If you are choosing between Tikal and Chichén Itzá, the practical differences are in the fine print: which currency you pay in, who counts as local, what time the gate stops letting people in, and whether your card works at the entrance. This page puts the official numbers for both sites side by side. For what the two places feel like on the ground, and how Tikal compares with the other Maya sites in Guatemala, see our Mayan ruins in Guatemala guide.
Every figure below comes from the official pages, checked on 29 September 2026: the Ministry of Culture and Sports (MCD) ticket portal for Tikal, and for Chichén Itzá the zone page of INAH (Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, a Mexican federal body), INAH’s visitor-information page, and the Yucatán state’s Patronato CULTUR page. Sources are listed at the end.
Quick summary (checked 29 September 2026): Tikal costs Q150 for a foreign adult and Q25 for a Guatemalan citizen with a valid DPI and CUI; sunrise or sunset entry is +Q100 (foreigners) or +Q20 (Guatemalan citizens), and children under 10 enter free. The park is open 06:00-18:00, tickets are bought online (card, +2.30% on international cards) or in cash at BANTRAB, and no ticket includes a guide. Chichén Itzá costs MXN 697 for a foreign visitor (MXN 105 federal + MXN 592 Yucatán state) and MXN 310 for Mexicans; it is open 08:00-16:00, with the last entry at 15:00 or 16:00 depending on which official page you read. Prices are in quetzales and Mexican pesos respectively; this page does not convert them.
Side by side
| Tikal (Guatemala) | Chichén Itzá (Mexico) | |
|---|---|---|
| Foreign adult | Q150 park entry | MXN 697 total (MXN 105 INAH + MXN 592 Yucatán state) |
| Local rate | Q25 for Guatemalan citizens with valid DPI and CUI | MXN 310 for Mexican nationals (MXN 105 + MXN 205) |
| Foreign residents | No separate resident rate listed | MXN 105 (CULTUR lists an entry price for foreign residents) |
| Children | Free under 10, any nationality | Free under 13 per INAH’s visitor page only; not repeated on INAH’s zone page or CULTUR’s page, so confirm |
| Older adults | No discounts or exemptions, per the portal’s FAQ | Free per INAH’s visitor page only; not repeated on INAH’s zone page or CULTUR’s page, so confirm |
| Opening hours | Monday to Sunday, 06:00-18:00 | Monday to Sunday, 08:00-16:00 |
| Last entry | Not stated on the portal | 15:00 (INAH visitor page) or 16:00 (CULTUR page) |
| Early or late entry | Sunrise 04:00-06:00 and sunset 18:00-20:00, as paid add-ons | Light-and-sound show, Wednesday to Sunday at 19:00 (price not stated) |
| Where you buy | Online portal, or cash at a BANTRAB bank counter | State fee is bought at the ticket office at the site |
| Card payment | Online only, +2.30% on international cards | Not stated on the pages we checked |
| Guide included | No | Not stated on the pages we checked |
| Nearest city | Flores, 63 km (about 1 hour) | Mérida, 115 km |
What you pay at Tikal
The MCD ticket portal lists two price sheets, one for foreigners and one for nationals. All prices are in quetzales and apply per person.
| Ticket | Foreigners (passport) | Guatemalan citizens (DPI + CUI) |
|---|---|---|
| Park entry | Q150 | Q25 |
| Sunrise ticket | Q100 | Q20 |
| Sunset ticket | Q100 | Q20 |
| Museum entry | Q30 | Q5 |
| Uaxactún entry | Q50 | Q5 |
| Camping area | Q50 | Q10 |
A foreign adult who wants the sunrise window therefore pays Q150 + Q100 = Q250. The sunrise, sunset, camping, museum and Uaxactún tickets are all add-ons: the portal says the park entry ticket has to be bought first for each of them. The same portal says the prices are set by law and cannot be modified.
Who counts as national. The national price sheet is for Guatemalan citizens who hold a valid DPI (the national ID card) and CUI (Código Único de Identificación). The foreigner sheet is for foreign citizens with a passport, and the FAQ says a foreigner presenting a national ticket will not be admitted. The portal lists no separate price for foreign residents of Guatemala. A Guatemalan living abroad who keeps a valid DPI falls under the citizen sheet; the practical side of that, and the rest of the park rules, are on our Tikal access page.
Children and older adults. The FAQ is explicit: “La única exención de pago es: Niños menores de 10 años, sin importar su nacionalidad” (the only exemption is children under 10, whatever their nationality). It also says there are no promotions, discounts or exemptions for older adults.
