Kosherly
Riviera Maya, Mexico

Mexico

Riviera Maya

City overview

The Riviera Maya runs about 130 kilometres of Caribbean coast from Puerto Morelos south through Playa del Carmen, Mayakoba, Puerto Aventuras and Akumal to Tulum, and packs white sand, jungle cenotes and Maya cities into a single stretch of Highway 307. Playa del Carmen is the heart of it, a walkable beach town built around Quinta Avenida, and it is also where Jewish visitors will find the region's kosher scene. Two Chabad houses operate in Playa del Carmen and a third serves Tulum, between them running a synagogue, a mikvah, Shabbat meals and more than a dozen supervised kosher kitchens, bakeries and shops. It is one of the densest concentrations of kosher food anywhere in Latin America outside Mexico City, and it sits within walking distance of the beach.

Getting Around

Public transit

Colectivos — shared white vans — are the workhorse of the corridor.

They run Playa del Carmen to Tulum from the Terminal Única de Vans Foráneas on Calle 1 Sur opposite the Chedraui supermarket, stopping on request at Xcaret, Xplor, Puerto Aventuras, the Akumal arch and Chemuyil; Playa to Akumal costs about 45 pesos and takes around 35 minutes. Northbound colectivos to Puerto Morelos and Cancún leave from the same area, with Cancún to Playa around 55 pesos and Cancún to Puerto Morelos around 30 pesos, running roughly 5:00 AM to 11:30 PM. Note that Puerto Morelos colectivos drop at the highway junction, about two kilometres from the pueblo; a local colectivo into town is 10 pesos. Inside Playa del Carmen, combis run Avenida 30 and the surrounding streets for 12 to 15 pesos. ADO runs air-conditioned intercity coaches from the terminals on Quinta Avenida and Calle 12 to Cancún airport, Tulum, Valladolid, Mérida, Chichén Itzá and Bacalar. The Tren Maya now serves the corridor with stations at Cancún Aeropuerto, Puerto Morelos, Playa del Carmen, Tulum and Tulum Aeropuerto; tickets are bought through the official Tren Maya site or at station counters.

Rideshare

Ride-hailing is legal in Quintana Roo but thin on the ground here.

Uber and DiDi both operate in Cancún, but in Playa del Carmen and Tulum drivers are scarce to non-existent in practice, and neither app may pick up at Cancún International Airport. Plan on taxis, which work on fixed zone rates rather than meters — always agree the fare, in pesos, before you get in, and expect to pay less flagging one on the street than taking one from a hotel or mall rank.

Car rental

A rental car is the most practical way to reach the cenotes, Cobá and the quieter beaches, and all the major agencies operate at Cancún and Tulum airports and along Highway 307.

Mexican third-party liability insurance is compulsory and is not covered by most foreign credit cards, so expect it to be added at the counter whatever your card offers. Highway 307 is a fast divided road with frequent topes and retornos, fuel is sold by attendants who should zero the pump in front of you, and parking in central Playa del Carmen is metered and tight.

Airport

Two airports serve the corridor. Cancún International (CUN) is the main gateway, about 55 kilometres and 45 to 60 minutes north of Playa del Carmen, with four terminals and direct flights from across North America, Europe and Latin America; ADO coaches run from the terminals to Playa for around 300 pesos and the Tren Maya has a station at the airport. Tulum International, officially Aeropuerto Internacional Felipe Carrillo Puerto (TQO), opened on 1 December 2023 about 20 kilometres southwest of Tulum town and handled 1.25 million passengers in 2025; eleven airlines including Aeroméxico, American, Delta, United and Air Canada serve it, and a Tren Maya station sits beside the terminal. TQO is the shorter transfer for Tulum and the southern Riviera Maya, CUN for Puerto Morelos, Playa del Carmen and Mayakoba.

Good to know

Best time to visit

December through April brings the driest, mildest weather, with highs in the mid-20s Celsius and little rain, while June to November is hotter, wetter and inside the Atlantic hurricane season.

Insider tips

Kosher travellers should base themselves in central Playa del Carmen: both Chabad houses, the kosher supermarket, the bakery, the butcher and most of the restaurants sit within a few blocks of each other between Avenida 5 and Avenida 20, and nearly everything else in the corridor is a day trip from there. Order Shabbat meals early in the week rather than on arrival, since both Playa centres and Chabad of Tulum work to advance registration. Tap water is not drinkable anywhere in the region and hotels supply bottled or purified water. Bring reef-safe sunscreen — the cenotes and the Puerto Morelos reef park refuse entry with anything else, and most parks make you shower before entering the water. Sargassum seaweed can affect the beaches between roughly April and September; Puerto Morelos, Maroma and the north-facing coves tend to fare better than the open south-facing beaches. Carry pesos in small notes for colectivos, cenotes and beach parking, all of which are cash-only.

Safety & emergency

The Riviera Maya's tourist areas are generally safe and heavily policed, and most visitors have no trouble, but petty theft, ATM skimming and overcharging by unmetered taxis are the common complaints. Agree taxi fares in pesos before getting in, use ATMs inside banks rather than freestanding machines, and stay out of the water when the red or black flag is flying, since rip currents and boat traffic cause more injuries here than crime does. Mexico's nationwide emergency number is 911 and operators in Quintana Roo are bilingual. Anonymous crime reports go to 089, and Guest Assist, the state's 24-hour bilingual tourist assistance line, is 800 277 4780. In Playa del Carmen, public safety and the tourist police are on 984 877 3340, the Red Cross on 984 873 1233 and the fire service on 984 873 0618. In Tulum, public security is 984 871 2055, the Red Cross 984 871 2052 and the fire service 984 871 3732. Ángeles Verdes, the free roadside assistance patrol on federal highways, is 078.

Local time

4:07 AM

+4 hrs from NYC

Plug

Type A/B

127V

Currency

Mexican Peso

Kosher map of Riviera Maya

Pick a place on the map or search an address or hotel to see what is kosher around it.

Frequently asked about Riviera Maya