Insight Guides Explore Cancun & the Yucatan (Travel Guide eBook)
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About this ebook
Experience the best of Cancun and the Yucatan with this indispensably practical Insight Explore Guide. From making sure you don't miss out on must-see attractions like Chichen Itza, to discovering hidden gems, including the region's cenotes (sinkholes) and idyllic beaches, the easy-to-follow, ready-made walking routes will help you plan your trip, save you time, and enhance your exploration of this fascinating/thrilling region.
- Practical and packed with inspirational insider information, this will make the ideal on-the-move companion to your trip to Cancun and the Yucatan
- Enjoy over 15 irresistible Best Routes to walk, from Cancun itself to the Riviera Maya.
- Features concise insider information about landscape, history, food and drink, and entertainment options
- Invaluable maps: each Best Route is accompanied by a detailed full-colour map, while the large pull-out map provides an essential overview of the area
- Discover your destination's must-see sights and hand-picked hidden gems
- Directory section provides invaluable insight into top accommodation, restaurant and nightlife options by area, along with an overview of language, books and films
About Insight Guides: Insight Guides is a pioneer of full-colour guide books, with almost 50 years' experience of publishing high-quality, visual travel guides with user-friendly, modern design. We produce around 400 full-colour print guide books and maps as well as phrase books, picture-packed eBooks and apps to meet different travellers' needs. Insight Guides' unique combination of beautiful travel photography and focus on history and culture create a unique visual reference and planning tool to inspire your next adventure.
Insight Guides
Insight Guides wherever possible uses local experts who provide insider know-how and share their love and knowledge of the destination.
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Book preview
Insight Guides Explore Cancun & the Yucatan (Travel Guide eBook) - Insight Guides
How To Use This E-Book
This Explore Guide has been produced by the editors of Insight Guides, whose books have set the standard for visual travel guides since 1970. With top-quality photography and authoritative recommendations, these guidebooks bring you the very best routes and itineraries in the world’s most exciting destinations.
Best Routes
The routes in this book provide something to suit all budgets, tastes and trip lengths. As well as covering the destination’s many classic attractions, the itineraries track lesser-known sights, and there are also excursions for those who want to extend their visit outside the city. The routes embrace a range of interests, so whether you are an art fan, a gourmet, a history buff or have kids to entertain, you will find an option to suit.
We recommend reading the whole of a route before setting out. This should help you to familiarise yourself with it and enable you to plan where to stop for refreshments – options are shown in the ‘Food and Drink’ box at the end of each tour.
Introduction
The routes are set in context by this introductory section, giving an overview of the destination to set the scene, plus background information on food and drink, shopping and more, while a succinct history timeline highlights the key events over the centuries.
Directory
Also supporting the routes is a Directory chapter, with a clearly organised A–Z of practical information, our pick of where to stay while you are there and select restaurant listings; these eateries complement the more low-key cafés and restaurants that feature within the routes and are intended to offer a wider choice for evening dining. Also included here are some nightlife listings, plus a handy language guide and our recommendations for books and films about the destination.
Getting around the e-book
In the Table of Contents and throughout this e-book you will see hyperlinked references. Just tap a hyperlink once to skip to the section you would like to read. Practical information and listings are also hyperlinked, so as long as you have an external connection to the internet, you can tap a link to go directly to the website for more information.
Maps
All key attractions and sights mentioned in the text are numbered and cross-referenced to high-quality maps. Wherever you see the reference [map] just tap this to go straight to the related map. You can also double-tap any map for a zoom view.
Images
You’ll find lots of beautiful high-resolution images that capture the essence of the destination. Simply double-tap on an image to see it full-screen.
© 2018 Apa Digital (CH) AG and Apa Publications (UK) Ltd
Table of Contents
Recommended Routes For...
