Mercado 28, or Market 28, is a must if you’re in the mood for shopping in Cancun.
This vibrant shopping market is full of local goods, fun food, and tons of color.
You’ll find an insane amount of things for sale, and at reasonable prices.
Well… reasonable prices after negotiation.
Here are some things to know before visiting Mercado 28.
1. The bus doesn’t take you to the right Mercado 28
This has to be the most confusing thing about Mercado 28. If you’re coming from the Hotel Zone, you’ll take the R-2 bus to Market 28. The thing is, it doesn’t take you to the right Market 28.
You are instead dropped off at what appears to be a strip of stores that look legit- but they aren’t. These stores won’t have the great prices you’ll find at the real thing.
Instead, you’ve got to keep on walking about 6 blocks up the street. Then you’ll see an archway with Mercado 28 on it on the other side of the street.
Now you’ve come to the right place!
2. Negotiate, negotiate, negotiate!
I can’t stress this enough! Never buy something for full price- it just isn’t worth it!
The vendors see that you’re a tourist, and they’ll sell you things for prices they make up in their minds.
You’ll notice that nothing has a written price- this is exactly why.
If you speak a bit of Spanish, you can give a counter offer. See if they agree; if they don’t accept it, go on and walk away- chances are they’ll call you back and accept your price.
If you don’t speak Spanish, use your hands to gesture a number in Pesos.
True story: I found a cute skirt at one of the shops. The woman said 350 pesos. I tried it on inside the adjacent store and offered her employee there 250 pesos. He said (in Spanish) “no way, this is great quality, we sell for a thousand pesos!” I told him his boss had already told me 350. He confirmed it with her and I got it for 300 pesos.
3. Don’t buy the first thing you see
There are an insane number of stores at Mercado 28. Like hundreds of them.
If you see a dress you like at one shop, but the price is too high, just keep going.
You’re bound to find a very similar thing for cheaper elsewhere!
I found the same dress in a ton of different stores. Some places were selling it for 1,000 pesos, some for 450. I got it for 400 after negotiation. (You probably shouldn’t go above 450- the sellers would be making a TON off of you that way!)
In case you were wondering, I’m wearing the dress in the photo below!
4. It’s a good place to book tours
From what I’ve read online and from personal experience, you can book tours through vendors at Mercado 28.
Make sure you’re working with a valid vendor though! If you get the sense that something is too good to be true, it probably is.
We met a guy selling tours named Alejandro, and he became our go-to for tours for the following two days.
Our first tour was a Cenote/Horseback Riding/Zip-Lining tour, which cost us $45 each.
The next tour we booked with him was a Dolphin Discovery tour, which was $95 each.
By booking with him at the market, we didn’t have to pay the extra charges that we would’ve incurred at our hotel or other booking agencies.
Tip: bring cash for tours- the deposit is in cash and you can pay the rest of the fee in credit card when the van picks you up for your tour.
By bringing US dollars for the deposit, you actually save a bit with the conversion rate.
Alejandro’s tour stand is actually in the back of this picture, next to the hanging orange dress!
In conclusion…
So there you have it!
Go on and get lost in Marcado 28! There’s a ton to see, so many cool things to buy, and there are restaurants that sell some delicious treats as well!
And on your way back- take the R2 in the opposite direction.
To get there: walk back the 6 blocks and then cross over a busy street, pass a gas station, until you see a Sam’s Club/Walmart sign.
That’s where you’ll find the bus stop home!
Want more ideas on things to do in Cancun? Click here for 5 activities you must do when in Cancun!
Safe travels!
Xo,
Jasmine
8 Responses
This is awesome! Thanks for the tips but Where are those stairs located?
Thanks Desiree! If I remember correctly, those stairs are toward the center of Mercado 28 where you’ll see a lot of vendors selling tours! I’m not sure how else to describe it!
Jasmine, why won’t the bus go all the way to Mercado 28? And from the hotel zone would it just be worth taking an Uber to go right to the spot?
I’m not sure why the bus doesn’t go all the way there, I wish it had a stop right by it! When we visited a few years ago, Uber wasn’t really a thing, but yes, that would definitely be a more convenient option!
Total disappointment. This was an absolute skip for me. High prices, everyone was trying to solicit marijuana and cocaine actually even meth. Complete waste of time. I really really enjoyed the market on Isla Mujeres.
I’m so sorry that you had a bad experience there! That doesn’t sound like our experience at all- we loved being able to buy local and see all of the local goods being sold there! Perhaps it has gone downhill over the past few years since we’ve gone 🙁 But that is great to know that Isla Mujeres has a great market!
We were just there yesterday and had gone a few years ago as well. I do feel like it has declined a bit. The vendors were a lot more pushy and the vibe wasn’t as relaxed. It was also a little harder to find some of the better items I remember purchasing in the past. Those seem to be a little deeper into the market. I would still recommend going, but be prepared to say no… A lot! It’s also worth noting that we had a little kids with us ranging in age from 4 to 17. We never ever felt unsafe. It was pretty easy and quick to take the bus and I think that’s still a good way to go.
That is so good to know, thank you for sharing that information! I haven’t been in a few years now, so this was extremely helpful! Glad you’d still recommend going because we loved this Cancun market!