Playa San Miguel
- Next to the San Miguelito Mayan ruins
- Free public access
- No toilets, showers or vendors
- No built shade, bring your own
- Far fewer visitors than Delfines
- Moderate surf
- No lifeguard
Overview
Playa San Miguelito is the beach beside the Museo Maya de Cancún and the San Miguelito archaeological zone, at Km 16.5 of Boulevard Kukulcán. It is the only beach in Cancún next to a Mayan site, so a visit to the ruins and a swim fit easily into the same morning.
Access is free, as it is at every beach in Mexico, and the beach draws far fewer people than Playa Delfines, largely because there is nothing on the sand: no toilets, no showers, no loungers or umbrellas for rent and no lifeguard. Anyone spending the day needs to bring water, food and shade. The surf is moderate to strong, as on the rest of the open eastern side.
The museum holds one of the most significant collections of Maya archaeology in Mexico, and its ticket includes entry to the San Miguelito ruins, reached by a path from the museum. It opens Tuesday to Sunday from 9:00 to 18:00. The national heritage institute (INAH) lists the fee as 210 pesos for foreign visitors and 105 for Mexican nationals, with free entry on Sundays for Mexicans and residents.
Our current condition score for this beach is .
Our photographic record
Each photograph is published unedited and in date order, and is retained so the record builds rather than resets.
No photographs of this beach have been submitted yet. The grid below fills in as contributors send them.
Position relative to the Atlantic sargassum belt
This beach is on the long eastern arm of the Cancún sandbar, which faces the open Caribbean. The northern arm above Punta Cancún faces the sheltered Bahía de Mujeres, which is why Langosta and Caracol can be calm on a day when this stretch is not.
Sargassum can reach the eastern arm whenever the wind and current bring it in, and this beach shares that exposure with Delfines, Marlín and the other accesses along the southern boulevard.
The sargassum season
What reaches a beach on a given day depends on the wind and current of the days beforehand rather than on the month alone.
The regional pattern is covered in our guide to sargassum season in the Riviera Maya.
Choosing a hotel on this stretch
The beach lies among the large hotels of the southern boulevard. Anyone who wants a lounger, a beach bar and a staffed frontage will be better served by a resort on this stretch.
Anyone who wants calm, shallow water rather than surf should look at the northern arm around Langosta and Caracol.
Access and getting there
The access is off Boulevard Kukulcán beside the Museo Maya de Cancún, at Km 16.5; hotel-zone addresses are kilometre markers counting up from the city end of the sandbar. From the boulevard a narrow side lane, Calle San Miguelito, leads down to the beach. The path is sand, with no ramps, which makes it difficult for wheelchairs and for visitors with limited mobility.
The R-1, R-2 and R-27 buses stop in front of the museum, and for a taxi the museum is the simplest destination to give. The museum's own car park is free but small and often full by mid-morning.
Check live conditions before you go
This beach has no facilities and no staff, so a recent photograph is the honest guide to what you will find. Our live card for Playa San Miguel carries the current condition score and the most recent contributor photographs with their dates.
See live conditions, photos & cams →