If you’re planning on heading to Mexico on your next vacation then I wouldn’t be surprised if Playa Del Carmen and Cancun are two of your top choices, but how do you choose between them?
While Playa Del Carmen and Cancun are only 70 kilometers and just a one-hour drive from each other, they are quite different places, and obviously quite similar in some ways too. You’re not going to notice the little differences between Playa Del Carmen and Cancun by looking at brochures or on Trip Advisor, you have to dig a bit deeper, but luckily we have done the hard work for you.
In this Playa Del Carmen vs Cancun article, we will dive into all the nitty-gritty details about Playa Del Carmen vs Cancun comparing them so you can get an insight into each and pick the right one for your vacation.
Playa del Carmen is quite a small city compared to Cancun and is home to just 150,000 residents. Playa del Carmen started out as a little Mexican fishing village and since has slowly and organically grown into a great place to go on vacation.
The beaches are stunning and covered with white sands that are washed by azure blue crystal clear Caribbean waters. The town tends to revolve around being quite chic while retaining the vibe of a small Caribbean-side town. It’s a well-kept tranquil place where one can unwind and relax very easily.
While Playa del Carmen can be a very relaxing place that tends to attract older travelers without kids and it’s not really part of the Spring Break crowd and is more for couples, adults, and families with grown-up kids. You’ll also find backpackers in Playa del Carmen as it’s still authentic unlike the touristy built side of Cancun. That being said, you can still party in Playa del Carmen just as well as you can in Cancun.
Getting to Playa del Carmen is quite easy but you’ll have to go via Cancun first. Direct international flights from all over the USA and Canada fly directly in Cancun International Airpot after which it’s a one-hour ride to Playa del Carmen.
Cancun is a lot bigger than Playa del Carmen with over 600,000 residents, so around 4 times bigger. Cancun started developing in the 70s and simply as a resort city and today is a string of high-rise hotels that all sit beachside in the Hotel Zone that is also separated from the main town by a lagoon and about 12.5 miles.
The beaches and the sea around Cancun are just as spectacular as those in Playa del Carmen but something that Cancun is known for is Spring Break and youngsters coming to spend their money there has been a huge part of the city’s growth.
Cancun is full of great nightclubs and you can literally party 24 hours a day if you want, even in some hotels. But it’s not just about the party scene. Cancun is great for families, honeymooners, and anyone who just wants a break from work to recharge and let loose.
Getting to Cancun is about as easy as it gets thanks to Cancun International Airport. Once you get off your direct flight from most North American cities, it’s a 10-20 minute drive to your hotel and the stunning white sands that are waiting for you.
When it comes to Playa del Carmen vs Cancun, some of the obvious differences are their size and their vibe. Playa del Carmen suits people looking for more of an authentic Mexican experience in a chilled town that also has the infrastructure for parties.
Cancun is more about having a party and being amongst it all. With so many hotels and 600,000 residents, it’s a busy Caribbean-side city with a lot going on. But you can also find quiet corners which are great for families and honeymooners too.
The beaches of Playa del Carmen are stunning with white sands and crystal blue Caribbean waters and they are public, as they should be in my opinion. One thing that is great about these beaches is that they are not covered with umbrellas or sunbeds and they aren’t that busy either, which is lovely.
You can stroll down the beach and find a little corner of paradise to spend the day at and enjoy tanning on your beach towel or swimming in the stunning sea. Along the beach, you’ll also find some great beach bars or beach clubs where you can spend the day, have lunch, enjoy some drinks and get some umbrellas too.
The beaches are public so you will have some people on the beach but it’s nothing like the crowds in Cancun. You’ll also have a few street vendors asking if you want to buy things, but that’s just a part of being in Mexico.
The beaches in Cancun are just as pretty as the beaches in Playa del Carmen with white flour-like sand and clear turquoise water that is just amazing to look at, they are like a postcard.
The beaches of Cancun are lined with hotels all the way down, I don’t think there is a single gap and this means two things – if you want a sunbed, drinks, and umbrellas, then you can find them for a price but you’ll pay another price which is that the beaches are very busy with both tourists and vendors selling things.
If you’re looking to find a little quiet beach spot away from the crowds on your vacation, then Cancun is not the place for you. It’s more about being around everyone all the time and having a good time while you do it.
The beaches in Cancun are better looked after than the beaches in Playa del Carmen and this is mainly because the resort staff rake the sands and remove any seaweed or plastic that rolls in off the ocean.
When it comes to the beaches and Playa del Carmen vs Cancun, they are both as beautiful as each other. The main difference is that the beaches of Cancun have more facilities in the way of hotels and sunbeds while Playa del Carmen is less busy and more authentic but you’ll need to search around a bit for lunch and an umbrella for shade.
One thing you should be aware of is that the coastline of Playa del Carmen and Cancun has begun to experience quite a lot of seaweed washing on the shores. This makes them a little less appealing as seaweed smells a bit when degrading and swimming through it isn’t so great either.
Playa del Carmen is a great place for partying and is home to some famous nightclubs that you’ll also find in Cancun such as Coco Bongo, Mandala, and Senor Frogs.
Something that people love about the nightlife in Playa del Carmen is that it’s home to a lot of bars and it has a chilled grid layout which makes hopping from bar to bar very easy as they are super close to each other. You’ll also find a lot of live music at the bars in Playa del Carmen a lot of which is played by local Mexican bands.
If you like festivals, Playa del Carmen plays host to the Riviera Maya Jazz Festival and the BPM Festival every year and it’s home to some awesome beach vibes too. You’ll find open-air seating along with great views in the day too.
There is also a day club in Playa del Carmen where you’ll find DJs playing and music pumping all day long, so if you want to do some daytime partying, then Coralina Daylight Club is a great place to head to.