No guide in the price. The portal states “Los tours de amanecer y atardecer NO incluyen el servicio de guía” (the sunrise and sunset tours do not include a guide). Both the foreigners’ and the nationals’ price pages add that you must hire an authorized guide yourself for these tours. For what a guided sunrise tour from Flores involves and costs, see our Tikal sunrise tour guide.
How long a ticket lasts. The FAQ says tickets can be used up to 30 days after the purchase date, and each ticket is valid only for the day on which it is presented and validated.
What you pay at Chichén Itzá
Chichén Itzá charges two separate fees, collected by two different levels of government. All prices are in Mexican pesos; the official pages print them with a $ sign.
| Fee | Foreign visitors | Mexican nationals | Who charges it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal entry (INAH) | MXN 105 | MXN 105 | INAH (Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia), a Mexican federal body |
| State fee | MXN 592 | MXN 205 | Yucatán state government, through its tax agency AAFY |
| Total | MXN 697 | MXN 310 | The Yucatán state’s CULTUR page lists these totals |
INAH’s zone page gives the federal fee as MXN 105 and notes “Estas cuotas no incluyen cobros adicionales aplicados por terceros” (these fees do not include additional charges applied by third parties). It then lists the state fee separately and says “Este boleto se compra en la taquilla de la zona arqueológica” (this ticket is bought at the site’s ticket office). CULTUR’s page lists the combined prices, MXN 697 for foreigners and MXN 310 for Mexicans, which match INAH’s two fees added together. CULTUR also lists MXN 105 for foreign residents.
Older figures you may still see. INAH’s separate visitor-information page, and some press coverage from early 2026, still carry lower amounts for the state fee. That visitor page also lists free entry for children under 13, students and teachers, older adults and Yucatán state residents; the current zone page and CULTUR’s page do not repeat those exemptions, so ask at the ticket office whether they still apply and whether they cover the state fee. Those were superseded: the state fee on INAH’s current zone page and CULTUR’s combined totals agree with each other, and those are the numbers in the table above.
Parking. CULTUR lists parking at MXN 124 for vehicles and vans (9 people), MXN 150 for a Sprinter (minimum 9 passengers) and MXN 200 for a minibus or bus.
Hours and last entry
| Tikal | Chichén Itzá | |
|---|---|---|
| Opening hours | 06:00-18:00, Monday to Sunday | 08:00-16:00, Monday to Sunday |
| Last entry | Not stated on the ticket portal | 15:00 per INAH’s visitor page; 16:00 per CULTUR |
| Before or after hours | Sunrise entry 04:00-06:00; sunset entry 18:00-20:00 (add-on tickets) | Light-and-sound show, Wednesday to Sunday at 19:00 |
| Other notes | Ticket valid only on the day it is validated | INAH’s visitor page lists preferential attention for agencies from 11:00 to 14:00 |
The two Mexican official sources disagree on Chichén Itzá’s last entry: INAH’s visitor-information page says last access is at 15:00, while CULTUR says 16:00, the same time as closing. If you are arriving late in the afternoon, plan around 15:00 and confirm at the site.
How you pay
Tikal. You can buy online on the MCD portal (the portal adds a 2.30% surcharge on each ticket paid with an international card) or in person. The FAQ names two in-person points: the BANTRAB bank agency at the first entrance to Tikal National Park, and any BANTRAB agency in the country. It also says “Las compras presenciales se realizan únicamente en efectivo” (in-person purchases are cash only). So the card option is online, and at the park counter you need quetzales in cash.
Chichén Itzá. The state fee is bought at the ticket office at the site, according to INAH’s zone page. The pages we checked on 29 September 2026 do not say which payment methods the ticket office accepts, so this page does not say either.
Getting there
| Tikal | Chichén Itzá | |
|---|---|---|
| Nearest base | Flores, Petén: 63 km, about 1 hour | Mérida, Yucatán: 115 km, via federal highway 180 toward Pisté |
| From the capital | Guatemala City: 484 km, about 9 hours | Not covered on the pages we checked |
| Address or road | Inside Tikal National Park, Petén | Km 120 of federal highway 180 (Mérida-Cancún), Pisté, Tinum, Yucatán |
The distances come from the Tikal ticket portal and from INAH. None of the official pages we checked gives a distance or drive time from Cancún, so this page does not give one. For the road from Guatemala City to Tikal, fuel stops and where to break the drive, see driving to Tikal.
Currency: why this page does not convert
Tikal prices are in quetzales and Chichén Itzá prices are in Mexican pesos, and a conversion is only as good as the date of the exchange rate behind it. Rather than print a figure that goes stale, use today’s rates on our exchange rates page and our Mexican peso to quetzal page.
