Exploring the Yucatan: Visiting Chichén Itzá with Kids

This is our second post on our series: Exploring the Yucatan. We couldn’t visit the Yucatan without visiting the archaeological site of Chichen Itza. So today, I'm going to give you some tips on visiting Chichén Itzá with your kids. 

Visiting Chichen Itza is one of the most entertaining things you can do on your Yucatan trip, and it’s a fun excursion for people of any age. The busiest times of the year for this site are December and January, because of the pleasant weather, but it is busy all year round. We visited in August, during what is considered the “low season” and were surprised by the crowds. 

Lines forming outside the ticket stalls before they open at 8:00AM

Chichen Itza is open every day between 8:00am – 5:00pm. We strongly suggest getting there as early as possible, as soon at the park opens at 8 AM. The lines were already forming to purchase tickets, and the parking lot was nearly three-quarters full by 8:30 AM.

We paid for parking our rental car inside the park, which cost $80 pesos ($4). There are also multiple private lots directly  across the street from the park, and along the freeway, but you will be forced to walk and those lots are less secure.

​I would only advise using them if the main parking lot inside the park is already full (note that many times the owners of these “private” parking lots will try to lie to you and tell you that there is already no parking; if you get to the park early enough, you should not have any trouble parking inside). 

​Basically, the #1 tip I can give you (whether you visit Chichén Itzá with kids or without them) is to get to the park as soon as it opens. There is cheap parking inside the park, but it fills up quick.  By noon, when we finally left, the whole park was a madhouse! There were literally dozens of tour buses lined up disgorging visitors. If you only take one tip away from this article, avoid the crush and get there early!

The price of the tickets  varies based on whether you are a foreign tourists or a Mexican national.

Residents of the Yucatan get the lowest price, and are the only ones who can enter the site for free on Sundays. We brought our Mexican residency cards and got a lower price than the foreigners. It’s a good idea to bring pesos, but the ticket stalls will currently accept U.S. dollars and credit cards. 

2022 General Admission Prices

• Adults (foreigners): $571 MXN
• Foreign Children (3-12): $85 MXN
• Mexican Citizens and Residents: $253 MXN (children under 12 are free if they have Mexican citizenship or Mexican residency)
• Locals (with a Yucatan ID): $85 MXN

Adult and Child tickets for Chichen Itza

​You can bring a bag/purse into the park. We brought in wet wipes as well as some other essentials, but all our bags were searched. I had brought my camera bag with my nice Canon digital SLR. They allowed me to keep my camera but they took away my flash and forced me to rent a locker to stow it. They will not let you bring in tripods, either, so be forewarned. 

​Once you get past the turnstiles, you will see a restaurant, lockers for rent, and bathrooms in the main entry area. There are also more tour guides in this area. 

One of the many tour guide kiosks outside the main ticket area.

You are not required to book a private tour or guide, although we recommend it. Like many historical sites,  there are plenty of guides milling around in order to guide tourists at the site. Several approached us, and we picked one who seemed friendly (thanks Carlos). We were glad we did. Having a guide made the whole experience more memorable.

​Official tour guides generally are inside the park and charge between 600 and 1,000 pesos (between $30 and $50 US dollars). Our guide charged us 800 pesos (about $40 USD at the current exchange rate) for a private tour that lasted 2 hours. 

​The main pyramid is called the Temple of Kukulkan (also known as “El Castillo” a name given by the Spanish). This temple is one of the tallest and examples of Maya architecture and is one of the “New 7 Wonders of the World” . All 4 sides of the pyramid have 91 steps plus the top platform (the final “step”) adds up to 365—the number of days in the year. 

The grounds around the temple are flat and very well maintained and easily accessible for people with disabilities (which isn't the case for many tourist attractions in Mexico). It really is breathtaking from every angle.

​People are not allowed to climb the pyramid steps (although we were allowed to do so at other, smaller archaeological sites, which we will cover in a later post). 

Seller stalls inside the park

​At night, there is a light show called “Noches de Kukulkan” which we heard was lovely, but we missed that attraction. 

There are many places to buy souvenirs, both inside and outside the park. The souvenirs vary a lot in price, but you can haggle. 

​We purchased some handmade embroidery and painted masks.

You can purchase a liter of  bottled water inside the park for about 40 pesos ($2), which we did, rather than carry a bottle inside with us. We also got popsicles for the kids about 90 minutes into the tour. It will be hot and humid, so be sure to keep everyone hydrated.

Top 7 Tips for Visiting Chichen Itza with Kids:

1. Get there early (8AM if possible) in order to avoid long lines and get a parking space inside the park (if you bring a car). 
2. Take comfortable clothes and wet wipes. You’re likely to encounter hot and sticky weather, but it’s a topical zone so there are also a lot of bugs. We all wore comfortable sandals and loose clothing.
3. Bring sunscreen and a hat, especially if you burn easily. You will likely be outside for the entire visit. 
4. Bring cash/pesos with you and be aware of the vendors, they can be aggressive. 
5. Bring water and snacks if you want to save some money, although if you forget, you can buy water and snacks inside the park. 
6. Avoid Sundays, holidays, and afternoons (if you can help it). The best time to go is during the week and early in the morning. 
7. And last, but not least, HAVE FUN