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. AeroMéxico (tel. 800/237-6639 in the U.S., or 01/800-021-4000 in Mexico; www.aeromexico.com) operates connecting service to Cancún through Mexico City. Mexicana (tel. 800/531-7921 in the U.S., 01/800-366-5400 in Mexico, or 998/881-9090; www.mexicana.com.mx) runs 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); Interjet (tel. 01-800/01-12345 toll-free in Mexico; www.interjet.com.mx); and Volaris (tel. 01-800/7865-2747; www.volaris.com.mx) are three 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), Frontier (tel. 800/432-1359; www.frontierairlines.com), Northwest (tel. 800/225-2525; www.nwa.com), United (tel. 800/241-6522; www.ual.com), and US Airways (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 (£25-£38) for a compact vehicle. Major agencies include Alamo ([tel) 800/462-5266; www.alamo.com); 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); Hertz (tel. 800/654-3131 in the U.S. and Canada, or 998/884-1326; www.hertz.com); and Thrifty (tel. 800/847-4389; www.thrifty.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.

The rate for a private taxi from the airport is $53 (£27) to Ciudad Cancún (downtown) or the Hotel Zone. The return trip with an airport taxi is discounted by 50%. Colectivos (vans) run from the airport into town. Buy tickets, which cost about $12 (£6), from the booth to the far right as you exit the airport terminal. There's bus transportation ($3.50/£1.75) from the airport to Ciudad Cancún. From there, you can take another bus for less than a dollar to Puerto Juárez, where passenger ferries leave to Isla Mujeres regularly. 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 320km (199 miles) away.

By Bus -- Cancún's ADO bus terminal (tel. 998/884-4352 or 01800/702-8000) 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 (SEDETUR), Av. Yaxchilán Lote 6 SM 17, downtown across from Costco (tel. 998/881-9000; www.qroo.gob.mx), is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 8pm. The Cancún Municipal Tourism Office is downtown at the Palacio Municipal (City Hall) on Avenida Tulum between Avenidas Uxmal and Cobá (tel. 998/887-3379). It's open Monday through Friday from 9am to 7pm. Each office lists hotels and their rates, as well as ferry schedules. For information prior to your arrival in Cancún, visit the Convention Bureau's website, www.cancun.travel.

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

The Best Websites for Cancún

• All About Cancún: www.cancunmx.com -- This site is a good place to start planning. Their database, called "The Online Experts," answers many of the most common questions. It's slow but current, with input from lots of recent travelers to the region.
• Cancún Convention & Visitors Bureau: www.cancun.travel -- The official site of the Cancún Convention & Visitors Bureau lists excellent information on events and attractions. Its hotel guide is one of the most complete available, and it has an active message board of recent visitors to Cancún.
• Cancún Online: www.cancun.com -- This comprehensive guide has lots of information about things to do and see in Cancún, though most details come from paying advertisers. The site lets you reserve package trips, accommodations, and tee times, or even plan a wedding online.
• Cancún Travel Guide: www.go2cancun.com -- These online information specialists are also an excellent resource for Cancún rentals, hotels, and attractions. Note that this site also lists only paying advertisers, which means you'll find most of the major players here.

City Layout

There are really two Cancúns: Ciudad Cancún (Cancún City) and Isla Cancún (Cancún Island). The former, 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 latter is a sandy strip 22km (14 miles) long, shaped like a "7." It's home to the famed Zona Hotelera, or Hotel Zone (also called the Zona Turística, or Tourist Zone), which stretches out along Isla Cancún, connected 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. Boulevards are named for nearby archaeological sites, Chichén Itzá, Tulum, and Uxmal.

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 (£3) 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 $2 (£1) per cab ride (not per person); within any other zone, it's $6 (£3). Traveling between two zones will also cost $6 (£3), and if you cross two zones, that'll cost $8 (£4). Settle on a price in advance, or check at your hotel. Trips to the airport from most zones cost $15 (£7.50). Taxis can also be rented for $20 (£10) per hour for travel around the city and Hotel Zone, but this rate can generally be negotiated down to about $15 (£7.50). If you want to hire a taxi to take you to Chichén Itzá or along the Riviera Maya, expect to pay about $30 (£15) 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 run 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¢ (30p).

By Moped -- Mopeds are a convenient but dangerous way to cruise through the very congested traffic. Rentals start at about $35 (£18) 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.