Planning a Trip

Getting There

By Plane -- If this is not your first trip to Cancún, you'll notice that the airport's facilities and services continue to expand. Aeromexico (tel. 800/237-6639 in the U.S., or 01/800-021-4000 in Mexico; www.aeromexico.com) offers connecting service to Cancún through Mexico City. Mexicana (tel. 800/531-7921 in the U.S., 01/800-502-2000 in Mexico, or 998/881-9090; www.mexicana.com.mx) offers connecting flights to Cancún through Miami or Mexico City. In addition to these carriers, many charter companies -- such as Apple Vacations and Funjet -- travel to Cancún; these package tours make up as much as 60% of arrivals by U.S. visitors.

Regional carrier Click Mexicana, a Mexicana affiliate (tel. 01-800/112-5425 toll-free in Mexico; www.click.com.mx) flies from Cozumel, Havana, Mexico City, Mérida, Chetumal, and other points within Mexico. You'll want to confirm departure times for flights to the U.S. Aviacsa (tel. 01-800/711-6733 toll-free in Mexico; www.aviacsa.com) and Interjet (tel. 01-800/01-12345 toll-free in Mexico; www.interjet.com.mx) are two other regional carriers that fly to Cancún from Mexico City.

Here are the U.S. numbers of major international carriers serving Cancún: Alaska (tel. 800/426-0333; www.alaskaair.com), American (tel. 800/433-7300; www.aa.com), Continental (tel. 800/231-0856; www.continental.com), Delta (tel. 800/221-1212; www.delta.com), Northwest (tel. 800/225-2525; www.nwa.com), and USAirways (tel. 800/428-4322; www.usairways.com).

Most major car-rental firms have outlets at the airport, so if you're renting a car, consider picking it up and dropping it off at the airport to save on airport-transportation costs. Another way to save money is to arrange for the rental before you leave home. If you wait until you arrive, the daily cost will be around $50 to $75 (£28-£41) for a Chevrolet Atos. Major agencies include Avis (tel. 800/331-1212 in the U.S., or 998/886-0221; www.avis.com); Budget (tel. 800/527-0700 in the U.S., or 998/886-0417; fax 998/884-4812; www.budget.com); Dollar (tel. 800/800-3665 in the U.S., or 998/886-2300; www.dollar.com); National (tel. 800/227-7368 in the U.S., or 998/886-0153; www.nationalcar.com); and Hertz (tel. 800/654-3131 in the U.S. and Canada, or 998/884-1326; www.hertz.com). If you're looking for an exotic car rental (such as a Porsche or Mercedes convertible) and don't mind paying a small fortune for it, try Platinum (tel. 998/883-5555; www.platinumcarrental.com), with an office inside the JW Marriott hotel. The Zona Hotelera (Hotel Zone) lies 10km (6 1/4 miles) -- a 20-minute drive -- from the airport along wide, well-paved roads.

Rates for a private taxi from the airport are around $25 (£14) to downtown Cancún, or $28 to $40 (£15-£22) to the Hotel Zone, depending on your destination. Colectivos (vans) run from the airport into town. Buy tickets, which cost about $10 (£5.50), from the booth to the far right as you exit the airport terminal. There's minibus transportation ($9.50/£5.25) from the airport to the Puerto Juárez passenger ferry to Isla Mujeres, or you can hire a private taxi for about $40 (£22). There is no colectivo service returning to the airport from Ciudad Cancún or the Hotel Zone, so you'll have to take a taxi, but the rate will be much less than for the trip from the airport. (Only federally chartered taxis may take fares from the airport, but any taxi may bring passengers to the airport.) Ask at your hotel what the fare should be, but expect to pay about half what you paid from the airport to your hotel.

By Car -- From Mérida or Campeche, take Highway 180 east to Cancún. This is mostly a winding, two-lane road that branches off into the express toll road 180D between Izamal and Nuevo Xcan. Nuevo Xcan is approximately 40km (25 miles) from Cancún. Mérida is about 80km (50 miles) away.

By Bus -- Cancún's ADO bus terminal (tel. 998/884-4352 or -4804) is in downtown Ciudad Cancún at the intersection of avenidas Tulum and Uxmal. All out-of-town buses arrive here. Buses run to Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Chichén Itzá, other nearby beach and archaeological zones, and other points within Mexico.

