If you want to see the most of what the Yucatan has to offer, then you need to visit Tulum. The Mayan Ruins are amazing, and there is plenty to do. If you want to skip the ultra-touristy places and tourist traps aren’t for you, and if you want to avoid Tulum for this reason, don’t. Just spend 24 hours in Tulum and see the Mayan Ruins while avoiding the tourist traps. Let’s run through Tulum from two perspectives: no budget and budget-friendly.
I was back in Tulum in 2023 after many years away. As a kid, we used to camp out on the beach; it’s not the same simple beach town it once was. Touristy and overwhelmingly commercial. The ruins are worth the stay, so stop for a night and enjoy a run-through, either a private or a budget-speedy tour, which are both excellent. We did the private tour on our way north, and my mother did the budget tour on her way south when heading home to Belize after our trip. Both options avoid the lines and make the sightseeing easier and quicker.
Stay in any lovely hotel you choose because walking to the ruins or taking a taxi is easy. It’s best to get there early. We arrived around eight in the morning. Once you get there, a long line forms way out; keep to the left and walk towards the national park staff; there is an area where guides are. Ask for a guided tour. It was around $160 USD for our group; we were two people and didn’t have the time to wait; with the guide, we could move through quickly with no lines, and the tour included plenty of pictures; he took all the pictures for us.
Our guide was super friendly and asked us first how we wanted to see the sights. We told him we only had two hours, so we raced to the main sights before they got too crowded and then walked through the not-so-busy areas, where he told us more about the history and archeological work that’s been done. Seeing the main attractions first cut a lot of time out and allowed him to take lots of cool pictures of us. Then afterward, we enjoyed a lovely forest walk while he spoke about the importance of the sights we had seen. This approach was perfect for us. Once we finished the tour, we raced off to see a few other sites, then enjoyed a nice lunch, and then the bus to Cancun, enabling us to have 24 hours in Tulum.

My mother’s budget tour:
My mother travels with my husband and I for about four months of the year; the rest of the year, she travels on her retirement budget solo. When alone, she doesn’t do all the extras she does when she travels with us. On her way home from Cancun, she stopped in Tulum again and stayed for two nights, which was perfect for her to see what she wanted before heading home to Belize. This part is written in her words:
I walked back to the collectivos and went a short distance for a 25-Peso ride to the Tulum Ruins entrance. The evening before, I looked at the site and where to buy tickets online. I did it on Trip Advisor for around $8.00. That way, I could skip the line, go right to the entrance, and show my ticket. This was definitely the way to do it, as the lines were quite long. As I was walking into the ruins, a young man approached me and asked me in English if I wanted to go on their jungle bus free of charge to get me to the ruins. Of course, I agreed. That saved a good 15 minutes of walking, and I arrived at the ruins fresh and ready to hike!
I started out and soon reached the hill climb to meet the ruins and the Caribbean. What a beautiful sight! I’ve been to many ruins, but seeing these with the sea in the background is indeed something special. It doesn’t matter how many times I’ve seen them—they are always incredible!
So I walked through the desert-like terrain next to the sea and the flat plain, where there were many buildings, as this was the city where the Mayas lived and grew their crops. Then, I walked down through the jungle path to meet the exit. It all took less than two hours from start to finish, which I thought was way too short.
After completing the trip, I went to 7-Eleven and got a delicious orange juice and an okay hot dog. After eating, I walked to the road and over the road walkway to the other side to meet up with the collective to make my way back to town and another very reasonably priced at 25 Pesos! I also knew I wanted to go to the Zona Hotelera to see the woman statue at the Hotel Ahau which I also did by Collectivo at 25 pesos per ride. I took a little rest at my hostel, listened to some music, and had a little bite to eat.
Then, around 3:30, I went out to the collectivos and took a short ride to the area where I would take another ride to the Zona Hotelera. I enjoyed seeing the many beautiful restaurants and hotels along the way to where they have it set up for people to take pictures at the site of a giant woman’s head and bust. People go right inside her to take their pictures. She is quite impressive, and I totally see why people like to take their pictures with her. Evidently, she is all over Instagram with many different people. All in all, it was a unique experience and a pretty resort with a gorgeous beach, a nice light party vibe, and looked like great food as well. I did the collectivos, but really, the best way to get around Tulum is on a rental scooter. There are many different companies all up and down the main Avenida Tulum.
A quick stay in Tulum is manageable on either budget. The ruins are worth the stop, so make yourself a one, or two-day stay and see what you can while there. If you want a longer stay there is plenty to do, but it’s quite a party town so keep in mind that it will be very busy. The season is from December to March; my favorite time in this region is November, January, and February. December is too busy, late March and April are very windy; May is super-hot and fire season, and June- October is hurricane season. The worst of the hurricanes are usually mid to late October, but they can creep into early November, so plan accordingly.