Intro to the Cancún Airport
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Official Cancun Airport Website,
but read this one first
Getting Through the Airport Cheaply
When you fly into Cancún and haven't gone through customs elsewhere, you will find the absolute worst rate of exchange at the very first kiosk you see. If you must change money, wait and use an ATM. If you must use a kiosk, don't exchange a lot of money. If you come in via México City, it would be good to have have exchanged money at the bank or ATM there, because you are unlikely to find any better rate here.
Getting From the Airport Cheaply
To get to the buses from the main terminal, head out of the arrival area and turn right.
Go past the end of the building to find them in that parking lot.
There is a bus that runs directly to the First Class bus station in Cancún and makes no stops along the way. It costs 15 pesos and is run by the same company that does the bus to Playa del Carmen. It runs from 4:30 am to 12:30 am.
If you are going to Isla Mujeres, get off when it stops at the bus station, turn right and cross the next street and take the ruta 1 bus north to Puerto Juarez. It will say Puerto Juarez on the bus you want. This is only a good option if you don't travel heavily laden.
If you are coming in on a charter flight, you can take the free shuttle (marked ASUR) from just outside and to the right of the Charter exit.
You can buy tickets on the Riviera bus as
well. It is
air conditioned and makes about 10 trips a day and there is room for luggage
underneath. The bus drops everyone off at the main bus station in Playa on the
corner of Benito Juarez and 5th Ave. This is right next to a taxi stand if you
need to go on from there and 2-3 blocks from the ferry dock.
For schedules and more info, see the
Playa del Carmen
timetables.
The Centro bus (red) and the Riviera Playa del Carmen buses (blue) park side-by- side at the SE corner of the loop drive that is north of the Main Terminal There are signs in the front windows so that you don’t accidentally get on the wrong bus. These are deluxe coaches with plenty of room for luggage.
If continuing onward to Puerto Juarez, see this description of the Cancun Bus system.
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Because there are now buses to the Cancún bus station and to Playa del Carmen is no real problem any more. However, here is an old strategy that worked. If you really want a cab, but don't want to pay airport prices, and you travel light and don't mind some walking, head to the exit by the Budget sign and keep going. Once you get past the second guard house, cabs are free to stop and pick you up as they leave. If you see cabs waiting right there, you might see what they want for prices, but it may be that if you walk past them, any cabbie passing you without a fare will have a lower expectation of payment.
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At the International arrival gate, you will find a kiosk where you can pay for riding in a van. These will require you to go through the want to watch all your fellow riders get off at their hotels in the Zona Turística.
If you are going somewhere beside downtown or Playa del Carmen, such as Puerto Morelos, and you are traveling with others, you might want to arrange a ride with Bestday.com.
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Flying Home
You can take the same bus back to the airport that you took on the way in. Just go to the ADO bus station and buy a ticket.
When you do return to the airport, if you are early enough to have a drink or any food at all, you might want to consider just checking in, but not going through security right away. It is a one way door and prices nearly double once you are trapped. I think of it as being similar to a Roach Motel, but with an exit only by plane. I found this to be the case at the Mexico City airport too. However, you can go back out if you can convince one of the workers that he or she has nothing better to do than help you out.
Meanwhile, if you do not go through security right away, you can sit comfortably sipping a beer or coffee and eating some food which is as good as you will find beyond security, but without spending completely outrageous sums to do so.
However, it sounds like the prices outside security are now mirroring
those inside.
If things look too
expensive even there, just outside the terminal you can buy some very good tacos
from two taco carts. One credible suggestion is to go to the one run by women.
Tacos there are inexpensive and usually have around 7 to 10 choices of filling.