Everyone who visits Playa del Carmen thinks of its beautiful and sunny beaches of the Mexican Caribbean. Nobody is thinking that it might rain, but if it happens, you have to be prepared.
That is why we have for you in this article an alternative plan of the 15 things to do in Playa del Carmen when it rains.
Let's learn not to get bored by the rain!
What to do on a rainy day in Playa del Carmen?
There are many alternatives. From visiting museums, going to the aquarium, watching movies and enjoying shopping malls, to cruising underground rivers and practicing entertainment in the rain.
Best things to do in Playa del Carmen when it rains
You will always have the Río Secreto to start your adventures in Playa del Carmen.
1. Get to know Rio Secreto
Río Secreto is an underground natural reserve near Playa del Carmen of approximately 600 meters in length, where you can swim and walk among rocky structures (columns, stalactites and stalagmites) formed by the deposition of minerals contained in the waters.
Río Secreto is an almost unique case in Quintana Roo and in the Yucatan Peninsula, because it is a semi-dry ecosystem and not totally flooded, like most other caves.
It is not only a tourist cave, but also a place studied by speleologists and other specialists who investigate its unique geological conditions and biodiversity.
When you are in Rio Secreto you will not mind that it is raining outside.
Learn more about this spectacular place here.
2. Take an adventure trip in Selvática
Selvática Park takes you on an exciting adventure sports trip that you will enjoy even in the rain.
In your package, “give me everything”, you can take a trip over the treetops in one of the fastest zip lines in the world and face the challenge of walking through a vertigo ropes course.
You can first go up one of the 10 regular zip lines and then face the 2 “monstrous” ones.
This package of wild outdoor fun also includes roller coasters, Polaris RZR and ATV tours, plus a stop for swimming and snorkeling in a beautiful, crystal clear open cenote.
Learn more about Selvática here.
Read our guide on the 10 best places to eat delicious and cheap in Playa del Carmen
3. Take a buggy tour through the jungle
Driving a buggy through the jungle trails is an entertaining experience that guarantees adrenaline and fun, among the things to do in Playa del Carmen when it rains.
With this tour you will feel like a modern Mayan explorer, getting to know mythical places and communities that have preserved many of the customs of that famous civilization.
These tours are organized by Joungle Tour Adventure. All you have to do is drive a 4WD with the protective equipment included, to undertake a 3-hour trip through the jungle that includes a snack stop, to swim and snorkel in a freshwater cenote.
You can admire the flora and fauna during the tour, while listening to the sounds of nature mixed with that of the internal combustion engine that transports you.
The people of Joungle Tour Adventure pick you up at your hotel in Playa del Carmen to go to their base camp in the jungle, where the adventure begins. Then it takes you back to your lodging.
4. Watch movies at the theater
Going to the movies is one of the best things to do in Playa del Carmen when it rains.
The most popular movie theaters in the city are Cinépolis Las Américas, in Plaza Las Américas and Cinemex, in Centro Maya.
Cinépolis always has drama, comedy, horror, romance, fantasy and children's films on its billboard, screened in rooms with comfortable seats with perfect air conditioning.
Cinemex Playa del Carmen, on the Federal Highway Cancun - Tulum 2100, shows excellent films and its offer includes Platinum and Premium services.
It also has an Alternative Space dedicated to NFL football games, which can be viewed in high definition with incredible details.
5. Visit Ambarte
Ambarte is a commercial establishment specialized in jewelry and Mexican popular art, at the Koox Caribbean Paradise Hotel, on the corner of Fifth Avenue and Constituyentes Avenue.
In jewelry they have leather and amber necklaces and bracelets and pendant earrings, also made of amber. There are also rings of kyanite and silver, of larimar (a rare mineralization that is only found in the Dominican Republic) and of Mexican fire opal.
The Ambarte collection includes Huichol pieces in yarn and beads, colorful and striking alebrijes, Olinalá boxes made by the best artisans in Guerrero and the famous trees of life made in Metepec and other places in central Mexico.
In Ambarte you will find accessories to enhance your appearance in an authentically Mexican way and that appropriate piece for a special gift.
