For a foreign adult in daytime hours, the five cost: Palenque and Calakmul MXN 210 each (about US$11.29), Caracol BZ$25 (US$12.50), Tikal Q150 (about US$19.64), and Copán US$20 for the park and Sepulturas. Every fee comes from the managing body’s own page: Guatemala’s Ministry of Culture, Mexico’s INAH, Belize’s NICH and Honduras’s IHAH. From Flores, Tikal is by far the closest: the ticket site puts it 63 km, about 1 hour, away. Palenque is an 8-hour shuttle ride. Caracol needs a Belize crossing into the Cayo District, and Calakmul a road trip through Campeche.

TL;DR: Cheapest entry: Palenque and Calakmul. Earliest access: Tikal (sunrise entry from 04:00), then Caracol in Belize’s rules. Shortest window: Caracol, where NICH stops tours at 2:00 p.m. Easiest from Flores: Tikal by far. Mexico’s two sites add third-party fees that INAH does not include in its price.

This page compares the five on fees, hours and access only. For one-to-one comparisons, see Tikal or Copán and Tikal vs Chichén Itzá.

Side-by-side: fees and hours

Site (country)Foreign adult, daytimeUSD / CAD / GBPHoursLast entry / last tourFee set by
Tikal (Guatemala)Q15019.64 / 27.47 / 15.3106:00–18:00 daily; sunrise 04:00–06:00, sunset 18:00–20:00 (Q100 add-on each)Not statedMinisterio de Cultura y Deportes
Palenque (Mexico)MXN 21011.29 / 15.79 / 8.808:00–17:00 daily16:00INAH
Calakmul (Mexico)MXN 21011.29 / 15.79 / 8.808:00–17:00 daily16:00INAH
Copán (Honduras)US$20 park and Sepulturas20.00 / 27.97 / 15.58 (park)Not on the official tariff pageNot statedIHAH
Caracol (Belize)BZ$25 (8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.)12.50 / 17.48 / 9.748:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. daily (NICH ticket page)Last tour 2:00 p.m.; leave by 3:00 p.m.SI No. 13 of 2025; NICH

Conversions: Banco de Guatemala’s reference rates for business day 3 November 2026, and the Central Bank of Belize’s fixed BZ$2.00 to US$1.00 buying rate. All prices read 4 November 2026.

What the headline price leaves out

  • Tikal: sunrise and sunset entry are Q100 add-ons for foreigners, bought after the park ticket. Children under 10 enter free. International cards carry a 2.30% surcharge per ticket. Detail on Tikal vs Chichén Itzá.
  • Palenque and Calakmul: INAH charges MXN 105 to Mexicans and foreigners resident in Mexico. On both pages it says its fees exclude extra charges by third parties such as state governments, CONANP (Mexico’s protected-areas agency) and community groups, and it links to CONANP’s page for each area. Those extra amounts are not stated on INAH’s pages.
  • Copán: the tunnels and the two museums are sold separately from the park ticket. Prices by visitor category are on Copán ruins fees, and the Tikal–Copán trade-off is on Tikal or Copán.
  • Caracol: Belize’s 2025 rules also set a BZ$20 slot from 5:00 to 7:59 a.m. and from 5:01 to 7:00 p.m., and open the reserve 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. (March–September) or 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (October–February). NICH’s ticket page lists only 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., so confirm before planning an early visit.

Getting there from Flores

SiteRoute from FloresPublished timeSource
TikalRoad north, 63 kmAbout 1 hourMinistry of Culture ticket site
PalenqueDaily 08:00 shuttle via the El Ceibo border to Palenque’s ADO bus station8 hours, US$50Adrenalina Tours
CaracolShuttle to San Ignacio, in Caracol’s Cayo District, 06:00 daily; onward road to the site4 hours (Gekko estimate) to San Ignacio; onward time not published on these pagesGekko Trails Explorer
CalakmulInto Mexico, then Highway 186 (Escárcega–Chetumal); turn south at km 95 past ejido Conhuás for 60 km of paved roadNot publishedINAH
CopánThrough the Guatemala–Honduras borderSee linked route pages—

Notes on each route:

