A 20-minute boat ride from Cancún lies the small island of Isla Mujeres with its laid-back Caribbean ambiance, tiny streets lined with stalls, and street cafés in pastel-colored houses. Golf carts and mopeds dominate the streets, and although the island is only 5 miles long and half a mile wide, it still offers plenty of things to do and see. Everything from a beautiful palm-fringed white beach on the north coast to a dramatic rocky shoreline on the eastern side to a sea turtle sanctuary and the remains of a Mayan temple at the southern tip. If you're into adventure, then you should visit the Garrafon Reef Park & Beach Club, where you can go zip-lining, snorkeling, and kayaking. Lastly, a must-visit for nature and wildlife lovers is a tour to Isla Contoy, a nature reserve only inhabited by a few biologists and restricted to 200 visitors per day.

During the hot summer months, this park is a popular place to relax in the shades of the trees. Students, locals and tourists come here for a picnic, a stroll, to let their children play at the playground and even to discover some ancient sights. The construction of the citadel began in 1440 during the first period of Florentine rule. In the 1930s, the area became a public garden and was used for performances, concerts and as an open-air cinema in summer.

What better way to enjoy water sports than in the warm, crystal-clear turquoise waters of Cancún? Whether you choose to go swimming, sailing, kayaking, windsurfing, kite sailing, jet-skiing, parasailing, diving, or snorkeling along the second-largest reef in the world, you'll not be disappointed. Maybe you prefer to stay on the surface and experience the thrill of deep-sea fishing or just relax on a sunset cruise — there is literally no water sport imaginable that you won’t find here. Aspiring and advanced divers should not miss a dive in the famous diving paradise of Cozumel. Another must is the popular jungle tour through the nature reserve of the Nichupte Lagoon where you can be a captain of your own boat.