6. Go shopping
The rain will not also be able to ruin a day of shopping on Fifth Avenue in Playa del Carmen, where you will have the variety of stores as if you were on Fifth Avenue in the "capital of the world", New York.
If you want to buy an embroidery or a hand-woven piece from San Cristóbal de las Casas, go to Textiles Mayas Rosalía.
Other establishments in the fifth where you can take refuge on a rainy day are Hamacamarte, a store with hammocks of all colors.
In the Sol Jaguar and Guelaguetza Gallery galleries, they offer beautiful artisan articles made of vegetable fibers, wood, stone, leather, clay and silver.
You can also do a tasting and visit the Tequila Museum at Hacienda Tequila and enjoy a delicious chocolate at Ah Cacao.
7. Get a good massage
Playa del Carmen has masseurs who will leave you feeling like new and perfectly toned, to start your activities once the rain has stopped.
On First Avenue with 26th Street is Veronica’s Massage Gold, a small spa with the best hands in Playa del Carmen for your physical well-being and spiritual balance, with its massages.
Inti Beach is a beach club that offers relaxation, tranquility and extraordinary massages in two environments, one in a palapa where the sound of the sea can be heard and the other on a wooden balcony in the shade of the trees where the song is heard. of the birds.
Bric Spa, on Tenth Avenue and Calle 28, makes its own natural products with herbs grown in its garden. They work with traditional techniques taken from Mayan medicine.
Other massage establishments in Playa del Carmen where you will receive an exquisite treatment are SPAzul, Best Massage, Alma Thai and Botica Spa.
8. Go out to eat
You can eat in the rich places of Playa del Carmen even with rain, great places to have breakfast, lunch and dinner, at reasonable prices.
La Cueva del Chango is a typical and beautiful establishment surrounded by lush nature, which offers delicious tropical breakfasts on Calle 38, between Fifth Avenue and the beach.
The Gran Taco on Calle 41 in front of Centro Maya has the tastiest Mexican tacos, especially the mole verde ones.
Chou Chou is an intimate and elegant café with a fine decoration, on Avenida 20 and Calle 24. Its 3 cheese tart is a delight.
El Jardín is a vibrant place where you can enjoy breakfast surrounded by greenery. Try the divorced eggs.
Other good places for breakfast in Playa del Carmen are Nativos, El Hongo, Chez Céline, La Ceiba de la 30, Cecina de Yecapixtla and La Senda.
9. Go have fun on Calle 12
In addition to going to the movies and shopping on a rainy day, you can also go have fun at the parties on Calle 12 and Quinta Avenida, the party heart of Playa del Carmen.
There are the best and busiest clubs and bars in the city, places for all tastes. One of the best known of the 12 is Coco Bongo Show & Disco, with a regular rate of 70 USD that includes express entry (without queuing) and unlimited domestic drinks between 10:30 am and 3 pm.
The “Gold Member” ticket includes express entry, reserved seats in a preferential area and unlimited Premium drinks, for 130 USD.
At Cirque du Soleil you can see a show of high creativity and quality while you dine, drink and share with friends.
Read our guide to the 12 best all-inclusive hotels in Playa del Carmen
10. Explore the 5th Hacienda Gallery
A visit to this art gallery on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 40th Street is one of the most pleasant things to do in Playa del Carmen when it rains, because it has the best collection of high quality Mexican crafts in the city.
In addition to being specialists, its owners provide exquisite attention in which they explain the origin of the pieces and their artisanal process of elaboration.
In 5ta Hacienda Galería you will find beautiful paintings and ornaments made with authentically Mexican materials.
It is an ideal place to find that decorative piece that is missing in a place in your house. If it is too heavy or bulky for your suitcase, 5ta Hacienda Galería manages the home delivery.
11. Tour the 3D Museum of Wonders
The 3D Museum of Wonders is a space for art and entertainment inaugurated in Plaza Pelícanos, in downtown Playa del Carmen, in 2016.
It is the first museum of its kind in the city with 60 works by the American artist, Kurt Wenner.
Wenner became internationally famous in 2010 for his 484m 3D artwork2, which supports a protest by the Greenpeace organization against genetically modified crops, which earned it a global brand.
