Markets, Cancún

This is your one stop flea market in Cancun. We took a bus to get there and it is pretty safe.
If you stick to the local stores in downtown or htel central Cancun then prepare to pay a lot of pesos. The Flea market is a labyrinth and get ready to get lost. At one point my friend and I were too hungry to go back to our hotel and ended up eating at a very fresh , outdoor seafood place. We paid so cheap and got free t-shirts at the same time! I think we ended up with a $15.00 CAD cuenta.

What to buy: I ended up buying sterling silver earrings, bracelet, and necklace. Also, bought some clay art and pottery. My friend bought traditional cotton blouses, wooden art and jewelry. T-shirts are cheap if you know how to compare prices from shop to shop.

What to pay: I prepared $150.00 canadian dollars, and spent close to $100 at the end of the day.

Definately go shopping in the markets. If your looking for Mexican items, T-Shirts or souvenirs of any type you must go to the markets in the center of town. They have absulutely everything there. You can haggle the vendors and get some great prices.

So many shops so many souvieniers to buy....so many drugs to try, get whatever you need at these places.... beware: use bargaining skills because theywillofferyouapricethatisthe highest they think you will pay!

What to buy: Coral, SILVER very cheap! tequila!handbags, my favorite was the art work andcrafts... marajuana was good, the Xtasy was not so good, and thecoke looked horrible so i didnt bother with it

What to pay: dependson how much u can afford... i could have bought a huge wooden mayan calender for 400 us dollars but i didnt want to spend the cashfor shipping

Market 28 is the huge open air flea market located in downtown Cancun. It's a maze of stalls and vendors selling everything from silver jewelry to sombreros, postcards to leather. Any Mexican tchotchke you're looking for you'll find here. Each stall features something different, although the more time you spend here you'll find that doesn't necessarily mean unique. Take the time to shop around. Chances are if you find what you're looking for in one stall you'll find something similar 5 shops down. Market 28 also houses several restaurants and cantinas if you're in the mood for something to eat or a cold cervesa. It's by far the largest of the marketplaces in Cancun so if you can't find that souvenir here, you probably won't find it elsewhere. It's the one stop tourist shopping mecca in Cancun. The advantage to shopping at Market 28 is that you get into the heart of downtown Cancun and get to experience a little more of the culture than you would shopping in the Hotel Zone markets.

What to buy: Leather, silver, pottery, postcards, hair braids, frames, magnets, glassware, art work, handicrafts, etc. Don't expect to find anything "out of the ordinary" or terribly unique though, all the marketplaces in Cancun sell all the same types of things.

What to pay: Shop around and bargaining is the key to getting good prices here. We talked a vendor down from 900 pesos to 300 pesos. Talk about a markup!

There are several open air flea markets peppered throughout the Hotel Zone. If you're not willing to venture downtown but are looking to purchase Mexican pottery, silver, art, souvenirs, etc these are your best bet for deals. The advantage to shopping in the markets are the deals - you can bargain with the vendors, which is something you can't do in the department stores and malls. Be prepared for vendors to "hawk" their wares. If you're not interested a simple "No Gracias" will do.

What to buy: Hand painted pottery, silver jewelry, Mayan art and hand blown glass are among tourist favorites.

What to pay: Shop around and bargain with the vendors to get the best deal.

Located in the Hotel Zone, PLAZA CARACOL is a good size flea market. You will find just about anything Mexican you may be looking for. I was looking for a terra cotta sun and there were many carrying a good variety of Suns. The only problem was that they didn't give me a chance to just browse and look to see what they had. I found most of the vendors annoying and downright rude. I don't like to be called "Hey Lady". As a result, I ended up buying my terra cotta sun on Isla Mujeres. Too bad for them.

The traditional downtown area is home to most of the colorful local craft markets. Here you will find many Mexican goods including ceramics, colorful jewelry, blankets, souvenirs, T-shirts, etc. Tulum and Yaxchilan Avenue are the centers of downtown shopping. The busiest market is the popular Mercado 28.

Ahhhh... as a Wal*Mart associate, I had to check out the Cancun version. Much the same as anywhere else, Low Prices, Always!

I was amazed at the way their store was set up... Mainly the fresh areas. I have never seen pork rinds as big as the whole pig!

What to buy: You can stock up on souvenirs at any of the local flea markets, but be prepared to haggle over the prices! If you start to walk away, the price suddenly gets lower!