Best Beach in Tulum: Public Beaches & Beach Clubs

The best beach in Tulum is actually several found on the south and north ends. Here is a list of some of the best beach spots on the public and hotel zone ends for turquoise water, pink sky sunsets, and soft white sand. However, keep in mind that Tulum has a sargassum seaweed problem, typically from May to October. I recommend visiting in November or early December, post-hurricane season, when the beaches are limited with seaweed.

P.S. At the end of this ‘Best Beach in Tulum’ guide, there is helpful information including: 

• A word on safety in Tulum.
• An interactive map with suggestions on where to stay in Tulum.
• Activities you may enjoy in Tulum (especially as a solo traveler)
• Helpful resources for planning your trip.
• Items you may wish to add to your Tulum packing list.
• Answers to top 5 FAQs about visiting Tulum.

Getting to the beach area in Tulum is straight forward.

• Driving: If you are renting a car, drive down Av. Coba (aka Route 15). Once you reach the end, turn left for the Tulum Ruins and public beach areas. Or keep right to continue on Route 15 which enters the hotel beach zone and eventually leads to Si’an Kaan and Punta Allen. While the route itself is easy, the roads are another story! They are horrific in my blunt opinion. There is one lane for each direction, cars and bicycles use the same roads, and in busy season, expect moving slowly bumper to bumper, especially on the hotel zone side. A 5-10 minute drive can easily turn into 60 minutes.
• Cabbing: Cabbing is best if you’re in a group of four. Cab drivers charge anywhere from 150-500 pesos, depending on the person (i.e. they will ripoff tourists) and season (Dec-Feb is nuts!).
• Biking: Renting bikes in Tulum is easy and there is a perfectly accessible pathway that takes you down Av Coba.
• Walking: You can 100% walk to the beach from Tulum Centro. (I did this ALL the time during my two month stay). It takes about 1-1.5 hour depending how fast you walk. Be sure to have a hat to protect you from the sun! You walk along the same path that bikes use (it’s basically a large sidewalk). Just keep to the side to allow bikes to safely pass.

Read more: Where to Stay in Tulum Guide

The Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve has the best beach in Tulum. To enter the Sian Ka’an area, drive south on Route 15 past all of the hotels. Eventually you’ll reach the entrance of the beautiful Sian Ka’an Biosphere. There is a guard at the entrance way and a small fee per person. (I can’t recall exactly, but I believe around 30-50 pesos per person).

There are several beaches along this area and they may be tricky to find. We stopped at El-Ultimo-Maya.  This is a campground and restaurant with access to a public beach. Parking is free and you can spend the entire day as long as you hit a reasonable minimum spend at their restaurant (300 pesos per person). It was beyond worthwhile and an amazing beach day. (There was less than four other groups and by sunset, we had the entire area to ourselves. It felt like a private island. Definitely one of the best beach experiences I’ve had!). If you’re up for a further drive, keep driving down the road and there are much more areas to stop.

Fair warning: once you enter the Sian Ka’an area, the road is AWFUL. It is quite underdeveloped and a BUMPY ride. You’ll need to drive along the edges most of the time to avoid all the holes. (Frankly, this road makes the road in the hotel zone look good!) If you’re not an experienced driver and/or have a suitable vehicle, then it is best to hire a local driver, take a cab, or book a Sian Ka’an tour and ask to be dropped off to a beach afterwards.

The public beach in Tulum located on the north end is made up of four beaches in total. However it is essentially one large beach area blended together. And you walk from one end to the other (within 30 minutes or so).

Playa Paraiso & Las Palmas are located right by each other at the busiest end of the public beach. Simply drive, bike, or walk down the beach road on the north end. The entrance is well marked and there are usually a ton of bikes in front. Definitely two of the best beaches in Tulum and always busy. Shade is limited unless you luck out and sit by the rocks where a palm tree may shield you. Otherwise, you can rent an umbrella, beach bed or and beach chair set from one of the nearby beach clubs, such as the Paraiso Beach Club.

