Talia's Bucketlist

This blog post is about the most instagrammable places in Tulum that should be on your list. Honestly, Tulum is like the Bali of Mexico for me with its beautiful and endless beaches, the turquoise water, its eco-friendly resorts and lush jungle vibes surrounded by bohemian architecture. It is so picturesque and it is actually hard to take a bad photo because every corner is perfect and beautiful in its own and unique way.

How to get to Tulum?

The closest airport to Tulum is located in Cancun. Once you arrive in Cancun you have several options to reach Tulum:

• Take the ADO bus which will take about 2-2.5 to reach Tulum depending on traffic
• Take a cab
• Rent a car (we rented a car at Hertz and drove to Tulum)
• Take a “colectivo”

Taking the bus or a “colectivo” (shared minibus that is super common all around Mexico) would probably be the cheapest option. This is how most of the local people travel. I have taken the ADO bus many times and was always satisfied with the transport. It is definitely the slowest option because the stops several times. A cab is most likely the most expensive option and would cost you around 100$ to Tulum. We prefer renting a car because we like to be flexible and independent and love exploring places on our own. The car rental is also not that expensive, we paid about 30-40 dollars per day and the car was in good condition.

Where to stay in Tulum?

There are so many options and great accommodations in Tulum, which makes it super hard to choose. We stayed at an Airbnb for the 6 nights and at a hotel Maria del Mar directly at the beach for the last 5 days. The Airbnb was between Tulum Center and Tulum Beach on Calle Aldea Zama. Since we both had two bikes included in the Airbnb we could easily bike to Tulum town or Tulum beach within 10-20 minutes. Biking around Tulum is super fun but also really sweaty :P. A car makes a lot of sense when you do not want to rely on cabs and makes it easier to get to different sights like the ruins, cenotes, and beaches.

Where to eat in Tulum?

Let me tell you that you will love all the cute and stylish restaurants in Tulum. In general, Tulum is not the cheapest place to visit, but you can still find cheaper options. You should know that the restaurants in Tulum town are so much cheaper than the ones at Tulum beach, those are almost as expensive as in Europe or the US. For a meal and some drinks, you pay about 50 dollars for 2 people at Tulum beach. In the town, you pay around 30 dollars. If you just eat some tacos or a burrito at a local place you might up paying about 10-15 dollars for some tacos for 2 people. We tried several restaurants in the town and close to the beach.

Matcha Mama (amazing for breakfast and some healthy smoothies)

Cannot tell you how much I loved this place and their delicious shakes, smoothies, and bowls. And on top of that, this place is also super cute and picturesque. Went there several times during my stay in Tulum.

Price range: 3-9 dollars for a smoothie bowl, shake or smoothie

Hartwood

This was rated as one of the top restaurants in Tulum and was almost mentioned in every blog post. As a food lover, I really wanted to try this restaurant but was fairly disappointed. The food was good, but you can get better food and more food for less money. We ordered 2 ceviches, 1 juice, and water and paid almost 80 dollars! And in my opinion, it was not worth the price.

Price range: 80-150 dollars for 2 people for a main course and 2 drinks

Ziggy’s

Ziggy’s is a super fun beach club and the food there is really good. We spend one day at the beach club and loved the ceviche at this place. Absolutely delicious! They also had fresh coconuts which I love so much!

Price range: 25-50 dollars for 2 people for a main course and 2 drinks

Mina

This place has a really delicious mixed ceviche and guacamole. We also had a pizza there, which was also good.

Price range: 25-50 dollars for 2 people for a main course and 2 drinks

Posada Margherita

If you crave pizza in Tulum and care about decor a lot, you have to visit this Italien restaurant. It has the cutest design and I am so bummed I did not create any content here. The pizzas are so good and the ambient is incredible. Posada Margherita is for sure one of the instagrammable places in Tulum, so make sure to bring your camera.

Price range: ~15 dollars for a pizza

Casa Malca

This place is not even good because of the food there, but also because it is like an art gallery. I could have taken so many photos here. The entrance is so impressive with a swinging couch and curtains made out of wedding dresses.

Price range: ~ 30 dollars for a ceviche

I Scream Bar

If you love the color turquoise and some unique styles, you should check out the I Scream Bar. One of my favorite instagrammable spots in Tulum. They also have decent tacos and amazing vegan ice cream!

Price range: ~ 5 dollars for a taco

Coco Limited

Seriously, we probably had the best tuna tartar in our lives at this place. The tuna was so tender and had the best seasoning. Simply delicious. On top of that, we came twice because we really enjoyed the vibes of this beach club/restaurant. Coco Limited is another instagrammable place in Tulum. With its white/turquoise and lean design, it makes every corner picturesque.

Price range: About 5 dollars for a beer and 15 dollars for the tuna tartar

Nao

This is a Thai fusion restaurant that offers a variety of food from sushi to ramen and curries. We had some sushi and ramen there and would go again for the ramen. It was really delicious.

Price range: 20-40 dollars for sushi, ramen and two drinks

Sabor del Mar

If you are a seafood lover, you have to visit Sabor del Mar. It is located in Tulum town and has all kinds of seafood from ceviche, tuna tartar, fish tacos to fresh fish and the prices are nice too :P.

Price range: 20-30 dollars for ceviche, tuna tartar, tacos and 2 juices

Burrito Amor

If you love burritos, this is the place to go, because the burritos here are extremely delicious. They also have some yummy juices on the menu.

Price range: ~ 5 dollars for a burrito

How to get around?

