Cancún Shopping

  1. La Isla Shopping Village

    Unique among the island's malls, this is an indoor-outdoor place with canals, an aquarium, ultramodern parasol structures and enough other visual distractions to keep even the most inveterate hater of shopping amused. For tipplers on your list, consider picking up a bottle of Xtabentun, a Yucatecan anise-flavored liqueur.

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  2. Mercado 23

    Locals head to either Mercado 28 or Mercado 23 for clothes, shoes, inexpensive food stalls, hardware items and so on. The market, Mercado 23, is a bit north of the bus station, and offers inexpensive, nontouristy shopping. Most eateries are in the inner courtyard and open from about to daily. Of the two, Mercado 23 is the least frequented by tourists. If you're looking for a place without corny T-shirts, this is the place to go.

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  3. Mercado 28

    Locals head to either Mercado 28 or Mercado 23 for clothes, shoes, inexpensive food stalls, hardware items and so on. This main market is set back from the street, west of the post office. Its official name is long; locals simply call it Mercado Veintiocho.

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  4. Plaza Kukulcán

    The largest (and definitely among the stuffiest, attitude-wise) of the indoor malls is chichi Plaza Kukulcán. Of note here is the huge art gallery (taking up near half of the 2nd floor); the many stores selling silverwork; and La Ruta de las Indias, a shop featuring wooden models of Spanish galleons and replicas of conquistadors' weaponry and body armor. But all is not lost; the plaza has a bowling alley and a large food court.

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