---
node: dest_tulum
type: destination
slug: tulum
title: "Tulum"
lead: "Tulum is a walled Mayan ruin set on a cliff above the Caribbean, the only major Mayan site on the coast. Below it stretch white beaches and a string of boho beach hotels that have made the town a fashionable escape."
published: 2026-08-10
updated: 2026-08-10
image_file: tulum.jpg
image_source: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tulum_Ruins_(213574113).jpeg"
image_author: "Dronepicr"
image_license: "CC BY 3.0"
---

## Overview

Once a Mayan port city, Tulum grew famous for the setting of its ruins — grey stone temples on a low cliff above turquoise water and a beach. The modern town split into the ruins and beach zone on the sea and the growing town inland on the highway, and it draws a stylish crowd to its eco-hotels, yoga and beach clubs. It is warm and busy in the dry winter season, and the coast and cenotes are its real wealth.

## Highlights

The clifftop ruins look out over the Caribbean, with a beach below the walls that pairs swimming with the archaeology. Inland, the freshwater cenotes of the Riviera Maya — sinkholes for swimming and diving — are among the region's finest, and the vast ruins of Cobá lie a short drive away. The beach road strings together hotels, restaurants and clubs along the sand.