Visitor Information

The State Tourism Office, Cancún Center, Bulevar Kukulkán Km 9, 1st floor, Zona Hotelera (tel. 998/881-9000; www.qroo.gob.mx), is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 8pm. The Cancún Municipal Tourism Office is found downtown on Avenida Cobá at Avenida Tulum (tel. 998/887-3379). It's open Monday through Friday from 9am to 7pm. Each office lists hotels and their rates, and ferry schedules. For information prior to your arrival in Cancún, visit the Convention Bureau's website, www.cancun.info.

Pick up copies of the free monthly booklet, Cancún Tips (www.cancuntips.com.mx), and a seasonal tabloid of the same name.

City Layout

There are really two Cancúns: Isla Cancún (Cancún Island) and Ciudad Cancún (Cancún City). The latter, on the mainland, has restaurants, shops, and less expensive hotels, as well as pharmacies, dentists, automotive shops, banks, travel and airline agencies, and car-rental firms -- all within an area about 9 square blocks. The city's main thoroughfare is Avenida Tulum. Heading south, Avenida Tulum becomes the highway to the airport and to Tulum and Chetumal; heading north, it intersects the highway to Mérida and the road to Puerto Juárez and the Isla Mujeres ferries.

The famed Zona Hotelera, or Hotel Zone (also called the Zona Turística, or Tourist Zone), stretches out along Isla Cancún, which is a sandy strip 22km (14 miles) long, shaped like a "7." It connects to the mainland by the Playa Linda Bridge at the north end and the Punta Nizuc Bridge at the southern end. Between the two areas lies Laguna Nichupté. Avenida Cobá from Cancún City becomes Bulevar Kukulkán, the island's main traffic artery. Cancún's international airport is just inland from the south end of the island.

Finding an Address -- Cancún's street-numbering system is a holdover from its early days. Addresses are still given by the number of the building lot and by the manzana (block) or supermanzana (group of blocks). The city is relatively compact, and the downtown commercial section is easy to cover on foot.

On the island, addresses are given by kilometer number on Bulevar Kukulkán or by reference to some well-known location. In Cancún, streets are named after famous Maya cities. Chichén Itzá, Tulum, and Uxmal are the names of the boulevards in Cancún, as well as nearby archaeological sites.

Getting Around

By Taxi -- Taxi prices in Cancún are clearly set by zone, although keeping track of what's in which zone can take some doing. The minimum fare within the Hotel Zone is $6 per ride, making it one of the most expensive taxi areas in Mexico. In addition, taxis operating in the Hotel Zone feel perfectly justified in having a discriminatory pricing structure: Local residents pay about half of what tourists pay, and prices for guests at higher-priced hotels are about double those for budget hotel guests -- these are all established by the taxi union. Rates should be posted outside your hotel; if you have a question, all drivers are required to have an official rate card in their taxis, though it's generally in Spanish.

Within the downtown area, the cost is about $1.50 (85p) per cab ride (not per person); within any other zone, it's $6 (£3.30). Traveling between two zones will also cost $6 (£3.30), and if you cross two zones, that'll cost $8 (£4.40). Settle on a price in advance, or check at your hotel. Trips to the airport from most zones cost $15 (£8.25). Taxis can also be rented for $18 (£9.90) per hour for travel around the city and Hotel Zone, but this rate can generally be negotiated down to about $15 (£8.25). If you want to hire a taxi to take you to Chichén Itzá or along the Riviera Maya, expect to pay about $30 (£17) per hour -- many taxi drivers feel that they are also providing guide services.

By Bus -- Bus travel within Cancún continues to improve and is increasingly popular. In town, almost everything lies within walking distance. Ruta 1 and Ruta 2 (HOTELES) city buses travel frequently from the mainland to the beaches along Avenida Tulum (the main street) and all the way to Punta Nizuc at the far end of the Hotel Zone on Isla Cancún. Ruta 8 buses go to Puerto Juárez/Punta Sam for ferries to Isla Mujeres. They stop on the east side of Avenida Tulum. All these city buses operate between 6am and 10pm daily. Beware of private buses along the same route; they charge far more than the public ones. Public buses have the fare painted on the front; at press time, the fare was 60¢.

By Moped -- Mopeds are a convenient but dangerous way to cruise around through the very congested traffic. Rentals start at $30 (£17) for a day, and a credit card voucher is required as security. You should receive a crash helmet (it's the law) and instructions on how to lock the wheels when you park. Read the fine print on the back of the rental agreement regarding liability for repairs or replacement in case of accident, theft, or vandalism.