So you’re taking a family trip to Cancun and you’re looking for awesome things to do with kids while you’re there. Smart. 

It’s a great idea to know what’s what and what your family will want to do while you’re in Cancun because quite honestly, Cancun can feel overwhelming if you’re not ready for it. When I lived in Mérida my family and I would visit Cancun and Quintana Roo’s Caribbean Coast fairly regularly and I always liked to go with my itinerary in hand. Yes, I’m a planner, lucky for you! 

Whether you’re staying in an all-inclusive hotel or a self-catering apartment, you should go armed with a plan of activities because Cancun, like other vacation destinations, can empty a bank account pretty quickly if you’re not on top of costs all the time. While Mexico generally is an affordable destination, Cancun is most definitely not cheap. 

Let’s look now then, at some of the best things to do in Cancun with kids so you can figure out what the possibilities are for your amazing family vacation.

_{There may be affiliate links in this article. If you click and make a purchase then at absolutely no extra cost to you I may make a small sum. Thank you for helping me to keep my blog going.}

⭐️ Wherever you’re going in Mexico with kids, our packing list for Mexico with kids will come in handy.

Where to Stay in Cancun with Kids

Getting around Cancun

Cancun is spread out into different areas. Most visitors will be staying in or around the hotel zone. This is emphatically not downtown Cancun, and neither are many places easily walkable from here should you wish to explore the area. If you plan on leaving your hotel then at some point you’ll most likely have to consider transport options.

Top Tip: If you do rent a car in Cancun, don’t bother renting a GPS. Instead, head to an Oxxo (Mexican 7/11) and grab yourself a TelCel or Oxxo brand sim card with unlimited data for very cheap. Bam! Now Google Maps is there for you and it works just great in Mexico.

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Tours in Cancun

Your hotel may well offer you tours but as I said, knowing what you want in advance is going to favour your wallet in a place like Cancun. Figure things out, decide how many day trips you want to take and then how you’re going to do them.

If you’re in Cancun for a week, maybe arrange three tours, an adventure park, a ruin, and a secret island, for example.

Then use the other days as rest days and take advantage of the gorgeous beaches and facilities your hotel no doubt offers.

Things to do in Cancun with Kids – Adventures

Swim with Whale Sharks

When: June – September

Swimming with whale sharks in Cancun isn’t a year-round activity as it is dependent on the whale sharks actually being in the area. They come to feed in the plankton-rich waters off the shore of Cancun between June and September.

While the idea of swimming with such enormous creatures may seem terrifying, actually, despite being the largest fish in the world, they are totally harmless to humans as they feed only on tiny plankton and this is one of those experiences no one in the family will ever forget.

Did you know that whale shark tours are a fairly new phenomenon? Until recently people didn’t really know where to find these incredible fish! 

Tours to see the whale sharks can be booked from Cancun and Holbox (did you know you can fly from Cancun to Holbox?) Whale sharks are wild animals living in the ocean. This means the cruise companies and the boat captains have to work together to ensure that all tours get to see the whale sharks, which is great but do be aware that this means all the tour boats will be converging on the whale sharks at once. 

What to Know When Booking A Whale Shark Tour

🐋 Each guide can take two people in the water at a time. Generally you get three turns in the water each.

🐋 Life vests are obligatory (both for your own safety and because the vest prevents you from diving down to the whale sharks)

🐋 It is forbidden to touch the whale sharks

🐋 If the weather doesn’t look good the tour will be rescheduled

🐋 Children under five cannot swim with the whale sharks

🐋 If you’re going with children then consider taking their own full-face masks. We did this to ensure our kids were as comfortable and confident in the water as possible.

🐋 We used a Go-Pro camera to capture the best pictures possible. 

🐋 Take sea-sickness pills – the sea can be choppy and since you’ll be out all day it’s better to not feel sick

🐋 A full moon can mean more chance of seeing many whale sharks as this is when the plankton come to the surface. The whale sharks feed on plankton so follow them to the surface.

Remember, Cancun isn’t the only place in Mexico where you can swim with whale sharks; it’s also possible to swim with whale sharks from La Paz in Baja California, which given that the area is so bio-diverse, must be incredible.

