Located along the Yucatan Peninsula, Playa del Carmen is a beautiful resort town in Mexico that has come to be known as one of it’s country’s preeminent tourist destinations. With beaches as beautiful as those that can be found anywhere else in the country and nightlife comparable to Cancun, Playa del Carmen is an excellent place to visit for tourists of all ages! From becoming a certified scuba diver and diving the area’s beautiful reefs to going inland to one of the town’s several exciting theme parks, join ViewCation as we take a look at the best things to do in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.
Become a Certified Scuba Diver
As with many other resort towns in Mexico, Playa del Carmen gets a lot of attention for the numerous and incredible scuba-diving opportunities that can be found within it’s borders. Not only is the town of Playa del Carmen a great location for tourists to go scuba diving and see the diverse sea life and beautiful coral reefs beneath it’s unprecedentedly blue waters, but it’s also an incredibly affordable place for aspiring scuba divers to get certified!
The entirety of the land lining the Yucatan Peninsula is known for it’s excellent scuba-diving locations, and Playa del Carmen features the cream of the crop. The waters in the area are pretty much always the perfect temperature, meaning you’ll likely have no trouble whatsoever going out and snorkeling it’s waters in the dead of winter.
Of course, it’s not just Playa del Carmen’s water quality that makes it an excellent place for tourists to go scuba diving. The area is also home to an incredibly diverse array of sea life. If you’re scuba diving in Playa del Carmen, you’ll see a bounty of different tropical fish, as well as eels, turtles, and even a few sharks. Mexico might not be as inexpensive of a place to become a certified diver as Thailand, but it’s certainly a good deal more affordable than the United States!
Experience Some Authentic Mexican Cuisine
Besides the beautiful beaches, another big reason that tourists love going to Mexico is the food! Playa del Carmen doesn’t disappoint visitors looking for great and authentic Mexican cuisine, though tourists should be on the lookout for overpriced food items. The best and most authentic Mexican cuisine is always affordable and will typically be found in the most ramshackle food truck that you can find. Some of the best things to eat in the area include street tacos and tortas, both of which can be found being sold out of seemingly infinite food trucks lining all areas of the resort town.
Tourists may be nervous about the prospect of biting into some of the street food that they find being sold by vendors around Playa del Carmen, but the majority of the items that you’ll find being sold out of the area’s food trucks are made from fresh, local ingredients and won’t likely hurt the average consumer’s stomachs. If you want to track down the best food that the area has to offer, try tracking down the locals and seeing where they venture towards at dinnertime.
Experience Playa del Carmen’s Crazy Nightlife
Cancun may be the first place that comes to mind when people think of resort destinations in Mexico with plentiful nightlife, but Playa del Carmen gives Cancun a run for it’s money. While Playa del Carmen’s nightlife doesn’t make the area dangerous and won’t become an issue for visiting families, the resort town is alive all night. There are numerous bars, restaurants, and clubs that stay open all night in Playa del Carmen, meaning that those who love the nightlife will never be at a loss for what to do while visiting.
Experience Playa del Carmen’s Unique Beaches
Of course, one of the preeminent things to do while visiting the gorgeous Mexican resort town of Playa del Carmen is to go and take a stroll on one of it’s beautiful beaches. However, there are so many other awesome things to do in the town that it’s easy for visitors to get distracted! If you’re looking to relax on the beach while visiting Playa del Carmen, you’ll have plenty of great beaches to choose from.
One of the most popular beaches located near the resort town of Playa del Carmen is Tulum Beach. Tulum Beach isn’t technically within the borders of Playa del Carmen, but it’s only a short trip away and is certainly worth a visit if you’re looking to see one of the most amazing beaches in the area. The coolest thing about Tulum Beach is that it features numerous Mayan ruins that have been preserved and stand as a rare link to the ancient culture. The beach itself is perched predominantly on cliffs overlooking the Caribbean Sea, making it an incredibly unique location.
