What State is Cancun in?
Cancun is situated in the state of Quintana Roo, on the northeastern coast of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. The popular Mexican City borders the turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea and is renowned for its stunning beaches, lively resorts, and exciting nightlife. It’s a very popular destination all year round but especially during spring break.
To provide a more detailed perspective and help you put Cancun on the map, here are the distances from Cancun to other popular cities and towns in Mexico, from closest to farthest.
- Isla Mujeres (via ferry): 13 km (8 miles)
- Puerto Morelos: 36 km (22 miles)
- Playa del Carmen: 68 km (42 miles)
- Cozumel (via Playa del Carmen ferry): 86 km (53 miles)
- Akumal: 105 km (65 miles)
- Tulum: 131 km (81 miles)
- Valladolid: 156 km (97 miles)
- Holbox (via Chiquilá ferry): 165 km (102 miles)
- Mérida: 370 km (230 miles)
- Campeche: 476 km (296 miles)
- Chetumal: 379 km (236 miles)
- Palenque: 858 km (533 miles)
- Veracruz: 1,224 km (761 miles)
- Oaxaca City: 1,450 km (901 miles)
- Guadalajara: 1,900 km (1,181 miles)
- Mexico City: 1,600 km (994 miles)
- Monterrey: 2,250 km (1,398 miles)
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Cancun Layout
Cancun itself is divided into two main areas:
- Zona Hotelera (Hotel Zone): This iconic strip shaped like the number “7” hosts most of Cancun’s resorts, restaurants, beaches, and nightlife.
- El Centro (Downtown): Here you’ll find a more authentic local vibe with markets, budget accommodations, restaurants, and shops.
Is Cancun walkable?
Cancun is not a walkable city, unless you stay in the hotel zone, but still, distances are pretty long. So if you want to move around easily, you will need a car, or use taxis or Uber (but not in the hotel zone).
How do you get to Cancun?
Thanks to its convenient location, Cancun International Airport (CUN) is a major hub, easily connecting travelers from around the world to this Mexican paradise. To get from Cancun to your Hotel or anywhere in the Riviera Maya, I recommend private transportation with Cancun Airport Transportation. You can use the widget below for a free quote. They are very reliable, professional, and have reasonable prices.
Get your free quote here ⤵️
If you want to read an alternative option to get to Tulum, Playa del Carmen or Merida, you can read my detailed guides as well, linked above.
Renting a car is also an excellent opportunity to explore the Yucatan Peninsula at your own pace. However, it comes with a few risks attached. I am sorry to say that in recent years, many tourists have reported unpleasant episodes of extortion or car rental overcharging for no reason.
I have recently rented a car with Mex Car Rental with full insurance. While the car was parked in Cancun, in a supposedly safe area, for a couple of hours in daylight, the plate was stolen, and once the car rental realized that it was not a fine by the police but a real theft, they charged me 7500 MXN, the equivalent of 370 USD. A steal when you know that getting a new plate is half that price.
Somebody reported in a travel discussion forum that they were stopped by the police on their way from Chichen Itza to Tulum at 10 PM and were forced to pay 2000 MXN or they would be left with no document and no car. This is absurd, but it’s also one of the reasons why I recommend never driving at night. EVER. It’s easier for this unpleasant situation to happen.
On a positive note, the plate episode is the only negative episode that happened to me since I have been renting cars in the past 8 years, when I sold my own. So, there is that. I would still risk it because having your own car gives you the freedom to explore at your own pace and get to amazing places, like the ones I talk about in my Mexico site. Enjoy 🙂