MUSA – Museo Subacuatico de Arte (Underwater Art Museum)

The MUSA museum is in the Cancun-Isla Mujeres Marine Park and contains more than 500 sculptures, all on the sea bed. Most of the sculptures were made by Jason Deciares Taylor and the museum was founded to aid the recovery of the Great Mayan Reef, which has suffered due to over-tourism. It is regularly cited as being one of the most interesting museum experiences in Mexico.

There are three options for seeing the museum and all require you to be on an official tour:

• Diving tour (adults and older kids only)
• Snorkelling tour
• Glass-bottom boat

If you’re going with kids, be sure to consider their swimming ability and if you’re not sure how they’ll cope, opt for the glass-bottom boat. I took my kids snorkelling here when they were seven and nine and while they did manage it was hard going.

The official website is pretty confusing but it is worth booking tickets in advance whether you book directly or with a tour (generally around the same price). There are three locations where you can see the sculptures: 

Punta Nizuc – southern tip of Cancun’s Hotel Zone. 33 sculptures. 4m deep. Snorkelling or Glass Bottom Boat. Jungle Tour. The tours to Punta Nizuc leave from Aquaworld. 

Manchones – off coast of Isla Mujeres. Over 500 sculptures. 8-10 m deep. Diving and snorkelling. 

Galeria Via Roda – dry land tour where you can see replicas of the sculptures in a dry garden.

Did you know that you can do what’s called an “assisted dive” to see the sculptures? This is for people who don’t have any diving certification but want to dive here. You can actually get your PADI certification for diving while in Cancun or Cozumel though if you want to!

While flippers, snorkels, masks and life jackets are provided, you may feel more comfortable with your own. We had our own full-face masks and I absolutely had my Go-Pro with me for underwater photography. 

Isla Contoy

Isla Contoy is a small uninhabited island off the coast of Cancun, not too far from Isla Mujeres. For those in the know, Isla Contoy is considered to be both a gorgeous secret and also one of the very best of the Yucatán Peninsula’s islands. 

I had wanted to visit Isla Contoy for years. Sadly I didn’t get to take my kids when I did go but I know they would have utterly loved the gorgeous day trip. There are over 150 tropical birds on the island and apparently four different types of sea turtles live here. Other than these animals you’ll only see scientists, tour leaders and your fellow visitors on the island. 

What to Consider When Booking a Tour to Isla Contoy

🏝 Only 200 people are permitted on Isla Contoy each day and only as part of an official tour.

🏝 Tours can either be private or group tours but this only refers to your time on the boat since every boat docks at the same spot on the island.

🏝 Because so few people are permitted on the island each day this tour needs to be booked in advance

🏝 Tours generally run 9-5 and include: lunch, soft drinks and beers on the boat, free time, official island tour, snorkelling on the Ixlache reef (weather permitting), short stop on Isla Mujeres

🏝 Biodegradable sunscreen only permitted on the island

🏝 Some tours will include the marine park tax, others not, be sure to find out before you go so you’re not taken by surprise

🏝 No smoking is permitted on the island

Day Trip to Isla Mujeres

Taking the ferry to the pueblo magico of Isla Mujeres is really a requirement of a trip to Cancun so please make time for this day o’fun. There are three UltraMar ferry departure points in the Cancun Hotel Zone: Playa Tortugas, EL Embarcadero and Playa Caracol. Check the timetable here.

What to do on Isla Mujeres

🏝 Rent a golf cart: You can book your golf cart when you buy your ferry ticket just before leaving Cancun. Driving around the island in your golf car is super fun 

🏝 Tortugranja: the turtle sanctuary. I hear they do good work but it isn’t at all obvious when you’re walking around. Although most of the turtles are in sad, empty little concrete tanks, I’ve read very positive reviews of the work done here and I know they do good work rescuing the eggs but it was hard to see much positivity in the living conditions. The kids enjoyed it. 

🏝 Archaeological site, southern tip: The ruin itself isn’t much to look at but the walk around the area is magnificent. We very much enjoyed playing on the rocks here.

🏝 Beaches: Playa Norte is the most well-known beach and it is absolutely as gorgeous as people say it is with its white-sand beach and perfect blue water. However, it’s not somewhere I would personally spend any time as it’s crowded, full of expensive beach bars and the water is full of yachts and boats, most with their stereos on full blast.