Almost every hotel or Airbnb has bikes that you can rent and biking is probably the most favored way to get around Tulum. The town is really not big and most places are easily accessible by a bike. Some cenotes are a little bit further away, so you could either use a cab, colective, or rent your own car.

What to do in Tulum?

There are so many things that you can do in Tulum like visiting the ancient Mayan ruins directly at the beach, enjoying one of many beach clubs for a day, paddle boarding, kite surfing, swimming, or diving in a cenote, and a lot more. My favorite activity is exploring the thousands of cenotes that you can discover in Mexico. A cenote is a natural sinkhole, resulting from the collapse of limestone bedrock that exposes groundwater underneath. It is very common in the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico.

Most instagrammable places in Tulum

Ruins

Visit the amazing Mayan ruins of Tulum are located on a cliff at the beach. The views from there are remarkable. The place is surrounded by many iguanas that appear to suntan. Right below the main pyramid structure is a secluded beach that you can actually swim at while you’re visiting the site. So make sure to bring your swimsuit with you!

Ahau Tulum

Ahau Tulum is a hotel in Tulum that has the most stunning hotel entrance, a piece of art from Daniel Popper. It is a wooden sculpture of a woman. Make sure to check out one of my favorite instagrammable spots in Tulum.

Coco Limited Swings

Coco Limited is a hotel and beach bar and you can visit it for a day and just chill on a bed at the beach and enjoy the gorgeous views and food. The place was made for Instagram with the swings placed along the beach that are painted white and turquoise, which makes them even more picturesque.

Casa Malca

If you are an art lover make sure to either stay at Casa Malca or visit the beach club for one day in order to be able to explore the property. It is full of beautiful and interesting art pieces and it once was owned by Pablo Escobar. With its imposing entrance and the huge curtains made out of wedding dresses it definitely leaves quite an impression. Making it to the list of my top instagrammable places in Tulum.

Matcha Mama

Another spot that is not only Instagram heaven but also one of my favorite places to eat a healthy breakfast in Tulum. I could eat their whole menu because it was so delicious. The little shack is pained in green and turquoise colors and has some cute swings to hang around. One of my top favorite instagrammable places in Tulum.

Maria del Mar

This hotel is for adults only and has some serious bohemian vibes and since I am all about boho vibes, I loved staying at this place and taking tons of photos. They have a cute sign that says “beach addict / relax addict” that I loved and their beach beds are super nice and cozy as well. It is definitely a peaceful oasis in Tulum.

Azulik

Unfortunately, Azulik was closed when we visited Tulum but this must be a paradise for bloggers as well and the restaurants there are supposed to be really good as well. Hopefully, I can visit next time.

Vagalume

Another cool sculpture in Tulum. Two hands – one reaching from above and one reaching from the ground forming a circle. I really liked it and think it is worth the visit and it just across from the I Scream Bar.

Gran Cenote

Mexico and especially Yucatan is famous for their cenotes as mentioned before. Tulum has an impressive amount of cenotes close by. One of my favorites is Gran Cenote. With its turquoise water it is incredibly picturesque and one of the top instagrammable places in Tulum. But be aware of lots of mosquito bites. There are tons of mosquitos and you are not allowed to use repellent there in order to protect nature. I got tons of bites during the photoshoot but it was worth it.

Price: 300 pesos

Selina

Selina is another hotel and beach bar at Tulum that we tried out. The entrance of Selina is a wooden tunnel that is super instagrammable. I could not resist taking photos here. The beach club is also super chilled and fun to visit.

I Scream Bar

The coolest bar in Tulum is for sure the I Scream Bar. With cars hanging down the ceiling it just is so unique. The blue and turquoise colors add so much vibrance to this place. Loved the vegan ice cream and tacos there.

Cenote Azul

Cenote Azul is another cenote that I loved visiting. It is also one of the largest that I have visited so far. The blue water is so clear and refreshing to swim in. If you ever wanted a free fish spa, you no longer have to look for a place. We enjoyed a free fish spa and it was so fun. The cenote also offers several jumping opportunities. This is another of the most instagrammable places in Tulum.

Price: 120 pesos

Cenote Calavera

You can access this cenote by either climbing down the latter or jumping into one of the holes. Also, a fun place to hang around but rather small compared to Cenote Azul or Gran Cenote.

Price: 150 pesos

Other great Cenotes around Tulum

There are so many other cenotes that I wanted to visit but there was not enough time.

Here is a list:

• Cenote Dos Ojos
• Cenote Tortuga
• Cenote Cristalino
• Cenote Jardin
• Laguna Kaan Luum
• Cenote Suytun

Akumal – Snorkel with Turtles

Another fun activity that you can do is swimming with turtles in Akumal. You can either take a cab or a colectivo to reach Akumal beach. There you can either bring your own snorkel gear or rent it and swim with turtles. They are everywhere and it so much fun to swim with these beautiful animals.

Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve

Another cool activity is to visit the biosphere Sian Ka’an and get the chance to see lots of birds, dolphins, turtles, and the most amazing water. You will drive through the mangroves out to the ocean. When we visited a couple years ago and were super lucky to see both turtles and dolphins which was super exciting.

Coba

The Mayan ruins in Coba are special because there aren’t as many tourists visiting Coba as in places like Chichen Itza or the ruins of Tulum. And because of that, you can actually still climb some of the structures for a totally different and unique perspective. The pyramid is 42 meters (138 feet) tall and was the heart of the city. The view from the top is super cool and unique!