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| Playa del Carmen | ||
| State | Quintana Roo | |
|---|---|---|
| Residents | 304.942 (2020) | |
no tourist info on Wikidata:  | ||
| location | ||
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Playa del Carmen is a city in the state Quintana Roo on the Yucatan Peninsula. She just is Playa called local.
background
Originally, Playa del Carmen (then still Xaman-Ha) was important for the Maya who moved from Playa del Carmen to Cozumel made a pilgrimage to worship the goddess Ixchel. But before that, a purification of all pilgrims in Playa del Carmen was carried out. After the conquest of the Spaniards, this place, like most of the Mayan cities on the coast, lost its importance and eked out its existence as an insignificant fishing village. But in the course of increasing tourism, this changed suddenly in the 1970s.
Playa del Carmen has gone from a small fishing village (around 300 people) to the third largest city in in the last 30 years Quintana Roo and second most important holiday destination on the Riviera Maya (of course behind Cancun). Nevertheless, Playa del Carmen has retained some of its charm. In Playa del Carmen, unlike Cancun, everything doesn't have to be bigger, more eye-catching and crazier. Above all, the Europeans are a very important clientele for the tourism industry of Playa del Carmen, whereas in Cancun there are mainly Americans.
getting there
By plane
Most tourists land in on a charter flight Cancun. From Cancun you can get to Playa del Carmen by bus, rental car or taxi. The journey takes about 1 hour and costs around 400 pesos by taxi. So-called collectivos (shared taxis, cf. bus).
But Playa also has a small airport. Usually only private planes or planes of the 2nd regional airlines land here Cozumel or fly to Chichen Itza. The airport is also used by aero tour companies.
By bus
There are two official bus stations in Playa del Carmen:
- The newer bus station, which is particularly important for long-haul routes, is located at Avenida 20 / Calle 12.
- At the older bus station Avenida 5 / Avenue Juarez Buses mainly operate for shorter distances, e.g. to Cancun or Tulum.
Here you can find Bus timetables for Mexico.
For shorter distances, collectivos (shared taxis) also run regularly. The driver waits until there are enough travelers together, and then you can get to the surrounding area relatively cheaply.
In the street
Traveling by car to the south is actually always via the road Cancun - Tulum. The city is also from Chichen Itza, Merida and Chetumal Accessible by car or bus.
By boat
From 1 Playa del Carmen ferry terminal Ferries leave every hour or so Cozumel. The journey takes about 45 minutes. The crossing costs about 110 pesos each way. The first ferry leaves at 6 a.m., followed by a ferry at 8 a.m., 9 a.m., 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. In the afternoon, it continues at 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. every 2 hours, and between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. every hour. In the end, the last ferry leaves at 9 p.m.
Cruise ships also regularly dock in Playa del Carmen. Then the jetty is teeming with tourists.
mobility
The main destinations within Playa Center are within walking distance. Otherwise, bicycles, cars and taxis are the main modes of transport in the city.
Bicycles can be rented or bought in various places.
Taxi driving is relatively cheap within Playa, as the most expensive fee is around $ 100 pesos (as of Aug. 2015).
There are various car rental agencies in Playa del Carmen. Local landlords are cheaper, but it can happen that you get ripped off. The internationally known rental companies (Avis, etc.) are a little more expensive but also much more flexible. The easiest way to find these agencies is at the ferry port. SIXT on 10th Avenida is recommended for Germans.
Tourist Attractions
A city with the word Playa in its name should have a certain claim to the local beach and bathing pleasure. And the beach lives up to its expectations. Only a few places in Mexico or elsewhere can compete with this and in contrast to other beaches, the hotels on the beach are limited in size and sometimes very nice to look at, so that the look already lures you to go to the beach. As a bathing guest, you are not alone here, but you can enjoy all the amenities for bathing / sunbathing, such as deck chairs or mattresses with umbrellas / sails and the associated service on site. For this you pay a daily fee of around € 5 at some restaurants, or some restaurants offer all of this for free with a minimum turnover of around € 10.