🏝 Explore the rocky beaches along Payo Obispo. We had an absolute blast here – much more kid-friendly than noisy booze laden Playa Norte. 

Tip: If you do want to experience Playa Norte at its best, go first or last thing before the day-trippers or book to stay a night on Isla Mujeres. 

Akumal Bay and the Sea Turtles

Akumal is where you need to go when visiting Mexico’s Caribbean Coast if you want to swim with sea turtles. The turtles like this bay because of the proliferation of sea-grass, which, I’ve been told is kind of like marijuana for the turtles so you’re basically swimming with stoned turtles.

When: November – May 

Getting to Akumal from Cancun 

Akumal is ninety minutes drive from Cancun. If you haven’t booked a tour to Akumal and don’t have a rental car then you could take a bus, a colectivo or hire a taxi although that wouldn’t be cheap. There are generally taxis waiting around in Akumal so at least you wouldn’t have to pay for one to wait for you (but by the time you’ve paid out so much for taxis you may as well book a tour – I believe it’s around $75 USD one way in 2023). 

What to Consider When Planning a Trip to Akumal

🐢 It’s illegal to swim with the turtles without a guide so please don’t. Previously it was permitted but the rules have changed in order to protect the turtles. You can either book a tour in advance or find a guide on arrival. 

🐢 When you arrive in Akumal you’ll see a stand where you’ll have to pay to either enter the beach or to swim with the turtles (depending on your plan). All beaches are technically public in Mexico so this is not a super ethical practice by locals but honestly, you’ll find it hard to get to the beach if you don’t pay. I don’t recommend arguing in this instance. 

🐢 If you decide to go without having booked a tour then it should cost around $500 pesos per person to swim (including beach entry, life jacket, snorkel, locker rental and guide).

🐢 You can only swim in the ‘turtle zones’ if you have a guide. These are marked red on maps. There are green-marked areas that are for free swimming but it’s unlikely you’ll see turtles there as there is no sea grass. 

🐢 There are boards with rules displayed. Please acquaint yourself and your family with them and try to follow them.

🐢 The turtles get stressed when they’re harassed. The Mexican government did put rules and regulations in place but they’re often ignored. If you can, try to ensure your guide has SEMARNAT certification. 

Can kids swim with turtles in Akumal?

Yes, most definitely. We took our kids when they were two and four (both already swimming). We put them in life jackets we were comfortable with and in their own masks and snorkels. The guide gave us life rings for them to hold on to and we pulled them along with us. Because you’re never actually that far from shore and the water is calm it is a safe activity even with younger children. 

Day Trips to Cenotes from Cancun

If you’re looking for something different to do or if the beaches are just too full of sargassum for you then perhaps a swim in a cenote will tickle your fancy. There are thought to be around 6000 cenotes across the Yucatán Peninsula although not all are suitable for swimming. Unlike Tulum, Valladolid or Mérida, Cancun is not utterly surrounded by cenotes so unless you have a car, a cenote tour is probably your best (least stressful) option.

But What Even is a Cenote?

📌 Well, geologically speaking, a cenote a sinkhole caused by collapsing limestone bedrock that exposes the groundwater. Cenotes were used by the ancient Maya as their freshwater sources since there are no above-ground rivers on the peninsula. The Maya considered them additionally to be entrances to the underworld and as such, revered them.

But today, we swim. The water is generally cool and refreshing and swimming in a cenote is an extremely popular pastime for locals as well as visitors. Some cenotes are deep and it’s even possible to go diving, while others are shallow and feel more like outdoor swimming pools. 

There are four types of cenotes: 

⭐️ Open – these look like lakes and ponds and are generally at ground level

⭐️ Semi-open – partially covered

⭐️ Deep open – no cave roof but requiring steps down to reach the water

⭐️ Closed – a full cave experience

How to Visit Cenotes Near Cancun

🚗 If you have your own car, of course, this is easy. You drive. If you don’t then you’ll either be reliant on taxis/colectivos or you take a tour. Renting a car is easy and definitely makes life easier. 

Looking at Google Maps you’ll see it suggests that there are a number of cenotes actually in Cancun city. This really isn’t the case, I’m afraid. To visit a cenote you’ll need to leave town and most cenotes are actually closer to Tulum or Akumal than they are to Cancun. 

