How to Use this Top 10 Guide
This DK Top 10 guide is one of a new generation of illustrated travel-guide eBooks that guarantees you make the most of your visit before, during and after your stay. Use this eBook both to plan your trip and explore your destination when visiting. So, before you depart, browse the citys highlights, check out the themed sightseeing lists or simply tap through the guide and be inspired.
The best way to explore this guide is to begin at the main table of contents. The first section of the eBook shows you, quite simply, the best sights in the destination. This is followed by: Top 10 of Everything themed Top 10 lists that allow you to make the most of your time away; Around the Destination must-see sights, area by area; Streetsmart essential practical information; and the General Index (a great alternative to Search when you need to quickly look up a keyword or specific sight).
Shorter contents lists appear at the start of every section in the guide, and are designed to make chapter navigation quick and easy. You can jump back to these by clicking on the chapter-heading links that sit with an arrow icon at the top of every article.
There are dozens of useful, easy-to-use maps at the back of this eBook. Select the "View map" links thoughout the guide to see larger-scale versions fill your screen.
As you use this guide, create a personalized itinerary by bookmarking the sights, venues and activities that are of most interest, giving you the quickest possible access to everything youll need for your time away.
Price guide
All price ranges quoted for hotels in this guide are based on a standard, double room per night (with breakfast if included), taxes and extra charges. Similarly, all price ranges quoted for restaurants are based on a three-course meal for one with a beer or soda (or equivalent meal), taxes and extra charges.
Highlights of the Yucatn
Mexicos Yucatn Peninsula has a special atmosphere and an immense variety of attractions, including some of the worlds best beaches and diving areas. The modern, glittering resorts of the east coasts Mayan Riviera lie alongside charming old Spanish Colonial towns, sleepy Mayan villages, and the awesome remains of ancient civilizations.
Cancn
The spit at dusk
Just a dot on the map before 1970, Cancn is now the biggest resort on the Caribbean. Its Hotel Zone occupies a huge, narrow sand spit shaped like a giant 7. On the mainland is the fast-growing city of Ciudad Cancn also known as Downtown. All along Boulevard Kukulcn are hotels, shopping malls, restaurants, and visitor attractions.
Night-time Cancn Cancns pulsating nightlife is most concentrated in the Corazone but extends all the way to Ciudad Cancn. A non-stop party atmosphere is maintained in clubs varying from Mexican traditional to modern cool.
The Beach Cancns greatest glory is made up of fine white silicate sand thats soft and somehow always cool despite the warmth of the sun. There are several public access points from Boulevard Kukulcn. The north side of the 7 is best for swimming; the eastern beaches have more crashing waves.
Laguna Nichupt The placid lagoon enclosed by Cancn Island offers more tranquility than the ocean, and is a favorite place for water sports. To the west are mangroves and jungle.
Punta Cancn and the Corazone The heart of the action on the Hotel Zone strip is around the bend in the 7. Here are vast shopping and entertainment malls, such as Plaza Caracol and Forum by the Sea, and the biggest nightclubs, The City .
Teatro de Cancn This theatre is known for its lively, vibrant performances of traditional Mexican music and dance. It also hosts a show that includes the rhythms of the Caribbean (For further details see ).
Shopping Areas Cancn is a shopaholics heaven. You have everything from international fashion in the vast, gleaming malls of the Hotel Zone to Mexican souvenirs in the markets of Downtown.
Avenida Tulum and Downtown The hub of the more Mexican town of Ciudad Cancn is tree-lined Avenida Tulum. Its a good spot for strolling and souvenir-shopping, and its cafs and restaurants are more tranquil than those by the beach.
El Meco Ruins Near the Isla Mujeres ferry ports, the ruined city of El Meco dates back to AD 300. An impressive pyramid and the remains of an opulent Mayan palace can be seen.
El Rey Ruins These ruins were part of a city that was prominent in the last centuries of Mayan civilization, just before the Spanish Conquest. By the ruins is a mock Mayan village, presenting a reconstruction of ancient Mayan life, including traditional cooking.
Wetn Wild There are slides and rides of all sizes at this huge water park; a snorkeling pool with stingrays and (harmless) sharks; an interactive dolphin pool; and bungee-jumping from the .
Tip: Kilometer markers, numbered from the north end, are used as locators along Boulevard Kukulcn.
Tip: Bus routes R-1, R-2 and R-15 run up and down between Avenida Tulum and along the Hotel Zone, 24 hours a day.
Tip: For good Mexican cooking and some local atmosphere, try the restaurants inside Mercado 28 in Downtown Cancn.
A Growing Resort
The Camino Real hotel by the tip of Punta Cancn is where Cancn all started back in 1971, when it opened as the first hotel on the island. The rest of the 7 was then empty except for trees, dunes, and a very few beach houses and fishing lodges. Since then, Cancn has acquired over 29,000 hotel beds.
Visitor Information
- Tourist info kiosks inside Town Hall, Av Tulum, La Isla and Forum malls, and Centro de Convenciones
- 998 881 0400