Cancun Area Travel

Planning vacations can be a lot of fun, and one of the most important things you need to know about your destination is the time zone. For people in the United States, Cancún is time zone friendly and, more importantly, only about a two-hour flight away for most Americans.

Cancún is located in the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico and is now operating on Eastern Standard Time (EST). This is a reasonably new change. Canun did operate on CST, but after many campaigning by hotel owners and the state government, the Mexican government agreed.

If you’re planning to go to Cancún, you should keep reading. This article will give you some background on why Cancún went to EST time, whether they observe Daylight Savings Time, and how it might affect your vacation.

Why does it matter?

This is a good question. Why should you care if Cancún is on EST or CST? Well, there are some pretty practical reasons why you might care.

You might be traveling there soon
Over 22,000,000 tourists in a non-pandemic year will travel to Cancún on vacation. That means Many people care about what time it is in Cancún.
The local time means more sunshine
Yep, you’ll get to stay out in the sun another hour longer while in Cancún
Sunrise and Sunset
Knowing the exact time will assist in getting those fantastic sunrise and sunset photos. This information is essential whether you’re a freelancing photographer or trying to get that perfect shot for a wedding.

When traveling, most people would instead stick to their regular routines. You know... sleep routines, morning routines, and the daily vibe of life. If you're traveling to Cancún and the time zone is way different from everyday life, you'll need to adjust and plan for that.

This map helps show you the time difference between the US and Cancún. Cancún will either be on Central Standard Time or Eastern Standard time. This is helpful to show you the difference based on where you are in the United States.

How does daylight savings time affect time in Cancún?

Cancún does not observe Daylight Savings Time. Americans make up many of the 20 million people who visit Cancún each year, and they observe Daylight Savings Time. This can make things confusing. This article is being written in Central Standard Time. Cancún is currently on Eastern Standard Time; however, if you were to google the time in Cancún right now from a CST area, you'd see the time is the same. That makes things confusing.

The good thing is... your iPhone or other Smart Phone should take care of you when you visit by updating automatically.

Do Any Other Mexican States Observe EST?

The answer is no. Quintana Roo is the only Mexican state to observe Eastern Standard Time.

Why go to Cancún?

There are so many non-stop flights into Cancún now; the question is really, Why not go to Cancún!?

The Cancún area is home to some of the most beautiful beaches in the world and some of the best all-inclusive resorts. To read about the pros and cons of all-inclusive resorts, check out this recent article.