Cancun Airport Transportation to the Hotel Zone
We are so excited that you have booked your vacation rental on the beach in Cancun, the next thing you need to do is decide on your transportation from the Cancun airport to our vacation rental.
Tim and I travel to Cancun many times in a year and we have used several different Cancun airport transportation services including taxis, busses, and private transfers.
Here I will try to explain the best Cancun International Airport transportation options based on what is your highest priority.
- Do you want the cheapest way?
- Do you want enough space for eight or more people and their luggage?
- Do you want the fastest way without multiple stops?
- Do you want the most independent transportation so that you can stop at the grocery store before going to the condominium?
Lets get started.
Cancun international airport transportation options
If you decide not to rent a car in Cancun then shared ride shuttles, taxis, the public bus, and private transfer companies are your main Cancun airport transportation options.
I’ll let you know about my experience with taxis, then bus options and finish with our favorite Cancun Transfer Company.
Then, I will try to help you compare the costs, time it takes, and convenience factor.
I will also add in some tips about how to get through the Cancun International Airport and the latest information about Uber.
Shared Shuttle
This is the least expensive way to travel from the Cancun International Airport besides using a public bus.
After you have exited the baggage claim and customs you will then walk through the corridor of all the rental cars and other travel agencies to get outside where you will wait up to an hour for the shared shuttle service to arrive.
The first shuttle leaves the airport at 7:00 am and the last shuttle leaves the airport at 7:00 pm.
The shuttle stops at all four of the airport terminals before leaving the airport, and you are allowed once piece of luggage and 1 personal item.
Other passengers are picked up and there will be multiple stops before you arrive at your drop off location.
Round Trip for one person is about $18 United States Dollars. Round trip for two people with their luggage is about $52 USD.
First Available Taxi
With this choice you need to make a reservation in advance.
There is no sharing with this taxi, and the fee includes up to two passengers with luggage.
Once you have picked up your luggage and gone through the customs you will then check in with the taxi representative right outside your terminal.
After you check in you will receive the first available taxi in that terminal. It is a short wait time and available 24 hours a day.
The non-stop round trip cost (not including a tip for the driver) for up to 2 passengers is about $55 United States Dollars, and will get you to our vacation rental in about twenty minutes after the taxi has picked you up from the airport.
Price for up to 3 passengers (not including a tip for the driver) is about two or three dollars more.
Private Transfer Service
With this choice you will also need to make a reservation in advance, this is how the shuttle service can watch you and your guests flight information and meet you directly outside your arrival terminal without you having any hassle from any other transfer company or taxi.
USA Transfers will wait at the end of the terminal exit with a sign with your last name on it. All greeters and drivers speak English. They will load your luggage, and you leave from there.
It is safe and comfortable and runs 24 hours a day.
The price is for the vehicle and seats up to 10 people including their luggage comfortably. It is a non-stop private service to our vacation rentals and usually will get you to our resort in about twenty minutes once you leave the airport.
Tim and I have been using this service for almost ten years now, we highly recommend it to our guests. Especially our guests with large amounts of people arriving at the same time.
All airport fees and parking are included, no need to print out a voucher just download the USA transfer app to your cell phone.
Round trip per vehicle (not including federal tax of 16%) for a regular van up to 3 people is $65 United States Dollars. Using this same choice but with up to 10 people is $90 USD.
A round trip using a sport utility vehicle (not including tax) up to 6 people including their luggage is $140 USD.
However, if you want the VIP service for up to 6 people round trip (not including tax) including their luggage is $280 USD.
ADO Bus
This will be your very least expensive option and it will take you the longest time to get to the hotel zone.
The total journey time from the Cancun Airport to our vacation rental by using the ADO bus is over a hour depending on the traffic. This is because the bus does not go directly from the airport to our vacation rentals. You will have to take the first bus from the airport to the city centre of Cancun and then get on a second bus to take you to the hotel zone, once you are on the second bus you will make continuous stops along the way.
The ADO bus leaves the Cancun International Airport and goes to downtown bus station every thirty minutes and costs about $5.99 per ticket plus tax in United States Dollars.
At each Cancun International Airport Terminal you can purchase your ticket from the red ticket booth inside the arrivals hall or next to the ADO bus stand. When you exit any of the 4 terminals at the airport, you will find a ADO bus stand just outside to the right hand side. It is easily noticable because of the red ticket stand on the curb. Or you may be able to pay the bus driver, however they do not accept American coins and it is hard for the bus driver to give you exact change back if you give them American dollars - so be sure to have pesos on you if you plan on purchasing the ticket when you get on the bus.
Another option is you can download the ADO Mobil App and purchase bus tickets there.
One thing is when you get to the ADO bus station in downtown Cancun there really is not a lot of people who will be speaking English at the ADO bus station in the downtown, so you may not feel safe.
From that station, you will need to switch to the local R-1 or R-2 public bus which leaves the station every five minutes. Here you will need to pay for the second bus with Mexican pesos in either coins or bills and it costs about $8.5 peso to ride (or about 40 cents USD) and it will take you anywhere you want to get off inside the hotel zone.
Once you are on the second bus to the hotel zone, we are at kilometer 19.5 at the southern most point of the hotel zone. So depending on if you take the bus that starts at the north or the bus that starts at the south of the zone, will determine how long you will be riding on that bus.
