For top things to do in Cancun, everyone that plans a vacation to Cancun and the Riviera Maya are most probably familiar with the idea that the whole of the Yucatan Peninsula is full of wonderful vestiges of the Mayan empire. The most famous archeological sites are the pyramids at Chichen Itza or the oceanfront temples at Tulum, both of which are a good day trip from Cancun, between 1.5 and 2 hours away.