Streets and squares
An attraction in itself is that Quinta (Avenida 5). It is the heart of Playa del Carmen. If you want to eat something, have fun or go shopping, this is the right place for you. Unfortunately, the prices are correspondingly very high. If you go 2 blocks further, you can get almost all things for half the price. But the standards are much higher here. Most of the waiters speak English, you get international cuisine and meet a lot of tourists. But this is not the place for everyone who wants to experience Mexico.
various
- Xaman-Ha. Not so much remains of the ruins of Xaman-Ha that the city is worth a visit. But if you have had enough of beach life for a short time, this should be a welcome reason to take a look. The smaller part can be found right on Fifth Avenue. If you follow the passage covered with Mayan reliefs to the seated Mayan sculpture, you will find yourself in a small park with picnic facilities. Here is a small decaying fenced building. In contrast to the reliefs in the passage, this is real.
If you want to see more, you have to walk a little further. If you walk about 20 minutes from Fifth Avenue in the direction of the airport, you will reach the 1 C, E and F group. This is a bit more extensive.
activities
- Swimming & Relax - This is the main reason why one should choose Playa Del Carmen as a travel destination. It should be noted that here you neither get a deep insight into the culture nor a lonely beach. But the beach is convincing and is a real alternative to staying in a resort or an all-inclusive hotel bunker.
- Shopping - The 5th avenue in particular offers everything you could wish for. There are shoe shops, souvenir shops, art galleries and and and ... If that's not enough, you can find something in the large shopping center in the south of the city or catch a bus Cancun
- Nightlife - Here, too, Playa del Carmen is convincing around 5th Avenue (see Nightlife).
- Discover - The place has a few Mayan ruins, but these are more something for a digestive walk. If you really want to visit something, you should at least visit Tulum or better still after Cobá or Chichen Itza drive.
- Snorkeling - Playa Del Carmen is really not suitable for that. But it doesn't matter when there are such good snorkeling paradises as Cozumel, Puerto Morelos or Akumal lie on the doorstep.
- Diving - Playa is well suited for this. There are around 12 dive sites nearby. Many diving shops or diving schools, both large (e.g. Scuba Planet Mexico) as well as small ones (e.g. Playa Scuba), offer their service.
shop
- 1 Centro Maya. The big shopping center in Playa del Carmen. There are numerous clothing stores, a supermarket and a cinema here. The shopping center is about 20 minutes' walk from the city center in the direction of Tulum, directly on Mex 307.
- Las Americas. A second mall. Almost like the Centro Maya, with a cinema included but not in the center of Playa.
- 5th avenue. Even those who are already bored of the Xth reference to this street: there are large souvenir supermarkets, art galleries, boutiques, perfumeries, shoe shops, cosmetic shops and and and. But the side streets are also worthwhile, the choice is decreasing here, but the price is also decreasing.
- Cancun. Half a day shopping in Cancun? No problem. There is a bus to Cancun every 10 minutes from the central ADO bus station. There is a separate counter for tickets, and the journey costs 2 euros and takes about 30 minutes. If you want it cheaper, take a Collectivo.
- For everyday use there are several small shops as well as large supermarkets such as Wal-Mart, Mega Comercial Mexicana (briefly called Mega) or Chedraui. There are also several small retail stores (or mom and pop stores) that do tiendita or miscelánea (these can be found all over Mexico).
kitchen
Cheap
medium
- Ah Cacao Chocolate Café, Corner of 5th Avenue and 30th Calle and corner of 5th Avenue and Constituyentes / Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico. Tel.: 52 984 879 4179, 52 984 803 5748. Good coffee with chocolate and coffee from Mexico. There is also cake. The coffee is good, the chocolate is better. In the small shop, chocolate, coffee and vanilla as well as cups and T-shirts in matching souvenir sizes are sold.Open: daily from 7.15 a.m. to 10.30 p.m.
- Karen's - Seafood, Steak House & Pizza, 5th Avenue (between 2nd and 4th Calle / Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico. Tel.: 52 879-4064. The best here are the Mexican specialties and everything from the grill. The pizza is ok, but there are better restaurants nearby. Always live music in the evenings. Some dishes or cocktails are prepared at the table.
