The best fashion and gift stores Yucatán Peninsula

Timetable

The opening hours vary greatly depending on the tourist season, especially in the seaside resorts of the Caribbean coast. In the high season most shops are open every day with extended opening hours. In very low season, many establishments close. Shops generally open from Monday to Saturday from 9am to 7pm or 8pm in the cities, and from 8am to 6pm in the countryside. Shopping centres are open every day with later opening hours, often from 10am to 10 or 11pm. Souvenir shops also close late in tourist resorts like Playa or Tulum.

Budget & Tips

Cancún has many modernshopping centers in the hotel zone, such as Plaza Kukulcán, with shops offering most of the big international brands, at the same prices as here, or even more expensive for imported products (especially gourmet products). In Playa del Carmen, you will not be able to escape the Quinta Avenida, the Fifth Avenue, which is full of shops of all kinds, sometimes causing an overdose... It's hard to resist for some, even if the prices are higher than elsewhere. Note that Quintana Roo does not apply taxes on cosmetics and luxury products. Perfumes and cosmetics are 30% cheaper than elsewhere

For more typical and authentic articles, go to the colorful markets, like the Mercado 23 or Mercado 28 of Cancún, or the Mercado Lucas de Gálvez of Mérida for example. In the markets, bring cash, as credit cards are rarely accepted.

Sales

What's very local

The market stalls and souvenir shops are full of fine and colourful handicrafts. You will probably fall in love with the magnificent cotton hammocks, sisal bags or dream catchers, stone sculptures reproducing Mayan deities, wooden or papier-mâché masks, necklaces, bracelets or earrings... Not forgetting a sombrero jipi, a guayabera (for men) or a hipil (for women), very chic to wear in summer! If your luggage doesn't already exceed the maximum weight for the return flight, don't forget bottles of tequila or mezcal, much better than what we find here, melipone honey, vanilla, cocoa... For more details, see our file "What to bring back from your trip? ».

It is always preferable to buy your items directly from the artisans and producers, in the specialized villages. Avoid haggling with the artisans, their prices are generally far from being exaggerated considering the work done. Bargaining is more acceptable in the big tourist markets, especially if you plan to buy many things from the same seller.

Tourist traps

In the markets or from street vendors, beware of made in china copies of local handicrafts or counterfeit branded clothing. Do not buy handicrafts made from coral, feathers of protected species, or turtle shells..