The main road into town, Av. Ju rez or Av. Principal, depending on whom you ask, leads you right to the ferry dock and the pedestrian-only 5th Avenue, running perpendicular to the beach. It boasts many of the town's hotels, stores and restaurants. The bus station is right there at Av. 5 and Ju rez and is a hub for further journeys down to Tulum, Chetumal and Belize.

Most hotels are within easy walking distance from the bus and the street in front of the station is full of men on large yellow tricycles (triciclos), who will ride you and/or your luggage cheaply to your hotel in a Mexican version of a rickshaw. If your hotel isn't close or you have to go on the back streets of Playa, get a cab right there. In 1994, in response to the growing popularity of the town, the streets were torn up for sewer and water lines. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough money left to repave them. Consequently, many of the new streets look as if the American Air Force has been using them as target practice with 500 lb smart bombs. The water-filled potholes in the unpaved roads outside of the oldest part of town make traffic crawl and require zig-zagging to the max.