At the ruins, Tikal sits in the middle: a foreign adult pays Q150 (about US$19.64), against MXN 697 (about US$37.47) at Chichén Itzá and MXN 210 (about US$11.29) at Oaxaca’s Monte Albán. On safety, the US and UK advice points different ways at different scales: the US rates Mexico Level 2 and Guatemala Level 3 nationally, while the UK’s state-by-state list of Mexican no-go areas leaves out Yucatán, Quintana Roo and Oaxaca altogether. Fees come from Guatemala’s Ministry of Culture and Mexico’s INAH; advice from the US State Department and the UK FCDO, all read on 4 November 2026.

TL;DR: For Maya sites on a budget, Tikal’s Q150 gate fee is about half of Chichén Itzá’s MXN 697. For a lower US advisory level, Mexico is Level 2 against Guatemala’s Level 3. For Zapotec rather than Maya ruins, INAH’s MXN 210 at Oaxaca’s Monte Albán is the lowest of the three gate fees. To do both countries, fly Flores-Mérida with TAG or go overland through Belize; the route pages are linked below.

Quick summary

GuatemalaYucatán (and Quintana Roo)Oaxaca
Flagship siteTikalChichén ItzáMonte Albán
Foreign adult feeQ150 (+Q100 sunrise or sunset tour)MXN 697 (MXN 105 INAH + MXN 592 Yucatán state)MXN 210
In US$ / C$ / £19.64 / 27.47 / 15.3137.47 / 52.39 / 29.1911.29 / 15.79 / 8.80
Hours06:00-18:00 daily08:00-17:00 daily, last entry 16:008:00-17:00 daily, last entry 16:00
US levelLevel 3, Reconsider TravelLevel 2, Exercise Increased Caution (Mexico, nationwide)Level 2 (Mexico, nationwide)
UK against-all-but-essential areasWithin 5 km of the Mexican border up to Gracias a Dios; three Huehuetenango townsNone listed in Yucatán or Quintana RooNone listed in Oaxaca
Storm or rain season (UK FCDO)Rainy season May to NovemberHurricane season June to NovemberHurricane season June to November
Visa-free stay, UK passportUp to 90 days, shared with El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua (Honduras visa-free for Britons since 31 October 2026, per the FCDO)The number of days stamped in your passportSame as Yucatán

Conversions at Banguat’s cross rates for 3 November 2026. Hours and fees: Ministry of Culture and Sports (Tikal); INAH zone pages (Chichén Itzá, Monte Albán).

The ruins: what each gate charges

TikalChichén ItzáMonte Albán
Who sets the feeMinistry of Culture and Sports, GuatemalaINAH (federal) plus the Yucatán state governmentINAH
Foreign adultQ150MXN 105 + MXN 592 = MXN 697MXN 210
Residents and nationalsSeparate national sheet for Guatemalan citizensMXN 105 + MXN 205 for Mexican nationalsMXN 105 for nationals and foreigners resident in Mexico
Nearest cityFlores, 63 kmMérida (see our comparison page)Oaxaca de Juárez, 8 km

INAH’s Chichén Itzá page says the Yucatán state fee is bought at the site’s own ticket office, and that INAH’s fees do not include charges added by third parties such as state governments. The Tikal ticket sheet, payment rules and the Chichén Itzá state fee in full are on our Tikal vs Chichén Itzá fee comparison; this page does not repeat that table. Monte Albán is a different culture altogether: INAH describes it as the Zapotec capital from the early centuries AD until about 800 AD, founded around 500 BC in Oaxaca’s Central Valleys.

Safety: national levels against state-level advice

United States. Mexico is Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution, for terrorism, crime and kidnapping; Guatemala is Level 3, Reconsider Travel, for crime and terrorism. The Mexico advisory warns that conditions differ sharply between states, and even inside one, and asks US citizens to follow the same restrictions as US government employees, who are barred from intercity travel after dark and must use dispatched taxis from regulated stands or app services such as Uber or Cabify rather than hailing cabs in the street. The advisory points readers to maps of restricted areas on the State Department’s Mexico advisory page.

United Kingdom (Mexico advice updated 20 October 2026):

  • Yucatán and Quintana Roo: no areas on the FCDO’s against-all-but-essential list. The FCDO reports clashes between rival gangs in and around Cancún’s tourist areas, says the gangs have not gone after tourists, though several shootings since 2021 have hit them, and tells visitors to take great care in the downtown areas of Cancún, Tulum and Playa del Carmen after dark. It also reports taxi-driver protests against Uber blocking roads near Cancún’s hotels.
  • Oaxaca: no areas on the list. The FCDO reports protests that have cut road access to Oaxaca airport and advises allowing extra time, and says tremors happen regularly, particularly in Oaxaca and Guerrero.
  • Chiapas, on Mexico’s side of the Guatemalan border: against all but essential travel within 40 km of that border, from the Pacific coast as far as the Gracias a Dios crossing (included), and on Federal Highway 199 between Rancho Nuevo (on the edge of San Cristóbal de las Casas) and the junction at Chancalá near Palenque.
  • Guatemala (advice updated 13 August 2026): against all but essential travel within 5 km of the Mexican border up to the same Gracias a Dios crossing, and to Santa Ana Huista, San Antonio Huista and La Democracia in Huehuetenango.