If you don’t want to dance the night away you’ll also find great restaurants and low-key bars as you walk around the easy-to-navigate grid system. It’s quite easy to avoid the noisy party-goers and have your own little evening each night.
Cancun, as we have already discussed, was built on partying to the point there are even two resorts that are part hotels, Grand Oasis or Hard Rock Hotel are their names if you’re interested.
Every year, hundreds of thousands of students come to Cancun and let off steam during Spring Break and other times of the year too. So of the biggest clubs in Mexico are in Cancun and they offer a lot of diversity too with different vibes and music each night. Some of the best clubs to head to include Coco Bongo, Mandala Beach Club, Senor Frogs, and The City.
To party in Cancun, you’re going to have to be ok with standing in long lines and once you’re in one place you won’t want to move to the next as it will involve queueing again. You can book club/bar hopping tours which will have you skipping the queue and it will involve moving between a few bars and clubs as you do.
Most clubs offer an all-you-can-drink pass with your entrance bracelet to encourage you to stay there for the night and not move off the to next one.
If you want to go to Cancun but partying isn’t your thing then don’t worry, you can easily avoid the whole nightclub scene as it’s in one part of the Hotel Zone, so you can skirt around it. There is every opportunity to have romantic and quiet evenings at delicious restaurants with an amazing view while you’re there. To avoid the party scene as much as possible, it’s a good idea to avoid Spring Break as much as possible.
When it comes to nightlife and Playa del Carmen vs Cancun, I’d say Playa del Carmen is a lot more fun and you get to avoid all the long lines and queues that come with Cancun. You’ll be able to enjoy the early evening and dinner by going via lots of bars with live music and some great restaurants before hitting the club scene.
Cancun is great if you love a big party with lots of people, just be prepared and have a game plan because if you don’t you might end spending a lot of time in some queues which might harsh your vibe.
The marine life off the shores of Playa del Carmen are full of life and you can explore them by snorkeling or Scuba Diving. There are a lot of operators who will take you out to the stunning coral reefs where you can see a huge number of coral species and colorful tropical reef fish.
You might also encounter some larger creatures such as green and loggerhead turtles, eagle rays, manta rays, and it’s very well known for the abundance of female bull sharks that come on the reefs between November and March. You can also go to some cool dive sites with some amazing caverns as well as the reefs.
If you go further offshore, you might also have the chance to dive with whale sharks or with sailfish if you’re super lucky.
The offshore and flats fishing around Playa del Carmen are excellent. If you head offshore you have the chance of catching sailfish, blue marlin, dorado, wahoo, and more. If you want to explore the flats, you’ll need to a bit further south to Punta Allen where you’ll find bonefish, permit, and tarpon too.
There are around 5 golf courses in Playa del Carmen which are all close to or within the city so if you live golf be prepared to enjoy the stunning scenery around them when you shoot off the tee. You’ll find some championship courses there too, the most famous of which is the El Camaleón, a Greg Norman-designed course.
When it comes to the inland activities available in Playa del Carmen (outside of golf), it’s not far from the stunning Mayan ruins to the south around Tulum and you can visit the cenotes that are close by as well.
Cenotes are big sinkholes that are connected to the ocean via underwater caves and tunnels that broke through the limestone base. They are fun to swim and snorkel in, plus you can dive in them too and find some hidden caves too whilst you’re in there.
Like in Cabo, there are so many things to do in Cancun that you will always be entertained while you’re there. The ocean is alive, not quite as much as Cabo, but it’s still awesome and there are some interesting things to do on the land as well.
The snorkeling in Cancun is very similar to what you’ll find in Playa del Carmen with lots of tropical reefs that are covered with tropical fish and corals. When it comes to diving, Cancun offers something a little different from Playa del Carmen, I wouldn’t say better, but it’s not worse either.
Cancun is home to cavern diving, wrecks and shark tunnels, and the world’s largest underwater museum called MUSA. MUSA is a dive site with more than 400 life-size sculptures that rest on the bottom and diving around them is like being in a museum and you’ll spot the odd ray, turtle, and barracuda that call the dive site home.
You can also dive in the cenotes to the south if you love cave diving just like you can from Playa del Carmen, and Playa del Carmen is actually closer.
Like in Playa del Carmen, there are lots of great operators in Cancun who can take you on your underwater adventures and you can see turtles, manta rays, whale sharks, and a lot of coral and tropical fish.
The offshore fishing from Cancun is the same as what you’ll find in Playa del Carmen and you’ll have the chance to catch blue marlin, sailfish, wahoo, and more. You’ll also be able to go flats fishing further south at Punta Allen if you want to go after tarpon, bonefish, and permit for a day or two.
Golfing is quite serious in Cancun and it’s home to more than 15 golf courses a lot of which were designed by the pros and are also championship golf courses. If there is one golf course you should play at it’s El Camaleon which features every habitat from mangroves to jungles and lagoons.
You can access all the same cenotes and Mayan ruins from Cancun that you can from Playa del Carmen but they are about an hour longer drive away in both directions, so an extra 2 hours on a day trip which is not so bad.
You can easily organize a hire car and drive down to Tulum to see these awesome features of the Yucutan Penisula or join a tour for the day to check them out.
Choosing between Playa del Carmen vs Cancun isn’t that easy but I would personally choose Playa del Carmen. Playa del Carmen is more laidback and a little more real for me, and I’m not a fan of high-rise tourist towns, I’d much rather empty-er beaches with less infrastructure than sprawling sunbeds.
But, if you want to spend your time sipping cocktails beachside or poolside in paradise with all the infrastructure you might way then Cancun is made for that!
Roger is a little obsessed with travel. He has been to over 40 countries, broken 3 suitcases and owned over 10 backpacks in 12 months. What he doesn't know about travel, ain't worth knowing!