Digital Nomad Guide to Tulum, Mexico

Tulum is one of my favorite places in the entire world, and I recently visited Tulum for the third time!

I’d say that Tulum is known more for its music and beach club scene compared to being a digital nomad hotspot (though from 2020-early 2022 during covid times it was a huge nomad hotspot!), however, I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Tulum as a digital nomad this time around.

The Vibe in Tulum

To me, Tulum is the Mykonos of North America if you are on the beach road - it feels like a cool, jungle version of Mykonos - with the prices to match.

Yes, Tulum is expensive, especially for Mexico, and especially on the beach road. The first two times I visited Tulum, it was for a long weekend and then a friend’s birthday trip - so shorter weekends where we planned to be spending a little more and hitting the beach clubs almost daily.

On my most recent visit to Tulum, my friend and I stayed in an Airbnb in Aldea Zama and only did the beach clubs over the weekend to live more typically (to balance with work) during the week. We saved money with this plan, but this was because we are both digital nomads and needed to work - so consider which type of trip you want (short vacation and partying, or longer-term balanced travel) and then your budget and activities will vary.

Some people compare Tulum to Bali as a tropical, beachy, nomad hotspot, though note that Tulum is much smaller. Tulum is a small town and Bali is an entire island. Both get some heavy traffic, especially depending on the time of year.

Language

Spanish is the official language of Mexico, so knowing Spanish can be very helfpul in Tulum. If you are in Centro (the main town), Aldea Zama, or La Veleta neighborhoods, knowing Spanish is helpful and some locals only speak Spanish.

On the beach road (Zona Hotelera), Spanish is appreciated but not necessary. Just about everyone who works in the hotels/hospitality along the beach road speaks decent or even perfect English.

If you are going to Tulum for a vacation or party weekend and staying on the beach road, definitely try to learn some phrases, but you can honestly get around with English.

If you are negotiating taxi prices, sometimes speaking Spanish can sometimes get you a better rate!

Weather

Tulum is tropical along the Caribbean Sea. The rainy season is from June through October, with August and September seeing the heaviest rain and sometimes hurricanes.

The dry season in Tulum is November through May.

High season in Tulum is December through March.

I first visited Tulum in November and there would be a heavy rain storm every night. The road would lightly flood and we knew we couldn’t wear long dresses or long pants out (or shoes we cared about) as they would get soaked and muddy!

Next, I visited Tulum in May one year and then April this year, both of which were during the dry season. It didn’t rain once on either trip.

Mosquitos were not that bad during the dry season, but I definitely wore bug spray every night when I visited Tulum in November.

Internet in Tulum

Pretty much every establishment in Tulum will have internet, whether that’s a hotel, restaurant, beach club, or cafe.

I never had an issue finding internet along the beach road, in Aldea Zama, La Veleta, or Centro as a digital nomad.

On the beach road, especially on the south end, there are dead spots with no cell service, so WiFi is necessary to be able to send text messages or do anything on the phone that required WiFi.

Co-working spaces in Tulum:

Digital Jungle (La Veleta)
Mangohub (Aldea Zama)
Space Tulum (North of the main part of the beach road)
Selina (beach road)

Where to Stay in Tulum

The Beach Road (Hotel Zone):

This is the main location for all the hotels, resorts, and beach clubs. If you are doing a short trip, this is likely where you will stay. This area is lively, especially in the middle, has DJs playing music typically from noon until late at night, and has some incredible restaurants.

I’ve spent on average $170-250+ USD per night for a beach road hotel room at a boutique/mid-range hotel. The service has always been really great. Higher-end hotels and resorts range in price, so check Booking for comparisons and ratings.

My rules of thumb for Booking are to always filter by 8+ rating (8/10 or higher) and check that WiFi is included. From there, I click “Show Map” and “only show available properties” for my dates to search for available properties in the exact area I am looking at.

Aldea Zama:

This is one of the main digital nomad/expat neighborhoods in Tulum. In 2021, five of my marketing clients (who are also digital nomads) lived in Tulum and they all lived in Aldea Zama.

If you look on Airbnb you will find some great deals on updated, brand new, beautifully decorated apartments. Aldea Zama is a pretty neighborhood with winding streets and has a couple of main streets with a handful of restaurants and cafes.