Best Cenotes Near Cancun

Cenote Azul

So named for its crystal blue waters. This ‘L’ shaped cenote has a maximum depth of 90-metres but also has areas that are delightfully shallow where families will just love splashing and swimming together. There’s also a four-metre diving platform if anyone in your family loves adrenaline. It’s possible to dive at Cenote Azul.

Ruta de los Cenotes

This is kind of a multi-bag of cenotes in one. Around Puerto Morales (thirty minutes south of Cancun) there are ten cenotes along a thirtyish kilometre route. Note that many of these cenotes have been transformed into activity or adventure parks so are not quite the low-key jungle cenote experience you might have near Mérida on the other side of the peninsula. Cenote Popul-Vuh (32 km from Puerto Morales) is pretty a laid-back and low-key large open cenote. It requires a 1.7km walk from the carpark into the jungle. $250 pesos per adult (includes unlimited zipline use and lifevests- There is a restaurant on site. 

Río Secreto

This is an incredible system of underground cenotes, all spectacularly beautiful and offer the opportunity to see stalagmites, stalactites while swimming in crystal-clear water as you follow your guide through caves, underground rivers and more.

Top Cenote Tour Picks

Things to do in Cancun with Kids – Relax

Beaches In Cancun

Note on sargassum: Cancun, in recent years, has suffered due to the sargassum problems that have been plaguing the region.

➕ A couple of Cancun’s beaches make it onto my list of most family friendly beaches in Mexico.

🏖 Sargassum season is more or less May – October but not every beach or area will be hit all the time and this doesn’t mean there won’t be any before May, either I’m afraid.

🏖 The beach clubs and hotels are working around the clock to keep the beaches clean for you. If you get up early enough you’ll see people working to pile up and then remove the sargassum. This natural disaster is an economic disaster for the Riviera Maya.

🏖 The seaweed itself isn’t dangerous or bad for you but it can harbour microbes and bacteria that your skin won’t like.

🏖 Climate change and nutrient pollution are the main reasons for this increase in sargassum.

🏖 Mexican scientists and engineers have become world leaders in figuring out what to do with this stuff.

🏖 The northern coast of the Yucatán Peninsula rarely gets hit by sargassum and neither does Isla Mujeres or Cozumel.

🏖 Don’t forget that Mexico has over 10,000km of coast to explore so there is always a perfect beach somewhere. 

🏖 There are websites and maps to follow to ensure your holiday in Cancun is as sargassum free as possible.

OK, let’s forget the manky sargassum and figure out where to find the best beaches in Cancun.

Playa Delfines 

Playa Delfines is one of the most beautiful beaches in Cancun. Its perfect white sand stretches for kilometres and the water is a gorgeous azure colour. I’ve never seen much seaweed washed up here. The photo below was taken in mid winter. I do promise I’ve taken my kids here but this is my favourite photo of this beach.

Playa Gaviota and Playa Chacmool Beaches

Both these two beaches tend to be protected from the wind and retain the gorgeous azure blue colour water when other beaches don’t thanks to the huge concrete cubes forming a barrier at the end of Gaviota. They’re also fun to climb on but do remember they can be slippery when wet.

Caracol is the beach by all the hotels that is recommended and enjoyed by many. 

Isla Blanca – if you have a car this beach a the far end of the Cancun split makes for a great wild beach day. The small beach town of Puerto Morelos is also an easy day trip from Cancun.

Adventure Parks and Water Parks Around Cancun

There are many adventure parks, water parks, and theme parks in and around Cancun such as Xcaret Park, Xel-Ha and Ventura Park. I haven’t personally been because I’m poor, they’re pretty pricey and because my personal preference is for adventures in nature over parks. That said, the parks do look amazing, and if anyone had offered to pay for me (us) to go, we’d have jumped at it. 

TOP TIPS For Cancun Activities

📌 Super Affordable Water Park Option -If your hotel doesn’t have water slides then head on over to Hotel Casa Maya to use their day pass option as it includes the water park. This will entertain kids and tweens all day.

📌 If you’re going to be in Cancun in the period October – December, definitely check out the Día de los Muertos tour options at these adventure parks.

📌 Many parks offer ATV adventures, figure out which one is right for you with this article here.

