Puerta Maya cruise port guide
Cozumel, Mexico · from CozumelThings, the offline iPhone guide
Where ships dock
Puerta Maya pier
A few hundred metres south of the International Pier, about 4 km from town. Walk through the pier plaza to the taxi stand at the road: about 10–15 minutes to downtown, 5–10 to Chankanaab, 15–20 to the beach clubs, 30 to Punta Sur.
Typically 7–8 AM to 4–6 PM · Cozumel is UTC−5 all year — check which clock your ship keeps
All-aboard is in ship time. Check the daily programme and be back at the gangway 30 minutes early.
Top places near the pier
Walking times come from the app: straight-line distance plus 30% for streets, at an easy 4.5 km/h. Places further than an hour on foot show the distance instead.
Paradise Reef
The long, shallow reef line just south of the International Pier — three low ridges of coral heads over sand, famous for splendid toadfish and a favourite easy dive close to shore.
Planetario de Cozumel Cha'an Ka'an
Cozumel's planetarium, south of town on the road to the piers, with dome shows about the night sky and Maya astronomy, and an observatory for evening sessions.
Dzul-Ha
A popular shore-snorkel spot between the piers and Chankanaab: steps and a ladder down into clear water over a reef close to the rocks, with a small beach club for lockers and gear.
Discover Mexico Park
A walk-through park near the southern piers with scale models of Mexico's famous pyramids, cathedrals and monuments in a tropical garden, plus a museum of folk art and a tequila tasting.
Villa Blanca Reef
A reef and wall north of the International Pier, reached from the shore entries along this stretch of coast — a popular easy shore dive.
Playa Caletita
A small public beach just north of the International Pier, on the coast road: a patch of sand, a few palapas and calm, clear water.
Wreck C-53
The Felipe Xicoténcatl, a former Mexican navy minesweeper sunk deliberately off Chankanaab in 2000 as an artificial reef, now a popular dive.
James Willamor · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons Chankanaab Park
Parque Natural Laguna de Chankanaab: a national-marine-park beach park south of the piers built around a saltwater lagoon joined to the sea by underground tunnels, a reef right off the shore for snorkelling, gardens with Maya replicas and…
Playa Corona
A small beach restaurant south of Chankanaab, famous with snorkellers for the reef right off its beach and a relaxed, family-run feel.
Paradise Beach
One of the west side's big beach clubs: a long stretch of sand with loungers, palapas, a pool, a restaurant and floating water toys, over calm water with good snorkelling off the beach.
Isacdaavid · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons Playa Mia
A large all-inclusive beach park south of Paradise Beach: food, drinks, pools, a water park in the sea and snorkelling, all on one day pass.
巫迪文 · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons Mr. Sanchos
A long-established all-inclusive beach club further south, with food, drinks, loungers, kayaks and snorkel gear on the day pass.
Nachi Cocom
A smaller, calmer beach club that caps the number of guests each day: pool, loungers, lunch and drinks included on the pass.
Sharon Hahn Darlin · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons El Cedral
The island's oldest village, inland from the south-west coast: a small Maya structure next to a chapel, handicraft stalls, and the grounds of the Feria de El Cedral, the island's oldest festival held each spring.
dronepicr · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons Playa Palancar
A laid-back beach and restaurant near the island's south-west corner, opposite the famous Palancar reef.
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Ready-made port days in CozumelThings
Each is a timed plan in the app, starting and ending at the ship (8 in all for this port).
- Chankanaab Snorkel Day
The national park lagoon, the reef off the shore and a quiet beach nearby - Beach Club Day
Paradise Beach, Playa Mia and Mr. Sanchos — calm water and a chair in the shade - Palancar, Colombia & El Cielo
The famous reefs by boat — snorkel stops on the south-west coast - Punta Sur: Lighthouse & Lagoon
The eco park at the island's southern tip: lighthouse, crocodile lagoon, reef beach - The Wild East Side
Surf, sheltered coves and beach bars on the windward coast — look more than swim - Shore Snorkel at Dzul-Ha
Two reefs you reach from the rocks, minutes from Puerta Maya
Getting around: what the app tells you
- Ask the tariff, not the driver
- Every pier's taxi stand posts the union tariff by destination. Read it (or photograph it) before you get in, and agree the fare for the return too. It's per car for up to four people, so sharing with people from your ship halves the cost.
- Carry some pesos
- Dollars work, but a few hundred pesos from a bank ATM make tacos, markets and in-town taxis cheaper and simpler. Keep small bills; many small shops can't change a 500-peso note.
- Island time, ship time
- Cozumel doesn't change its clocks. Set your phone to the ship's all-aboard time and add a margin: taxis from the far beaches take 30–45 minutes, and the pier gates close before the ship sails.
- Playa del Carmen is a gamble on a short day
- The ferry takes about 45 minutes each way, plus queues, plus the taxi between the ferry pier and a southern cruise pier. With less than seven hours ashore, Cozumel's own beaches and reefs are the better day.
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