Escape the Crowds
Foodies
History Buffs
Island Fun
Maya Enthusiasts
Natural Yucatán
Night owls
Water lovers
Explore Cancún and the Yucatán
Geography and layout
History
Climate
Population
Customs and etiquette
Politics and economics
Food and Drink
Local Cuisine
Where to Eat
Local restaurants
High-end restaurants
Cantinas
Street food
Vegetarian and vegan
Markets
Drinks
Non-alcoholic
Beer and wine
Spirits
Shopping
Shopping areas
Malls
Outdoor shop-hopping
Artisan markets
What to buy
Clothing
Carved items
Silver
Prices and opening hours
What not to buy
Entertainment
Mexican entertainment
Bars and nightclubs
Cantinas
Activities and Sports
Bird- and wildlife-watching
Diving and snorkeling
Caves and cenotes
Sport fishing
Festivals
History: Key Dates
Early History
Classic Maya Period
Postclassic Maya Period
The Colonial Era
The Modern Era
Cancún Hotel Zone Sights
Cancún Island
El Rey
The Maya Museum
Underwater Museum of Art
Playa Marlín
Isla Mujeres Day Trip
Puerto Juarez
Isla Mujeres
West coast
Punta Sur
East coast
Isla Mujeres town
Riviera Maya
North Riviera Maya
Puerto Morelos
Playa del Carmen
Accommodations and restaurants
Parque Fundadores
Xaman-Ha
South Riviera Maya
Cenotes
Akumal
Dos Ojos
Tulum
Staying in Tulum
Cozumel Loop
San Miguel de Cozumel
Cozumel Island
Ixchel Temple
East coast
Punta Sur
West coast
El Cedral
South of San Miguel
South of Tulum
Punta Allen
Muyil
Kaan Luum
Muyil Ruins
Sian Ka’an Muyil
Gran Cenote
Southern Quintana Roo Coastline
Mahahual
Xcalak
Laguna Xcalak
Bacalar to Kohunlich
Bacalar
Lake Bacalar
Cenote Azul
Chetumal
Dzibanché
Morocoy
Dzibanché
Kinichná
Kohunlich
Calakmul Maya
Xpujil
Xpuhil
Becán
Chicanná
Calakmul
Campeche Old Town Walk
Campeche walking tour
The Sea Gate
City Museum
Ex Templo de San José
The Land Gate
Baluarte San Pedro
Around Parque Principal
Baluarte de la Soledad
Fuerte San Miguel
East of Campeche City
Edzná
Hopelchén
Mérida Sights
Mérida Old Town Walking Tour
Mérida Cathedral
Casa Montejo
Mérida Market
Parque de Santa Lucía
North of the City Center
Paseo de Montejo
Museum of Anthropology
North of Mérida
Dzibilchaltún
Puuc Route, Henequen and Convents
The Puuc Route
Kabah to Labna
Loltún Caves
Route of the Convents
Chilam Balam
Mayapán
Acanceh
Izamal Walk
Parque 5 de Mayo
Franciscan convent
Maya ruins in Izamal
Kinich Kakmó
Parque Itzamna
Chichén Itzá Walk
Valladolid and East Yucatán
Valladolid Walk
Museo San Roque
Convento de San Bernardino
Greater Valladolid
Parque Xkekén
Cobá
Nohoch Mul
Cobá cenotes
Accommodations
Downtown Cancún
Hotel Zone
Isla Mujeres
Playa del Carmen
Cozumel
Akumal
Tulum
Xcalak
Chetumal
Xpujil
Campeche
Hopelchén
Mérida
Uxmal
Oxkutzcab
Izamal
Pisté
Chichén Itzá
Valladolid
Restaurants
Downtown Cancún
Hotel Zone
Isla Mujeres
Cozumel
Playa del Carmen
Akumal
Tulum
Mahahual
Chetumal
Campeche
Mérida
Izamal
Valladolid
Nightlife
Nightclubs
Bars, Beach Clubs and Cantinas
A-Z
A
Admission Charges
Age Restrictions
B
Budgeting
C
Children
Clothing
Crime and Safety
Customs and Entry Requirements
D
Disabled Travelers
E
Electricity
Embassies and Consulates
Emergencies
H
Health and Medical Care
Hours
I
Internet
L
LGBTQ+
M
Media
Newspapers and magazines
Radio and television
Money
P
Postal Services
R
Religion
S
Smoking
T
Telephone
Time Zones
Tipping
Toilets
Tourist Information
Transportation
Getting there
V
Visas and Passports
W
Weights and Measures
Women Travelers
Language
Pronunciation
Basics
At the bar/restaurant
At the hotel
Shopping
Communication
Transportation
Useful phrases when traveling
On buses
On the road
Taxis
Months of the year
Days of the week
Numbers
Books and Film
Film
Books
Recommended Routes For...
Escape the Crowds
Take a trip along route 5 to Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve and Punta Allen. For those with more time, the ruins in Calakmul (route 8) offer quieter Maya experiences amid teeming rainforest. Campeche state is also packed with remote archaeological sites and endearing towns (route 10).
Paul Stafford
Foodies
Indulge your taste buds in Mérida (route 11) while watching a traditional dance performance. Try a delicious pollo píbil, cooked the traditional way, in Izamal (route 13). Seafood is highly recommended along the Riviera Maya (route 3).
Paul Stafford
History Buffs
Explore the Maya sites along the famous Puuc Route, which segues into an exploration of Spain’s first monasteries on the American mainland (route 12). Walk the fortified walls of Campeche on route 9.
Paul Stafford
Island Fun
Hop over to islands close to the east coast, such as the beautiful Isla Mujeres (route 2), where you can swim with whale sharks. Experience the great diving, wilderness and seafood of Cozumel (route 4).