Things to Do in Cancun With Kids – Culture

Visit a Ruin/Archeological Site

There are actually a surprising number of ruins you can reach from Cancun with relative ease including some in Cancun itself. The most famous, of course, is Chichén Itzá, one of the seven modern wonders of the world and one of the thirty-five World Heritage sites in Mexico. Chichén Itzá and Tulum (below) both make it onto the top 10 best ruins to visit on the Yucatán Peninsula.

Chichén Itzá

Where: Pisté, Yucatán

Distance from Cancun: 200 km (3hr drive)

Chichén Itzá is rightly famous and although it’s always crowded with tourists it’s absolutely worth a visit. The complex is enormous and honestly, you could easily spend two days exploring and still not see everything. Handily, the main pyramid (above), Kukulkan, and the ball courts are nicely close to the entrance.

It isn’t hard to drive yourself to Chichén Itzá if you have a rental car and having a car would mean the freedom to get there before the tour buses and crowds but a tour takes away the stress. Tours to Chichén Itzá generally include a cenote and lunch. Some include a stop in the gorgeous colonial town of Valladolid or a tequila-tasting experience.

➡️ If you’re going to visit Chichén Itzá, be sure to decide which nearby cenote is best for you.

Ek Balam

Where: EK Balam Village, Yucatán

Distance from Cancun: 175 km (2hr45 drive)

Ek Balam means ‘Black Jaguar’ in Mayan. The site has a thirty-metre acropolis and a gorgeous jungle setting. Ek Balam is a far quieter experience than Chichén Itzá, there’s more freedom to climb than at Chichén Itzá.

Some tours offer EK Balam, Chichén Itzá and a cenote in one day. I’d recommend steering clear of tours trying to cram too much in as each site deserves your attention. Ek Balam and a cenote would be a perfect experience, in my opinion.

if you decide to drive yourself, be sure to head to the Ek Balam archaeological site, not the village.

Tulum

Where: Just outside Tulum

Distance from Cancun: 130 km (1hr40 driving)

The ruins of Tulum are particularly popular thanks to their incredible location on a cliff overlooking the Caribbean Sea. Fairly obviously, Tulum was an important port city for the Maya, controlling sea trade. Tuum, like Chichén Itzá, receives thousands of visitors a day. The earlier you can visit the better both for the heat and crowds. There are many stores and cafes around the entrance to Tulum, there’s even a Starbucks here.

There is access to a small but stunning beach from the ruins of Tulum but it isn’t always open as it’s a breeding ground for turtles (and in recent years it’s been badly hit by sargassum).

Cobá

Where: Quintaná Roo Jungle

Distance from Cancun: 180km (2hr30 drive via Tulum)

Deep in the jungle, this Mayan ruin will blow your mind with its sprawling city ruin and enormous pyramid. Either walk around on foot, rent bikes or rent a bike taxi to take you from site to site. With little kids, the bike taxis are super recommended. The nearby cenotes are also worth a visit.

Muyil

Where: Just outside Tulum, on the edge of the Sian Kaán biosphere

Distance from Cancun: 160 km (3 hr)

On the edge of the Sian Ka’an biosphere, this little-known ruin is one of my favourite to visit. Muyil is far older than Chichén Itzá, being one of the earliest settlements in the area. If you’re going to visit Muyil, be sure to combine it with a trip to the biosphere and Tulum ruins too. All three are easily doable in a day.

El Rey

Where: Near Playa Delfines, Cancun

El Rey (The King) was named after a statue found at the site. Settlement began here in about 200 AD and during the post-classical period it was an important trading centre. This small ruin is perfect if you don’t have the time, energy or inclination to leave Cancun. It’ll take you about an hour to explore thoroughly.

San Miguelito

Where: Next to El Rey, part of the Museo Maya complex in Cancun

Your museum ticket gets you access to this ruin. San Miguelioto, along with El Rey, was part of the trading network of the post-classical period.

El Meco

Where: North of Cancun, just before Punta Sam

Distance from Cancun: 18 km (20 minute drive)

The pyramid here is dedicated to the Mayan god of rain, Chaac. This site was a powerful port city and controlled access to the Ixchel site on Isla Mujeres. Its pyramid is also the largest in the Cancun area and since very few people visit this site, you’ll likely be here all alone. Climb he pyramid for awesome views.

