When on your vacation in Cancun, you may opt to take advantage of the fun and carefree nightlife. Another option is to fill your days with shopping and other forms of city entertainment. If you want to find the best bars and entertainment, take a bus or walk downtown. Downtown Cancun has a lot to offer tourists, and researching the best locations online and with a travel agent before you leave the United States can prove beneficial. There are so many places to go and things to do that it is easy to get overwhelmed.

Tulum Avenue is the main street of Cancun. Here, you will find activity both at night and during the day, and most of your Cancun needs can be met on Tulum Avenue. This street cuts across the city from North to South and is home to City Hall. You can also find bars, restaurants, shopping centers, banks, hotels, pharmacies, and movie theatres along Tulum Avenue.

If you prefer parties, however, the street you should locate is Yaxchilan Avenue. This street runs parallel with and one street down from Tulum Avenue, and so it is easy to find. Here, most of the bars and restaurants are open all day and night, some closing only a few short hours in the morning to prepare for the next day. You can also find a Red Cross headquarters here, so if you have any problems in Cancun, this is a safe place to go. During the night, musicians often play both on the streets and in the restaurants, creating a fun Mexican atmosphere. Taxis and buses both routinely travel to Yaxchilan Avenue.

Plaza Las Americas is the biggest mall in town, and there are a variety of other shopping destinations as well available for people who want to skip the nightlife and simply make the most of their days. Downtown, you can find a number of hand-made shops, including the most popular one, Ki-Huic Market, which sells a number of folk crafts. You can also find Market 28 here, which has handcrafted souvenirs as well. Shopping downtown will without a doubt save you money as compared to shopping for gifts in the hotel zone.

The most popular restaurants downtown are found on Yaxchilan Avenue, but popularity does not always mean they are best. Explore the city a bit to find little out of the way restaurants and cafes. Here, the prices will be cheaper and the food will be better.

Downtown Cancun has a lot to offer visitors, and it is easy to get caught up in activities there. Plan a little for your days in the city so that you will have ample amounts of time to do and see all of the things you'd like to.