Ever since Playa del Carmen's status as a popular tourist destination has been on the rise, efforts have been made to make it easier and more convenient for travelers to get there. From within Mexico, travelers usually just rent a car, take a cab or ride the bus.
International tourists who come to Playa del Carmen typically arrive by plane, disembarking either at the Cancun International Airport or at the International Airport in Cozumel. While Playa del Carmen does in fact have its own airport, it is quite small and is mainly used by smaller planes for short flights between Playa del Carmen and nearby ruins or Cozumel. To truly enjoy your trip to Playa del Carmen, it is best to make travel and transfer arrangements well ahead of time.
If you are coming to Playa del Carmen via Cancun, you have several different travel options. You can travel via a private airport transfer, a taxi cab, a 10 person "colectivo" van, or a direct bus to Playa del Carmen. Travel time from Cancun to Playa del Carmen usually takes about 45 minutes.
If you are coming to Playa del Carmen via Cozumel, you will need to get a taxi at the airport and have yourself dropped off at the dock so that you can ride a ferry. Ferries depart for Playa del Carmen every hour and travel time is approximately half an hour. Once you get to the dock in Playa, there will be hoards of taxi cabs, buses and tricycles that you can take to get to your hotel
