If you are spending any time in Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, chances are that visiting Chichen Itza is top of your list of must-see attractions. However, if you're travelling with a toddler or a young child, you might be wondering whether or not this is even a possible, let alone enjoyable, experience for you and your family. We certainly did when we were planning our two-week Mexican road trip with our then 18-month old daughter! Now that we've been there and done that, here are our top tips for visiting Chichen Itza with a toddler.
Background
Chichen Itza is a world-famous ancient Mayan city located in the Yucatán Peninsula. Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it was once a thriving center of culture, politics, and religion for the Maya civilization. The site is best known for its iconic pyramid, El Castillo (Temple of Kukulcán), which casts a serpent-like shadow during the equinox. As one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, it continues to draw millions of visitors for its rich history and architectural marvels.
Location
Chichen Itza is 224km away from Cancun's Hotel Zone (2hr 30min driving) and 185hm from Playa del Carmen (2hr 15min driving). The closest town is Pisté, which is just a 5 minute drive from the entrance to the ruins.
Whilst the majority of visitors will choose to visit Chichen Itza as a day trip, either on a large coach or self driving from one of the major resorts such as Cancun or Playa del Carmen, we would highly recommend staying in Pisté the night before if you are travelling with a toddler.
Pisté is a really small town which feels authentic and untouched by mass tourism, despite its proximity to Chichen Itza. There are a few small hotels on the main street, all of which had very good reviews. If you don't want to stay there, another convenient option is Valladolid, which is 45km away (40 min driving).
We stayed in Hotel Puerta Chichen for one night, which was very reasonably priced, offered an amazing breakfast and had a lovely swimming pool. (There's a more detailed review here). This allowed us to drive down the afternoon before we visited Chichen Itza, cool off in the pool, have an authentic Mayan dinner at Loncheria Fabiola in Pisté and then enjoy a leisurely breakfast before reaching the car park for opening time. Even better, after finishing up at Chichen Itza, we headed back to our room for showers, iced coffees and a toddler nap before checking out. Perfect travel day prep!
Arriving At Chichen Itza
If you are driving to Chichen Itza, be aware that lots of enterprising local people will try to flag down your vehicle and stop you before the official entrance. They will usually be wearing orange hi vis vests, lanyards and waving flags - they do look relatively official! It's unlikely that you will be seriously scammed or run into any danger if you do stop; the couple of times we did stop, we quickly realised we were being sold something we just didn't want. For example, a tour guide, parking that isn't right by the entrance or one time (strangely) some stickers! All you need to do is keep driving confidently all the way to the end of the road, when you will arrive at Chichen Itza's official car park and entrance (and it does look much more official than anything else you will have driven past).
We would recommend arriving as close to the opening time of 8am as possible. We arrived at 8:45am and got a good parking spot, before joining a short queue for tickets. There were a couple of small tour groups on site already, but it was very quiet especially compared to the crowds that descended around 10am.
Getting Around With A Toddler
There is a lot of walking involved at Chichen Itza! The total site is around 10 square km, although we didn't cover anywhere near that distance. Overall, Chichen Itza is pretty buggy-friendly. The majority of the site is flat with good paths or grass. There are some more rugged sections away from the main pyramid that would be difficult to navigate with a small pushchair, but wouldn't be impossible.
We did not take our pushchair as our 18-month old was confidently walking and we knew she would enjoy exploring. We didn't even take our Baby Biorn carrier, which was probably a mistake! We underestimated how much walking would be involved to see all of the key sites, and of course our toddler wasn't keen to walk where we directed her. Therefore, we had to carry her a lot, and everyone ended up hot and tired. We would thoroughly recommend that you pack a baby carrier or sling, if you aren't taking a pushchair.
Exploring Chichen Itza
So, how did we actually explore Chichen Itza with a toddler? The first thing you see on entering the site is the main pyramid, El Castillo. As we arrived early, we were able to get some excellent photos of the pyramid without lots of crowds in front. Wren loved running around the open grassy expanses, giving us ample time to appreciate all sides of the pyramid and some of the smaller ruins around the sides of the square.
As the temperature soared to 40C, Wren was pretty fed of exploring ruins in the beating sun, so we began to take advantage of the rest areas. There are shaded rest areas with wooden benches all around Chichen Itza, so us parents took turns playing with Wren in the cool, while the other explored the nearby sites. This was also the perfect opportunity for everyone to have a drink and snack!
By 9am, souvenir stalls lined every major pathway in Chichen Itza. We didn't buy anything because honestly we wanted to see all the ruins quickly and efficiently, before heading back for nap in our cool hotel room! However, there were some beautiful souvenirs and the colourful stalls acted as an excellent distraction for our toddler.
By 11:30am, Wren was very grouchy and, despite singing many rounds of her favourite songs and bribing her with snacks, we knew it was time to cut our losses and head back to the hotel. However, by that time, we had seen all of the principal sites of Chichen Itza and had enjoyed a mostly peaceful, smooth experience. Honestly, due to the heat and effort of carrying an 18-month old around, we were ready for a break too!
Overall, you can definitely visit Chichen Itza with a toddler or young child - and have a good time too! Make sure to wear comfy shoes, pack lots of water, be prepared for the heat, make use of the rest areas and be realistic about how long you can stay there. Exploring one of the Wonders of the World with your child is a memorable experience that you will look back on for many years to come!
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