Playa Ruinas is located furthest north on the public beach road, right by the Tulum Ruins. (You get an amazing view of the turquoise waters from the ruins by the way). From the beach you can see the ruins sitting atop some pretty amazing cliffs. This end of the beach is much quieter as well.

Read more of my “Best of Tulum” posts:
Best Coffee in Tulum
Best Breakfast in Tulum
Best Tacos in Tulum

Playa Pescadores is found between the Playa Paraiso and Playa Ruinas. This is typically a bit quieter and a great spot for snorkeling tours. And the Tulum Ruins are still visible in the distance. Shade is limited here as well, but you can find some coverage by renting a umbrella and/or chair at a nearby hotel beach club.

Read more of my Mexico travel posts:
Things to do in Bacalar
Best Restaurants in Puerto Escondido
Best Food in Oaxaca City

Papaya Playa Project: The Beach Club at PPP is great as it is more secluded than other properties. The beachfront here is accessible to hotel, restaurant, or beach club guests only. And the daybeds are right by the water! There is a minimum spend ($40 USD on weekdays; $70 USD on weekends), but it’s a pretty awesome splurge day. The staff is attentive, food is delicious, and the property is stunning. Plus it is located closeby Av. Coba making driving in/out of the hotel zone easy.

Delek Tulum: The beach club at Delek does not have a minimum spend (at least not on weekdays when I went). Simply make a reservation in advance and you’ll get a beach bed or similar. The service is fantastic and the drinks are amazing too.

Nomade Tulum: One of the hottest beach clubs in Tulum, especially on the weekends. Nomade requires a $40 USD minimum spend Mon-Thurs and a $70 minimum spend Fri-Sun. Best to arrive here before 12PM to secure a spot.

Read more: Where to Find a Free Art Walk in Tulum

And that is my list of the best beaches in Tulum!
What beach in Tulum is your favourite? Share in the comments!

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Tulum is overall a safe town, but definitely a place to be on alert. I’ve heard stories of muggings, home robberies, and gun violence (typically related to drug violence) but did not witness anything myself during my two visits (the second lasting two months). Use your common street smarts. For instance, I rarely walked home alone in Centro after 10pm. That being said, I do suggest reading about safety in Mexico. And I do advocate for travel insurance. If applicable to you, check with your employee benefits to see if you are covered. Otherwise, I like World Nomads as it’s quite reputable and provides 24-hour assistance.

[sc_fs_multi_faq headline-0=”h4″ question-0=”Is Tulum beach swimmable?” answer-0=”Absolutely. You can swim at all of the beaches in Tulum.” image-0=”” headline-1=”h4″ question-1=”Can you go to any beach in Tulum?” answer-1=”Yes, nearly all the beaches in Tulum are public. One misconception is the beach area in the hotel zone is private. This is untrue unless it is a gated, secured property (i.e. Papaya Playa Project).” image-1=”” headline-2=”h4″ question-2=”How to I access the beach on the hotel zone side?” answer-2=”Getting access to the beach on the hotel zone side depends on where/how you try to access. Some hotels have security that may prevent you from accessing, but if you simply ask politely if you can access the beachfront by walking through their property, some places will say yes. (If you are uncertain,  mention you’d like to go to their restaurant instead. Many hotels have a beach facing restaurant where once again, you can simply enter the beach).” image-2=”” headline-3=”h4″ question-3=”Is Tulum or Cancun better?” answer-3=”This comes down to personal preference. In my opinion, Tulum is the better place to visit between the two as it has more boutique hotels, nicer beaches, and overall, a better vibe.” image-3=”” headline-4=”h4″ question-4=”How many days do you need in Tulum?” answer-4=”I recommend staying at least 3 days to allow time for the beach and cenotes. However, if you can stretch it to 5-7 days, that would be ideal.” image-4=”” count=”5″ html=”true” css_class=””]