Cancún International Airport to Isla Mujeres
There's a two-part trip here: a ~25 km / 30-minute drive to the Puerto Juárez (Gran Puerto) ferry terminal, then the ~20-minute Ultramar crossing — the road options below cover the drive, and the ferry is a separate ticket.
Isla Mujeres, CancúnŠarūnas Burdulis from USA / Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 2.0Isla Mujeres is a slim Caribbean island off Cancún, all golf-cart lanes, the calm Playa Norte beach and a laid-back town — reached only by boat, with the fast Ultramar ferry crossing from the Puerto Juárez terminal on the mainland.
Every way to get there
Our verdict: for Isla Mujeres, a private transfer is the easiest door-to-door option (from €25). Travelling light on a budget? The bus is cheapest (from €9) but slower, with a change in the city.
What it costs for your group
The bus is charged per person, while a taxi or private transfer is one price for the whole car — so the more of you there are, the better door-to-door value looks.
| Group | Bus (per person) | Private transfer | Best value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo · 1 traveller | €9 | €25 | Bus |
| Couple · 2 travellers | €18 | €25 | Bus |
| Family of 4 · 4 travellers | €36 | €25 | Private transfer |
Which option should you choose?
| If your priority is… | Our pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest price | Bus | From €9, though slower with a change in the city. |
| Speed & comfort | Private transfer | Door-to-door, fixed price, a driver waiting for you. |
| A group of 3–4 | Transfer or taxi | One flat fare splits cheaper than several bus tickets. |
| A late-night arrival | Transfer or taxi | Both run 24/7 when buses and the tram have stopped. |
By transport mode
Private transfer
Certainty on a first arrival: the van drops you right at the Ultramar terminal doors — no working out which bus, no negotiating a kerb taxi with your bags. About €25-38 for the car; the ferry ticket is bought separately.
Where to catch it: Driver meets you in arrivals and drives you to the Puerto Juárez ferry dock.
Best for families, groups & late arrivalsTaxi
Roughly €30-42 to the Gran Puerto/Puerto Juárez dock. Make clear you want Puerto Juárez, not the Hotel Zone ferry pier — the crossing is cheaper and faster from Puerto Juárez.
Where to catch it: Fixed-fare ticket from the official taxi counter to Puerto Juárez.
Best for small groups in a hurryShuttle
About €9-14 per person to the terminal. The cheapest reliable way to the dock with luggage; from there you walk into the Ultramar building for tickets.
Where to catch it: Shuttle desk in arrivals; shared van to the Puerto Juárez area.
Best for budget travellersFerry
The sea leg every visitor makes: ~290 MXN (~€15) one way, ~580 MXN return, crossing in about 20 minutes. Frequent and comfortable — this is on top of whatever you paid to reach the dock.
Where to catch it: Buy at the Ultramar counter inside the Gran Puerto / Puerto Juárez terminal.
Best for scenic harbour crossingsIsla Mujeres & Cancún in photos
Buying tickets in Cancún
The cheapest reliable option is the ADO bus, which runs from Cancún airport to Playa del Carmen, downtown Cancún and beyond. Buy tickets at the official ADO counter inside the terminal or online in advance; a one-way fare is roughly US$6, payable in pesos or US dollars by cash or card. ADO coaches are comfortable, air-conditioned and depart on a fixed schedule from clearly signed stands just outside arrivals. Keep your printed or mobile ticket ready to board.
Taxi scams & safety in Cancún
Uber is technically legal but unreliable at CUN, with few cars — especially late at night — so don't count on it. The arrivals hall is lined with booths offering "free" rides or VIP help; these are timeshare sales pitches, polite but persistent. Walk straight past them to the official ADO counter, the marked authorised taxi desk, or your pre-booked driver. Only use official pre-paid taxis, agree and prepay the fare at the desk, and never accept a "free transfer" tied to a resort presentation.
