Chichén Itzá, one of the new Seven Wonders of the World, is undoubtedly Mexico’s most famous archaeological site. It’s a truly breathtaking place to visit during the day, but did you know that at night it transforms into the most unforgettable light and sound show?
In our opinion, the “Noches de Kukulkán” light and sound show is Chichén Itzá’s best kept secret. It’s an unbelievably magical way to see the site – picture yourself amongst a fraction of the number of visitors who visit during the day, under the stars, surrounded by jungle, and lit up like a beacon is Chichén Itzá’s famous temple, El Castillo! Un. Real.
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Let’s jump in to the ONLY guide you need for the incredible Chichén Itzá Night Show, covering how to get tickets, prices, timings, what to expect, what to bring, and plenty more tips.
🌌 What is Noches de Kukulkán?
Noches de Kukulkán is the amazing light and sound show held at Chichén Itzá after dark. Before the show, you’ll follow a roped-off path past many of the main structures in the ancient Mayan city. Each is lit up in mesmerising coloured lighting and you’ll finish right at the main temple – El Castillo (Temple of Kukulkán).
Once finished with your walk through the site, you’ll take a seat and get to enjoy an incredible 30-minute visual story shown by projecting light directly on El Castillo itself.
The short projection tells the story of Kukulkán, the feathered serpent deity of Mayan mythology, often compared to Greek mythology’s Zeus.
🗺 Quick Information
- Tickets start from MX $755 (£30 / US $40). More details in the Costs section below.
- Each show is capped at around 200-300 people, so you need to get your tickets in advance.
- You can only buy your tickets on the day in person or online.
- However, purchasing tickets online may not be possible if you’re not a Mexican resident – we struggled to get the system to accept our booking! We ended up going in person.
- You will be given a specific seat row and number – if you’re able, ask to be as close to the front as possible for the best view.
- The show is only on from Wednesday to Sunday each week.
- The site closes for the day at 5pm, the night show starts at 7pm so if you’re planning on doing both in one day, we recommend going to nearby Piste in between for dinner.
- We wouldn’t recommend doing this INSTEAD of visiting in the day, but in addition to.
🎟️ How to Get Noches de Kukulkán Tickets
In person (recommended)
If you’re visiting Chichén Itzá during the day, you can also buy Noches de Kukulkán tickets for that same evening in the ticket office building.
The ticket office is behind a door near the toilets/exit labelled ‘Oficina Cultur’. If the door is not open, you will need to knock and explain that you want to purchase tickets to the Noches de Kukulkán show.
🇬🇧 I would like to buy tickets to Nochen de Kukulán, please
🇪🇸 Me gustaría comprar boletos para Noches de Kukulkán, por favor
Directions: As you enter, walk towards the atrium and turn right. Walk past the stalls and towards the exit sign/toilets. The office door will be facing you on the left.
The ticket office was open from 1:30pm on the day we bought tickets.
We paid by card but it’s a good idea to have enough cash, just in case.
Online
You can attempt to purchase tickets through the official website, but we failed to get it to work for us. We’re not sure of the exact reason but it could be due to the fact that we couldn’t enter a valid ‘zip code’ – the text field wouldn’t accept a UK postcode!
We tried a couple of times before giving up and visiting the office on the day we arrived in Piste.
💰 Costs
Wednesday – Saturday
General admission: MX $755 (£30 / US $40)
Children under 3: Free
Sunday
General admission: MX $755 (£30 / US $40)
Mexican citizens: MX $355 (£14 / US $19)
Costs are accurate as of 2026.
🕗 Opening Times
Noches de Kukulkán is only shown on Wednesdays – Sundays, with opening times from 7pm.
The light and sound show itself starts at around 8pm and finishes at 8:30pm.
Between 7pm and 8pm you’ll have time to walk through the lit-up structures before arriving at El Castillo for the main show.
🛕 What to Expect
When you arrive in the evening with the sun already set, the entire archaeological site is illuminated in vibrant colours. You get to walk among the ancient ruins following a roped-off path, past the Temple of the Warriors, through the centre of the Ball Court, and finish at the iconic El Castillo pyramid.
The entire stroll is quiet and atmospheric, and without the thousands of other visitors it truly feels like you’ve stepped back in time and you’re walking through the site during its heyday.
If you’re lucky enough to have a clear night like we did, then you’re in for an even more special treat. Seeing the twinkling stars above the illuminated Temple of Kukulkán is a sight we won’t ever forget! And the pictures are just… *chef’s kiss* – just make sure to use your camera’s long exposure setting.
Around 8pm, once you’ve taken a seat, the main show begins. The lights projected onto the main pyramid tell the story of the Maya civilisation, their beliefs, astronomy prowess, and the significance of Kukulkán – the feathered serpent deity.
The visuals are absolutely stunning, and it truly helps to visualise and understand certain aspects of the pyramid, such as the serpent “descending” down the steps as it does due to shadows during the equinox.
The whole show lasts around 30–45 minutes. We think it’s absolutely worth the visit – getting to wander through such an awe-inspiring archaeological site under the stars is a rare treat that most of us aren’t typically allowed to experience.
The audio, as of 2025, is only in Spanish. However, the projection tells enough of a visual story that it’s still an amazing experience even if you don’t speak the language.
🚗 How to Visit
Chichén Itzá closes to day visitors at 5pm, so you’ll need to leave and come back for the evening show if you’re doing both on the same day (advised).
We stayed in nearby Piste, and while there wasn’t much to do in the small town you could definitely head there to grab a bite to eat to kill time before the show at 7pm.
Colectivos and buses are much less common later into the evening so make sure you have transport arranged to get back to your accommodation!
When it comes to planning how to visit, we think you have a few options:
Stay in Piste
This is what we did. This town is roughly 30 mins from Chichén Itzá on foot, or about 7 mins by car. Our first day involved:
- Arrived in Piste in the afternoon
- Walked to Chichén Itzá
- Bought our tickets for the evening show from the ticket office
- Walked back to chill for the day (as we were doing daytime Chichén Itzá the next day)
- Finally walked to the nighttime show for 7pm
It was a lot of walking to and fro, so we’d recommend the below…
See Chichén Itzá & the night show in one day
Do the whole thing in a single day! It will involve way fewer unnecessary back and forth journeys. Here’s how we’d do it:
- Arrive at Chichén Itzá
- Purchase tickets for the night show before you enter
- See Chichén Itzá in its full glory during the day
- Head into Piste for dinner after 5pm closing
- Come back for 7pm and the start of the night show
Make sure you have arranged your transport back to where you’re staying!
Join a tour
There are a few tours online with the usual offerings, GetYourGuide, Viator etc, however the reviews aren’t that great… so we honestly wouldn’t recommend them.
🗺 Where to Visit From
Valladolid
- Distance: ~45 minutes by car
- Best option for a day trip with a car so you can also see the night show
Mérida
- Distance: ~1 hour 40 minutes by car
- Also possible as a day trip, but a much longer drive than from Valladolid.
Pisté
- Distance: Walking distance! This is what we did in Nov 2024.
- Perfect if you want to see the night show on the day you arrive and visit Chichén Itzá the following day for a full day too.
🎒 What to Bring
- Water
- Closed shoes (the grass became very dewy as the sun set)
- Cash for tickets (if not bought in advance)
- Camera
- Light snacks – there is a small cafe inside if you get hungry or thirsty
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