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Transportation - Getting to Cozumel |
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Fly directly into Cozumel Airport
These are the carriers now flying direct into Cozumel Airport: American Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta, US Airways, Mexicana, Sun Country, MLT Worry Free Vacation Charters, FunJet Charters and Adventure Tours Charters.
Fly into Cancun and then taxi/ferry or fly over to Cozumel
Most major airlines now fly into Cancun Airport. A list of airline carriers serving Cancun is provided in the Over There - Cancun section
Arrive by Cruise Ship
There are many cruise lines that now stop at one of Cozumel's 3 cruise ship piers including Carnival, Celebrity, Disney, Holland America, NCL, P&O Cruises & Royal Caribbean.
Use INSIDER'S Search & Reservation Tool for the best flight deals coming to COZUMEL!
| Arriving / Departing - Cozumel Airport | ARRIVALS
For all direct flights arriving in Cozumel, passengers will exit the plane and pass through Mexican Immigration for clearance prior to being allow to retrieve baggage. Immigration wil approve and stamp each visitor's Temporoary Visa Application for a timeframe consistent with the length of stay. Visitors will then move to the Baggage Claim area inside a restricted Mexican Customs Inspection area. Here there are observation cameras in place as well as a canine patrol. Upon claiming bags, visitor will then be asked to present their Customs Declaration form to a Customs Agent and press a button on a "red light/green light" device.
Up until recently, those visitors receiving a green light as they press the button, were allowed to exit Customs without a full inspection of baggage. However, in 2007, new scanning technology was installed right beside the red light/green light device and almost 100% of visitors are now asked to place at least one bag in the machine for scanning regardless of the button push outcome.
Once the Customs/Agriculture inspection is complete, visitors move through a waiting area lobby and out to the street for transporation.
Transporation options OUT OF THE COZUMEL AIRPORT ARE LIMITED. There is one Airport Taxi Shuttle union (syndicato) with 100% control of transporting passengers OUT of the airport. As a result of this taxi union control, it goes without saying that there are NO COURTESY SHUTTLE SERVICES available from hotels. Hotels or accommodation providers may agree to GREET passengers at the airport and assist with the logistics of baggage transport but NOT the transport of passengers.
Visitors should check their travel documents in advance to determine if hotels transfers are included in excursion packages. If not, tickets for transport to any hotel via the Airport Taxi Shuttle can easily be purchased upon exiting the Baggage Claim/Customs area.
The other transporation alternative is to pick up a rental car at the airport or nearby and then return it the day of departure.
Advance reservations for rental cars are strongly suggested as supply of rental cars on the island is limited and limits are reached during high season by all providers.
Click to Reserve & Learn More About Cozumel Car Rentals!
DEPARTURES
Arriving to Cozumel Airport takes time due to Customs and Immigration, and departing via Cozumel Airport also takes time now due to increased security measures. Visitors arriving via charter flights such as Funjet, MLT and Apple Vacations are asked to report to check-in 3 hours prior to departure while standard commercial carriers are requesting check-in 2 hours prior to departure. However, ONE DAY PRIOR, all visitors should check their own travel documents for departure check-in requirements.
Returning to Cozumel Airport via taxi requires 15 - 35 minutes depending on which hotel zone is involved.
Visitors staying in the Downtown area should allow 10 minutes for transport to the airport.
Visitors staying in the North Hotel Zone should allow 20 minutes for transport to the airport.
Visitors staying in the South Hotel Zone should allow 30 - 40 minutes for transport to the airport.
Depending on which hotel is involved, visitors should allow approximately 30 minutes of travel time for transport back to the airport
| Fly to Cancun and Crossover to Cozumel |
| Air Shuttle Schedules Cancun - Cozumel |
Getting to Cozumel from Cancun via land involves
a 1 hour bus or taxi ride from Cancun Airport to Playa del Carmen
In Playa del Carmen travelers take a 40 minute ferry ride to the island of Cozumel.
To avoid this additional travel time, visitors often use the 15 minute air shuttle which departs from the same Cancun Airport.
Currently there are two shuttles operating.
Approximate cost is US$75 per person one way.
These schedules and prices may change at any time without prior notice.
Schedules posted as of August 2008.
Aero Tucan Shuttle
Call locally in Cozumel to check availabilty and schedules - 987-869-8172
| Days | Cozumel > Cancun | Cancun > Cozumel |
| Daily | 8:30, 17:15 | 7:45, 16:30 |
Reserve Mayair Shuttle
| Days | Cozumel > Cancun | Cancun > Cozumel |
| Daily | 8:45, 12:15, 15:15, 17:05 | 8:00, 11:30, 14:30, 16:30 |
| Cancun Airport Bus Schedule to/from Playa Del Carmen |
Upon exiting the Immigration, Customs and Baggage Claim area in the Cancun Airport there will be several service desks directly ahead with various transportation options. There are signs that indicate 'Airport Shuttle," "Taxi Service," as well as some car rental agencies. Keep asking and looking for the ADO bus service as it is located slightly out of direct sight.
This bus service makes regular trips between the Cancun Airport and Playa del Carmen. The stated schedule is one trip per hour but the truth is that the buses depart once they fill up with passengers. This means that most of the time, a bus is departing every 15 - 30 minutes. Allow about 1 hour travel time.
When combined with the ferry shuttle, this can be a very inexpensive alternative to the air shuttle between Cancun and Cozumel airports.
Due to the high volume of passengers, this schedule is usually very reliable.
The approximate cost (one way) is $80 pesos or US$8-10.
