Best Beaches In Tulum, Mexico – Public Beaches & Tulum Beach Clubs

The beach town of Tulum, located in the South of the Riviera Maya, is known for its white-sand beaches and shallow light blue water.

Every year, thousands of people frolic to the stunning beaches in Tulum, Mexico. But, where are the famous beaches of Tulum exactly and which ones are the best ones?

To dive right in, there are free public beaches in Tulum as well as private Tulum beach clubs that require a day pass. Both are very different from one another.

In our Tulum Beach Guide, we will give you an overview of both: The best beaches in Tulum, Mexico as well as Tulum’s beach clubs that we personally like.

Best Things To Do In Tulum

Best Beaches In Tulum, Mexico

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Guide To The Best Tulum Beaches

In this guide, you will find a Tulum Beach map of the best beaches and beach clubs in Tulum, Mexico followed by an overview of each of them.

In addition, we list the best beach hotels in Tulum (according to our opinion) and some beaches near Tulum that are also worth a visit when you are in the area.

Tulum Beach Map

Tulum Beach Location

From our Tulum Beach map above, you can see the beaches in Tulum can be split up into two sections: The Northern Tulum beaches and South Tulum Beach.

Tulum Beach Access Roads

The divider between both is the main and first road, Avenida Coba, which connects to Tulum Beach Road from Tulum Main Street.

New Road To Tulum Beach

Finally, in Springs 2021, a second beach access road, Avenida Kukulkan, opened up to reach the beach strip in Tulum from further South. The new beach road in Tulum accesses the hotel zone from the La Valeta neighborhood and meets the hotel zone at Amansala Chica Hotel.

Northern Tulum Public Beaches

The Northern beaches are located between Tulum’s main beach road and the Tulum ruins. Here you will find almost all of the public beaches in Tulum.

While these beaches are technically different beaches, they seem like one really long white sand beach with the last playa being in the archaeological zone of Tulum.

Signs along Tulum beach road, point out at which beach you are at. This area of Tulum beach is also a lot less developed than Tulum Beach South.

South Tulum Beaches

The South Tulum beach is everything between the first and main road that goes from Tulum Center to Tulum Beach and the Sian Ka’an Biosphere in the South of Tulum. This section has the most hotels and private beach clubs. Almost everything in this area is a hotel beach.

Tulum Hotel Beach Access

So, how to access the hotel beach in Tulum? Unless you stay at one of these hotels, it is hard to get to the hotel beaches from the beach road, as you will have to go through one of these hotels.

At some very few ones, you can walk through rather unnoticed, others only let guests pass through, and yet others are completely blocked off from the noisy beach road.

Technically, though, there are no so to speak private beaches in Tulum. The beach itself belongs to the public, but the hotels make it almost impossible to access it from the beach road.

Tulum Public Beaches Vs. Beach Clubs

As mentioned, there are free public beaches in Tulum and private Tulum beach clubs. The latter, you can access by purchasing a day pass. Some beach clubs are part of Tulum’s beach hotels and are more chill and relaxing, others are for the sole purpose of being a party place. Whichever one is best for you is up to you to decide.

Personally, we find these party beach clubs horrible, as they are part of the destruction of the original Tulum vibe, which used to be the complete opposite of how things are now. Sadly. But that’s for another post…

Even though the beaches in the South are hotel beaches, you can still put down your towel away from the hotel, because the beach itself is actually public.

If you want a sun chair or beach bed, however, you will need to pay a fee or get a day pass at the respective hotel.

Public Beaches In Tulum, Mexico

Playa Ruinas Tulum
[ Tulum Ruins Beach ]

Playa Ruinas is located in the archaeological zone of Tulum on the most Northern end of the miles-long beach.

Playa Ruinas

At the Tulum Ruins Beach, you will find the bluest water of Tulum. It’s incredibly blue and you won’t find it anywhere else in this area. If we go by the color of the water, for us, this is the absolute best beach in Tulum.

The only downside is, that it is located within the archaeological zone and only accessible during the opening hours. It can also get pretty crowded there since the ruins in Tulum have become one of the most popular things to do in Tulum and draw in lots of people from further away too.

