The Cozumel ferry: thirty minutes, and three things to get right
The passenger ferry to Cozumel leaves from the pier at the end of Calle 1 in Playa del Carmen and takes thirty to forty-five minutes. It is a simple trip that goes wrong for three reasons: people turn up at the car ferry pier, which is in a different town; people buy from someone on the street rather than at the window; and people miss the last boat back, which is a problem with no solution except a hotel room.
The pier is in the middle of Playa del Carmen
The passenger terminal is at the foot of Calle 1, a block from Quinta Avenida (Fifth Avenue) and walkable from most of the center. Two companies run the crossing from the same pier, with similar schedules and similar prices, several departures an hour through the middle of the day and thinner at the ends.
The car ferry is a completely different service from Calica, several kilometers south of town, and there is almost no reason for a visitor to take it. An island eleven kilometers wide does not need your rental car.
Buy at the window
Both companies have ticket offices at the pier. Buying from someone who approaches you on Quinta Avenida or near the terminal is how people end up with a tour they did not want attached to a ferry ticket. Ask for a round trip if you are coming back the same day, and keep the return portion somewhere you will not lose it.
The crossing itself
Thirty to forty-five minutes across open channel. It can be genuinely rough — the boats are fast catamarans and they move. If anyone in the party gets seasick, sit low and towards the middle, outside on the deck if there is a seat, and take something beforehand rather than afterwards.
Luggage goes in racks at the front. Large cases are fine; the crew handles them.
The other side
The ferry lands in the middle of San Miguel, so you step off into the town: the malecón, the square and the restaurants are right there. Taxis wait at the pier and are metered by zone. Almost everything on Cozumel — the dive shops, the hire places, Chankanaab — is a short ride from that point.
If you are coming from Cancun rather than Playa del Carmen, allow the road journey in both directions plus the crossing, and work the whole day backwards from the last boat.
Keep planning
Cozumel · Playa del Carmen · Cozumel Ferry
Traveler questions
Where does the Cozumel ferry leave from?
How long does the crossing take?
Can I take a car to Cozumel?
Should I buy a round trip?
Is the crossing rough?
Sources
- Quintana Roo Tourism Board, Cozumelcaribemexicano.travel · checked 2026-09-25
