Flights to Cancún
Food, drinks, beaches, nightlife, and culture – the major things that drive tourists to Mexico. However, there are only a select few destinations within the country, where you can enjoy all these things at the same time. One of the major and more popular ones being the city of Cancún.
How about a break, or more precisely, a spring break? How about a spring break that lasts forever? As absurd as it may sound, this can literally be the motto of Cancún, because its weather is that magnificent and beautiful, throughout the year.
Cancún (pronounced as Kun Koon) is a beautiful city situated Southeast of Mexico. Located in the state of Quintana Roo, it serves as the seat of one of the eleven municipalities of the state - Benito Juárez.
With a total population of 915,000 as of 2019, the city’s name and architecture are rooted in the Mayan culture, and Cancun translates to ‘nest of snakes’ in the ancient Mayan language. Airline tickets to Cancún are usually inexpensive, but you must time your visit appropriately to get cheap plane tickets to Cancún.
Cancún Airports
Flights to Cancún land only on one airport, which serves international as well as domestic arrivals and departures – the Cancún International Airport (CUN).
A total of 57 airlines fly in and out of Cancún, including all major airlines such as British Airways, JetBlue, Delta, Air Europa, Air France, American Airlines, Delta, Spirit Airlines, and United Airlines. Some of these airlines offer really cheap flights to Cancún.
After Mexico City’s Mexico International airport, the Cancún International Airport is the second busiest airport in the entire country, mainly because it attracts a large number of tourists every year. 2019 saw the airport handle departure and arrival of 25,481,989 passengers – that’s right – a whopping 25 million+ passengers, in just one year.
Cancún flights and airport services are usually a very satisfactory experience – in 2011, the airport received an award for Best Airport in Latin America by Airports Council International. With 4 terminals and 2 parallel runaways used simultaneously, Cancún flights cater to more than 20 destinations within the country and fly to over 30 international destinations, primarily parts of America and Europe.
Cancún Attractions
Mexico is famous for food and wine, but Cancún offers something extra – beauty, beaches, and nightlife. Central Cancún is where the hotels, shopping, and nightlife spots are – just 9 miles (15 km) from the Cancún International Airport.
The Yucatan climate is mesmerizing – it’s hard not to feel one with nature here – and most of the resorts allow you to experience the weather and scenery through their native Mayan architecture and beautiful gardens and parks.
You can visit Mayan ruins here, like the El Ray. Another site worth all your photography skills is the Yamil Lu’um, a tower made from a pale gray stone that is slowly crumbling. Also, check out the Museo Sensorial del Tequila – the Tequila Museum – a bar where you can get great deals on drinks, and more importantly, get a taste of the local alcoholic delicacies of the city. Oh, and their gourmet treats are finger-licking amazing, too.
The Tequila Museum offers some real steal deals on liquor, so while you save your money by trying to minimize your airfare to Cancún, don’t waste all the saved money on duty-free shops at the airport. The Tequila Museum offers cheaper tequila and liquor in general.
For water and adventure sports enthusiasts, the Isla Mujeres offer a catamaran voyage into the deeper seas. Swim, snorkel and unwind at a reef where the catamaran stops, and enjoy the beauty of the water as well as the marine life underneath it, in peace.
Other noteworthy activities you can do are renting boats, jet boating, scuba diving, kayaking, jet skiing, hiking, theme parks, and hiking. Some other attractions are ATV tours, horseback riding, BACALAR 7 colors lagoon, Holbox (bioluminescence within the sea), the Playa Delfines Park, and much more.
Best Time to Visit Cancún
Late April and the entire month of May is when you can visit this picturesque city. During these months, airfare to Cancún is low, and it is the period between when those tourists on a spring break have left, and the rainfall is yet to arrive. You’ll find great deals this time of the year, right from hotels and resorts to flights to Cancún.
If you cannot make it during these months, the peak tourist season is December, when the weather is nearly perfect, but prices are always soaring. Since it is the peak season, you will find it hard to get cheap flights to Cancún unless you book well in advance.
However, the chances that any of the attractions are closed down for maintenance during these months are minimal, because they generate the most revenue during December and January.
Some Flight Pre-Booking Tips for Cancún
- Choose a direct flight if you have kids or infants traveling with you. Also, research the number of layovers from your source to destination as well as the duration of these layovers so you can pick a flight that’s cheap and fast, both at the same time.
- Book your flights to Cancún Mexico at least two to three weeks before your departure, because the closer your date of travel, the higher will be the prices of flights.
- At the same time, avoid landing late at night or during evening hours so that your day is not wasted. The ideal time your flights to Cancún should land is between noon and late-afternoon.
- Keep in mind the arrival time. If you arrive very early in the morning, confirm with your hotel whether you can check-in or not. If not, ask them if they have a decent waiting room facility. If you don’t plan ahead, you’ll be stranded and might end up wasting your time in Cancun.
Local Travel and Getting Around in Cancún
There are predominantly two modes of getting around within the city – buses and taxis. The area your hotel is in is known as the ‘Hotel Zone’, and this zone is well connected through three private bus networks to the downtown part of the city.
This is a very economic option if you’re on a budget or wish to save because you couldn’t find cheap flights to Cancún. One trip will cost less than a dollar (around 0.70 USD). In Cancun, USD as well as Mexican Pesos are accepted everywhere.
Some of the bus networks and routes function 24/7, but all tourists are highly discouraged to travel during the night as crime rates in Cancún are increasing by the day, and the crime rate is well over the national average in the city. This is also due to the prevalence of the drug trafficking network, so stay alert and don’t wander too far away from the “Hotel Zone”, especially during the night.
Another way to travel is by taxis or sharing rides in taxis. The taxis you hail from the streets will not have meters, so ensure you come to a price agreement before you commence your journey. Do not hesitate to bargain. Act surprised, and let the driver know that you do know the normal charges and will not be overcharged.
You can inquire about the general rates from your hotel reception, but be ready to pay a bit more as tourists, especially if you pay in USD. They will accept it as a tip and not give you the change back. Taxi drivers need not be tipped unless they go out of their way to help you. If they help out with your luggage, ideally you can tip them at 10 pesos per bag, or more if you’re feeling too generous.
Other kinds of taxis are site taxis – these belong to a company and not an individual, and must be booked rather than hailed. You cannot negotiate here. They also have Uber, just in case you need the luxury of AC with a trusted ridesharing company, but it is expensive.