(I still think back to 2008 when I visited Tulum ruins and Playa Ruinas for the first time. Back then, there were barely any tourists there. Crazy, how times have changed!)

Playita Tortuga

Technically there is a second beach at the ruins, which is also quite picturesque. The beach is called Playita Tortuga and is a nesting ground for turtles. Therefore, it is fenced off and not accessible for swimming.

➤ Get Directions to Playa Ruinas here!

Playa Santa Fe Tulum

Playa Santa Fe Tulum is the first beach right after Playa Ruinas. A rocky coastline separates the two from one another.

At the end of Santa Fe Beach Tulum, there are rocks that you can climb up (be careful!). From up there you get a nice bird’s eye view of the white sand beach in Tulum.

There are no hotels at this beach so far. Only a low-key beach club with a restaurant called Santa Fe Tulum Beach Club. If you want to use a sun chair and umbrella, there is a minimum spend. However, this is almost always the case and usually not a bad deal.

➤ Get Directions to Playa Santa Fe Tulum here!

Playa Pescadores

The next beach section after Playa Santa Fe is Playa Pescadores – the Fishermen’s Beach. The beach is super wide and the water is perfect. You will find some fishing boats here and there, hence the name Playa Pescadores.

Villa Pescadores Tulum

Here at Playa Pescadores beach, the first hotels of Tulum’s hotel zone start. A popular hotel in this section is Villa Pescadores Tulum. The hotel has its own beach club called Villa Pescadores Beach Club. It’s a place to hang out for the ones that don’t seek the party.

Another incredible hotel at Playa Pescadores is Kai Tulum Hotel where guests have their own picturesque bungalow by the beach.

➤ Get Directions to Playa Pescadores here!

Playa Paraíso Tulum
[ Paradise Beach Tulum ]

The next beach to the South is Playa Paraíso Tulum or Paradise Beach. This public beach in Tulum is one of the most well-known and most popular public beaches in Tulum.

Playa Paraiso has lots of palm trees lining the beach and one famous tilted palm tree that makes a backdrop for lots of Instagram photos.

Playa Paraiso Beach Club

Paradise Beach has a huge area with loungers and beach beds that you can use for a fair minimum spend. They serve low-key food and drinks there.

Or, if you don’t want to spend money, there is plenty of space on the beach to put down your towel.

If you stay in town, for instance, Playa Paraíso is a great place to access the beach in Tulum without paying the steep prices of the beachfront hotels. We enjoyed our day at Playa Paraiso Beach Club and it was the perfect way for us to get to the beach while having our hotel in town.

Playa Paraiso Tulum Hotels

You will have Hotel El Paraiso Tulum right there and a little further down the beach there is a beach clamping place called CASA NAWAL if you are into that.

➤ Get Directions to Playa Paraíso Tulum here!

Playa Las Palmas Tulum
[ Las Palmas Beach Tulum ]

The last beach on the North Tulum Playa strip is Playa Las Palmas. The palm beach is also a white sand beach like the others before. On its southern end, it starts to get rocky and herewith concludes Tulum’s North beach part.

A popular hotel at Playa Las Palmas is Poc Na Tulum Hotel. It also has a chill beach club & restaurant by the beach.

➤ Get Directions to Playa Las Palmas here!

Secret Beach Tulum
[ Sian Ka’an Beach ]

In the Sian Ka’an Biosphere at the Southernmost part of Tulum Beach, you will find the most secluded and “secret beaches” of Tulum you can ever imagine.

The area is still mostly untouched and nothing like busy Tulum. The beaches of Sian Ka’an are how Tulum used to be 10 plus years ago. Secluded, pristine and a heavenly place to relax and connect with nature and most of all not exploited to the max.

If you are looking to visit the biosphere, there are a few ways. Please be respectful of the pristine nature reserve and don’t litter or do anything else that destroys the precious flora and fauna.

Sian Ka’an Biosphere Tour

You can visit the biosphere via a jeep safari tour and regular guided Sian Ka’an tours from Tulum and the Riviera Maya.

If you want to know more about our Sian Ka’an Jeep Safari Tour, check out the post below.

