December is the month Tulum looks like its photos: dry, bright, the sea clear and the sargassum gone. It is also the month the beach road charges accordingly. Here is the weather, the prices by week, and what Christmas and New Year actually look like.
Weather in December#
Dry, sunny, around 28°C by day. Nights are pleasant rather than hot, humidity is down, and the sea is usually at its calmest and clearest. Every so often a norte, a cold front from the north, brings a windy, cloudier day or two with rougher water and cooler evenings; bring one light layer. Hurricane season ended on November 30.
Seaweed in December#
Usually very little. Sargassum mostly arrives in spring and summer and follows the currents, not the calendar. December is typically one of the clearest months on this coast, which is a large part of why the prices do what they do. Check recent beach photos the week before you fly; the sargassum guide explains how it moves.
Prices: pick your week#
| Dates | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Dec 1 – about Dec 19 | Best value of the winter: perfect weather, high-season but ordinary prices |
| About Dec 20 – Jan 2 | Christmas and New Year: top rates, minimum stays on the beach road, everything booked |
| From about Jan 3 | Prices ease, weather stays excellent |
Town (Tulum pueblo) costs a fraction of the beach road in any week and is a ten-minute ride from the sand. Tulum in November is the month before, quieter and cheaper still.
Christmas on the beach road#
Hotels and beach clubs do Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinners, booked ahead, at full price. Town does the Mexican version: Nochebuena is a family dinner on the 24th, the 25th is quiet, and the taquerías reopen by evening. Cenotes and the ruins are open through the holidays; go at opening.
New Year's Eve#
Tulum's beach road runs some of the most expensive ticketed parties in Mexico in the last week of December, and the late-night scene is at its densest then. Dinner on the beach with fireworks at midnight is the version most people remember; town's bars are the cheap one. The one rule, which matters most in exactly this week: do not buy drugs. Is Tulum safe explains why that single decision separates the visitors who have a problem from those who do not.
What to do#
- Cenotes are at their best: Dos Ojos, Gran Cenote and the quieter ones south, early before the day trips.
- The ruins at opening, before the heat and the coaches.
- Sian Ka'an for a boat day; Akumal for turtles; Cobá by bike.
- Things to do in Tulum ranks them; if the price or the party puts you off, alternatives to Tulum names where the quiet went.
Cancún or Tulum in December?#
Same weather, different prices and crowds. Cancún's Hotel Zone is easier, cheaper per star at Christmas, and has the airport; Tulum has the look and the cenotes. Cancún in December and Cancún vs Tulum vs Playa del Carmen lay it out.
Honestly about Roavi in Tulum#
Roavi has no listed Local Friends in Tulum yet. For the questions that change by the week (which beach club, which cenote, where the norte left the sea calm), the Cancún board is where people who live on the coast answer: Ask Cancún community: Tulum in December, where would you eat on the 24th and watch the fireworks on the 31st without beach-road prices? →
Live on the Riviera Maya and speak English? Visitors are asking before anyone is listed: become a Local Friend in Cancún.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is December a good time to visit Tulum?
The best weather of the year: dry, sunny, around 28°C by day, the sea at its clearest and seaweed usually gone. The cost is price and crowds from about December 20 to January 2, the most expensive fortnight on the coast. Early December is the sweet spot.Is there seaweed in Tulum in December?
Usually very little. Sargassum mostly arrives in spring and summer and follows currents rather than a calendar, so check recent beach photos the week before you fly. December is typically one of the clearest months.What is New Year's Eve like in Tulum?
The beach road's clubs and hotels run ticketed parties, some of them the most expensive on the coast, and the week around it is when Tulum's late-night scene is at its densest. Town is quieter and cheaper, and a dinner on the beach with fireworks at midnight is the version most people remember. The one rule for the party version: do not buy drugs.What is the weather in Tulum in December?
Dry and sunny, days around 28°C, nights pleasant. Every so often a norte, a cold front, brings a windy, cloudier day or two with rougher sea and cooler evenings. Hurricane season ended November 30.Is Tulum expensive at Christmas?
Yes, the beach road at Christmas and New Year is among the most expensive places in Mexico: hotels at their top rate with minimum stays, restaurants at full price. Staying in town, or going before December 19 or after January 3, changes the bill more than anything else.