Cancun

Currency

Exchange at downtown Cancun (not hotel zone). Many places accept USD but give bad rates. Pay in pesos for best prices.

ATMs & cards

Use Santander, HSBC, or Banorte ATMs. Avoid standalone ATMs in tourist areas. Always withdraw in MXN, not USD.

Use machines inside a bank branch during opening hours, and always decline the peso conversion offer.

Wherever you are: if the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline. That is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is set by the ATM's operator, not your bank.

Safety

Hotel zone is very safe. Downtown is fine during the day. Don’t buy drugs — ever. Avoid driving at night outside the city.

Our own assessment, not a sourced index.

Entry & visa

Health & emergencies

Required to enter

No vaccinations are required for entry from Europe or North America.

Worth having

• Hepatitis A
• Typhoid
• Tetanus up to date
• Rabies for rural or long stays

Getting treated

Private hospitals in Mexico City, Cancún and the resort areas are good and cost a fraction of US prices; public ones are variable. Resort clinics are notorious for aggressive billing, so call your insurer before agreeing to treatment where you can.

Do not drink the tap water. Dengue is present on both coasts. Altitude in Mexico City (2,240m) affects some people for the first day or two.

Orientation, not medical advice. Entry rules change and what you need depends on your own history and where you have been — check with a travel clinic or your national health service four to six weeks before you go.

Food tip

Eat in downtown Cancun (Parque de las Palapas area), not the hotel zone. Try cochinita pibil tacos, salbutes, and marquesitas.

Getting around

• R-1 and R-2 buses — run along the Hotel Zone, MX$12 per ride, very frequent
• ADO bus — for day trips to Tulum, Chichén Itzá, Playa del Carmen
• Taxi — no meters, agree on price before. Hotel zone to downtown ∼MX$400
• Rental car — useful for cenotes and ruins. Avoid the insurance upsell trap
• Airport: ADO bus to hotel zone (MX$100, 30 min)

Must-see

Things to do

• Swim in cenotes
• Visit Chichen Itza
• Snorkel in Isla Mujeres
• Explore Tulum ruins
• Visit the underwater museum MUSA
• Party in the Hotel Zone

Nearby day trips

Say a few words

Spanish (Latin American)

• HelloHolaOH-la
• PleasePor favorpor fa-VOR
• Thank youGraciasGRA-syas
• Yes / NoSí / Nosee / no
• Excuse meDisculpedees-KOOL-peh
• How much is it?¿Cuánto cuesta?KWAN-to KWES-ta
• The bill, pleaseLa cuenta, por favorla KWEN-ta
• Cheers!¡Salud!sa-LOOD

The c and z are said as an s here, not the Spanish "th" — gracias is GRA-syas.

Religion

Catholic

Around 78% Catholic, blended with pre-Hispanic tradition in ways that are most visible at Día de Muertos. The Virgin of Guadalupe is a national symbol as much as a religious one.

Do's and don'ts

Do

• Greet everyone on entering a small shop or waiting room — buenos días to the room
• Tip 10-15% at restaurants, and a few pesos for baggers and attendants
• Accept food when offered; refusing outright can feel like rejection
• Use usted with older people and anyone in authority

Don't

• Do not call yourself American as though Mexicans are not — say estadounidense
• Do not drink the tap water, and be wary of ice outside established places
• Do not make cartel jokes; for many people it is not abstract
• Do not be brusque — a request without a greeting first lands badly