Day Trip To Sian Ka’an Biosphere

Sian Ka’an Villas

There are a bunch of incredible Tulum beach villas and small hotels in Sian Ka’an. If you can afford it, we highly recommend renting a villa, they are straight out of paradise. We actually went to a wedding in a hacienda in Sian Ka’an and it was the most incredible experience.

Find Tulum beach villas here!

We wrote a post about the Tulum beach wedding we went to in Sian Ka’an, it includes photos of the Sian Ka’an villa and a list of some of the most amazing Sian Ka’an villas which serve as Tulum beach wedding venues and vacation rentals alike.

Tulum Beach Wedding In Sian Ka’an

Summary: Tulum Public Beaches

Most of the actual public beaches in Tulum are located in the Northern strip of the beach. Most of the public beaches have some sort of beach club where you can spend the day in the shade in a sun chair or day bed for a fee or minimum spend on food.

Since these are public beaches, there is plenty of public space to put down your towel if you don’t want to spend money.

Beach Parking In Tulum

Parking is plenty around the Northern beaches of Tulum. In the South where all the hotels are, it is quite difficult to find parking if you don’t stay at one of the hotels there.

Hotels & Development

There are some hotels at the Northern section of Tulum’s beach and they are growing, but it is still way less developed than on the Southside of Tulum Beach.

Best Tulum Beach Clubs

Hotel Beach Clubs VS Party Beach Clubs

In recent years as Tulum has become more of a party place (sadly!) a ton of beach clubs have popped up.

You can differentiate the beach clubs in Tulum between hotel-owned beach access that offers day passes to their beach area for people that don’t stay at said hotels and beach clubs solely for the purpose of being a party beach club.

In our opinion, the latter ruined the Tulum vibe how it used to be. Deafening music blasts day and night from these beach clubs, ruining everyone’s zen within a kilometer radius. What used to be an oasis by the beach for yogis and international backpackers now became a place to party and get drunk.

Best Beach Clubs In Tulum With A Chill Vibe

In the following, you will find some more chill beach clubs in Tulum where you rather relax and enjoy the beach instead of getting wasted and partying. Let us know, should this have changed at a particular place.

Papaya Playa Project Beach Club

For us, the best beach club in Tulum is Papaya Playa Beach Club. The hotel has been one of the first ones in Tulum. Julia has known the PPP from its times when it was a rather simple beachfront hostel back in 2008 with minimal amenities and electricity. Let alone a stable internet connection. Those were the times!!!

Ever since Papaya Playa evolved into the most iconic hotel in Tulum, maybe only surpassed nowadays by the infamous Azulik Tulum.

If you are staying in one of the private beachfront casitas you get your own more secluded beach bed away from the beach club that non-hotel guests can attend.

Papaya Playa Beach Club Day Pass

The day pass for the Papaya Playa Beach Club is 50 USD (minimum consumption). Which means, you actually don’t pay a fee, but are required to spend at least 50 USD during your stay at the beach club.

Guests of Papaya Playa Project use the beach club free of charge.

Hotel Kanan Tulum Beach Club

Kanan Tulum Hotel is one of the newest additions to Tulum Beach. The hotel belongs to the Ahau Luxury Collection.

Inspired by nature it is built with lots of natural materials. The Kanan Hotel beach club is almost entirely built of rustic wood found in the area.

We find this one to be the best beach club in Tulum if you are looking for an artsy nature vibe kind of beach experience.

Kanan Tulum Day Pass

The day pass for the Kanan Tulum beach club is 40 USD (minimum consumption).

Guests of Kanan Tulum use the beach club free of charge.

Vagalume Tulum Beach Club With Pool

Best Tulum Hotel Pools & Tulum Beach Clubs With Pool

Tulum Beach Club Day Pass

Some of the beachfront hotels in Tulum give out day passes. Getting a day pass at a beach club hotel is a great way to experience some of these amazing luxury hotels without having to pay the steep nightly rates.

Tulum Day Passes

Most of the Tulum beach club day passes will be in the form of a minimum spend. So in order to enjoy the hotel’s beach property, you have to spend a certain amount on food and drinks there.

The amount you have to spend on a day pass/ consumption can vary a lot from hotel to hotel and also depends if you are visiting Tulum during the high season or not. Make sure to confirm the details right away when you enter the beach club, to avoid any misunderstandings later.