It is very quiet compared to the beach road and you will need to walk about 15-20 minutes or so to get to Centro, or take a taxi/ride a bike to get to the beach (it is over a one-hour walk and not ideal to walk to the beach from Aldea Zama).

My friend and I spent $57 USD per night on a beautiful 2-bedroom/2-bathroom Airbnb in Aldea Zama before the cleaning/service fees. It totaled $650 USD per week including fees, and since we split the cost, it was very affordable.

La Veleta:

La Veleta is very similar to Aldea Zama in many ways! I didn’t spend a ton of time here so don’t have much to say, but I liked the vibe and feel and proximity to Centro.

I would do a little research between La Velea and Aldea Zama to compare before booking, but I feel like they are pretty similar.

Centro:

Centro is the downtown/center of Tulum. It gets a little more touristy every year, but feels way more local and more “like Mexico” than the beach road.

You will find plenty of street food, local food with local prices to match, and some trendy/healthy cafes. Centro has a buzz to it, even though it is still very small compared to other cities in Mexico.

If you are staying outside of the beach road, I recommend knowing at minimum basic Spanish to help you get around!

Transportation in Tulum

*Official taxis in Tulum are white with red markings and a number on them*

Is there Uber in Tulum?

No, there is no Uber, DiDi, or other ridesharing app equivalent in Tulum. To get around other than by foot, you will need to take a taxi, a bus, hire a driver, or rent a bike, e-bike, scooter, or rental car.

Taxis:

Taxis are all over the beach road in Tulum and Centro, and you will see them here and there in Aldea Zama and La Veleta. Taxis are almost always cash-only (have pesos on you) and are very overpriced compared to other places in Mexico. Why? Well, because they can charge that much, and because there is no Uber or DiDi to compete. If you are taking a taxi, know in reality that it will cost more.

For rough pricing, in April 2024, a taxi from Centro to Aldea Zama was 200 pesos. Getting to and from Aldea Zama to the beach road was 500 pesos. Sometimes they’d quote more (600-900 pesos), especially at night, which required negotiation.

Luckily, I found a local driver on Reddit before and she was great:

Local Female Driver in Tulum: Juanita - WhatsApp #: +52 984 215 2557

^ We paid in pesos but if you request in advance, she (or another driver in her network) might be able to bring a card machine to pay by card. Ask what the price would be in advance and allow 20-30+ minutes for pickup (so plan and request before you go!)

You can also ask your hotel or Airbnb host if they have any private driver or taxi driver recommendations and for their WhatsApps so you aren’t left in a pinch without a ride. However, if you happen to be on the beach road, there are plenty of taxis - this is more for when you are in other parts of Tulum.

ADO Bus:

The ADO Bus runs from the Tulum airport and Cancun, and up and down the peninsula. My friend and I took the bus to and from the airport for $10 USD each way (we paid by card at the airport and I used the mobile app/paid online in advance on the way back). From the ADO station in Centro, we took a 200 peso taxi to our Airbnb in Aldea Zama.

Bikes, e-bikes, scooters, renting a car:

If you are staying on the beach road and don’t plan to venture up to Centro or elsewhere, you don’t really need transportation and can utilize taxis or a driver when you need to get around.

If you are in Centro, Aldea Zama, or La Veleta, I highly recommend having transportation, especially if you want to get to and from the beach.

My friend and I rented e-bikes with Tulum E-Bikes which was so nice! I am really glad we got e-bikes instead of regular bikes as it made it a lot faster to get around. Regular bikes would have been fine, though, or moto scooters.

Renting a car is another option, but unless you are doing a bunch of day trips or you want to go up the coast and make a bunch of stops along the way, I don’t think you need to rent a car.

Getting to Tulum from Southern California: Tijuana Border Crossing Bridge CBX

Food in Tulum

Tulum is one of my favorite foodie spots in Mexico, after Mexico City! (Oaxaca also has amazing food, but it is a very different style of cuisine and I wouldn’t totally compare the two.)

In addition to food, Tulum is also one of my favorite spots for house music/electronic music. There are really good DJs all over Tulum.

Rosa Negra - modern Mexican cuisine (get the empanadas) and at 9pm they do a fun napkin thing - the DJs are always good/fun here. This is one of my favorite restaurants/bars in Tulum.

