Best Beaches In & Near Tulum

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Map featuring Tulum beaches. Click on pins to view beach details
  • 1. El Castillo

    El Castillo

    Travel time from Tulum: approx 0.5 hrs

    The beach at Tulum is pretty much your standard Caribbean coast beach; crystal clear turquoise waters, soft white sand and low limestone cliffs draped in tropical vegetation. However, the beach at El Castillo can do even better than this.

    Located on what has been dubbed the Riviera Maya, the beach here is backed by the ruins of an ancient Mayan port of Zama. The Tulum ruins are believed to date… read more »

  • 2. Xpu Há

    Xpu Há
    BrunoSchalch

    Travel time from Tulum: approx 1 hr

    Xpu-ha Beach (pronounced Shpoo-Ha) is a typical crescent of white sandy lapped by gentle aquamarine waters on the Yucatan peninsula. It's just off Hwy 307, tucked between the popular resort of Playa del Carmen (17 miles away) and Akumal, but it's rarely overcrowded.

    The offshore reef is excellent for snorkelling, but you need to wade through patches of algae that occasionally form along the shoreline - it's a pervasive problem… read more »

  • 3. Akumal Beach

    Akumal Beach
    © Alexander Shalamov

    Travel time from Tulum: approx 0.5 hrs

    Akumal Beach is located between Playa del Carmen and Tulum in the heart of the Riviera Maya on Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. It is a long white sand beach that is lapped by the warm turquoise seas of the Caribbean. Behind the palm trees lies a charming little town that is well equipped to meet the needs of visitors.

    Often seen as one of Mexico's best beaches, Akumal is known for… read more »

  • 4. Stingray Beach

    Stingray Beach

    Travel time from Tulum: approx 1 hr

    Just a few hundred metres south of San Miguel de Cozumel (the main town on the island) and the island's airport, Stingray Beach is named after its marine visitors. The only beach on Cozumel where its possible to swim with these mysterious, yet harmless, creatures, it is subdivided into various sections.

    Some sections are freely-accessible to the public, while others are owned by a private resort. The stingrays are unable to… read more »

  • 5. Playa Palancar

    Playa Palancar
    dronepicr

    Travel time from Tulum: approx 1 hr

    Playa Palancar is a white sand beach whose ribbon of sand runs for around a mile along the southwest coast of Cozumel Island. Easily reached via the island's main highway – Quintana Roo C-1 – it is approximately 20 minutes from where the cruise ships dock. It is backed by shade giving palms and a handful of thatch-roofed huts which meld perfectly into this tropical paradise.

    Lined by well-spaced sun loungers… read more »

  • 6. Playa Paradise

    Playa Paradise
    © Dirk Davidson

    Travel time from Tulum: approx 1 hr

    One of Cozumel's all-inclusive resort beaches, Playa Paradise is a fine stretch of pale sand lined by tall palms and sun loungers. Roughly 20 minutes by road from San Miguel de Cozumel, the beach edges the island's southwest coast. Facing back towards Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and Riviera Maya region, its waters are relatively protected and therefore generally good for swimming as well as other water sports.

    Although sea temperatures average 80-85… read more »

  • 7. Playa Chen Rio

    Playa Chen Rio

    Travel time from Tulum: approx 1 hr

    Playa Chen Rio is located on the east coast of Cozumel. Curving slightly as it meets the Caribbean Sea, it has slightly less protection from the waves than beaches on the opposite side of the island, but is nonetheless a mesmeric place to spend a few hours – or even days.

    Its white sands sweep down from low grass-covered dune-like formations which develop out of the island's natural flora of fleshy… read more »

  • 8. Playa San Martin

    Playa San Martin

    Travel time from Tulum: approx 1 hr

    Situated on the south eastern shores of Cozumel, facing out into the Caribbean Sea, Playa San Martin is a public beach formed of pristine white sands. While having the feeling of being one of the island's most untamed beaches, it still has facilities including a restaurant and bar.

    Part of the reason for its relative lack of develop is that its waters are not always suitable for swimming - strong currents… read more »

More beaches near Tulum