11 Free and Budget friendly experiences you’ll love in Cancun

Soak up the sun in the vast array of beautiful beaches!

Price: Free

Cancun is Famous for its beautiful, soft, white, sandy beaches - all beaches in Mexico are free and open to the public to enjoy from! Although it might seem you need to book an expensive, beachfront resort in order to enjoy the beach vibes, there are dozens of beaches that are open to the public throughout Cancun. Some beaches may be more crowded than other lesser known, more “secret” beaches but one thing's for sure - these are all free and for you to enjoy! Beaches are a must to enjoy in Cancun, and there are so many beaches to choose from that this could be a trip in itself.

Pack your bathing suits because you will want to jump into the water every time! If there's one thing that you count on in Cancun, it’s the warm Carribean waters that no one can resist enjoying. You may be able to buy a snorkeling gear and view the array of exotic, Carribean fishe that inhabit these beautiful waters.

Some of the most popular and conveniently located beaches for tourists include Playa Langosta, Playa Tortugas, and Playa Chac Mool. As a bonus, you could check out a beach club here and relax while sipping on cocktails and being catered to.

Explore all Zona hotelera has to offer

Price: Free

Zona hotelera is quite a unique place you’ll love to either stay in or just visit and explore the vast array of resorts, malls, restaurants, water adventures, bars, and beaches located here.

Zona Hotelera (translates to “Hotel Zone”, known as the tourist zone) extends along a 14 mile (22.5km) strip of land wedged between the Cancun lagoon and the Carribean sea. This is a beautiful area to explore by foot and car, it is an experience of its own as you discover new places and experiences you might want to do here!

Take a picture with the Cancun sign

Price: Free

Mark your official arrival to Cancun with this iconic, instagrammy picture of the colorful sign of “Cancun”. This is located in Zona Hotelera in Playa Langosta, a great excuse to plan a picture and a beach visit here!

Window shop at these beautiful, outdoor malls

Price: Free

Cancun is full of new, beautiful malls, ranging from casual to luxurious brands from Mexico, United States, and Europe. The malls in Cancun offer day-long, fun experiences with hundreds of shops, restaurants, movie theaters, and other forms of entertainment. It is an experience of its own to walk around, window shop, pause for some tasty food, check out live entertainment, and enjoy fancy movie theaters.

We recommend checking out shopping malls such as Puerto Cancun, Plaza Americas, and La Isla.

Visit El Rey Archaeological zone in Zona Hotelera

Price: $3 USD

Come and imagine yourself back in Mayan times by visiting these Mayan ruins dating back approximately 800 years. Located in the southern end of Zona hotelera, you can view over 40 stone structures still in place, including a temple dedicated to an important Mayan figure. With just a $3 entrance fee you can explore these ruins. This is open to the public everyday from 8am-5pm.

Visit El Meco Archaeological zone in Zona Hotelera

Price: $3-$4 USD

Visit one of Cancun’s tallest pyramids at this archaeological zone located about 8km away from the center of Cancun. These ruins date back around 800 years and feature El Castillo (a pyramid, at the center of the archeological site). This is one of the best preserved pyramids remaining in Cancun. For an entrance fee of only $4 USD you can explore daily from 8am-5pm.

Visit Parque de Palapas in the center of Cancun

Price: Free

If you would like a change of scenery away from the hotel zone (tourist zone) and are up for more of a locals’ experience, head over to the city center of Cancun between afternoon and evening and enjoy this locals’ hotspot for food vendors and live entertainment. If you are up for more of a cultural Cancun experience this is it! El Parque de las Palapas offers street vendors, food vendors, and live entertainment with zero entry fee - simply arrive, walk around, take in the sights and entertainment, and if your heart (more like your stomach) wishes, you can enjoy food, churros, and aguas frescas (refreshing fruit juices)! You can enjoy this everyday and year round.

Check out Mercado 28 in the center of Cancun

Price: Free

Visit Mercado 28 for quite an interesting experience to mingle with the local culture, people, and scenery, and best of all you can find great deals on goods and souvenirs!

Visit Kabah Park in the center of Cancun

Price: Free

Enjoy Kabah’s natural protected forest area full of ecological wildlife diversity, including wild birds, spider monkeys, and lizards. This is a beautiful place to comfortably enjoy walking around or have a picnic in the many picnic tables available for the public. This is a free entry and is enjoyed by many morning joggers.

Check out art murals in downtown Cancun

Price: Free

Enjoy art murals paying homage to Cancun’s Mayan ancestors and heritage as you stroll through downtown Cancun. Downtown Cancun has a lot of movement and activities, hey while you’re near there make sure to check out Mercado 28 and Kabah Park as well! It wouldn't hurt to snap a picture of these murals and tag the artists as appreciation for the hard work and passion they have put into these artworks.

Take a Ferry ride to Isla Mujeres

Price: $15-30 USD

Trust us when we say, a trip to Cancun is not complete without taking in the beauty of Isla Mujeres and all it has to offer! Translated as the “Women Island”, this name originates back over 1500 years and was part of a Mayan province called Ekab. Isla Mujeres was dedicated as a sanctuary and temple for the goddess Ixchel, the goddess of fertility, happiness, medicine, and the moon. The temple dedicated to goddess Ixchel can still be seen and appreciated on the southern end of the island where the lighthouse is located as well.

A ferry ride to Isla Mujeres is 300 pesos (roughly $15 USD) roundtrip, or half the cost for a one way ticket and only takes a 15 minute ride departing from GranPuerto, Puerto Juarez (Ultramar service) in Cancun everyday from 5am-11:30pm. There are 3 other locations (Playa Tortugas, Playa Caracol, and Playa Embarcadero) you can use to depart to Isla Mujeres from Cancun’s hotel zone but this will cost you about double the price.

Isla Mujeres offers experiences ranging from the basics of enjoying its’ beautiful beaches, exploring vendor shops, to activities such as snorkeling, zip lining and all-inclusive resorts; whatever you’re looking to see and do you will find it and love it here without breaking the bank!

Drive golf carts around Isla Mujeres

Price: $20-40 USD

Once you’re in Isla Mujeres we recommend renting golf carts to drive around and sightsee the island, making pit stops anywhere you find interesting. Exploring around the island usually takes a bit over an hour, although we recommend at the very least a 2 hour rental to ensure a pleasurable and unrushed time cruising around the island. Golf cart rentals for 2-4 persons can range from around $20-40USD for hourly rentals depending on the comfort and luxury of your rental cart.

Make sure to visit Playa Norte and enjoy the clear waters and soft sands! This is a great spot for snorkeling and seeing some colorful and exotic fishes!

Visit a turtle sanctuary in Isla Mujeres

Price: $3-$5 USD

Fall in love with turtles when you visit Tortugranja, a turtle farm and conservation center helping turtles develop into adulthood to be released into the ocean. For just a $3 entry fee you can help support this conservation center and enjoy seeing green turtles, albino turtles, crabs, conchins, and urchins.

We hope these recommended free and budget friendly tips make for amazing experiences on your next trip to Cancun! For more inspiration on your trip to Cancun visit our other articles on visiting Yucatan Peninsula for further inspiration!

Happy travels from Dos Outdoors!