Casa Banana - Argentinian cuisine that I had been wanting to try for years and finally did this time around. I rarely order steak or heavier meats in general while eating out, but my friend and I split a steak with vegetables and it was amazing. One of the best meals I’ve had in Tulum, if not Mexico, if not literally anywhere.

Bak - Steakhouse - it’s funny that I am mentioning another steakhouse, as like I said, I rarely get steak or heavy meat, but I’ve been twice and both times the food was good and the DJs made it a really fun atmosphere.

Hotel Panamera - For a more chill beach club and rooftop on the south end of the beach road, they have great food and drinks. A friend and I stayed here for one night and loved the breakfast, beach club, and also the rooftop bar.

Azulik - I went to Azulik in 2020 and 2021, and I don’t remember the food much, though eating in a “bird’s nest” was a cool experience with a great view! The first time I visited, though, it was rainy season - the rain started right before we were about to sit in the nest, so we had to go to an indoor area, which just felt like a normal restaurant.

It’s hard to go wrong on the beach road, as so many places are delicious and high-quality. I’ve never had bad food on the beach road after all three visits.

For cafes with good iced coffee, in Aldea Zama, I loved Rossina! They have a location in Centro as well. In La Veleta, I liked Kaab.

Street Food: you’ll need to go to Centro to get traditional street tacos or other street food! The beach road has some kiosk-type stalls selling tacos, and I’ve heard great things, but it is far from the traditional local experience of street tacos. Simply walk around Centro and you will see plenty of street carts.

Beach Clubs/Nightlife in Tulum (Beach Road)

Beach clubs in Tulum can be really fun for day and night. The beach clubs will be open until around 7pm (sunset), when the beach club will close and then you will need to go to the restaurant/dining area for dinner or the bar for the nightlife vibe.

Around sunset, usually most people will go home to shower and change after being in the sun and water all day, then come back dressed up for the night out later on around 8pm or later. I recommend making reservations on OpenTable or with the restaurant/club directly, especially if you are with a group, because they will fill up (especially during high season).

A few fun beach clubs to consider:

Mia
Taboo
Bagatelle
Vagalume
Gitano

Beaches in Tulum

The turquoise Caribbean Sea is beautiful in Tulum! The water is warm and feels like bathwater. It isn’t a place for surfing (like the west coast/Pacific side of Mexico), though I did see one person attempting to surf!

The sargassum (seaweed) is pretty heavy, similar to Playa del Carmen, Cancun, and other beaches along the peninsula. On my recent trip, I noticed that there would be these tractor-type vehicles that would drive along to pick up the seaweed.

Seaweed is natural, and there isn’t really a way to get around it! Honestly, I didn’t mind it at all. I would simply step over the pile of seaweed to go into the water. There was some seaweed in the water close to the shore but it didn’t bother me in the slightest for swimming.

Don’t Forget: Travel Insurance

One thing you don’t want to forget to take care of when traveling is your travel insurance! I’ve used Safetywing for years, due to the ease of the signup process and also how it can act as a subscription - which is a game-changer for nomads who are traveling without a set end date)!

Safetywing helped me out in a pinch when I needed specific travel insurance during the pandemic to enter Chile (the other kind I had did not have enough coverage) and I’ve never looked back. I’ve even filed a claim with them and received funds when I had a 2-day delay in Abu Dhabi and they are helpful and quick to clarify claim questions too. Check out their rates and information here*.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I LOVE Tulum! I’m not sure if I would stay long-term as a digital nomad as the most recent time I went was during low season and I am not sure how many other nomads/expats live there. I really only met people who were there on vacation for a long weekend from the US or Canada.

Community is really important to me, so while I absolutely love Tulum, I would have to do some more research and test it out at different times of the year to see if I could really find a nomad community.

Also, while I really loved staying in Aldea Zama, not being within a walkable distance to the beach is a consideration. I enjoyed biking to the beach and taxis/drivers weren’t hard to find, but costs for going to the beach and the trendy beach road spots would have to factor into a long-term nomadic travel budget, even though the Airbnbs are extremely affordable (in my opinion)!

Have you been to Tulum or would you visit as a digital nomad?

*=Affiliate link - opinions are my own