Chichen Itza, Cancún

  Chichen Itza
by jjdrake
 
  • Chichen Itza
      Chichen Itza
    by jjdrake
  • Temple of the Warriors
      Temple of the Warriors
    by mi.chelle
  • For Sale:  $1 on most items
      For Sale: $1 on most items
    by mi.chelle
  • El Castillo
      El Castillo
    by mi.chelle
  • The twins at the Chichen Itza, Cancun, Mexico
      The twins at the Chichen Itza, Cancun,...
    by jumpingnorman
 

89 Reviews of Chichen Itza

Sort by: Most recent | Most helpful

Write a Review
A mandatory day trip
solopes profile photo

3.5 out of 5 starsHelpfulness

solopes 3794 reviews
Chichen-Itza

It´s a couple of hours by car from Cancun, but I think that it's impossible to skip its visit.

Chichen-Itza it's popular worldwide, and it would be silly not to visit it, being so close. So, have swim in the early morning (great!) visit Chichen-Itza, and have another late swim to receive the night (even better)

Updated Aug 6, 2011

Related to:
 Archeology
 Historical Travel
 Architecture

Was this review helpful?

Visit the Mayan Ruins of Chichén Itzá
spartan profile photo

3.5 out of 5 starsHelpfulness

spartan 915 reviews

In the jungles of Yucatan lies one of the largest and best preserved archeological sites in Mexico, Chichen Itza. The ruins are a strange combination of Mayan and Toltec influences, spanning hundreds of years of intermittent inhabitation. Founded around the middle of the fifth century by the Mayans, Chichen Itza was taken over at some point by the Toltecs, probably around the year 900. It flourished until a point around the year 1200, at which time it was abandoned.

Chichen Itza is about 120 miles west of Cancún, a trip of about 2 1/2 hours. The site is large, so bring comfortable clothes and shoes. One of the highlights is El Castillo, the pyramid-like structure with its steep stone stairs (a troublesome climb for some, but definitely worth it for the view). Twice a year, during the equinox, a shadow on the north staircase of the pyramid takes the shape of a descending serpent--huge crowds gather to witness the event. Other highlights include the ball court (the largest ever discovered), the astronomical observatory, a deep, circular cenote (sacred well), the Temple of the Warriors, and the group of the thousand columns.

Updated Apr 4, 2011

Related to:
 Eco-Tourism

Was this review helpful?

A trek through history
cmcarney profile photo

3.5 out of 5 starsHelpfulness

cmcarney 23 reviews

Anyone traveling to the region should definitely stop at one of the ruins. My husband wanted to go to Chichen Itza because it was the most famous. My vote was and still probably would be for Coba as this one is less visited and in a more "natural" setting. The ruins themselves were amazing. It was quite an experience to view the structures and here about their stories from our very knowledgeable guide.
PS you can longer climb to the stairs of the castle structure because some mindless people threw coins into the door and damaged artifacts.
We went with a travel group that stopped in one of the Mayan villages to shop. If you are not versed in the art of haggling you should practice ahead of time with your travel partner. We saved money off the "listed price" (no prices are actually listed, you have to ask and then the game is on), but could have done better.

Updated Mar 15, 2010

Was this review helpful?

