It is most convenient to get from Moscow to Cancun by direct flight, but there are very few such flights (literally 1-2 per month) and they are very expensive – 1000-1700 USD per person in both directions. Flights are operated by Nordwind Airlines, travel time is 11 hours one way and 14 the other way. There are no direct flights from St. Petersburg. The prices on the page are for December 2021. See JIBIN123 for Mexico customs regulations and visa requirements.
With a transfer, it is advantageous to fly through the USA, but this requires an American visa. If there is none, then you should look for tickets with connections in Europe, for example, in Paris, Frankfurt or Amsterdam. Relatively inexpensive tickets can be found via Havana or London, but the latter would require a British visa.
From time to time, Lufthansa, Air France, KLM, Iberia, Condor and other European airlines have ticket sales for Latin America to save money.
From airport to city
The most convenient way is by regular buses, which stop right in front of the exit from the airport terminal and go to the Cancun bus station from 8:00 to 23:00. Travel time is half an hour.
Almost all city transport goes through the bus station, from there you can get to any hotel.
The second option is shuttles (run from 8:00 to 20:00), they move purposefully to hotels, but make many stops along the way, so the journey can take a long time, but you don’t have to make a transfer. You can quickly get there by taxi. It is more profitable to book a car in advance via the Internet, as drivers at the airport greatly inflate prices. Those who have a rest with a company can save by ordering a minibus.
Transportation
Travelers most often move around Cancun by bus. This is an inexpensive and quite comfortable way of transportation, which is convenient to use to get from the hotel zone to the city center or to major shopping streets. Routes R1, R2, R15 and R27 are especially in demand. Transport runs around the clock, the traffic interval during the day is 5-7 minutes, at night – about 20. To stop the bus, you need to raise your hand, this can be done anywhere. But they leave the salon only at stops, for which you need to press a button.
A more convenient option is a taxi. In Cancun, they are all official, white with a green horizontal stripe along the body. Drivers wear uniforms and many can communicate in English. The city is divided into zones, the cost of the trip depends on how many zones to cross. There is a table with the price layout in each car, but if it is missing, then you need to ask about the cost in advance. A trip around the city costs 5 USD, it is better to have small bills, as they are reluctant to give change here.
Catching a taxi on the street is more profitable, as you will have to pay for the call separately. In addition, in Mexico it is customary to tip the driver.
Since Cancun is a maritime city, there is also water transport. For example, boats to the Island of Women depart from the port of Cancun from the marinas of El Embarcadero Marina, Playa Tortuga, Punta Cancun and Punta Sam (the latter can be sailed with a car).
The resort is great for cycling, there are good rental stations, and the conditions for skiing, especially in the hotel area, are excellent.
- Cancun map
Cancun Hotels
Almost all tourists decide to settle in the so-called hotel zone, which is located on a narrow long spit separated from the central part of Cancun by a lagoon. There are also many hotels in the town itself, prices in this part of the resort are lower, conditions are easier, and you will have to take a bus to the beach. Most of the accommodation options in the hotel area have a well-appointed area and work on the bed and breakfast system.
The city has hostels, and guest houses, and mini-hotels, and villas, but the main part is made up of classic hotels of different “star” categories. A night for two in a 3 * hotel will cost 50-100 USD, in a five-star hotel – 112-330 USD, and in a modest guest house you can stay for 20-45 USD.
Rent a Car
Renting a car in Cancun is a good chance for tourists to see all the sights and travel outside the resort. Both international companies work here – Avis, Bingo, Hertz, etc., as well as local ones, among which Alamo and America carrental are especially popular. The easiest way is to take a car at the airport, but you can also do it in the city, the car will be provided at the specified address.
Cars are also given with a Russian driver’s license, but from the point of view of the police, this is a violation of the law, so it’s better not to risk it.
There are both paid and free roads near the resort. The former are designated by the word Cuota, they are safe and have good coverage, payment is made upon entry or exit. The speed limit is 110 km/h. The second ones (Libre) may be worse in quality, with lots of speed bumps, but there are very beautiful landscapes around them. True, it is on free roads that criminal incidents often occur.
According to the rules, cars within the city must move very slowly, up to 60 km/h, and sometimes up to 20 km/h, but not all local residents comply with this requirement.
Parking is mostly paid, it is safer to use covered guarded parking lots. The police treat tourists loyally, but you should not break the rules.
- Where to go from Cancun by car