Playa del Carmen to Cancun
8:00am, 9:00am, 10:30am, 11:45am, 1:00pm, 3:00pm, 4:00pm, 5:00pm, 6:15pm
Cancun to Playa del Carmen
10:45am, 11:45am, 12:45pm, 1:45pm, 3:00pm, 4:45pm, 5:45pm, 7:00pm, 8:30pm
| Ferry Service - Passengers - Between Cozumel & Mainland |
Cozumel now enjoys the services of 2 competing passenger ferry companies which arrive and depart from the same location: the downtown San Miguel pier (Muelle Fiscal) and then arrive/depart from the same pier in Playa del Carmen as well.
The approximate cost (one way) is $150 Pesos or US$ 14 per person.
Schedules may change without notice but typically departures from either point are top of the hour.
From Playa del Carmen to Cozumel
6AM, 8AM, 9AM, 10AM, 11AM, 1PM, 3PM, 5PM, 6PM, 7PM, 9PM and 11PM
From Cozumel to Playa del Carmen
5AM, 7AM, 8AM, 9AM, 10AM, 12PM, 2PM, 4PM, 5PM, 6PM, 8PM and 10PM
Information and schedule as of August 2008
For more information contact either company:
UltraMar
987-869-3223 www.ultramar.com.mx
Mexico Waterjet
987-872-1578 / 1508 www.cozumelwaterjets.com.mx
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| Ferry Service - Vehicles - Between Cozumel & Mainland |
The ferry between Cozumel and Punta Venado (a.k.a. Calica) remains one of the hidden treasures of the area for those wanting to cross a vehicle. Up until just a couple of years ago, crossing a car between the mainland and Cozumel took 4 - 6 hours plus waiting in line at all hours of the night to ensure a space on the 1 or 2 crossings made daily. Thankfully, with competition comes efficiency and speed for the journey now is only about 1 hour and there are so many crossings daily that there is hardly ever a back up of folks wanting to put their vehicles on the vessel.
On the mainland, no signs direct you to it, or even tell you of its existence (unlike the passenger ferry at Playa del Carmen which is marked with highway signs). There is a sign at the roadway entrance, but it is not illuminated, and it is set back far enough from the road that your car headlights likely won't pick it up. It is approximately 7Km south of the main highway intersection at Playa del Carmen, and about 1.5 Km south of the exit for Xcaret.
Please note ~ this crossing service is not a tourist activity. The crossing service is a critical link in Cozumel's island economy. It is used primarily by locals and distribution companies getting inventory to and from Cozumel. So don't expect the staff to speak or understand any English and don't get huffy when change is provided in pesos. All one needs to do is drive up to the offices where there will be a man with a clipboard who sells tickets. He will direct vehicles into lines as they will embark the boat. The crossing takes about 60 minutes from dock to dock. The fare is roughly 500 pesos ($US 50) for a car & driver and 50 pesos ($US 5) for each additional passenger.
From Cozumel to Calica
Monday through Saturday
Sunday |
6:00 AM, 7:30 AM, 11:00AM,1:00PM, 4:00 PM, 8:30 PM
8:00AM, 8:00PM (Check - Schedule Varies) |
From Calica to Cozumel
Monday through Saturday
Sunday |
4:00 AM, 5:30AM 8:00 AM, 10:00AM, 1:30 PM, 3:00 PM
8:00AM, 8:00PM (Check - Schedule Varies) |
Information and schedule as of July 2008
For more information contact Trans del Caribe in Cozumel at 987-872-7688 / 7671 / 7504
or visit their website www.transcaribe.com.mx
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Some Ideas for Island Transportation ~ Support Our Website!
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We searched for rental agencies before we got there on a cruise Thanksgiving last year and decided to use Less Pay. They delivered as advertised. Other rental agencies were much higher for the same type of vehicle, a Jeep Wrangler.
We're spending a week in Cozumel in August of and are making arrangements for 3-4 jeeps. Look forward to the same service again. Ron B ~ Opelousas, Louisiana
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Just want you to know that everything worked out great with LessPay! They honored their web price, let us pick up a day early, and when the car had problems (bad brakes & clutch), they happily swapped it out for another car the next day, no questions asked. We were very impressed with how efficient they were with paperwork, and they even offered to drive us to the ferry when we turned the car back in! We will definitely use them again and will recommend them to others. Their prices were reasonable and they were very friendly (and spoke English, too). R. Wolf ~ Mimon, MA
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Hello Cozumel Insider - Just wanted to thank you very much for organizing the tour to Coba and Tulum and the snorkel at Akumel for our family on December 27th. We had a wonderful day and would like our appreciation for our driver and guide to be noted. We understood our tour was for 8 hours and after spending too much time at the sites of the ruins (they are amazing and, with our daughter who is in her 3rd year of archaeology, spent longer than most visiting Coba) our day was running a bit short of time. We thought we would have to forgo our planned snorkel at Akumel, but both our driver and tour guide agreed to put in an hour and a half extra to allow us to swim.
We truly appreciated this - Mexico is a beautiful country with many diverse treasures and to have people so eager for us to see and enjoy them made them all that more special!!
Thank you!! Julie Bose Family ~ Salmon Arm, BC Canada
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Everything worked out great. Dolphins were wonderful. Less Pay vehicle was drivable, didn't use as much as I thought I would so glad I saved $100 or so instead of using Avis. We loved Cozumel, saw your office, and visited your neighbors at the real estate office downstairs. Thanks for all your help and great web site! S. Dooley ~ not given
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