The two Chiapas warnings matter for anyone planning to cross overland from Guatemala into Chiapas. National homicide figures for Guatemala and Mexico sit on our Guatemala vs Costa Rica vs Mexico page.

Seasons

The UK FCDO gives Guatemala’s rainy season as May to November, the same months as the Caribbean hurricane season, with frequent flooding and landslides. For Mexico it gives the hurricane season as June to November on both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts. In both countries, then, December to April falls outside the wet and storm months the FCDO names. Guatemala’s month-by-month rain shares are on our best time to visit Guatemala page.

Entry rules

RuleGuatemalaMexico
UK passport, visaNot needed for up to 90 daysNot needed as a tourist
How long90 days, one clock with El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua; the FCDO says British citizens can visit Honduras without a visa since 31 October 2026The number of days the officer stamps in your passport
Passport validitySee the FCDO’s Guatemala pageAt least 180 days of validity, as the Mexican Embassy in the UK advises, since that is the longest tourist stay (FCDO)
By landMake sure you are stamped; the FCDO warns of a fine and delays on departure otherwiseBritish nationals complete an immigration form online before a land entry (FCDO)
LeavingUS$30 air departure tax, which the FCDO says is normally in the ticketYou must show the passport with your entry stamp; replacing a lost stamp costs about 700 pesos (FCDO)
Local taxNo regional tax in the FCDO’s Guatemala adviceQuintana Roo (Cancún, Tulum) charges an entry tax, payable online; the FCDO says proof of payment is checked at the airport on departure
Canadian passportTourist visa not required for up to 90 days (Canada)See Canada’s Mexico advice

Mexico’s visitor fee for land arrivals, and when it applies, is set out with the law behind it on our Mexico, Guatemala and Belize itinerary. US passport holders should read the State Department’s entry pages for each country.

Getting between Guatemala and the Yucatán

Our transport pages carry the operators’ own fares and times:

This site has no sourced route page between Guatemala and Oaxaca, so this page gives no fare or time for that pairing.

Choosing

  • Maya sites on the smallest gate budget: Tikal, at Q150, against MXN 697 at Chichén Itzá.
  • Lower US advisory level: Mexico, Level 2, against Guatemala’s Level 3.
  • Caribbean resorts plus ruins: Cancún and Tulum in Quintana Roo, with Chichén Itzá inland; read the FCDO’s warnings for those towns first.
  • Oaxaca plus the cheapest of the three gates: Monte Albán (MXN 210), 8 km from the city, noting the FCDO’s airport-protest and earthquake notes.
  • Both: the Mexico, Guatemala and Belize itinerary has two- and three-week loops.

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Guatemala or the Yucatán cheaper for Maya ruins?

At the gate, Tikal costs less for a foreign adult: Q150 (about US$19.64) according to Guatemala’s Ministry of Culture, against MXN 697 (about US$37.47) at Chichén Itzá, made up of INAH’s MXN 105 federal fee and the Yucatán state’s MXN 592 fee for foreign visitors. Tikal’s sunrise or sunset tour adds Q100. Conversions use Banguat’s cross rates for 3 November 2026.

Is the Yucatán or Oaxaca safer than Guatemala?

The US State Department rates Mexico as a whole Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution, and Guatemala Level 3, Reconsider Travel, and says conditions in Mexico differ widely between states (as read 4 November 2026). The UK FCDO’s list of areas it advises against all but essential travel to names areas in 11 Mexican states; Yucatán, Quintana Roo and Oaxaca are not among them. The FCDO still tells visitors to take great care in the downtown areas of Cancún, Tulum and Playa del Carmen after dark.

How much does Monte Albán cost to visit?

INAH lists Monte Albán at MXN 210, or MXN 105 for Mexican nationals and foreigners resident in Mexico. It opens Monday to Sunday from 8:00 to 17:00, with last entry at 16:00, and lies 8 km west of the city of Oaxaca de Juárez (INAH zone page, read 4 November 2026). MXN 210 is about US$11.29, C$15.79 or £8.80.

Do I need a visa for Mexico or Guatemala?

Not as a British tourist, according to the UK FCDO. Mexico stamps the number of days you may stay in your passport, and you must show that stamp to leave; British nationals arriving overland have to complete an immigration form online first. Guatemala allows up to 90 days, one allowance shared with El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras, the fourth CA-4 country, which the FCDO says British citizens can visit without a visa since 31 October 2026. US and Canadian travellers should check their own government’s pages.

Can I combine Guatemala with the Yucatán in one trip?

Yes. TAG Airlines restarted Flores-Mérida flights on 3 November 2026, three a week until 30 January 2027, Volaris flies Guatemala City-Cancún, and a daily shuttle runs from Flores to Chetumal through Belize, as set out on this site’s route pages. Our Mexico, Guatemala and Belize itinerary strings them into two- and three-week loops.