Tulum Beach is certainly one of the most popular beaches near Playa del Carmen thanks to it’s beautiful sights and Mayan ruins, but it’s a slightly atypical beach in comparison to what most tourists visiting the area might be expecting. A more ideal Mexican beach is Playa Xpu-Ha, which is located just 20 miles south of Playa del Carmen. Playa Xpu-Ha is one of the best beaches in the area to relax, because there aren’t many vendors around to disturb the peaceful scenery. While the aforementioned beaches represent two of the most unique beaches that can be found around the area of Playa del Carmen, there are numerous other beaches near and within the resort town that all have their own pros and cons.
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Go Shopping on La Quinta Avenida
If you’ve gotten enough of Playa del Carmen’s immense natural beauty for the day, you may want to head towards one of the resort town’s many luxurious shopping centers to check out some of the manmade wares being hawked by the various vendors. There are numerous high-end shopping centers within the resort town, and you’ll be able to find everything from traditional fashion to unique souvenirs.
If you’re looking for the best shopping in Playa del Carmen, head towards La Quinta Avenida. The shopping center runs along a beach and features numerous restaurants and shops. Whether you’re looking to buy high-end fashion accessories or unique Mexican souvenirs, you’ll be able to find what you’re looking for during your visit to Fifth Avenue.
Explores the Area’s Various Cenotes
While plentiful shopping opportunities can be found all over the world, one unique thing to Playa del Carmen is the resort town’s incredible cenotes. For those that don’t know, cenotes are naturally occurring sinkholes that you can swim in, or even go scuba diving in! Cenotes are all unique, and most of them feature waters just as blue as those found at the area’s numerous beaches. There are thousands of cenotes all along the Yucatan Peninsula, including numerous incredible ones that can be found within or near Playa del Carmen.
Take a Ferry Ride Out to Cozumel
Shortly off the coast of Playa del Carmen is a beautiful island by the name of Cozumel. If you’re willing to take a 20-minute ferry ride, this island can be easily accessed. Tourists will be stunned at just how much their environment changes over the course of the 20-minute-long ferry ride. Of course, the exotic sights that Cozumel offers feature plenty more sea life and coral formations. Some of the coral formations that can be found near Cozumel are said to be up to 90 feet in length!
Go Sailing Along the Riviera Maya
Besides taking the ferry out to Cozumel, tourists visiting Playa del Carmen might also want to take the opportunity to go sailing along the waters of the Riviera Maya. One of the most popular destinations to sail to while visiting Playa del Carmen is Isla Mujeres. Sailing along the Riviera Maya towards Isla Mujeres is incredibly relaxing, and tourists can waste away the day consuming alcoholic beverages on their rented sailboat and taking in all of the unique sights.
Visit One of Playa del Carmen’s Theme Parks
While the majority of the best activities for tourists to take part in while visiting the resort town of Playa del Carmen involve the area’s stunning natural beauty, there are also plenty of manmade things within the town, such as it’s aforementioned nightlife and shopping opportunities, that can give it’s blue waters a run for their money. Besides shopping in the day and partying at night, another great thing to do while visiting Playa del Carmen is to take a trip into one of it’s numerous theme parks. There are several notable theme parks within the resort town, with the most popular of those theme parks going by the name of Xcaret.
Xcaret is a theme park that takes it’s inspiration from Mayan culture, and it’s got plenty of awesome attractions for it’s guests to check out. Some of the more unique of these attractions include a pavilion full of butterflies and an aquarium featuring a coral reef. There are also numerous performances scheduled throughout the day that pay tribute to historical Mayan customs. Besides Xcaret, other theme parks within Playa Del Carmen include Xenses and Xel-Ha, the later of which is focused around water activities.
With all of these awesome things for tourists to do while visiting, it’s no wonder that Playa del Carmen has come to be known as one of the most popular resort towns within the entirety of Mexico. Now it’s time to hear from you: did you know that there are naturally occurring sinkholes in Playa del Carmen that you can go scuba diving in, and that the resort town has nightlife comparable to Cancun? As always, like this video to show your support, and subscribe and hit the notification bell if you’d like to be among the first to know when more globetrotting ViewCation videos are on their way!