A few days ago, we flew to Mexico for my birthday, a perfect excuse to escape Toronto’s cold. It’s pretty common to see Canadians take a few days of sunshine to break up the long Canadian winter. Cancun is a fairly close destination, just a 4-hour flight from Toronto, with consistently good weather and beautiful beaches. It’s the perfect place to recharge and soak up the sun.
The trip was a surprise from my partner (awwww), so I didn’t really do any research beforehand. He took care of everything, and I’ve compiled everything we did, what we loved, and all the useful tips to make the most of a few days in Cancun.
Before we dive in, don’t forget to follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube.
Practical Information to Know Before Traveling to Cancun
- There are direct flights to Cancun from several Canadian cities, including Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg, Vancouver, and Halifax.
- In addition to these direct flights, Cancun is in the same time zone as Toronto and Montreal!
- Another similarity with Canada: the plugs! No adapter needed, one less thing to carry.
- Cancun, as we know it today, was built in 1970. It’s a relatively new city with little history, so don’t expect to wander through old streets. If you want to learn more about Mexican culture and history, plan some excursions outside the city, I’ll cover this later in the article.
- Important: tap water is not drinkable. Just like my trips to Bolivia or recently Bali, you’ll need to buy bottled water.
- Cancun is a very popular destination for Americans and Canadians. So it’s no surprise that you’ll be expected to tip pretty much everywhere.
- Speaking of money, you’ll need some cash for small purchases, tips for drivers, hotel staff if you want, or guides. But most restaurants accept credit cards. If you want to open a Wise account to limit banking fees while traveling, I’ve included a link for a promotion here.
- And speaking of money again, Cancun is not exactly a budget destination. People often talk about Mexico as being cheap, but honestly, restaurant prices were quite similar to what we pay in Toronto. Not a criticism, it’s a tourist hotspot, so naturally more expensive. Just something to keep in mind when planning your budget.
- One last point before we dive into the fun stuff, and something to consider depending on the time of year you visit Cancun. The days were very hot, yes, but the evenings cooled down quite a bit. I hadn’t planned for warmer evening outfits, I only brought summer clothes and ended up feeling pretty chilly at night. So, pack a light sweater or jacket.
Visa Requirements to Visit Mexico
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You do not need a visa to visit Mexico as a Canadian. You would need a visa if you plan to stay for more than six months. You can check on the Sherpa website to see if a visa is required based on your nationality.
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Upon arrival at the airport, you’ll be given a paper with a QR code, which you’ll need when leaving the country. Be careful not to lose it! You’ll have to scan it to complete online documents to report your departure. Nobody asked us for it at the airport, but I assume it’s in the system and they can access it by scanning our passports.
Getting around Canada
- To get from Cancun airport to your hotel, there are several options:
- Book a private driver through an online service (this is what we did for our arrival and paid online).
- Ask your hotel to arrange a driver for you (this is what we did for the return trip; we paid the driver in cash).
- A word of caution: it’s strongly recommended to avoid drivers waiting outside the airport for safety reasons.
- Getting around within Cancun, we mainly used Uber. Whenever it’s available, I prefer using it while traveling, it helps avoid price scams.
- We also walked a lot around the city, which we usually prefer as it’s a great way to explore and discover things along the way.
- For trips outside of Cancun, we booked excursions, which I’ll cover later in the article. We could have rented a car, but we really didn’t feel like driving.
Best Places to Stay in Cancun
When choosing your accommodation in Cancun, there are a few things to consider:
- Downtown: not very lively and not necessarily the most attractive part of the city.
- Beach area: quick access to the ocean.
- Lagoon area: less recommended, less scenic than the ocean, and there are also crocodiles.
- Hotel zone without beach access
Of course, your choice will also depend on availability, your budget, and what you enjoy.
Next, you’ll need to decide whether you want to stay at an all-inclusive resort, a hotel, or an Airbnb. In our case, after asking around a bit, we were advised against an all-inclusive because I don’t drink alcohol. Also, since we generally like to explore local restaurants, we decided to go with a simple hotel.
Our Choice (well, really his choice, hence why the rest of this section is written based on my boyfriend’s notes) was the Beachscape Kin Ha Villas & Suites.
Here’s why we chose this hotel and what you should look for when booking yours:
- Beach access
- The hotel has direct access to the beach. Its restaurant and bar can even serve you right on the sand.
- You can go into the water with peace of mind knowing your belongings are safe on the hotel’s sun loungers. The beach section is reserved for hotel guests.
- Location:
- In just 10–15 minutes on foot, we were on the street with all the restaurants and activities.
- Right across from our hotel were a small supermarket, a currency exchange, and a bus stop.
- Hotel size
- We opted for a smaller hotel, not very tall, giving a more intimate feeling compared to the large towers.
- Other things
- The hotel had a pool, not huge, but a good size.
- The average age at our hotel seemed a bit higher. Since we weren’t there to party, it didn’t bother us. Mostly adults and very few children.
- There aren’t any special on-site activities like at a Club Med or an all-inclusive resort, so keep that in mind if you want things to do on the property.
Things to do in Cancun
Most people will tell you that the only thing they did in Cancun was lounge on the beach. But for us, while we enjoy it, we prefer it in small doses. We’re not the type to spend hours on a sun lounger.
The advantage of choosing a hotel with direct beach access is that we could go for walks, spend a little time on the beach, enjoy the loungers, then head back to our room if needed, and continue exploring. And so on.
