El Castillo in Ciudad del Carmen

Very cool experience filled with lots of history & interesting facts. Its amazing to actually see the sites that Ive/weve read or have been taught about.My only recommendation is to visit when its less hot.

One of the new 7 wonders of the world so definitly worth a visit. Its an open place without shade so it can get very hot!Everywhere there are vendors trying to sell you stuff but they are not pushy. They just call you but leave you alone when youre not interested.A lot of possibilities to take beautiful pictures even though it gets very busy.If you have transportation, I would advise to buy tickets at the door. They are about $25-35 american dollars.

Life goal of touring here achieved!Self toured, avoided so many groups, enjoyed the ruins. Tons of vendors selling "local" handcrafts made in China. Son joked that he saw a shirt he liked cheaper at Walmart back in Playa.Parking would be a mess on a full day, go early to get a space and to avoid some of the tour bus crowds.

What an amazing place and the history just wow! Im so grateful that I had the opportunity to visit one of the seven wonders of the world. I enjoyed hearing the history, definitely worth getting a tour guide for this. Thank you to our guides Raul and Giselle for making this trip fun, informative and memorable!

This is one of the seven wonders in the world and is amazing. The structure is well preserve. The whole location, this Mayan city is amazing and it brings you back to see how admirable this civilization was. Definitely a place to visit. It can be hard on little kids and elderly, however, dont get discourage just prepare accordingly. Definitely get plenty of water as it is outdoors and very hot.

Amazing place to visit. Can be a very hot day with little shade so make sure to bring plenty of water and a hat.

This place its amazing. With a good tour guide the place is magical....I visited 25 years ago and the vendors were outside not inside the park. I also will like an explanation plaque in each one of the buildings. Its a must see when in the Yucatan Peninsula.....

As soon as you enter this place you are inundated by vendors trying to sell your stuff, hats, jewelry, hand made crafts that have nothing to do with the pyramid.The entry fee has to be paid in two payments, the employee said because the state and federal need to collect the tax separately, felt like such a scam but it was just how they do it, I wasn’t impressed and couldn’t relax every time I’d stop walking there or for people would approach asking me to buy something.Very crowded, no food options once inside, not as big as I thought.

Amazing experience! We booked the early access tour through Expedia. Marco and Rodrigo were excellent, informative guides. We enjoyed hearing about the history and culture of the Maya. Glad we got to experience the amazing acoustics. Might have to return and brave the crowds and heat to be there at the moment of equinox next time.

We planned to do this independently via rental car from Tulum and it was a fab trip... few suggestions to others; leave early (we got there at 9am), search gmaps for entrance "acceso a chichen itza", then ignore offers along the way for any parking other than directly outside at 80 pesos. Entrance fee is c. 570 pesos at the actual entrance (not in advanceand we downloaded the Chichen itza app by "action tour guide" and they guided us through the site by map (c. 3hrs).. Absolutely beautiful, awe inspiring site...

Amazing adventure and good lesson in Mayan history. Definitely recommend getting a guide as they will give you the history of each structure.

A must go to we arrived early and managed to see all the highlights of the area before midday (very recommend to get there earlier). It was SO SO SO beautiful. The history of the place how they built the buildings/pyramids in the area was so interesting and loved to learn of the Mayans lived prior to colonization

The entrance ticket is expensive. Inside the ruins are beautiful but with no explanation labels on them. Walking areas are crowded by local vendors, all their goods are Chinese and it is really disappointing to find that much of informal commerce in an archeological site...

Light show at night was magical. You get to walk around for a while before the show starts, with a few buildings lit up in changing colours. If you like temples and light shows, I highly recommend this.

To be in the center of a Mayan spiritual place was enlightening. The temples were breathtaking up close and the tour was informative.

Amazing place is all I can say have to go at least once in your lifetime and take plenty of water and old hats or shoes to trade cause those Mayan people love to barter for souvenirs.

What an incredible place! The main pyramid is definitely the highlight of the whole place. Its roped off near the base so obviously you cant climb it, but its great for pictures.The open courtyard around it is huge and its really nice if its not crazy hot outside. We stick to the shade because we visited in the middle of the day. If you want to beat th heat, get there when it first opens, youll have to rent a car or taxi there that early.We went the cheaper route which was getting a tour package on Expedia and it was awesome. Our tour guide Marco was fantastic. He had a degree in history and archeology. He shared a ton of cool facts that I definitely wouldve kissed out on if I was just walking around taking pictures.Theres only one downside of this place and its all the annoying salesman and little booths. Wish they didnt rent spots out to people so they could sell their counterfeit goods. They stay in the shady areas so you can definitely avoid them, but then youre out in the sun all day.Word of advice, bring at least 1 bottle of water for everyone in your party, if not more. Youll thank me later

I went with a tour guide on a bus trip-Cancun Passions. He was knowledgeable about the history of Chichen Itza and the Mayans amongst other things. Despite it being a rainy day, I had a fantastic time. Great historical buildings to see.

