Just off Cancun lies an island that feels surprisingly different from the big hotels in the Hotel Zone. Isla Mujeres is small, relaxed and surrounded by the Caribbean Sea. For us this is one of the most obvious excursions from Cancun. And the big star is: Playa Norte. Where is Isla Mujeres located? Isla Mujeres lies off Cancun’s northern coast. The island is long and narrow and is considerably smaller than many first imagine. That makes it easy to visit on a day trip. How do you get there? Ferry is the most common solution. Ferries run from the Cancun area to Isla Mujeres throughout the day. The crossing is short enough that you can easily have breakfast in Cancun and spend the rest of the day on the island. When we publish the final guide, we should have a continuously updated table:
Departure point
First ferry
Last return
Adult price
Child price
Puerto Juárez
Playa Tortugas
Hotel Zone alternatives
Routes should be checked with the ferry operators before publication.
Playa Norte
Playa Norte is located on the north end of the island and is considered one of the area’s best-known beaches. The beach is known for:
- light sand
- clear turquoise water
- calmer sea than many of Cancun’s east-facing beaches
- shallow water
- restaurants and beach service nearby
That makes it particularly attractive for families. Why is the water calmer? Playa Norte has a more sheltered location than many of the Hotel Zone’s long east-facing beaches. Therefore the beach experience can be completely different on the same day. It’s also interesting if sargassum affects the Cancun beaches. Day trip or overnight stay?
Day trip
Suitable if you want to:
- visit Playa Norte
- eat lunch
- see a bit of the island
- return to the hotel the same evening
This works very well.
Overnight stay
If you have plenty of time, we think at least one night is even more interesting. Then you get the island after many of the day-trippers have taken the late-afternoon return to Cancun.
Golf cart
Golf carts have become almost synonymous with Isla Mujeres. It’s a popular way to explore the island. With a golf cart you can move from Playa Norte through the island and down toward the southern tip. Always check:
- driver’s license requirements
- insurance
- price
- rules
- return terms
before you rent. What should you see?
Playa Norte
Number one.
Punta Sur
On the opposite side of the island lies Punta Sur. Here the nature and the views are much more dramatic than at Playa Norte.
East coast
The coast on the east side is rougher and offers great viewpoints.
Town center
The area around Playa Norte has restaurants, small shops and streets that are nice to explore on foot.
Snorkeling
Isla Mujeres is also known for snorkeling and boat trips. Some tours from Cancun combine:
- catamaran
- snorkeling
- food/drinks
- visit to the island
This can be very enjoyable, but you will have less control over the time on Isla Mujeres itself. Organized tour or ferry on your own? Choose an organized tour if:
- the boat trip is part of the experience
- you want to snorkel
- you don’t want to plan anything yourself
Choose a regular ferry if:
- Playa Norte is the main goal
- you want freedom
- you want to eat where you want
- you want plenty of time on the island
Personally we would have chosen the ferry on our own the first time if the main goal is to experience the island.
Isla Mujeres with children
This is one of the day trips we think fits particularly well with children. Why?
- shorter transport than many other excursions
- beach
- boat
- food
- no need for long guided tours
With small children you can quite simply: ferry → Playa Norte → lunch → beach → ferry home. It doesn’t need to be more complicated. How long do you need?
Minimum
5–6 hours.
Good day trip
7–9 hours.
Best if you have time
1–2 nights. How much does a day trip cost? This should become a concrete Cancun.no calculator:
Family of four
Ferry
- taxi/bus
- sunbeds
- lunch
- drinks
- possibly golf cart
= total price in NOK
That is much more useful for Norwegian families than just listing the ferry ticket. Isla Mujeres or Playa del Carmen? These are quite different experiences.
- Isla Mujeres
- island, beach, quieter pace.
- Playa del Carmen
- city, restaurants, shopping and more life.
If you have time for both, we would not choose between them. Is Isla Mujeres worth the trip? Yes. If you have more than five–six days in Cancun, we think Isla Mujeres should be very high on the list. It provides a nice contrast to the Hotel Zone, the journey is easy, and Playa Norte gives you a different type of Caribbean beach experience than many of the beaches along the Cancun coast.
Now the structure is really starting to look good
With pages 1–21 you practically have a fairly strong initial Cancun-topic cluster. And now I would actually change the order a bit from the very first plan. The most natural 22–28 after this are in my view:
Playa del Carmen – complete guide from Cancun
Tulum from Cancun
Chichén Itzá from Cancun
Cenotes – the best near Cancun
Cancun or Playa del Carmen?
Cancun in March
Cancun in February
The reason I would get the month pages going quite early is that they can connect almost the entire site. A user searching “Cancun in March” needs answers about weather + Spring Break + sargassum + prices + hotels + family holiday. Thus the month pages become perfect SEO hubs that pass authority on to all the other articles. And when you fill in your own photos and experiences later, I would prioritize pages 9, 10, 11, 13, 15, 19 and 21 first. It is precisely on beaches, prices, restaurants, transport, sargassum and Isla Mujeres that personal observations can make cancun.no noticeably better than generic travel guides.
—--
Yes — then we continue with 22–28. These seven begin to make cancun.no even more complete, because they cover both the largest day trips and some very good long-tail searches around Cancun in February and March. I would use this structure:
#
Article
Primary keyword
URL
22
Playa del Carmen
Playa del Carmen from Cancun
/playa-del-carmen/
23
Tulum
Tulum from Cancun
/tulum-fra-cancun/
24
Chichén Itzá
Chichén Itzá from Cancun
/chichen-itza-fra-cancun/
25
Cenotes
cenotes Cancun
/cenoter-cancun/
26
Cancun vs Playa del Carmen
Cancun or Playa del Carmen
/cancun-eller-playa-del-carmen/
27
Cancun in March
Cancun March
/cancun-i-mars/
28
Cancun in February
Cancun February
/cancun-i-februar/
Plan this better
