10 Best Markets in Cancún

Mercado 28 is a picturesque market offering a wide range of arts, crafts, souvenirs, and vibrant colors with a friendly and welcoming local crowd. The market is surrounded by restaurants serving up authentic local cuisine and delicacies, so you can easily spend an entire day browsing the stalls and enjoying delicious food while finding that perfect keepsake to take home with you.

The market is in the heart of downtown, making it an easy jaunt on foot. The prices might be a bit high, but some vendors offer bulk discounts, and if you enjoy haggling, this is the place to do it.

Mercado Ki Huic is the oldest arts and crafts market in Cancún and offers a serene and laid-back shopping experience among over 100 local artisans and craftspeople. This is the oldest continuously operating handicraft market in the city and tends to be less crowded than many of the others. It still, however, is marked by vibrant colors and rich fabrics. It's a distinctly non-kitschy market beloved by locals.

Here you can see genuine artisan-crafted creations that are tied to the region's rich culture and history. It's located in the heart of downtown.

Mercado 23 is among the best-known markets and offers an atmosphere favored by locals with essential goods from groceries to esoterica at good prices. If you're looking to pick up things like coffee, flour, and tortillas, this is the place to do it. In addition, you can find herbs, spices, medicinal plants, and other unusual goods among the stalls.

The prices here are among the lowest around, and it's an ideal place for visitors to Cancún to get a sense of genuine Mexican color and folklore as well as find authentic Yucatán cuisine. It's just 8 minutes from the center of downtown.

Manos Mágicas is located in the Jardin del Arte and offers over 250 artisans and craftspeople selling a wide variety of products from cosmetics to clothes and accessories. Here you can find green cosmetics, handmade handbags, and workshops targeted at teaching children how local handicrafts are made.

This is a place that combines shopping with learning and fun, which makes it a uniquely family-friendly place for quality family time while enjoying traditional local food. It's about 15 minutes east of downtown.

Tianguis de la 94 is a market that's preferred by locals and is off the beaten path but offers just about everything from housewares to plants, bicycles, and personal care items. Here you can find clothes, kitsch, kitchenware, and other products, with many being inexpensive and secondhand. It's very much like a U.S. flea market.

If you're looking for an authentic Mexican cultural experience, this is a place to visit. Be sure to enjoy the food while you're here, which is different from what you'll find in those places more geared toward the visiting crowd. It's only 5 minutes from the center of town.

Mercado Coral Negro is in the heart of the Cancún Hotel Zone about an hour from downtown where you'll find shot glasses, liquors, souvenirs, and other items. This Mexican flea market has just about everything from sombreros to Habanos, arts and crafts, jewelry, and home décor. The items here can be a little pricey, but haggling is expected.

This is a destination that's a lot like a flea market in the U.S., and many of the goods sold are secondhand but still useful. You can get some bargains here if you're willing to put on your negotiator's hat.

Plaza La Fiesta started as a local market but has grown over the years and today offers a chain of stores emulating handicraft markets with a huge variety. In one location, you can find rare and quality items as well as souvenirs, arts and crafts, kitsch, home décor, handbags, accessories, clothing, and just about anything else you can imagine.

Because it's focused on quality and the emulation of culture, this place can be a bit less authentic than others. Still, it's a good place to go for a wide range of quality merchandise at fair prices. It's in the Hotel District about an hour from downtown.

La Caja Orgánca Bazaar offers organic local produce and caters to local vegetarian and vegan travelers, with dozens of vendors offering milk, fruits, veggies, soy, cacao, and other delights. You can even find cosmetics here, all certified organic. The market has a rustic feel to it, appearing like a large wooden box at the center of a greenhouse.

It's located in the heart of downtown, making it an easy jaunt to get here. Prices and variety are good, and everything is high quality.

Tianguis de la 100 is among the largest of Cancún's street markets and offers hundreds of vendors spread out over a vast area with everything from chácharas to vintage clothing. It's packed full of secondhand and resale goods like a gigantic flea market. It's also a good place to grab housewares for your home at a low cost.

A tip to get the best deal here: Never accept the first price. Instead, walk away, then come back later and negotiate. The market is just an 8-minute drive from the center of downtown, so it's an easy trip to get here.

Mercado de la 95 is a place where locals get their groceries and features goods from local merchants, some of which are cultivated in home gardens. It's a place to support the local economy and find fresh, organic fruits, vegetables, eggs, meat, flour, cheese, seafood, and other kinds of edible goods. To get the best pick of the produce here, be sure to arrive early.

Unlike many of the other markets in Cancún, this one is very much focused on produce. It is more along the lines of a farmer’s market than an arts and crafts market or flea market. Still, it’s a good place to experience local color and pick up genuine Mexican delicacies, cuisine, and ingredients.