Family vacations are a wonderful opportunity to make lifelong memories with your children and educate them on other cultures and areas of the world through unforgettable experiences, and Cancun is a great place to start! The list of fun things to do in Cancun with kids is endless!
Cancun was once renowned as spring-breakers paradise. It grew famous for its robust nightlife and party culture. Although Cancun still features numerous nightclubs and bars that are perfect for a fiesta, over recent years the city has become recognized and more popular for its paradisiacal beauty, incredibly rich Mayan history, and abundance of exploration and adventure. It has evolved into a world-class vacation destination for families, whom now flock to Cancun each year to have the vacation of a lifetime.
And it’s easy to see why! Cancun offers a range of unique activities and experiences that are suitable for all age groups. You can try paddle boarding, snorkeling, off-roading in the jungle, swimming with dolphins, or exploring an ancient cenote! Cancun has two impressive water parks, Sea Adventure and Ventura Park, as well as several museums, amusement parks and shopping villages such as La Isla. Nearby cities such as Playa del Carmen and Tulum are only a short drive along the coastline if you wanted to take a day trip and explore another area.
We’ve put together a collection of the best things to do in Cancun with kids to help guide you!
Take a stroll around El Parque De Las Palapas
Located in Downtown Cancun next to the city’s oldest Catholic church, El Parque De Las Palapas – “the Palapas Park”, offers one of the most cultural Mexican experiences and is the central hotspot for activity. The park features numerous bars, restaurants and street food stalls, serving delicious Mexican cuisine such as birria tacos, empanadas and huevos rancheros, which you can enjoy as the upbeat tunes from the live band echo through the palapas. Each day the park hosts an enchanting artisan market where you can purchase clothes, souvenirs, small treasures, and craft work.
Families often visit to park to let their children embrace authentic Mexican culture and play in the playground, paint or draw a picture, or drive small motorized cars. The park is open every day of the week and is particularly busier on Sundays.
Visit Playa Delfines
While there are miles of picturesque coastline with white sand and turquoise blue waters in Cancun, Playa Delfines offers an experience that’s unique and unmatched. Located a short distance from the Hotel Zone, Playa Delfines is particularly special because it’s an unspoiled area that doesn’t have any buildings, restaurants or any kind of structures built on it (except for well-maintained restrooms), which allows for truly serene and unrivaled views.
Parents especially love to take their children to Playa Delfines because the beach features a kid’s playground, which offers hours of fun and entertainment once the novelty of building sandcastles and swimming has worn off!
The beach is also known as ‘El Mirador’ (The Lookout) by virtue of its breathtaking views of the Caribbean ocean and incredible sights of Cancun. To compliment this, there is a wooden lookout area along with a collection of colorful letters spelling out “Cancun”. This offers the perfect opportunity for beautiful family vacation photos that can rejoiced upon for many years to come!
Kids´ Club at Villa del Palmar Cancun
For a family vacation that is as delightful and relaxing as possible, book a stay in the 2 Bedroom Ocean View Suite at Garza Blanca Resort & Spa Cancun. The resort is brand-new and it is already rated #1 of 251 Hotels in Cancun according to Tripadvisor. While the resort is open and almost complete, we will celebrate the Grand Opening in October 2021. Currently guests of Garza Blanca Cancun are able to access all the amenities and facilities at its neighboring sister resort, Villa del Palmar Cancun, the two resorts are connected via a convenient passageway.
The Kids´Club at Garza Blanca will open in October 2021. In the meantime, your little ones can have tons of fun at Villa del Palmar´s Kids´Club, which was created specifically with smaller guests in mind (welcomes children ages 4 – 10 years old). Your children will have a blast playing, creating, exploring, making friends and learning new skills that are sure to entertain them for hours on end! We have a modern, air-conditioned Kids´ Club room with fully equipped facilities and security cameras for reassurance.
Kids will have great fun handmaking keepsakes that they can take home with them, as well as exploring their inner artist. They can participate in child-friendly games such as Freeze Dance and charades. We also have a variety of child-appropriate video games for them to play on Samsung Tablets, Nintendo Switch and Xbox. Our professional team of qualified nannies make it their priority to care for your children, attend to every individual need and offer the best environment possible!