Getting from CUN to Isla Mujeres
Getting from Cancún Airport to Isla Mujeres is really two trips stitched together, and it helps to picture them separately before you book anything. First there's a road leg: about 25 km, roughly 30 minutes, from the terminal up to the Puerto Juárez ferry dock (signed as Gran Puerto) on the northern edge of Cancún. Then there's the sea leg: a 20-minute Ultramar crossing to the island itself. No road reaches Isla Mujeres, so every visitor makes that same boat trip. The choices you actually decide between are all about how you cover the drive to the dock — the ferry ticket is fixed and bought separately once you arrive.
Covering the drive to Puerto Juárez
Three sensible ways get you from arrivals to the Gran Puerto terminal, and they trade money against effort in a fairly clean way.
- Private transfer — because this route ends at a boat you have to catch, having a driver take you straight to the Ultramar doors removes the one part first-timers get wrong: finding the right dock. A pre-booked van meets your flight and runs you to Puerto Juárez in about 30 minutes, around €25–38 for the vehicle whether you're one person or four.
- Official airport taxi — a fixed-fare ticket from the counter, somewhere near €30–42 to the dock. Say clearly that you want Puerto Juárez, not the Hotel Zone pier further south; the crossing from Puerto Juárez is cheaper and quicker, and drivers sometimes default to the pricier pier.
- Shared shuttle van — the budget route, about €9–14 per person, booked at the shuttle desk in arrivals. It leaves once the van fills and takes closer to 50 minutes with the extra stops, dropping you near the terminal to walk in for ferry tickets.
If you're travelling as a pair or a group, the private van often works out level with three shuttle seats while getting you to the boat sooner — worth doing the quick sum at the desk.
The Ultramar crossing itself
Once you're at Puerto Juárez, the ferry part is refreshingly simple. Ultramar runs the enclosed, air-conditioned catamarans and you buy at their counter inside the Gran Puerto terminal — no need to reserve ahead. Expect around 290 MXN (about €15) one way, or roughly 580 MXN for a return, which is the option most people take since you'll come back the same way. The boats leave about every 30 minutes from early morning, around 05:30, until about 21:00, then drop to hourly through to the last sailing near 23:30. The crossing takes about 20 minutes. This fare sits on top of whatever you paid to reach the dock, so budget for both legs rather than assuming one number covers the door-to-island journey.
Because departures are frequent, there's rarely much waiting. Aim to be inside the terminal 15 minutes or so before a sailing, buy your ticket, and join the boarding line — the staff funnel everyone through clearly and it's a short, calm ride across.
What to do with your bags on a two-part trip
This is the question that trips people up, so here's the plain version. Whoever brings you to Puerto Juárez — driver, taxi, or shuttle — drops you and your luggage outside the terminal building; none of them continue onto the island. You then wheel your own bags into the Ultramar hall, through ticketing, and onto the boat. There's no separate baggage check and no fee for normal suitcases; you keep them with you, either at the front rack of the catamaran or beside your seat. Pack so you can manage a short walk from the drop-off to the counter to the gangway, because that stretch you do on your own two feet. Nothing about it is difficult, but it's the moment the hand-off happens, and knowing it's coming makes the whole thing feel routine.
Arriving on Isla Mujeres
Step off at the island's main dock and you're already in the town — the ferry lands you a couple of minutes' walk from the central streets. The thing to know: there are no ordinary cars-for-hire waiting. Taxis on Isla Mujeres are largely golf carts, and many visitors rent their own cart for a day or two to reach Playa Norte, Punta Sur and the far end of the island, since the whole place is small enough to cross in under 20 minutes. If your hotel is in the town itself, you may not need wheels at all — a short stroll from the dock and you're there. For anywhere further out, grab a cart taxi at the pier or arrange a rental once you're settled.
So the full chain reads like this: van, taxi, or shuttle to Puerto Juárez, walk into the Ultramar terminal, 20-minute ferry to the island, then a golf cart or a short walk to your door. Book the road leg that matches your group size and budget, keep enough pesos or a card for the ferry counter, and the rest falls into place.
