Parque de las Palapas

Parque de las Palapas is the main public plaza of downtown Cancun, located on Calle Tulipanes near Avenida Tulum in the Centro district of Quintana Roo, Mexico. It is where residents of the city gather, and it offers a more local view of Cancun than the Hotel Zone. The plaza is ringed by food stalls and small restaurants selling tacos, marquesitas (a crisp rolled crepe filled with cheese and sweet toppings), elote, tortas, and other Yucatecan and Mexican snacks, at prices far below those along the beach. A palapa-roofed bandstand stands at the center, and the open space around it hosts weekend concerts, craft markets, dance performances, and family events. Playground equipment, benches, and shaded trees make it a relaxed place to sit, and in the evening the park fills with families, couples, and groups of friends. The stalls typically open from about 5PM and run until midnight, so the park is quiet and mostly empty in the daytime and comes alive after sunset. A visit usually lasts one to two hours, enough for a snack, a stroll around the plaza, and a look at whatever event is on. The atmosphere is busiest on weekend evenings, when live music and the full row of stalls are in operation, while weekday evenings are calmer and easier for finding a seat. For photography, the plaza is at its best at dusk, when lights come on and the bandstand glows against the dark sky. The area is a short walk from Mercado 28, so the two are easy to combine in one outing, with the market in the late afternoon and the plaza afterward. Entry is free and food is inexpensive, with most snacks costing a few dozen pesos. Visitors should keep belongings secure in crowds and carry small bills for the stalls. A taxi from the Hotel Zone costs roughly MXN 150 to 200, and the R-1 and R-2 buses along Avenida Tulum are cheaper at about MXN 14.