Top 13 Things to do in Playa del Carmen in 2025

It is pretty much impossible to visit Playa Del Carmen without enjoying its stunning beaches and shoreline. Most of the best resorts, restaurants, and even shopping avenues are located on or next to Playa Del Carmen’s main beaches.

The entire length of Playa Del Carmen is bordered by a long stretch of beach, and just like the city itself, each section is different. The good news for visitors is that while there may be many private resorts along the beach, the beaches themselves are public. So whether you are looking for a lively beach area or a tranquil vibe, you should be able to find it without having to walk too far.

There are so many ways to experience Playa Del Carmen’s beaches. You can enjoy the beach on the cheap (or even free) or make an extravagant day of it. You can party it up in a cabana with bottle service at a day club, relax with your family at an all-inclusive resort, or even just grab some tacos and your towel and head to one of the many public beach access areas in Playa Del Carmen.

Apart from the beach, the other place every visitor to Playa Del Carmen is bound to end up at is La Quinta Avenida. This is the main street in Playa Del Carmen, and it runs parallel to the beach, just a few blocks away. The best thing about this street is it is pedestrian-only, so you can stroll it without worrying about traffic.

This street has everything a tourist could hope for. Tons of restaurants, bars, nightclubs, tourist shops, street performers, and vendors selling everything from elote (corn) to sombreros.

This is a decent place to buy souvenirs, and it’s a great place to come after a day at the beach to enjoy a margarita and watch people go by. There is never a dull moment on La Quinta Avenida, so if you need to boost up your energy, head to this street.

While Playa Del Carmen has so much to do that you might not feel like renting a car, you might want to at least take a ferry ride to the popular nearby island of Cozumel. This ferry ride is a quick and easy 45-minute journey on the stunning blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico that leaves right from downtown Playa Del Carmen. The ferry is easy to book and very affordable (around $10 per adult for a one-way ticket).

The ferries leave frequently and are rarely sold out, making this a very easy day trip for you to do on a whim, or well-planned. Cozumel is a premier destination for snorkeling and scuba diving. But even if you want to just check out the downtown area of Cozumel, you can do so.

The ferry drops you off right in downtown Cozumel, so you don’t even need to get a taxi to see the area. You can do a day tour, or just park it on the stunning beaches of Cozumel. The island also has some great seafood restaurants worth enjoying when you get hungry.

Playa Del Carmen is one of the best places in all of Mexico (and the entire Gulf of Mexico) to embark on a scuba or snorkeling boat trip. There are tons of incredible reefs to explore in Riviera Maya, and Playa Del Carmen is right in the middle of all the diving action.

Tortugas, one of the most popular reefs off Playa Del Carmen, is known for its large population of sea turtles. This is just one of several incredible diving locations a short boat ride away from Playa Del Carmen.

If you have had your fill of reef dives, you can even snorkel or scuba dive in one of Playa Del Carmen’s deep and crystal-clear freshwater cenotes for a unique and thrilling experience.

A trip to Riviera Maya can’t be all beach days and yoga retreats. At some point, some people need to have a margarita or two and enjoy the flavors and sounds of this spicy and steamy Mexican region. Riviera Maya is known for its nightlife, and Playa Del Carmen is the beating heart of the nightlife scene in Riviera Maya.

You can enjoy sunset cocktails in casual clothes or get dolled up and bring your crew to one of the incredible nightclubs in the area for some bottle service and all-night dancing. Regardless of what you are in the mood for, Playa Del Carmen has what you are looking for.

The heart of Playa Del Carmen’s nightlife runs along la Quinta Avenida (Fifth Avenue). This is a very happening pedestrian-only street that is filled with restaurants, lounges, and bars bumping loud music, all with their own signature and sultry decor.

Strolling along this street can be a little daunting at first, but it is a great way to window shop for your ideal evening destination. Keep in mind that the night starts late here, and many nightclubs on la Quinta Avenida stay open until 4 a.m. or later.

One great, easy, and organized way to experience lots of Mexican culture, cuisine, and natural beauty in Riviera Maya is to explore one of the Xcaret Parks. The Xcaret Parks are a group of unique amusement parks that feature everything from lively music and dance performances to cenote and snorkeling adventures. Xcaret Parks also have some of the best real estate in all of Riviera Maya, complete with great snorkeling spots and some epic cenotes.

There are six Xcaret parks to choose from, and each park has its own theme and reason to visit. There is Xplor, Xplor Fuego, Xenses, Xcaret by Mexico!, Xel-Ha, and Xoximilco. Many argue Xplor is the best of these parks and most worthy of visiting. Xplor is famous for its incredible ziplines, its 4X4s, and paddle rafting adventures. This is definitely the best adventure park.

But all the parks have their own reason to visit, and each park has its own admission price, as well as pros and cons. A day at an Xcaret park is a great activity for families, as you can pack all sorts of fun activities into one day. You can book all-inclusive food and drink packages or stay at one of the Xcaret all-inclusive resorts as well, making it so you don’t have to worry about anything at all.

Arguably the best part of Xcaret Parks is the safety factor. If you are worried about your safety or the crime in Riviera Maya, booking a ticket to this secure facility allows you to enjoy Mexico’s natural beauty and rich culture without having to worry about the crime outside the park.

