Strolling Playa del Carmen’s shopping and restaurant area — especially along Avenida 5 (Fifth Avenue) and its side streets, which turn into pedestrian walkways in the evening — is de rigeur. Especially on holidays and weekends, throngs dine in the cafes and browse the shops for silver jewelry, T-shirts, pottery, Cuban cigars and Maya textiles. Playa del Carmen’s shopping area merges into Paseo del Carmen, another open-air, pedestrian mall. The Paseo features some upscale stores, as well as additional shops that sell Mexican artifacts and clothes. Haagen-Dazs sells cones in both areas, but leave room for the local treat — churros, pastries made from deep-fried dough and sprinkled with cinnamon — sold by the street vendors.