What this page does not cover
Neither the Tikal ticket portal nor the three Chichén Itzá pages we checked set out which structures visitors may climb, so this page does not either. The Tikal access page covers the park’s own rules and the drone and filming permits.
Related
- Mayan ruins in Guatemala: Tikal next to El Mirador, Yaxhá, Quiriguá and the other Guatemalan sites
- Tikal National Park access: the full ticket list, park rules and permits
- Tikal sunrise tour: what the guided sunrise tour from Flores involves
- Driving to Tikal: the road from Guatemala City to Petén
Sources
| Page | Publisher | URL | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boletos MCD: ticket purchase for Tikal | Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes (Guatemala) | https://boletos.culturaguate.com/ | 2026-09-29 |
| Tikal tickets for foreigners | Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes (Guatemala) | https://boletos.culturaguate.com/boletos-extranjeros/ | 2026-09-29 |
| Tikal tickets for nationals | Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes (Guatemala) | https://boletos.culturaguate.com/boletos-nacionales/ | 2026-09-29 |
| Tikal ticket FAQ | Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes (Guatemala) | https://boletos.culturaguate.gob.gt/preguntas-frecuentes-2/ | 2026-09-29 |
| Zona arqueológica de Chichén Itzá | INAH (Mexico) | https://inah.gob.mx/zonas/146-zona-arqueologica-de-chichen-itza | 2026-09-29 |
| Chichén Itzá visitor information | INAH (Mexico) | https://lugares.inah.gob.mx/es/node/5663 | 2026-09-29 |
| Chichén Itzá | Patronato CULTUR (Yucatán state) | https://www.culturyucatan.com/destinos/chichen-itza | 2026-09-29 |
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Tikal cost compared with Chichén Itzá?
For a foreign adult, Tikal park entry is Q150 on the Ministry of Culture and Sports ticket portal (checked 29 September 2026). Chichén Itzá is MXN 697 for a foreign visitor: MXN 105 charged by INAH (Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia), a Mexican federal body, plus MXN 592 charged by the Yucatán state government through its tax agency AAFY. The two prices are in different currencies; convert them with the day’s rate rather than a fixed figure.
Who gets the cheaper local rate at Tikal and at Chichén Itzá?
At Tikal, the Q25 national ticket is only for Guatemalan citizens with a valid DPI and CUI; foreigners use the Q150 ticket with their passport, and the portal says foreigners holding a national ticket will not be admitted. The portal lists no separate resident rate. At Chichén Itzá, Mexican nationals pay MXN 310 in total (MXN 105 federal + MXN 205 state), and the Yucatán state’s CULTUR page lists MXN 105 for foreign residents.
Are children free at Tikal and Chichén Itzá?
At Tikal, the ticket portal’s FAQ says the only exemption from payment is children under 10, whatever their nationality, and that there are no discounts or exemptions for older adults. For Chichén Itzá the official pages do not agree: INAH’s visitor-information page lists free entry for children under 13, for students and teachers, for older adults (“personas de la tercera edad”) and for Yucatán state residents, but that is the same page that still shows an out-of-date state fee, and neither INAH’s zone page nor CULTUR’s page repeats those exemptions. Confirm at the ticket office, including whether an exemption also covers the state fee.
What are the opening hours and last entry times?
Tikal National Park is open Monday to Sunday 06:00 to 18:00, with a sunrise entry window of 04:00 to 06:00 and a sunset entry window of 18:00 to 20:00 (both need the park ticket plus the add-on). Chichén Itzá is open daily 08:00 to 16:00. Its last entry is listed as 15:00 on INAH’s visitor-information page and as 16:00 on the Yucatán state’s CULTUR page, so confirm on the day.
Can I pay by card at Tikal?
Only online. The ticket portal’s FAQ says in-person purchases are cash only, at the BANTRAB bank agency at the park’s first entrance or at any BANTRAB branch in Guatemala. Online purchases on the portal add a 2.30% surcharge per ticket for international cards.
Does the Tikal sunrise or sunset ticket include a guide?
No. The portal sells the sunrise and sunset tickets (Q100 for foreigners, Q20 for Guatemalan citizens) as add-ons that require the park entry ticket first, and states that these tours do not include a guide service. Both the foreigners’ and the nationals’ price pages say you must hire an authorized guide on your own for these tours.
How far is each site from the nearest city?
The Tikal ticket portal puts the park 63 km, about 1 hour, from Flores, Petén, and 484 km, about 9 hours, from Guatemala City. INAH places Chichén Itzá 115 km from Mérida, Yucatán, on federal highway 180 toward Pisté; INAH’s visitor page gives its address as kilometre 120 of the Mérida-Cancún federal highway 180.
