Montejo brewery, with a fine light beer (Montejo Especial) and a great ale, León Negra. It’s more common to drink beer than wine in restaurants, as it goes better with local food. The quality of Mexican wines has been improving, but most restaurants have only a limited selection. Upscale restaurants have imported U.S., European, and Chilean wines, at high prices.

Tequila comes from Jalisco in central Mexico, but is found everywhere in the Yucatán, and some Riviera bars specialize in tastings of the many different labels. Blanco is the youngest tequila; reposado is aged for up to 11 months; darker añejo is aged for up to five years. With so much being exported, though, the spirit has become expensive in Mexico itself.