3D art creates three-dimensional images that simulate real materials.
12. Visit The Beach Aquarium
The Beach Aquarium on Calle 12 Norte 148, Plaza Corazón, is home to more than 10,000 specimens of 200 different species of seas, rivers and other bodies of water.
It has 45 exhibits wisely organized for the visitor to take an entertaining and educational tour, promoting a conservationist attitude and the protection of flora and fauna.
At El Acuario de Playa you can see reptiles, fish, sharks, rays, jellyfish and aquatic flora, which live in beautifully recreated settings such as the ocean, the beach, cenotes and a terrarium.
The Yucatan Peninsula is one of the places in the world with the most cenotes. The aquarium has made an excellent representation of these deposits of fresh and transparent water, formerly sacred to the Mayans.
The regular price of the ticket and the ticket purchased via the Internet is 281 MXN and 242 MXN, respectively.
Learn more about El Acuario de Playa here.
13. Tour the Frida Kahlo Museum
Frida Kahlo has her museum on Fifth Avenue with Calle 8, 455. You will get to know the overwhelming personality of the great painter through her works and her dramatic life experiences. The visitor will delve into one of the most influential women in the Mexican imagination.
The museum has 3 spaces: Chronology, Accident and Fate and The Ship of Dreams. The first of them deals with historical moments in Mexico making a composition of time and place, of the events that shaped Frida's life.
Accident and Destiny refers to the atrocious event in 1925 that changed the artist's life. For its part, The Ship of Dreams goes into its fertile creative process after the unfortunate accident.
Each space of the museum has guides specialized in its particular theme. It is open every day from 9 am to 11 pm. You can buy entrance tickets at the museum ticket offices or online.
Learn more about the Frida Kahlo Museum here.
14. Sweeten yourself in the Chocolate House
One of the things to do in Playa del Carmen when it rains is to visit the Casa del Chocolate, a place where you will taste specialties made by its own owner, a Belgian master chocolatier.
It is a cozy place between Fifth Avenue and 10th Street with mousses, cakes, cakes, truffles, ice cream and other creations, to lick your fingers. It also serves waffles, sandwiches with fresh baguette bread, and other dishes for a delicious and convenient lunch.
15. Meet Riviera Art Gallery
Riviera Art Gallery is a gallery specialized in works of art by Mexican artists and from other parts of the world.
Its objective is to make art available to the public through original oil paintings, acrylic paintings and photographic and lithographic works.
Among the artists with works in the Riviera Art Gallery collection are Ricardo Campero, Gloria Riojas, Daniel Lewis, Yasiel Elizagaray, Iván Basso and Rogelio Colli.
They offer the modality of art gift cards that can be exchanged for a piece of the taste of the recipient of the gift. A practical and original way to give art without worrying about whether the gift will be to the liking of the person being gifted. Cards can only be exchanged for parts and are valid for 3 months.
Does it rain a lot in Playa del Carmen?
Not that much. In Mexico, an average of 2,285 mm of rain / m falls annually2, a figure that is reduced to 1,293 mm in Playa del Carmen, almost half of what it rains in the entire country.
Although Playa del Carmen does not have a dry climate like La Paz, Baja California Sur, where less than 200 mm a year falls, it is not at the extreme of many localities in the country where more than 4,000 mm of rain falls.
A particularity of Playa del Carmen and in general of the entire Riviera Maya, is that its rainy season is more uniform.
While in the Pacific, in the Bay of Banderas, there is a clearly defined rainy season between June and October (more intense in the July-September quarter), in Playa del Carmen it can rain occasionally in any month, with a lower probability between January. and April.
If during your stay in Playa del Carmen it starts to rain, don't be alarmed. Have an activity prepared to take advantage of the time like the ones that we will present below.
You already know what to do in Playa del Carmen when it rains. Now share this article with your friends so that they too know what to do on a rainy day in the charming city of the Riviera Maya.
See also:
Read here our guide on the 10 things to do in Playa Del Carmen at night
We leave you our guide on the 15 things to do in Playa del Carmen without money
Click for the 20 best things to do and see in Playa del Carmen