Paul Stafford
Maya Enthusiasts
Of the 160 or so Maya sites peppering the Yucatán, Chichén Itzá (route 14), Uxmal (route 12) and Tulum (route 3) are among the most significant. Follow route 10 for a look at some remarkable lesser-known Maya ruins.
Paul Stafford
Natural Yucatán
Sea life is abundant around Akumal (route 3), while wildlife thrives in Calakmul (route 8). Cozumel offers beautiful coral reefs (route 4). Explore the mangroves of Bacalar on route 7 and see one of the largest atoll reefs in the northern hemisphere (route 6).
Paul Stafford
Night owls
Dance to techno in the nightclubs of Cancún (route 1) or match the pace of the Mexicans in a traditional Mexican cantina in Mérida (route 11).
Paul Stafford
Water lovers
Swim in distinctive cenotes across the peninsula (routes 3, 5 and 15), kitesurf in Playa del Carmen (route 3), scuba dive the Caribbean from Xcalak (route 6) or watch the sun setting over the sea from the islands (routes 2 and 4) or Campeche (route 9).
Shutterstock
Explore Cancún and the Yucatán
Imagine expansive forests concealing vast ruins of an ancient empire, miles of gorgeous white-sand beaches fringing azure waters, and a proud, independent culture with a penchant for bright colors and delicious food – welcome to the captivating Yucatán Peninsula.
Akumal Beach on the Riviera Maya
Paul Stafford
Cancún is one of the world’s foremost tourist playgrounds. Its shiny, smart hotels and all-inclusive resorts cater to around 5 million visitors each year. Almost everybody speaks English, and the US dollar can be used as easily as Mexico’s currency, the peso. This is especially impressive given that there was little else there besides a lagoon and some rudimentary fishing huts when development was first started by the Mexican government in 1969.
Cancún can be the entirety of a trip to the Yucatán Peninsula or merely a gateway to it. Natural beauty and wildlife may have been pushed back by the bulldozers, but numerous biosphere reserves and natural parks still teem with avian and mammalian activity. The Yucatán’s Caribbean coastline is stunning (including offshore islands Cozumel and Isla de Mujeres), and a look beneath the waves reveals rich marine biodiversity as beautiful as it is complex and fragile.
Farther inland, and occasionally overlooking the sea, evidence of one of the most remarkable empires in the Americas abounds. From huge pyramids peeking above the forest canopy, to barely-excavated edifices reclaimed by nature, the Maya left an indelible legacy that is synonymous with the Yucatán. The civilization’s demise was sealed by the arrival of Spanish invaders, who left their own unique imprint on the region via a succession of wealthy cities, such as Mérida. The two cultures have combined and grown together over the centuries to create a truly distinct culture that can be seen in the fashion, art, music and cuisine.
Xpujil ruins in Campeche
Paul Stafford
Cancún and Playa del Carmen are made for pleasure, and no one would blame you for simply sitting by the pool, basking in the sun. Yet to do that would be to miss the other facets of the region: beautiful natural wilderness, the majesty of the Maya archaeological sites, picturesque Spanish colonial towns and interesting, welcoming people. Enjoy the hedonistic pleasure of resort life, but be sure to peek over your sunglasses occasionally; there’s a lot worth exploring.
Geography and layout
Believed to be an island by the first Spanish invaders in the 16th century, the Yucatán Peninsula has always been a different, detached region of Mexico. The three states of the peninsula – Campeche, Yucatán and Quintana Roo – sit on a giant, flat limestone plain, sometimes only a meter or two above sea level. There are no surface rivers anywhere north of Champotón, on the west coast, and the Belize border on the southeast. Rainwater sinks straight through the rock; the Yucatán is honeycombed with caves and sinkholes (cenotes). Above ground, dense subtropical dry forest covers the south of the peninsula, while in the north the environment is even drier and the forest more sparse and scrub-like.
Bright yellow streets of Izamal
Paul Stafford
The Yucatán Peninsula sits directly south of Louisiana and Mississippi, north of Belize and Guatemala, and west of Cuba. Cancún is located on the northeastern coast where the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea meet (the Caribbean coast runs south of Cancún, forming the Riviera Maya as far as Tulum). The lesser-developed Costa Maya is farther south toward Belize, while Mérida, the peninsula’s largest city, is in the northwest and the colorful walled city of Campeche sits farther south on the west coast.
Transport around the whole region is almost exclusively via road, with many local and inter-town buses, colectivos (combis) and shared taxis plying numerous routes. Some of the remoter temples and villages have less frequent public transport connections and this is where renting a car would be advantageous. Regular ferries travel to the main islands, including Cozumel, along the Caribbean coast and daily flights connect Mérida and Cancún, although a first-class bus may be just