Very good place to visit in Yucatan. The main pyramid (El Castillois impressive and there are other couple of structures very well conserved. The only bad thing is that there is no good signs to arrive there and find parking in the main parking lot is very difficult because they give priority to the tourism buses, if you get there by car, you will have to park in the outside community parking lots and then walk about 5 min to get to the tickets boots. However, the experience is very good.

It was an amazing experience to be there. VERY much a tourist trap however. Everything from charging for masks (just to walk through the gates then nobody wears themto the flea market stands. The amount of vendors definitely detracted from the experience. We took a tour bus, I dont know how you would manage to go without one, parking looked horrendous, literally just random fields in the jungle. Then you can hire a guide at the gate.

The mezoamerican step pyramid in Chichén Itzá is called the Temple of Kukulcán (called Castillo by conquistadorsand is the artefact of pre Colombian civilization. It is one of the famous and biggest pyramids in Mexico and was built by Mayans then destroyd by Catholic conquistadors. The object is beautiful and gives us insight in pre chriastian wonderful civilization!

This is a must see for a trip to Mexico. It is HOT HOT HOT. Bring an umbrella and water. Only water is allowed in, no food or other drink. They do have a bar and restaurant along with shops. There are vendors everywhere, we were warned by our guide that not everything is authentic and vendors will try to catch you by offering you to blow a jaguar whistle, then make you pay for it or they will tell you only 1 Mayan dollar (there is no Mayan dollarthen overcharge. Make sure to follow paths into the non main areas as there are ruins everywhere. The earlier you arrive the better for heat. If you can buy your tickets ahead do it so you dont wait in line. To bring in a go pro you need to pay a 50 peso fee so make sure you have that. If you dont go with a tour, make sure to research all the cool echo effects in the ballgame yard and temple so you can try them.

I personally loved this place. Keep in mind youll enjoy this if you have a tour guide explaining the history behind everything. I personally bought my tickets through an agency (around $65and it was worth it because they picked me up from my hotel in Cancun and drove me to the pyramid and then took me back.

Absolutely breathtaking experience. We visited as part of a tour booked via our hotel. Once we arrived at Chichen Itza the long coach journey was so worth it as its stunning and a real pinch me moment to think you are in place with such a rich history. The only aspect that slightly impacts the experience is the large number of traders in really close proximity selling all kinds of tourist rubbish however anyone visiting Mexico knows thats par for the course. That aside it was a really magical, once in a lifetime experience.

This ancient Mayan ceremonial site deserves the title of World Heritage Centre awarded by UNESCO in 1988. Honestly, if you have the opportunity to visit the site, you must do so.The site attracts many visitors every year and of course many locals try to take advantage of it. Be prepared to be constantly solicited to buy souvenirs and other gadgets 😉

From the moment you walk out of the surrounding forest and lay eyes on “El Castillo” of Chichen-Itza, the sense of wonder, awe, and majesty immediately impacts you. There is an energy that en captivates you.Please do yourself a huge favor and get a guide at the door. They provide all the historical magic that is Chichen-Itza.

Awesome experience with our tour guide. I really do recommend to bring sun screen and a hydro flask bottle to keep your water cold. It’s really humid and hot. I do also recommend to visit this place. It has a lot of history behind it all.

It was a nice historic site to visit but I went with a tour group and we spent 2 hours of our trip there. 30 mins tour and then the guide said have fun and left and then and hour and a half in killer heat being aggressively approached to buy souvenirs.

My entrance was free because I went on Sunday, since all Sundays are free for Mexicans, it is highly recommended to go just when the archaeological site opens because if you go later you can despair of the sun because of how hot it feels and also because at that time come a lot of trucks with too many tourists.It is open 365 days a year from 8 am-5pm, foreigners pay 571 pesos mxn, the general admission the government charges a general admission of $ 486.00 and for Mexicans who prove their nationality with an official ID the additional admission will be $ 168.00, seniors, teachers and students are free.I loved going to this place because you can learn much more about Mayan history, that is, migratory movements that took place in Mesoamerica during the Early Postclassic period.The most impressive and important place is the play of light and shadow that occurs every equinox on the steps of the pyramidal base known as the castle, what happens is that the sun, as it rises above the horizon, illuminates the western alfarda of the base, creating triangles of light and shadow that seem to descend to the serpents head on the top of the alfarda, and this is well known for the great level of astronomical and architectural knowledge that the Maya possessed.Really go there.

5th trip, buy a straw hat on the road...pay Less than 15 dollars :-). Get the tour gyide its alot more enjoyable with Context.

This is a day trip of fun and adventuresIt is a long trip to get there however with the hotel we were with they provided food(breakfast and lunchand cold COLD drinksOur tour guides and bus driver were AMAZING!!!! THANK YOU XCARET for so an amazing crew. I felt safe and I learned alot about the Mayan culture. Take $ with you for souvenirs and a Camara with a good zoom lens. All I can say is we had a blast

Great experience. Get there early before the crowd and vendor setup. Great adventure. Get a tour guide!

