Cancún CUN: 5 Hours, 20 Min to the City
Mercado 28 in 3 hours: tlayudas, artisan silver, locals rather than tourists. CUN is worth leaving the terminal.
Getting from the airport
CUN to city center: 20 minutes by taxi. Trains run every 5 minutes. Service runs 06:00 to 23:00. Skip the taxi unless your connection is under 5 hours.
What to do in Cancún
The stops worth making: Tulum ruins day trip, Cenote swimming, Isla Mujeres, El Rey archaeological zone. Rated above 4.4: Parque de las Palapas (4.4), Parque Ecológico Kabah (4.5), Catedral de Cancún (La Santa Cruz y de la Santísima Trinidad) (4.6), Kilometro 0 Park (4.6). You do not need the full tourist circuit. Pick two and commit.
Visa and entry
Cancún is visa-free for US passports. No application, no fee. The border process at CUN is standard — budget 30 minutes.
How long do you need
The minimum useful layover is 5 hours. That gives you 20 minutes in each direction plus about 170 minutes on the ground. Up to 24 hours is a proper overnight.