Our Kids´ Club allows the opportunity for you to spend some quality time alone with your loved one and explore the treasures of Cancun without disturbance, all while your little one (s) is taken care of and in the best hands!
Take a trip to Isla Mujeres
A trip to Isla Mujeres is the perfect family day out. Located a 15-minute ride via ferry or water taxi from the Hotel Zone in Cancun, Isla Mujeres is a beautiful quaint island that’s famous for its powdery white sand, glimmering blue waters and dreamy ocean views. The island offers a laidback ambiance with a soft Caribbean influence, and the coastline is patterned with bohemian-themed restaurants that serve ambrosial food and beverages under the swaying palm trees.
As well as being truly captivating, Isla Mujeres offers an abundance of activity for kids! You can rent a golf cart and circle the island, where you’ll discover ancient Mayan ruins, exotic wildlife and colorful murals. You can scuba dive to the underwater museum, soar overhead on an exhilarating zipline or release baby sea turtles into the ocean! The fun is endless!
Ship Ahoy Mates! Pirate Dinner Cruise aboard the Jolly Roger Galleon
Argghhh you ready? Taking a dinner cruise with your family onboard the Jolly Roger Galleon is a must while visiting Cancun and it’s fantastic fun for all ages! Revel in fun pirate games, hilarious entertainment, live music, a theatrical performance, and delicious food while sailing the high seas. The Jolly Roger is an exact replica of the famous Santa Maria ship that Christopher Columbus sailed on his first voyage to the Americas back in the 15th century. While the Jolly Roger is modeled on that ship, it is equipped with modern day facilities such as air conditioning in the dining room, the restrooms are elegantly decorated in pirate themes, and professional sound, lighting, and special effects accompany the swashbuckling pirate show.
Savor a delicious gourmet dinner and then head up to the deck where you’ll be met by the cursed Captain Black Jack! Brace yourself for an action-packed battle during the main show called “The Adventures of the Golden Fleece”. You can expect the clash of swords with showstopping acrobatics, live music, and dazzling special effects.
The Jolly Roger offers entertainment suitable for the whole family and you and your little ones will enjoy 3 ½ hours of full-on pirate shenanigans that will have you grinning from ear to ear.
The dinner cruise starts at 6:30 pm and departs from Playa Linda Pier in the Hotel Zone.
Be sure not to miss out on this truly captivating and breathtaking show that will leave the whole family feeling mesmerized!
Spend a day at Parque Xel-Ha
Xel-Ha is considered to be one of the most beautiful and greatest natural wonders in the world and offers one of the best cultural experiences in Rivera Maya. Xel-Ha is a paradisiacal and enchanting marine park that has strikingly clear waters that are surrounded by beautiful tropical flora and idyllic landscapes. The waters are famous for having a diverse species of exotic fish and marine biology, all of which you can discover firsthand by snorkeling and swimming. The park is also home to a number of ancient mystical cenotes, freshwater rivers and even a natural cove!
The all-inclusive family park offers the whole package for you and your family. It has numerous water activities, restaurants serving favorite Mexican dishes and hearty cuisine, ecological attractions, jungle exploration, and some of the most beautiful landscapes to admire!
Adventure at Ventura Park
Formerly Wet’ N Wild, Ventura Park is the most popular water and amusement park in Cancun and the place to go if you’re looking for some thrilling and fun activities to do Cancun with your kids!
The adventure park has something for everyone and features different ‘worlds’ known as, AahVentura, Grand Prix, Fun World, Wet’ N Wild, Underworld, Beach Oh Club, and Dolphinaris. Each world features different water slides, rides and games, ranging from the Bubble Space Bowl to a Bungee Swing to virtual reality!
Ventura park also features an area for small children, which has a playground, suitable rides and amusements. There are restaurant and stalls dotted around the park serving tasty food, as well as bars and eateries for adults.
A vacation to Cancun with kids will be one to remember. The city is so diverse, that you’re guaranteed to find something to do that every member of the family will enjoy.