Enjoying the Beach
White sandy beaches, the different shades of blue in the water, the palm trees, enjoy it all. You can read a book under a beach umbrella, or play in the water. On our first day, we went for a walk along the beach, soaking in the moment: ahhh, the Canadian cold is behind us, let’s enjoy Cancun’s warmth for a few days.
And then… we saw a little thing moving in the water: a turtle! After that, every time we went into the water, it became a mini observatory for my boyfriend, hoping to spot another one. The beach was pleasant, the water calm, and the surroundings nice. Also, note that there are several free public beaches!
Visiting Downtown Cancun
As I mentioned in the introduction, Cancun is a relatively new city built for tourism. It’s not a place for history buffs. However, you can visit places like Parque de las Palapas, El Mercado 28, El Mercado 23, Malecón Tajamar, or Parque Ecológico Kabah. All of these were on our list.
Unfortunately, we were there in February 2026, just during clashes between the government and the cartels. On our last day (the day after the attacks), we decided to stay around the hotel just in case. We didn’t experience any issues, but we preferred to play it safe. You can always revisit a place later—no need to take unnecessary risks.
Tacos Marathon
Of course, you’re in Mexico, you have to eat tacos! We made it our mission to try several during our few days in Cancun and find our favorite taco. One evening, we even hit two restaurants in a row so we wouldn’t end on a disappointment. I’ll link to my article on the restaurants we tried in Cancun for detailed reviews! (Article coming soon.)
Visiting Islas Mujeres
This was part of our plan for our last day, in addition to downtown Cancun. However, it was extremely windy, it felt like a storm was coming. Between that and the events I mentioned earlier, we decided not to go. But if you have the chance: go for it! It looks absolutely stunning.
A Day on a Catamaran
Another option on our list for our few days in Cancun was a catamaran trip—either a full day or a half day. We had done this in Santorini, Greece, and it was amazing. Many tours offer hotel pickup and drop-off at the port, which is very convenient. I recommend checking available options on Viator, that’s usually where we book.
You have different options: some tours only offer the ride or the crossing to Isla Mujeres, while others include a buffet and unlimited drinks. We had planned to book this catamaran experience. Some even include a short snorkeling session to explore the ocean’s beautiful underwater world!
Things to do around Cancun
Visit Chichén Itzá
While Cancun doesn’t have much history, the rest of the country definitely does. If you’re in Cancun for a few days, take a day to explore the Mayan ruins, it’s truly an incredible experience. You can rent a car and go on your own, but I personally preferred the organized tour option through an agency. Again, we went with Viator, I’ll link it here. They picked us up in the morning right in front of our hotel and dropped us off afterward.
Keep in mind, these are long days (12–13 hours). You won’t be independent and will need to follow the group’s pace. We appreciated the convenience of transportation and the guides’ explanations.
In our tour, we also had a 30-minute stop in Valladolid and 1.5 hours at a cenote, which was really nice.
Tips for visiting Chichén Itzá:
- Bring plenty of water, it gets extremely hot.
- If you’re going on your own, go early to avoid the crowds
- Bring an umbrella or sunshade, you’ll need protection from the sun (yes, it’s really hot!).
- You can bring cameras, but GoPros require a permit due to copyright issues. They searched my bag but didn’t notice mine, so I didn’t need a permit. I didn’t use it though, just to be safe. Tripods are also prohibited (though we saw some people use them), but selfie sticks are allowed. All of these tips were shared by our guides on the bus before arriving.
Visit Rio Secreto
Since we were only in Cancun for a few days, we knew we couldn’t do everything. But I still want to share some top recommendations! During our Chichén Itzá excursion, two couples suggested we visit Rio Secreto. Their photos looked amazing!
It’s a tour of underground rivers where you can walk or swim. The caves are filled with thousands of stalactites and stalagmites. The experience looks incredible. If you go, send me a photo on Instagram !
Valladolid
If you decide to do the tour I mentioned earlier, you might have already seen this. If not, here’s a small colonial town worth visiting. It’s really not very big, so don’t plan to spend the whole day there, but the architecture is interesting. Our visit was brief, but I’m sure if we had more time, we would have learned even more. The architecture reminded me quite a bit of my time in Bolivia.
Cenote
A Must-See! I didn’t fully realize how beautiful it would be. The cenote we visited was fairly dark because its natural formation is quite enclosed. But some cenotes have a real light shaft coming from above, and they look absolutely stunning! The water is such a beautiful blue. We were able to swim and even jump in. The only rule: don’t touch the walls, to avoid damaging the cenote.
You can get a better look in the vlog! If you want to visit on a tour, you can check out this option.
The Tulum ruins
It’s a bit further away, but depending on how long you’re staying in Cancun, it’s possible to make a trip to Tulum. There, you can explore some of the newest Mayan ruins in the country. They’re perched on a cliff with a stunning view of the Caribbean Sea. It’s a unique site, as it’s the only one with direct ocean access, most Mayan ruins are inland. I also found a tour departing from Cancun if you prefer a turnkey option.
ATV adventures
If you’re looking for something more action-packed, here’s an idea. You can go quad biking and zip-lining on organized courses designed for maximum fun. This was also one of our options, we had loved riding ATVs on the beach in Morocco.
We didn’t do it this time for lack of time, but I love the idea of zip-lining too. I admit I get a little nervous when it’s a reserved activity and you arrive on site, it happened to me over Lake Titicaca, but I highly recommend pushing past your fears 1000%.
I hope all these ideas give you plenty of inspiration to make the most of your few days in Cancun. It was our first time there, and we decided it might just become our new birthday tradition: escaping to the sun. Stay tuned to discover our next destinations!