  • Palenque: Adrenalina’s Flores list asks for 48 hours’ notice and passport details at booking. Route detail on Flores to Palenque.
  • Caracol: you cross at Melchor de Mencos. Belize’s Immigration Department lists US, Canadian, UK, Australian and New Zealand passports as visa-free, and the Border Management Agency charges BZ$40 when you leave Belize by land. NICH’s 2:00 p.m. last tour leaves little room on arrival day: Gekko estimates its 06:00 shuttle reaches San Ignacio about 4 hours later, and the onward time to the site is not published on these pages. See Flores to San Ignacio. NICH’s other Cayo District site near the border is covered in the Xunantunich day trip from Flores.
  • Calakmul: INAH says you can arrive by public transport but then have to walk to the zone’s entrance. Adrenalina’s Flores shuttle list has no Calakmul service. Its Mexican stops are Palenque, Chetumal and Bacalar.
  • Copán: times, fares and the Honduras entry rule for UK passports are on Tikal or Copán and Guatemala to Copán.

From Antigua, the comparison changes: Copán is a road trip, and every Petén site starts with the trip north to Flores. See Antigua to Flores and Tikal.

How the official bodies describe them

INAH’s Palenque page describes Palenque, Tikal and Calakmul as among the most powerful cities of the Classic Maya period. Its Calakmul page calls Calakmul the most important city of the Classic Maya, according to recent research. The five sites also differ in how much of the visit the ticket covers:

SiteOne ticket coversExtra tickets
TikalPark entrySunrise, sunset, museum (Q30), Uaxactún (Q50), camping
PalenqueINAH zone entryThird-party charges, amount not stated by INAH
CalakmulINAH zone entryThird-party charges, amount not stated by INAH
CopánPark and Las SepulturasTunnels, two museums
CaracolReserve entry for the time slot boughtNone listed on NICH’s ticket page

Which one, if you only have time for one

  • Based in Flores with one day: Tikal is the only one of the five that the official pages above put within about an hour. If you want a smaller Petén site instead, see Yaxhá or Tikal.
  • Heading into Mexico: Palenque sits at the end of a daily shuttle from Flores. Calakmul has no shuttle in Adrenalina’s Flores timetable, and INAH’s directions are road directions from Campeche ending in a 60 km access road.
  • Heading into Belize: Caracol and San Ignacio are both in the Cayo District, and NICH’s touring window runs 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., so a night in San Ignacio before the visit leaves the most time.
  • Heading into Honduras: at the 3 November 2026 rates, Copán’s US$20 park ticket is the highest of the five for visitors from outside Central America, before tunnels and museums.

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is cheapest to enter: Tikal, Palenque, Copán, Caracol or Calakmul?

For a foreign adult in daytime hours, Palenque and Calakmul are MXN 210 each (about US$11.29) on INAH’s pages, Caracol is BZ$25 (US$12.50) under Belize’s 2025 fee rules, Tikal is Q150 (about US$19.64) on Guatemala’s Ministry of Culture ticket site, and Copán’s park and Sepulturas ticket is US$20 for visitors from outside Central America. INAH says its fees exclude extra charges by third parties such as state governments or CONANP.

Which of the five is easiest to reach from Flores?

Tikal. The Ministry of Culture’s ticket site puts it 63 km, about 1 hour, from Flores. Palenque has a daily 08:00 Adrenalina Tours shuttle from Flores, 8 hours via the El Ceibo border, for US$50. Caracol is in Belize’s Cayo District, where the 06:00 shuttles from Flores to San Ignacio end, and Copán is reached through Guatemala’s border with Honduras.

What are the opening hours?

Tikal: 06:00 to 18:00 every day, plus paid sunrise (04:00 to 06:00) and sunset (18:00 to 20:00) entry. Palenque and Calakmul: 8:00 to 17:00 every day, last entry 16:00 (INAH). Caracol: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on NICH’s ticket page, last tour 2:00 p.m., with visitors to leave by 3:00 p.m.; Belize’s 2025 fee rules instead set 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. (March to September) and 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (October to February). Copán’s official tariff page lists prices but no hours.

Can I see Tikal and Palenque on one trip?

Yes. Adrenalina Tours runs a daily 08:00 shuttle from Flores to Palenque through El Ceibo, 8 hours, US$50, ending at Palenque’s ADO bus station. Palenque’s last entry is 16:00, so you arrive too late to visit the same day.

Do I need a visa for Belize to visit Caracol?

Not with a US, Canadian, UK, Australian or New Zealand passport: Belize’s Immigration Department lists all five as visa-free. You pay BZ$40 in Belize departure charges when you leave by land, per the Border Management Agency.