3 Days in Tulum: Our Itinerary from Km 8.5 on the Beach Road
By UMi Tulum ·
Quick answer
For 3 days in Tulum, we'd spend day one on the beach, day two at the Tulum Ruins (open 8am to 5pm, last entry 3:30pm) and Gran Cenote with an evening in Tulum Pueblo, and day three in the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve, which starts further south along our road. We're at Km 8.5 on Tulum Beach Road, our beach club is open every day from 11am to 7pm with live DJ sets at the weekend, and our restaurant serves from 8am to 11pm, so the beach is the base every day.
Three days is enough to see Tulum properly if you split it between the sea and what sits inland. We're at Km 8.5 on Tulum Beach Road (Carretera Tulum-Boca Paila), in the hotel zone, with direct access to the beach. So this plan uses the beach as the base and goes out from there.
Day one stays on the sand. Day two goes inland early for the Tulum Ruins and Gran Cenote, then into Tulum Pueblo in the evening. Day three heads south along our own road to the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve.
A few things shape the order. The ruins stop letting people in at 3:30pm, so they go first. Our beach club runs 11am to 7pm every day, so afternoons are for the sea. And the weekend is when the beach gets livelier, with a live DJ set every Saturday and Sunday at what we call UMi Beach Day. If you want a calm beach, put day one midweek. If you want music, put it on a weekend.
Our team can arrange every transfer and day trip on this page. Tell the front desk what you'd like to do and they'll set it up.
Day 1: Arrive and stay on the beach
{'en-US': 'Midday', 'es-MX': 'Mediodía'}
Arrival from the airport
Tulum International Airport (TQO) is 30 to 40 minutes from us. Cancun International Airport is about two hours by car. We can arrange a private transfer straight to our door, which is the easy way to start. Check-in is from 3pm. If you drive, parking is free.
{'en-US': 'From 3pm', 'es-MX': 'A partir de las 3pm'}
Our beach club
This is the afternoon to do nothing much. The beach club is open every day from 11am to 7pm, there's no minimum spend, and towel service is included. Order something from the kitchen, swim, and stay until the light goes. On a weekend you'll get a live DJ set on the sand. During the week it's calm.
{'en-US': 'Evening', 'es-MX': 'Noche'}
Dinner at our restaurant
Our restaurant serves until 11pm. The food is Mexican with international touches, built around local ingredients and fresh seafood: ceviches and aguachiles, tacos, grilled octopus. Prices are in Mexican pesos. Book a table on OpenTable or message us on WhatsApp at +52 984 205 6008.
Day 2: The ruins, a cenote and the town
{'en-US': '8am', 'es-MX': '8am'}
Breakfast
Breakfast is included with every suite and starts at 8am. Eat early today. The point is to reach the ruins before the middle of the day.
{'en-US': '9am', 'es-MX': '9am'}
Tulum Ruins
The walled Maya site on the coast, and the reason most people come to Tulum in the first place. Go in the morning. The archaeological zone is open 8am to 5pm with last entry at 3:30pm, and people who arrive at 4 find the gate shut. Entry fees are set by INAH and have changed in recent years, so check before you go and carry pesos. Budget a couple of hours on site.
A cenote is a natural sinkhole filled with fresh water, and Gran Cenote is the one most people swim in first: about three miles from downtown Tulum, on the inland side. Entry was around 500 pesos per adult at last check, cash. It's a good follow-on to the ruins because the water is cool after a hot morning. Our team runs day trips to cenotes if you'd rather not drive.
{'en-US': 'Afternoon', 'es-MX': 'Tarde'}
Back on the beach, or a massage
Come back for the last hours of the beach club. Or book a massage in house. Our therapists tailor each treatment to what you ask for, from deep tissue to mud therapy and clay rituals. Ask the front desk in the morning so they can hold a time.
{'en-US': 'Evening', 'es-MX': 'Noche'}
Tulum Pueblo
Tulum Pueblo is the town, inland by Highway 307, and it's where you go to shop. It feels different from the beach road, busier and more lived in, and an evening there is worth it for contrast. Tulum still runs largely on cash, so bring pesos, and take a taxi back to the beach road at night.
Day 3: South to Sian Ka'an
{'en-US': '8am', 'es-MX': '8am'}
Beachfront workout or yoga
If day three falls on a Thursday, our beachfront workout class starts at 8am. Yoga and Pilates sessions run through the rest of the week. All levels are welcome. It's a short session and you're still out the door in good time.
{'en-US': 'Full day', 'es-MX': 'Día completo'}
Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve
The reserve starts further south along the same road we're on, past the Mayan Arch that marks its entrance. It's protected jungle, lagoon and coast, and it's the biggest day of the three. Our team arranges private tours, so you don't have to work out the logistics on the road. We've written more about how to plan it in our Sian Ka'an day trip guide.
{'en-US': 'Evening', 'es-MX': 'Noche'}
Fire-grilled fish by the beach
From Thursday to Sunday we grill fish over fire by the beach. On another night, ask about private beach dining, a table set on the sand for you. Book either through the front desk on WhatsApp at +52 984 320 0701.
