Want to know how to make the most of your time at the 5th Avenue Playa del Carmen? As two true Playa del Carmen locals of almost 4 years, we’ll share 12 essential tips for 5th Avenue Playa del Carmen.
5th Avenue Playa del Carmen is a world-famous pedestrian-only road parallel to Playa del Carmen’s beach. The 5th Avenue Playa del Carmen brings in hundreds of thousands of tourists every year, with its charming souvenir shops, fun restaurants and bars and world-class entertainment. There’s a ton to know before planning your trip to Playa del Carmen. This post is all about the 12 essential tips you need to know before visiting 5th Avenue Playa del Carmen.
What is Fifth Avenue in Playa del Carmen?
The 5th Avenue is a world-famous pedestrian-only road that runs parallel to the beach, in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. The street is around 3 miles long and has souvenir stores, upscale shops, and commercialised restaurants like Fat Tuesdays and Señor Frogs. It is no surprise that 5th Avenue is one of the major tourist hot spots of Playa del Carmen and attracts hundreds of thousands of guests each year.
How long is Fifth Avenue in Playa del Carmen?
The 5th Avenue Playa del Carmen is around 3 miles long. The pedestrian-only street starts from the ferry port and runs parallel to the beach, all the way to the area of Zazil-ha. Not many people know this, but many think that the street ends at Playa 88, but the newer part of 5th Avenue runs up until the intersection of Avenue Pintores, near Playa Punta Esmeralda.
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What shops are at Fifth Avenue Playa del Carmen?
If you’re in the mood for a bit of a shopping spree, there is no shortage of beautiful and unique stores at 5th Avenue Playa del Carmen. Starting at one extreme, you’ll find the first open-aired mall on the strip, called Paseo del Carmen. Here, you’ll find beautiful bathing suit stores, sunglass huts and clothing stores, such as Bershka, Guess, Old Navy and Pull & Bear. This is our favourite of the 3 open malls on 5th Avenue
Moving north, you’ll find many souvenir stores and restaurants lining the pedestrian walkway. Next, you’ll get to Calle Corazon, which is the next open-aired mall. Here, you’ll mostly find upscale stores, such as; H&M, Bath & Body Works, Sephora and Steve Madden.
Lastly, you’ll eventually get to the third of the open-aired malls on 5th Avenue Playa del Carmen, La Quinta Alegria. At this mall, you’ll find stores such as Forever21, Apple, American Eagle Outfitters and Levi’s.
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💡 Keep in mind that if you’re considering accommodation right on 5th Avenue, there’s an important tip: areas between 8th and 14th streets tend to be noisy at night due to the lively nightlife scene centred around 12th Street. For a quieter stay, you should explore options between the 1st and 6th streets or from the 16th street onwards.
What is the main shopping street in Playa del Carmen?
You’ll find a diverse range of stores along the entire stretch of 5th Avenue, however, if you’re on a mission to find anything in particular, like clothes, beach essentials or sunglasses, the three best places to look would be any of the three open-aired malls mentioned above; Paseo del Carmen, Calle Corazon and La Quinta Alegria. If you’re specifically looking for any of the typical souvenirs, you’ll find masses of these stores selling similar items all along the 5th Avenue Playa del Carmen
What are the best places to eat on Fifth Avenue Playa del Carmen?
There is absolutely no shortage of restaurants located on 5th Avenue Playa del Carmen, ranging from coffee shops to fine dining. While you will find a very wide variety of international cuisine to choose from along 5th Avenue, you won’t very easily find any authentic Mexican food, surprisingly enough. If you’re looking for authentic and budget-friendly Mexican food, we’d highly recommend diverting yourself off 5th Avenue and towards the Mercado Municipal (Municipal Market) located on 10th Avenue.
These are some of our favourite places to eat on 5th Avenue Playa del Carmen; Sushiito for sushi, Chez Celine for the most divine pastries and breakfast, Ah Cacao for a fabulous Mayan Chocolate drink, and El Oasis for delicious fresh seafood. There are a ton of other highly recommended high-end restaurants that we have yet to dine at if you’re looking for something fancy; Sonora Prime, Porfirio’s, Harry’s Steakhouse and Llios.
🌮 Looking for an authentic experience? Book this popular 3-hour local food tour in Playa del Carmen
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Is Playa del Carmen cheap?