More Hotel Beach Clubs In Tulum, Mexico

Beaches Near Tulum

Akumal Beach

Akumal Beach is about a half an hour drive North of Tulum along the Riviera Maya. You will actually pass it on your way while you get to Tulum from Cancun.

The bay in Akumal is famous for snorkeling with sea turtles. We wrote an entire post about Akumal Beach.

Snorkeling With Turtles In Akumal Beach

Soliman Bay

Bahía Soliman is only 20 minutes North of Tulum. The Soliman Bay boasts incredible luxury villas instead of hotels. It’s a great beach for bigger groups that like to rent a villa by the beach.

Playa Xcacel

Xcacel Beach is a long white sand beach and marine sanctuary with turtle nesting areas. The beach is untouched with no hotels or vacation homes which makes it a peaceful place to relax in nature. Hopefully, it will stay that way.

If you are looking for a secluded beach day this is the best beach near Tulum for that.

The Best Beaches In Cancun, Mexico

Tulum Beach Hotels & Resorts

If you are wondering where to stay at the beach in Tulum, here’s a list of the best beachfront hotels in Tulum. These or the top and most popular Tulum beach hotels that you can find these days.

If you are looking for affordable beach hotels in Tulum check out our separate post. It has some more affordable hotel options without compromising on that Tulum beach flair.

Affordable Beach Hotels In Tulum

FAQs

How To Get From Tulum Town To The Beach?

As you can see on the map, the center of the actual town of Tulum is not at the beach. In fact, you can split up the beach town in Tulum Town and in Tulum Beach.

While there used to be only one single road from the town of Tulum leading to the beach creating a lot of congestion, there is good news now. Finally, in Spring 2021 a second beach road opened up. So, there are two roads now leading to the beach. Av. Coba and newly opened Av. Kukulkan. The new Tulum beach road connects from La Valeta Tulum and the old road passes Aldea Zama in Tulum.

How To Get To The Beach In Tulum?

By Taxi

The easiest option to get to the beach in Tulum from Tulum Center, or anywhere else, is by taxi. The fare is also not that expensive. Always, agree on the price beforehand or request that the driver uses the taximeter.

By Bike

A very popular option to get around in Tulum is by renting a bike. Your hotel may even have one for you already by default. The road from Tulum Town to Tulum beach is about 4 km / 2.5 mi long. From there you have to add the distance to the place on the beach road you are planning to go to.

By Car

If you rented a car in Cancun when you arrived in Mexico, you can get to the beaches in Tulum by car. However, be advised that there aren’t many parking spots in Tulum Beach South. You will have to park at the beach club’s or hotel’s property. You may have to pay a fee depending on the beach club or hotel.

There are a few other private parking places, but they can cost a jaw-dropping 20 USD for half a day, which is crazy. But then again, space is limited in this area of the beach.

Parking at Tulum’s public beaches in the North zone is easier and more ample.

Walk To The Beach

There are sidewalks leading to the beach and the way is absolutely walkable, but it will take you quite some time and it will be super hot. So, not sure if you want to put yourself through that.

Once at the beach road, there won’t be any sidewalks anymore.

Best Beaches For Swimming In Tulum

Tulum is so famous for its beach because it has an almost endless white sand beach and shallow azure blue water. With an exception for a rocky part around the Tulum middle beach zone area, where Azulik Tulum is located and the Northern tip by the ruins, the best beaches for swimming in Tulum are really all of the beaches.

Are There Sharks In Tulum?

While it’s not impossible, Tulum is not a place known for sharks or shark attacks. However, there are sharks in the Caribbean sea and around the Riviera Maya, but shark sightings are very, very rare and not comparable to Australia or the Pacific Coast.

During the summer months, there are however a lot of whale sharks at the Riviera Maya, but they don’t eat humans, so you are fine! 😉 There are a lot of whale shark tours around Isla Mujeres if you are into seeing the largest know extant fish.

Tulum Seaweed Problem

The seaweed infestation on the beaches of the Riviera Maya has become a major problem in the last few years. From the usually only occasional minor seaweed patched on the beaches in Yucatan, it has gotten to the point where sometimes people can’t even go into the water anymore because the sargasso is so thick and smelly.

