Pre-Hispanic City of Chichen-Itza, RíO Lagartos

This was our first trip to Chichen Itza and it was well worth it! We had bit enough of the same thing at the all inclusive resort and the outing at Chichen Itza was a pleasant change. It is truely a majestic Pre Columbian archaelogical site built by Mayan Civilization. The site contains many stone buildings like Temple of Warriors, El Castillo (Temple of Kukulkan), Great Ball court in various states of preservation. Wish we could climb the steps of the temple. We were told by the guide that it is allowed climb the the temple at nearby city Coba. Coba was not included in the tour package we had taken and we did not have an additional day to visit Coba. Swim at the nearby cenote was awesome! We found the souvenir prices at Chichen Itza bit more reasonable compared to our hotel and Playa Del Carmen. Possible to negotiate down upto 75% of the original price. We took the full day tour from Riviera Maya (included Chichen Itza, lunch, swim at nearby cenote and a visit to a city...I do not remember the name of the city, all entrance/parking fees and lunch). Paid $77/- for adult and $55/- for kids under 12. I am certain that lower prices can be found.

great photo ops great history wanted to climb pyramid closed due to woman from San Diago falling and dying so everything there is off limits bummer.. but worth the 3 hour drive.. 100s of venders selling there goods.. just say no terry from Detroit

I visited Tulim and no people inside site to constatnly sell things. It was much different at Chicheniza. I had to watch were I was walking and I kept hearing 10 pesos, one dollar every 30 seconds. This is an extremely large site and literally hundreds of sellers along all paths. What a bummer.

This was my first trip to Chichen Itza, and I would have to say that in spite of getting to experience one of the coolest historical sites I've ever seen, it was a real downer. We went on a tour from Playa Del Carmen that included the bus trip, a lunch stop (it's a 3 hour drive) and the Chichen Itza entrance fee. The lunch stop was a buffet at a small resort and was good, the bus ride was a bus ride so it wasn't fun but it got us there. Chichen Itza was more beautiful and amazing than I had expected it would be, and I had high expectations. So why the "poor" rating? Let me tell you: The entire site of Chichen Itza is INFESTED with people trying to sell you stuff. Not interesting stuff, but the same things that you see at any of the tourist trap shops, only now they are on card tables and scattered all over the entire site. There were literally hundreds of tables set up along every road in the site, dozens of people walking up and down every path, even people walking into the tour group carrying junk for sale. Don't get me wrong, I understand that in a depressed economy there are going to be people who are trying to make a buck by selling souvenirs. I'm quite familiar with the tourist gauntlet, and understand that it's just a fact of life when you go to an area like this, but whoever is running the site at Chichen Itza has just let it go too far. I couldn't listen to the tour guide without a poor child standing in front of me trying to get me to buy a scrap of cloth with a butterfly embroidered on it, or someone tapping me on the shoulder to show me the same wooden mask he had just watched me walk past hundreds of without showing interest. It would have been downright comical if I hadn't spent almost $200 for this tour! There are so many competing "shops" that nearly everything for sale at the site is "10 pesos, 1 dollar!" (Most stuff is the typical wooden mask, stone cat, garish sombrero variety, basic tourist junk). My wife and I heard that over and over, yelled, whispered, mumbled, you name it, constantly. I guess it's a good price if you want souvenirs, but who wants to carry around a bunch of souvenirs in blazing heat with no shade for hours on end? Not us. What I was hoping to get at Chichen Itza was a stunned sense of history, a contemplative look at the past, and maybe some time to just sit and look at the site. Unfortunately, all I remember about the entire experience of going to Chichen Itza is "10 pesos, 1 dollar!" It almost completely ruined my experience. Hopefully whoever makes decision about how the site is run will change things for the better, but I wouldn't bet on it. Right now, all of Chichen Itza is just a big tourist trap.

Chichen Itza is not like what you see on television. The local vendors selling souvenirs outnumber the tourists 2 to 1, and they hound you mercifully. Leave your money at home. Or learn how to say "No" and "Go away" in Spanish.

Chichen Itza is truly a majestic archaeological site and is best visit during the early morning to avoid the crowded day-trip tours. Our experience was full of wonderful moments. We loved the Maya rituals offered at Yaxkin Spa, was wonderful to be pamper after a full day of walking the Maya temples. Learning about the Maya Civilization, their impressive achievements and cultural heritage takes more than a few hours. We stayed at Hacienda Chichen, a lovely boutique hotel, we stayed this time five days. We recommend at least a two night stay if you really wish to experience all what this place has to offer.