Chichen Itza
jjdrake profile photo
jjdrake 6 reviews
Chichen Itza

It’s a total day trip to Chichen Itza. Our ‘luxury bus’ – which was actually very nice and strongly air conditioned - picked us up at 7:20am and it took about another hour before the rest of the tourists were picked up via additional stops at the other hotels. The trip took in excess of 2 hours to arrive at Chichen Itza; there was one stop on the way there, which was referred too as “an emergency stop” so everyone had a chance to use the restroom, if necessary. At this location, there was of course, opportunity to purchase souveniers that were hand-made. As is the case throughout Cancun, you have to haggle and negotiate your way to a ‘non-ripoff’ price. If the guy said, “that’s 280 pesos”, I would say “how about 100 pesos”…and then the game begins. It certainly gets old after a while. Once we arrived at Chichen Itza, it was very hot and humid; you need to bring suntan lotion (no brainer) and strongly recommend buying some water there (it was like 13 pesos for a bottle = ~1 U.S. dollar). Thankfully, there were a number of shaded areas (groups of trees) wherein the tour guide delivered his speeches. The total time listening to the expert tour guide was about 1.5 hours, and afterwards there was an additional 1.5 hours left to visit the site on your own and take pictures and video. Regarding taking video, your supposed to pay about 3 U.S. dollars to use a camcorder; however absolutely no one checked or seemed to care – strictly honor code that you told the ticket office, “hey, I have a camcorder and here’s 3 dollars so I can use it”. Chichen Itza is an awesome site to see, but you cannot climb anything. There are a lot of locals selling souveniers throughout the site, and in retrospect they offered the best value/price than anywhere else I saw throughout our trip to Cancun – but you do have to haggle/negotiate as I mentioned earlier. After the tour of the site was over, we boarded the ‘luxury bus’ to head back to Cancun. On the way back, we stopped off to have lunch at a cool / traditional / local Mexican restaurant. It was buffet-style and we were entertained by a group wearing traditional Mexican costumes – who danced like crazy while balancing open bottles of beer and trays (with open bottles of beer) on their heads. Nothing was dropped, and not one drop was spilled. After lunch, we reboarded the bus and a short while later had a stop at a ‘sink hole’ where we put on our swimming clothes and jumped in. It was extremely refreshing to cool off – the temperature was a bit chilly, but not cold – actually perfect to cool off after a hot afternoon spent experiencing Chichen Itza. Finally, we reboarded the bus one last time and headed back to our hotel. By the time we arrived at the hotel (about 7:20pm), the tour in total lasted about 12 hours. It was a great experience, and strongly recommend purchasing the ‘luxury tour’ which includes unlimited ‘free’ drinks (water, juice, beer, tequila) on the way to and from Chichen Itza.

Updated Sep 30, 2009

Related to:
 Architecture
 Arts and Culture
 Archeology

Was this review helpful?

Marvel at Chichen Itza but better not go up!
jumpingnorman profile photo

4.5 out of 5 starsHelpfulness

jumpingnorman 886 reviews
The twins at the Chichen Itza, Cancun, Mexico

Dominating the center of Chichén is the Temple of Kukulkan (the Maya name for Quetzalcoatl), often referred to as "El Castillo" (the castle).

The pyramid was closed for "going up" during the time that we went and I think they should just close it all the time. It would be better so that they can preserve this structure for future generations. Beside, the steps are so steep and anybody can fall and have an injury. The pictures look best anyway when you are photographing the whole pyramid itself...

This step pyramid has a ground plan of square terraces with stairways up each of the four sides to the temple on top. On the Spring and Autumn equinox, at the rising and setting of the sun, the corner of the structure casts a shadow in the shape of a plumed serpent - Kukulcan, or Quetzalcoatl - along the side of the North staircase. On these two days, the shadows from the corner tiers slither down the northern side of the pyramid with the sun's movement.

Updated Apr 26, 2009

Related to:
 Family Travel
 Archeology
 Architecture

Was this review helpful?

One of the New Wonders of the World
mi.chelle profile photo

3.5 out of 5 starsHelpfulness

mi.chelle 5 reviews
El Castillo
2 more images

I've always wanted to see the ruins of Mayan Riviera so out of the 3 days we have in Cancun, I made sure we get to see Chichen Itza. It's a whole day tour; quite far from Cancun, about 3 hours drive, because it's in a different state. We joined an organized tour which was quite informative, then we had about an hour to explore on our own before we head out back to Cancun.

It's been raining on & off since we got to Cancun, so on the day of the tour we were expecting rain because Hurricane Ike is coming through the Gulf of Mexico but when we got to the place, the sun was out and it was sweltering HOT, which was good because if it was raining, it'll be so muddy we wouldn't be able to enjoy the walking tour. We couldn't have asked for a better day to visit.

I loved hearing the acoustics within the grounds, you clap your hands and you'll hear an echo sound reverberating around you. Amazing!

Too bad that climbing the ruins are no longer allowed. I would have gone up as I'm sure the view from the top would be a sight to see, but seeing them on the ground is just as grand.

Some sunblock, good footwear, and a hat (some had umbrellas like we did) are a must when visiting the site.

Funny thought: every item, it seems, that vendors are selling within the grounds is $1; it's like a big Dollar Store that we have back home.

Written Sep 20, 2008

Address: Yucatan, Mexico

Related to:
 National/State Park
 Adventure Travel
 Family Travel

Was this review helpful?

Chichen Itza
brkilbourne profile photo

2.5 out of 5 starsHelpfulness

brkilbourne 119 reviews

I would suggest waiting until you get there, that way you can plan around bad weather - unlikely in Oct. Tour bus from $65.00 US to $95.00. Rental will run about $75.00 with insurance and possible police tariff ( ask rental agency about a card for basicaly a BBB for tourist interacting with police, taxi runs about $200.00 plus entrance fees, plus tip, plus lunch for him. Guides are $60.00 for 3 and prices are posted at the turnstyle after purchasing tickets. Ask for, I'll have to think about his name. 25-30 years old, in good shape, he did know quite alot more than several other guides. Might be there in Oct myself.