City Tours from Cancun

Cancun

Take a tour and see another side to the city. See where locals shop, eat and play or take a morning to enjoy the hop-on, hop-off Cancun bus.

Take a cab and hit up the up the Parque de las Palapas for a little bit of low-price fun. Let the kids run and play with local kids and then enjoy the open-air food court with local families. Mexican street snacks are incredibly delicious and you’ll for sure find something for everyone to enjoy. While I haven’t been here, I’ve spent oodles of time in similar places across Mexico including in Mexico City and we’ve always felt very welcome and very safe.

Address: 77500, Tulipanes LB, Cancún

Note: although I wholeheartedly recommend this activity, if you’re not comfortable there is a good playground in the hotel zone outside Hotel Casa Maya.

While in Cancun you may also wish to take the kids to see a Lucha Libre show and head up the Cancun Scenic Tower for excellent views over the city (entrance is free if you’re still wearing your Xcaret bracelet, by the way).

Valladolid

The gorgeous colonial city of Valladolid is often visited on a Chichén Itzá tour, it’s true but if you’re in the area for a while you may wish to spend a whole day getting to know Valladolid. Explore the old city, visit its museums, soak up the atmosphere on the plaza and eat extremely well in this foodie hub.

Playa del Carmen

Just “down the road” from Cancun is the second most famous Riviera Maya city, Playa del Carmen. Playa, as it’s known by locals, is particularly well known for its shopping street: 5th Avenue, or Avenida Quinta.

Note that while Cancun is the number one destination for a Mexican Spring Break every year, Playa del Carmen is the second most popular Spring Break destination.

Phew! There you go! This epic list of things to do with kids in Cancun should have given you some great ideas and I hope it’s helped you form a plan for your next (upcoming?) Cancun family vacation.

¡Buen viaje!

FAQs: Things to do in Cancun with Kids

What’s the best time of year to visit Cancun?

The best time to visit Cancun is officially said to be December – April. This is peak season. But if you want to swim with whale sharks, for example, it’s July – September. September – October is hurricane season and although hurricanes aren’t super common, tropical storms can also seriously disrupt your vacation. Even during rainy season there will only generally be a few hours of rain on a rainy day and the weather soon clear up.

Is Cancun safe for families?

I think so. My view is that as long as you aren’t doing anything stupid that you (probably) wouldn’t do at home then you’ll be fine. Don’t take drugs, don’t go into areas that locals tell you aren’t safe and don’t drink and drive (cops just love pulling over tourists for this).

Note that you may well see armed police patrolling the beaches. This doesn’t mean something has happened, this is preventative patrolling and we are glad they’re there.

What about swimming with dolphins?

My personal view is that this is a big no-no.

In late 2022 the Mexican Chamber of Deputies voted to amend the Mexican General Wildlife Law to “prohibit any specimen of marine mammal from being subject to extractive use, whether subsistence or commercial.” Keeping dolphins in captivity causes them stress and they are often also subjected to water pollution thanks to the oils humans use on their bodies. As laws get stricter in Mexico it will be harder (we hope) for humans to interact with dolphins but until then, let’s avoid causing these incredible animals unnecessary stress. 

Can we eat for cheap in Cancun?

Family vacations aren’t cheap are they? Kids insist on eating ALL the time. So, if you’re not at an all-inclusive, how to keep costs down? We like to have a lot of picnics. We head to a Chedraui (or Wal-Mart) supermarket and buy food to make our own meals. Some hotels have fridges and even microwaves in the rooms which is great if you’re not in a self-catering place.

When you’re out and about, yes there’s fast food, which is similarly priced to home. Tacos are always a good call and street food can be nicely filling too. Use Google Maps wisely and read reviews. If you feel brave, head to downtown Cancun to eat where the locals eat.

Can I wear suncream in Cancun and when on tours?

The best option is a rash vest when at the beach or on a boat – you’ll see many Mexicans in rash vests as protection against the sun. My whole family wears them so we don’t burn. If you do want to wear sun cream then please find ethical suncream that does as little damage as possible to the cenotes, reefs or the sea life. Remember that even reef-safe sunscreen isn’t ideal when swimming in cenotes, on reefs or with animals.