Tulum International Airport (TQO), aka Felipe Carillo Puerto International Airport
Tulum International Airport is located approx. 25 miles southwest of Tulum, Mexico. It is NOW OPEN and receiving flights, as of March 28, 2024. It serves both domestic and international flights from major airlines, including American, United, Delta, JetBlue, and Air Canada. More information about the airport is located here: Tulum Airport (TQO) | Felipe Carrillo Puerto Airport (thetulumairport.com)
Cancun International Airport (CUN)
If your preferred airline (ahem, Southwest) does not fly into Tulum International Airport, then your other option is to fly into Cancun International Airport, which is located 69 miles from Tulum, Mexico. You will need to either take an ADO bus, the Mayan Train (Tren Maya), or rent a car and drive to Tulum. Cancun Airport operates domestic and international flights to virtually any Mexico, United States, and Canada destination. The IATA code for Cancun International Airport is CUN. More information about the airport is located here: Cancun International Airport | Official Information Website – CUN (airportcancun.com)
ADO Bus
From Tulum International Airport
Tulum airport offers public transportation to and from Tulum Centro on a limited schedule, between the hours of 8:00 am and 5:30 pm. Plan ahead! The timetable is here: Tulum Airport Transportation | Airport Transfers and Rates! (thetulumairport.com). A one-way bus ticket costs about $175 MXN pesos or $9.00 USD. The bus ride takes about 35 minutes.
The walk from the ADO bus terminal in Tulum Centro to Aloft Tulum conference hotel is about 30 minutes at a moderately-paced speed. Directions: turn left out of the bus terminal, down Carretera Cancun-Chetumal; turn right on Satelite Sur, then the first left after Mercurio Ote (no street name), and then again take the first right (no street name); if you pass Av. Juanek a few minutes later, you know you’re going the right way; and then, finally, you will take a left at the corner where Natura Spa Tulum is located and then Aloft Tulum will be a little ways past on your left. You can also take Carretera Cancun-Chetumal to Avenida Coba, turning right on Ave. Coba, and Aloft Tulum will be on your right on Ave. Coba, across the street from Mayan Monkey hotel (but this takes a little longer).
From Cancun International Airport
Most international flights arrive at Terminal 3 in Cancun Airport. After you go through immigration and customs you will walk through double sliding doors and down a long hall. There will be rental car companies and tour booths along this hallway. Pass all of this. You will also pass an ADO bus booth BUT we recommend you go outside to the kiosk to purchase your ticket.
Go outside and you will see a lot of people holding signs (selling tourist trap tickets…) and offering you taxi service. Just ignore them and walk toward the right. You will see a Margaritaville stand selling drinks. Walk past this stand, and you will see the red ADO bus kiosk. If there is a bus ready for departure, you can jump on. If you are in line inside and a bus is just getting ready to leave, they will sell you a ticket for the next bus. The bus trip from Cancun International Airport to Tulum Centro takes about two hours. (You will stop in Playa del Carmen, midway.) A one-way bus ticket costs about $24.00 USD or $409 MXN pesos.
Tren Maya / Mayan Train
From Cancun International Airport, only
The Mayan Train launched in December 2023, with 42 routes across the Yucatan peninsula. The Tulum station should open by summer 2024, in time for the 36th annual Society for Utopian Studies conference. The train will run from Cancun International Airport to Tulum Centro (the city center). To purchase tickets for the train and for news on train development, visit: TREN MAYA. The trip is estimated to take about one hour, and will cost about $40-50 USD.
Rental Car
Tulum International Airport
Airport car rentals are available at Tulum International Airport, starting at about $45 USD/per day for an economy rental. Companies include: Europcar, Hertz, and MEX Rent-A-Car. Rates and availability for these three companies, out of Tulum Airport, are here: Tulum Airport Car Rentals | Rental cars starting at $20/day! (thetulumairport.com).
The drive from Tulum International Airport to Tulum Centro is about 40 minutes.
Cancun International Airport
Once again, most international flights arrive at Terminal 3 in Cancun Airport. After you go through immigration and customs, you will walk through double sliding doors and down a long hall. You will find a series of rental car booths along this hallway. For information on booking a car rental from Cancun International Airport, visit: Car Rentals in Cancun from $13/day | Compare Deals & Book your Rental Car in Cancun (airportcancun.com)
Or: Find cheap rental car deals | Airport Rental Cars
The drive from Cancun International Airport to Tulum Centro is about an hour and a half.
**Pro Tip: Taxi is the cheapest way to get around Tulum. A taxi-ride around Tulum Centro, or from Tulum Centro to the Ruins and beaches should cost between $100-200 MXN or $5-10 USD. (NOT Uber or Lyft; both companies have been banned in Tulum.) If you plan on going to the cenotes, Chichen Itza, or Valladolid, then rent a car.