A wonderful glimpse into history.Entrance to the area costed around 600pesos (about 30USD).Unfortunately, since its been listed as one of the new 7 wonders of the World, its not possible to climb the stairs, nor to go inside the main pyramid (there is another temple constructed within it).Expect a lot of tourists, as well as souvenir merchants.Sundays are free for locals, expect even bigger crowd.

The castle of Kukulcán, an ancient Mayan construction dedicated to their feathered serpent god. It was constructed directly above a floated cave representing the three levels of the Mayan vision of the cosmos namely the Heavens, the earth, and the underworld.

Went here during the weekend (Saturday June 11thand had minimal traffic. We used a tour company that brought us to a Cenote 1st which is typically backwards but worked out very well because both locations we very quiet when we were there.

Amazing visit. Must visit for every traveler.To get a nice picture, make sure you are here early! Way before 9 oclock is best. Thats when the really crowds come in.You can only bring a video camera of you buy an extra video ticket for 50 pesos.Drones not allowed. They check bags at the entrance, cant bring it even if you promise not to use it.They have lockers you can rent to keep you equipment youre not allowed to bringWe did find it quite expensive. 1100 pesos for entry for 2 people, 80 pesos for parking, 50 pesos for video ticket. And thats only entry. A guide or souvenir is added.

Very hot and sunny and lots of vendors trying to sell you trinkets. It is hard to find water once you are passed the maingate. The ruins are amazing and the story is very interesting but there are lots of distractions.

This is one of the 7 wonders of the world. Its a must visit if its even once in your life. Bring your sunglasses sunscreen and umbrella it is extremely hot 🔥 🥵 there very very hot 🔥. The guides are very knowledgeable

Oh what a place! This pyramid is not as huge as Teotihuacan pyramids or Giza, but it is gorgeous. Also, it is surrounded by other structures that makes it feel like you are in a Mayan city.

It is an impressive sight. Must see if you are in Yucatan. If course, the place is very crowded. And it is hot, much hotter than at the coast. Be sure to bring sun protection. If you ask yourself why everyone is clapping, try it in front of the stairs and took youll hear the effect that sounds like a bird.Parking is available but its a decent walk to reach the pyramid.

Beautiful place! Worth visit.I recommend to go with a guide because hearing about the history is a big part of the experience.Better to go on morning or afternoon when its less hot.

We took a tour from cancun. It was worth it. El Castillo is impressive. Being with a tour guide you get the full experience because you learn the history.

You have to see this place if youre in Cancun. Its a bit of a drive, but a great way to spend the day. Highly recommend.bget there early.

Rodrigo is the VERY BEST TOUR GUIDE!!! Thank you for providing us all with the history of El Castillo and Chichen Itza!

We booked this excursion through Royal Caribbean on our Cozumel day.First we had to take a ferry from Cozumel to the mainland. We then met our tour guide and boarded a Mercedes van. We then drove to Chechen Itza, it took about 2 hours. So about 3 hours in all to get there. Snacks were provided.This was a wonderful experience. Our guide kept us entertained the entire way out there. He was truly a Mayan history buff. He loved his job.The temples are amazing. They had an incredible understanding of mathematics and astronomy. It’s truly worth the adventure to get out there and see them.

Amazing place that everyone should know. Great way to learn about the Mayan culture.I recommend using a guided tour, the people that are there speak several languages If its too expensive you can download an app that has tours, there are several on google play and on istore (iphone).Get there early because it will be crowded after 10 am, but not crazy anyway.

Avoid the “guides” outside they charge 2x prices then average. Buffets and restaurants also overpriced. Too many vendors try to sell their stuff for you. Good advice for them: Less “amigo amigo” if I’m interested in your product I’m gonna stop and check it out otherwise you can speak even cantonese to me I’ll wont buy nothing. Henceforth independently beautiful enviroment we really liked it.

Really good. Incredible place and generally set up well. Don’t get a tour from the people outside the entrance as it’s double what the price is inside. Just after you have gone through ticket barrier. We paid 1000 peso for private tour for two people.

Well, this is the main attraction of Chichen Itza and one of the most famous landmarks in the world. Its enlisted in the new seven wonders of the world.Its full name is Temple of Kukulkan - a feather divine beast adorned by Maya which had supernatural powers.On El Castillo, Kukulkan is carved twisted on both sides of the northern stairway. Its so immaculately built that only twice a year, during the spring and autumn equinoxes, the sun illuminates its entire length from top to bottom (amazing, see it on Youtube).Besides that therere more interesting facts - the pyramid has 9 levels plus the Temple on top. Each sides staircase has 91 stairs, which multiplied by 4 sides and the Temple on top makes the grand total of 365 (days in year).

This was just amazing to me. If you get a good tour guide then they will tell you all about the history. Its a must do bucket list trip.