During bad months you will see heavy machinery removing the seagrass from the shoreline as otherwise there is no way of getting rid of it, let alone getting into the water. It is a tedious job and almost impossible to fight.

There have been good years and worse sargassum years. Especially in bad years, the seagrass problem has paid a toll on the Riviera Maya’s tourism industry.

Sargassum Season

While the seaweed problem depends on a lot of factors, generally the sargasso occurs most frequently during the summer months from April to August. Our experience confirms this theory.

When we visited in June 2019 the seagrass was pretty bad in Tulum beach. When we visited Tulum this year in February and March 2021, there was no seagrass to be seen anywhere. It hit again in June/July.

The same goes also for all the other times in the years before. When we visited in the winter months, there was no sargassum problem.

But keep in mind, this is not exact science! Visiting Tulum beach during a certain month doesn’t guarantee you seaweed or no seaweed of course. But generally, it is more likely in the summer months.

Best Beaches In Tulum Without Seaweed

Unfortunately, if Tulum gets seaweed all of the beaches will be affected since they all face the same direction.

Sargassum Seaweed Map

To find out which beach currently has sargassum, there is a really helpful Facebook group where you can find maps and Tulum seaweed updates daily.

Tulum Seaweed Webcam

To find the most current seaweed situation of the beaches in Tulum and the Riviera Maya in general, your best bet is to look at live webcams of the beaches. Find Tulum beach webcams with a quick Google search.

Cancun Vs Tulum Beaches

Are the beaches in Tulum better than Cancun? This question comes up a lot. Let us explain a little bit what the difference between Cancun and Tulum beaches is.

Tulum Beaches

As you saw in this article, the beaches in Tulum are long white sand beaches. The water is light blue and rather shallow, you can walk into the sea for a bit until it gets too deep. The only exception with deeper blue water is the beach by the ruins in Tulum, Playa Ruinas.

The beach hotels in Tulum are rather small boutique hotels with a more nature-inspired type of design.

Cancun Beaches

If you are looking for the bluest water of the Riviera Maya, the Cancun hotel zone is the number one beach for that. The water at the beaches in Cancun is so incredibly blue, unmatched anywhere else along the Riviera Maya.

The beaches also have white sand, however, the water gets pretty deep quickly. Only around the Northern end by Playa Gaviota Azul, you will have more shallow water. In this area, you will have the best beaches in Cancun in our opinion.

The hotel zone in Cancun is known for its many big resort hotels, one right next to the other. If you are looking for smaller boutique hotels, Tulum is going to be the better choice. If you want insanely blue water, stay at one of the Cancun beach hotels or visit Playa Ruinas in Tulum.

We wrote an entire post about the best beaches in Cancun, check it out if you want to see how the beaches look like.

So, Is Tulum Better Than Cancun?

Whether Tulum is better than Cancun depends entirely on what you are looking for in your vacation. Cancun has big all-inclusive resort hotels and incredibly blue water. Tulum has stylish nature-inspired design boutique hotels and shallower light blue water. Tulum is also more rustic and less developed than Cancun.

The Best Beaches In Cancun With The Bluest Water

What To Wear At The Beach In Tulum?

Tulum Beachwear

If you are wondering what to wear for your Tulum beach vacation, we wrote an entire post about outfits to wear in Tulum including a Tulum packing list. Have a look if you are looking for some boho outfits inspiration.

Boho Beach Outfits For Tulum

Travel Insurance For Tulum

Best Tulum Beaches

Tulum Public Beaches & Beach Clubs

To sum it up, there are free public beaches in Tulum and private beach clubs in Tulum that require a day pass. Whichever one you prefer we hope you found our Tulum Beach Guide helpful and now know where to find the best beach in Tulum for you.

Julia & Felipe

Follow our adventures on Instagram! @piscoandbier

Tulum Beach Vacation

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Shambala Petit Hotel – Tulum Yoga Retreat & Beachfront Pool

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Best Beaches In Tulum & Tulum Beach Clubs

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Tulum Wedding Ideas & Wedding Venues