In terms of shopping in Playa del Carmen, you can find everything from cheap, mass-produced souvenirs, all the way up to designed bags and shoes. Playa del Carmen in relation to other, less popular parts of Mexico is by no means cheap. As the state of Quintana Roo is one of the most visited regions in the entire country, a lot of the restaurants and stores you’ll find on or near 5th Avenue Playa del Carmen are by no means cheap. While you can find cheaper stores further away from the main tourist-heavy areas, most of the stores available along 5th Avenue are much the same as you’d find in Europe and The United States, with a very similar price tag.
Is Playa del Carmen walkable?
As Playa del Carmen is still a pretty small city, much of it is pretty walkable, if you can excuse the sometimes rugged sidewalks. If you’re mostly near the 5th Avenue Playa del Carmen, you’ll find that it is extremely convenient to move from place to place by foot and you’ll barely ever need a taxi. If you are looking to do a lot of exploring and want to visit cenotes and theme parks, you’ll likely need to use a taxi or hire a rental car.
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Is 5th Avenue Mexico safe?
In relation to other parts of Mexico, the entire region of Quintana Roo is considered very safe. In terms of staying predominantly on or near 5th Avenue, you don’t have a lot to worry about in terms of safety, however, there are some scams to look out for.
While we cover some of the most popular scams in this YouTube video, the main thing to remember is to trust your gut. If you feel like you’re receiving a lot of unsolicited attention, it’s best to just say ‘no gracias’ and keep on walking.
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Is it safe to walk at night in Playa del Carmen?
Although we can pretty confidently say that it is safe to walk at night in Playa del Carmen, we’d obviously only recommend doing so on or near 5th Avenue. If you’re going for a night out on 5th Avenue Playa del Carmen, chances are good that you’ll be offered to buy some sort of contraband. Aside from it being illegal, we’d highly recommend steering clear of these individuals, just for your safety.
Contrary to what you may have heard in the news, Playa del Carmen is a relatively safe destination, but we’d still recommend exercising the usual precautions you would in any foreign city. As a foreign female living within the more local suburbs of Playa del Carmen, I do feel safe walking alone at night, up until around 10 pm, when there are still a lot of people out and about enjoying the many street stands scattered along the sidewalk. After 10 pm, when things have gotten quieter, I would never walk alone at night.
What money should I bring to Playa del Carmen?
When travelling to Mexico it is good to remember that cash is king and you’ll find that many establishments will only accept payment in cash, especially the many informal street stands scattered all over the city. Within the main tourist areas of Playa del Carmen, you’ll notice that most establishments will accept Mexican pesos, as well as US dollars. While it is perfectly acceptable to pay with US dollars, there are two important things to keep in mind;
- You will only receive your change in Mexican pesos.
- Individual establishments are at liberty to set their own exchange rates, which will very rarely work in your favour.
Essentially, you can pay for things with US dollars, but it is much easier and wiser to pay for things in Mexican pesos. You can find many exchange huts scattered all over 5th Avenue and surrounding areas. Alternatively, you can always pop into any Oxxo convenience store and make a purchase in US dollars, for which you’ll receive Mexican pesos as change.
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What time do things close in Playa del Carmen?
If there’s one thing I’ve noticed as an immigrant living in Mexico, is that stores and restaurants typically open and close much later than what I’m accustomed to back home. You can expect stores to open at around 10 am and close by around 10-11 pm.
In terms of dining out, many lunch and dinner restaurants will only open late in the day. Some restaurants on 5th Avenue will be open by 1 pm for lunch, while a lot of them will only open at around 4 pm and close by around 10:30-11 pm. When it comes to the nightclubs that you’ll find on the 12th street, most of them will shut down between 2-3 am.
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Can you drink on the street in Playa del Carmen?
While things were a lot more laid back in the past, things have changed and the rules have gotten stricter. It is important to know that drinking on the street in Playa de Carmen is illegal and we would highly recommend abiding by this rule. While you may feel like 5th Avenue is the perfect place to take an easy stroll while sipping on an ice-cold beer, you’ll likely just attract unwanted attention from the very often crooked cops. While the cops likely won’t fine you, you don’t want to give them a reason to try to get a bribe out of you.
In conclusion, 5th Avenue Playa del Carmen is an awesome spot to experience on your vacation to Quintana Roo, especially if you know exactly how to stay safe and make the most of your time here. If there’s anything we missed, let us know in the comments 👇
3 thoughts on “5th Avenue Playa del Carmen: 12 Essential Tips”
Many thanks for the useful tips! It’s great to hear them from locals, then you know they are authentic and verified and not just standard travel tips. Great work!
Much appreciate the tips and suggestions!
Hola Don, thank you so much for your comment. 🫶🙏
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