A trip to the Yucatan Peninsula should include at least one visit to a Mayan ruins site. There are, after all, more than 200 of them to choose from. Best of all, some of the best ruins are a short drive (or tour bus ride) from downtown Playa Del Carmen.

If you want to visit the best Mayan ruins, you can take a day trip to Chichen Itza, which is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. There are several tours that leave from downtown Playa Del Carmen and usually include an authentic lunch and a trip to a cenote.

But there are also some great Mayan ruins right near downtown Playa Del Carmen. Xaman-Há is a small but quality Mayan archeological site in Playa Del Carmen. You can also go to nearby Tulum to see their stunning oceanfront Mayan ruins or visit Coba, where you can climb the steps of the main temple.

If you are spending time in Playa Del Carmen, you need to spend a little time enjoying the sculpture and beauty at Parque Los Fundadores. This is a park located at the end of Quinta Avenida, and it is also next to the Cozumel ferry dock.

There are several impressive and towering sculptures in this park, making it a great place for a family photo. There are elaborately-dressed Mayan dancers who perform here regularly. It is also one of the best spots to see the sunrise in Playa Del Carmen.

In fact, coming here at sunrise is a great way to take in all its beauty with very few people and hardly any noise other than the sound of softly crashing ways. Best of all, visiting this park is free (though tipping the performers is highly encouraged).

Sure the beaches in Playa Del Carmen are second to none, but you can go to the beach in most tropical destinations. But cenotes are something special to this region, and you can’t find them anywhere else. These stunning blue pools and rivers, formed in sinkholes and other crevices in the limestone bedrock of the Yucatan, provide a perfect place to cool off on a hot day.

There are dozens of cenotes open to the public near Playa Del Carmen. Some are fully exposed and surrounded by lush plant life, while others are hidden in ancient caves. Some of the more popular cenotes include Cenote Azul, Cenote Carwash (taxi drivers used to wash their cars here), and Cenote Zacil-Ha.

Ideally, you will visit a few different types of cenotes on a trip to Playa Del Carmen, so you can have a full picture of what these amazing bodies of water can look like.

While many public beaches along the main strip of downtown Playa Del Carmen are fantastic for taking a dip or enjoying a rented beach chair and umbrella, they can sometimes feel overly touristy and lack authenticity. If you have had your fill of crowds of loud tourists, head north on the beach until you hit Playa Esmerelda.

Playa Esmerelda is technically still part of the same long stretch of Playa Del Carmen Beach, but it feels a world apart. This beach has much more of a local feel. It has more natural beauty, with calm waters and hardly ever large crowds. There are even playful swings in the water to enjoy, making this a great spot for couples and families alike.

Pick up some cold beverages and snacks and park here for a few hours to unwind and escape the business of nearby Quinta Avenida and the downtown.

Mexico is known for its cuisine, so no trip to any region of Mexico is complete without a deep dive into the local food scene. The Quintana Roo has the classic taquerias and cantinas that tourists and Mexicans alike adore, but they also feature their own cuisine.

Consider trying some specialties from the area, which include cochinita pibil, sopa de lima, panuchos, and salbutes. Cochinita pibil is slow-roasted pulled pork, often from an entire cooked suckling pig. This flavorful and tender meat is served with tangy pickled onions and jalapenos, often as tacos. Sopa de lima is a refreshing and delicious soup with a lime base. For some great cochinita pibil, head to La Cochi Loka on Calle 10 Norte in Playa Del Carmen.

Panuchos and salbutes are the Yucatan’s spin on a taco. They look like tostadas with pickled onions, as they are open-faced, and the shell is corn masa, with panuchos being slightly stuffed with beans and fried. For amazing panuchos in an authentic setting, head to Taqueria Honorio in the center of Tulum.

You should also indulge in the fantastic seafood and tropical fruits from the region. You can even take a Mexican cooking class in any of the larger towns in Riviera Maya. Some all-inclusive resorts even offer cooking classes to their guests.

Riviera Maya has no shortage of water activities, but for a truly memorable day at the beach, consider heading to Akumal Beach. Akumal is a private beach along Riviera Maya, between Playa Del Carmen and Tulum, and it is known for its booming sea turtle population.

Akumal has a sandy beach and a sandy bottom, with a wide bay that is protected by a reef. This makes it an ideal spot for veteran and novice snorkelers to enjoy – including children. Keep in mind that as the day goes on, this bay gets busier, and the visibility tends to decrease. So if possible, aim to arrive in the morning.

After you have had your fill of swimming with sea turtles you can enjoy a meal at a beachfront restaurant or just lay out on the beach. If swimming with these gentle and endangered creatures has always been a dream of yours, Akumal is a fantastic place to almost guarantee to make this dream come true.

For those who can’t get enough of Riviera Maya’s awe-inspiring limestone caves and cenotes, consider taking a trip to Rio Secreto Nature Reserve. This cave system has about 38 kilometers of caves, and while only a fraction of that can be explored by the general public, it is still a wonderful experience.

This protected nature reserve is a short drive from Playa Del Carmen, making it a perfect day trip for you and also great for the family. You can hike and swim in these hidden underground cenotes. Because this cave system is so well-protected, you can marvel at the many stalactites and stalagmites that extend from the walls like stone icicles while you float in the sapphire waters below.

A trip to Rio Secreto is truly the ultimate limestone cave experience in Riviera Maya, which is saying a lot for a place with seemingly-endless caves and cenotes.