This year, Playa del Carmen is the second most searched destination in the whole world. Actually, you might be one of those travelers so, how are you going to come? What are your best options? And the first question you might be asking: Is there an Airport for Playa del Carmen?
Is there an Airport for Playa del Carmen
No. Well, yes, there is one, but it is not the airport people use to come to Playa del Carmen. We will talk about it in the last section of this article.
An airport for Playa del Carmen is largely unnecessary. We use the Cancun International Airport (CUN),
The airport has three terminals: two for international flights (terminal 2 and terminal 3) + the domestic flights terminal (terminal 1). In addition, there is also a fixed based operations terminal for private jets. In all cases, the airport is open and operating 24 hours 365 days of the year
How far is Playa del Carmen from the Cancun Airport
As we were saying, the Cancun Airport is just 34 miles from Playa del Carmen.
To put it in perspective,
- It is about the same ride as driving from central London to the London Stanstead.
- Another example: the drive is broadly the same time as taking the train from central Chicago to the Chicago O’Hare International Airport.
- Last, going to the Cancun Airport takes just a little bit more time than driving from the center of Dallas to the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.
In essence, the Cancun Airport acts as if it was our own city airport. Every day, there are hundreds of departures and arrivals from all corners of America and the world, and a lot of those visitors head directly to Playa.
Your best options to arrive are your own shuttle or ADO buses. We’ll speak about all that in an article soon.
Alternatives to Cancun International Airport
Cancun is not the option chosen by everyone, though. There are other (much smaller) airports that people use to go to the Riviera Maya. You might want to consider them in case you find cheaper flights or other convenient benefits.
Cozumel International Airport
Cozumel is a beautiful island in front of Playa del Carmen. Ferry cruises depart each port every half an hour, but there is also an airport! It is a small terminal, with the capacity for just a few planes. However, it is an international airport, so you can arrive from Miami, Montreal, Toronto, Philadelphia, Houston, Chicago, or Denver
Cozumel is an amazing first stop if you’re going to Playa. You arrive on the island, spend there the island, and the next day you take one of the ferries.
Chetumal International Airport
Chetumal is the capital of the region, Quintana Roo. While it is not super touristic itself, it is a good starting point to get to Bacalar, the coral reefs, the beaches of Xaman-Ha, Tulum, and also Playa del Carmen. It will be a longer drive than from Cancun, but also very much worth it if you’re doing stops.
The actual airport in Playa del Carmen
There is an airport for Playa del Carmen, but it shall best be called aerodrome. It is a small facility with a few planes.
What does it do? The aerodrome has a private VIP aero taxi service, available for leisure and business travelers. Up to seven passengers can go aboard one of their planes.
Aerodrome of Playa del Carmen.