Written Aug 26, 2008

Was this review helpful?

Chichen Itza
GibJoe profile photo

2.5 out of 5 starsHelpfulness

GibJoe 238 reviews
4 more images

A day trip to see Chichen Itsa is well worth it !! To be honest I had no idea what chichen itza was about, and I was amazed at what it was. The day was extremely hot. The tour that was given was extremely informative.

Written Apr 9, 2008

Was this review helpful?

A FAbulous Site of High Times
BruceDunning profile photo

3.5 out of 5 starsHelpfulness

BruceDunning 3103 reviews
We did the climb and can see for miles-jungle
3 more images

This is one of the better preserved monuments in Mexico, having seen a couple of others in the past. Since our last visit, maybe tourism has diluted the impressionistic aspect, but hopefully not. The trip to get there was very interesting; like going bakc 100 hundred years in every day living for the locals. No Iguanas for sale like happened toward Acupolco though some years back

Updated Jan 30, 2008

Related to:
 Archeology
 Architecture
 Historical Travel

Was this review helpful?

Chichen Itza
brkilbourne profile photo

2.5 out of 5 starsHelpfulness

brkilbourne 119 reviews
El Castillo
4 more images

El Castillo. The most amazing acoustics here. Clap your hands anywhere in front of the stairs of the pyramid and hear a return sound of a local bird. Multitone song originates from the spaces between the stone steps Unfortunatly they no longer allow you go to the top. On the equinox's a visual treat of a snake appears to go up or down the edge if the pyramid. There are 91 steps and 12 symbols on the sides for the months. $4.50 US

Updated Nov 9, 2007

Related to:
 Architecture
 Archeology
 Museum Visits

Was this review helpful?

Top 3 Hotels in Cancún

Club Med Cancun All Inclusive  Cancún

 4 Reviews and 947 Opinions  I spent a week at the Club Med from 18-25 May 2008 with my 12-yr old daughter and thoroughly enjoyed... 

 Hotels in Cancún

Sun Palace  Cancún

 5 Reviews and 1394 Opinions  I believe that most everyone that posted positivie comments either on this site or Trip Advisor had... 

 Hotels in Cancún

Ritz-Carlton Cancun  Cancún

 5 Reviews and 736 Opinions  This is truly heaven on Earth. The staff is amazing. They go out of their way to make your stay... 

 Hotels in Cancún

The Place

Chichen Itza

Chichen Itza tips and photos posted by real travelers and Cancún locals.

  Write a Review  
Experience Cancún
 

The People

83 Members Live Here
 
Our Members Say
 profile photo

 El Castillo. The most amazing acoustics here. Clap your hands anywhere in front of the stairs of the pyramid and hear a return sound of a local bird. Multitone... 

83 members live in Cancún

 

Questions and Answers

Dabs profile photo

Q:  I'm asking this for a friend who simply refuses to get on an airplane, is there any way to get to Cancun without flying from the... 

YVRDave profile photo

A: The wedding party could schedule a day wedding to work around the ships port time. I think the bride would, and should, whack him when he arrived but, that is another... 

Read 14 Replies

postQuestion_button

Top Cancún Writers

1

Paradise in the Carribean

gipper84 profile photo

 Cancun is one of the nicest places you could ever go. I recommend that everyone once in their lifetime, take the time to visit Cancun. The weather here is beautiful and stays at like an average of 82... 

2

Spring Break 24/7/365

Etoile2B profile photo

 I have spent a long time dreaming of traveling in the Yucatan, especially visiting Cancun, so when my friend proposed taking a trip down there I was more than game. I have heard about the beauty of...... 

3

Cancun

Kaspian profile photo

 Travel Dates: February 28 - March 7 1999, April 9-16 2000, February 17-24 2001, February 17-24 2002, February 16-23 2003, November 2-9 2003. I started visiting Mexico in 1997 and have returned about... 

4

Cancun, Mexico

GinGinCoo profile photo

 went to Cancun, Mexico for a week, November 11-17. I did a lot of research online before we left so we can see and make the most of our trip there. I had a very tight schedule and Itinerary. Overall,... 

5

CANCUN ---PARADISE IN MEXICO

LoriPori profile photo

  When Hans and I decided upon CANCUN to spend two glorious weeks in the sun, friends and family told us Cancun had a reputation as a party town. As we wanted to do and see things and not just lie on... 

View all rated pages

View newest pages

Build your own Cancún page

Travel Editors for Cancún

rachel_sun profile photo