- Yaxche Maya Cuisine, Corner of 5th Avenue and 22nd Avenue / Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico. Tel.: 52 984 873 3011. The building is modeled on a Mayan temple, and there is classic international cuisine here, but refined with Mayan cooking. Each dish has a Maya name and is refined with interesting marinades and side dishes. Of course, the juice of the Jamaican blossom should not be missing as a drink here either. A little more expensive but worthwhile. At the weekend there are sometimes long queues here. Better to reserve a table.
Upscale
nightlife
Here, too, the central starting point is certainly 5th Avenue. In addition to numerous restaurants, there are just as many pubs and bars.
- Kitxing. There is live music here every evening. The weekly program is published in advance on a chalk board. But the bar only gets really good thanks to the music-loving owners who conjure up every indie classic between Arcade Fire and Cafe Tacuba from a laptop and catch many a night owl at the bar after the evening program at the bar. If a high-scoring soccer game with Mexican participation is broadcast that evening, you should be able to tolerate a lot of tequila.
If you walk towards the beach on Calle 12, you will find some “open air” clubs that advertise themselves with loud disco music and eager bouncers. Actually, you can look into the club from the outside and even without a bouncer you can see whether this club is worthwhile or not. The Blue Parrot is recommended again and again in numerous travel guides and rightly so.
- Blue Parrot, on the beach between calle 12 and 14. Tourists and locals meet in this disco. Great ambience, loungers on the beach and open air dance floor. Great fire show. Daily from 7 p.m., but nothing works before 10 p.m. Rather expensive, but absolutely recommendable.
- Capitan Tutix. partly live music.
accommodation
Cheap
medium
- 1 Riviera Caribe Maya, Avenida 10, Calle 30, 77710 Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Tel.: 529848731193, Email: [email protected]. Clean good hotel in the second row.Price: Double from 60 USD.
- 2 Angelos Hotel, Av.55 esq Calle 6 Norte Mz.Lt. 1 201 Col Ejidal, Playa Del Carmen. Tel.: 52984206-1778, Email: [email protected]. Hotel near ADO train station.Price: Double from 60 USD.
- 3 Mimi del Mar, 1a. Norte Zona Federal Maritima, Lote 1-A, Mz. 2, Centro, ZP 77710, Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico. Tel.: 52 984 873 3776, Email: [email protected]. Hotel right on the beach.Price: Double from 80 USD.
Upscale
Learn
- Solexico. Spanish language school in Playa del Carmen. Highly recommended. The school offers different courses such as basic courses, conversation, courses for business people, etc. Solexico offers different excursions. There are also various afternoon or evening activities (e.g. Mexican cooking classes, salsa lessons, conversation meetings in a bar, etc.).
Work
There has been a new immigration law in Mexico since 2012. That is why it has become a bit more difficult than it used to be to find a job as a foreigner there. Before the new immigration law, there was more flexibility. For example, you could enter the country as a tourist and get a work visa there if you found a job. Today the application for the work visa has to be processed in the home country of the interested party.
security
Playa Del Carmen is a tourist town out of the retort. Almost all locals live directly or indirectly from tourism. Investors in particular have a great interest in the safety of visitors. Therefore everything is done to ensure that one feels protected and comfortable. A “Tourist Police” set up specifically for this purpose is omnipresent. This place, and Cancun too, is one of the safest places in Mexico.
health
Practical advice
There are a few post boxes in town, and stamps are also sold in some souvenir shops. However, the statements of the locals about the real emptying cycles of the post boxes differ a little, so that the safest option for sending mail is to visit the post office. The reputation of the Mexican post office isn't that good anyway. The 1 Post office is located on the corner of 15th Avenue and Avenue Juarez.
trips
Excursion destinations are a dime a dozen here. For a short trip, goals like Cozumel, Puerto Morelos or Cancun available. But also Cobá or Chichen Itza are still within day trip range. A visit to a cenote (karst lakes) for diving and snorkeling is highly recommended. B. Yal-Ku in Akumal. There are countless travel agencies on 5th Avenue that never tire of offering such trips. Here it is worthwhile to compare the prices. But the cheapest is still your own planning and organization. Due to the limited number of excursion destinations, this is simple. The savings are 70% and more.
literature
Web links
- https://gobiernodesolidaridad.gob.mx - Official website of Playa del Carmen
- Riviera Maya
- Playa Guide
