17 Best Places to Shop in The Amazon, Brazil

Part shop, part museum, Araribá Arte e Artes has one of the best selections of authentic native artisanal items in Brazil. Owner Marcelo spends half the year traveling to hard-to-reach tribes for the pieces. Highlights include hand-woven wall-hangings, baskets, and jewelry.

One of the best places to buy all kinds of things, from fresh fish to hammocks and souvenirs, is Mercado Adolfo Lisboa, down along the river. Built between 1880 and 1883, the building was based on Les Halles in Paris and has intricate iron-work that was made in France and shipped over by boat. It was made an historical landmark in 1987.

With more than 300 stores and restaurants, Amazonas Shopping is one of the city's top shopping malls.

The Associação dos Povos Indígenas do Tumucumaque (APITU) has textiles, baskets, and other objects made by Amapá natives.

The Casa do Artesáo sells works by local craftspeople and artists—from tacky souvenirs to exquisite paintings and pottery.

For sandals, belts, and other leather goods, head to Curtume Marajó, a five-minute walk from downtown Soure and next to the slaughterhouse. The workers here can give you a tour of the tannery.

Ecoshop sells regional art and a variety of indigenous crafts made from wood, seeds, and straw.

A riverside town 18 km (11 miles) northeast of Belém, Icoaraci is a good place to buy marajoara pottery.

One of three artisan shops grouped together, Loja Regional Muiraquitã sells a wide variety of regional items, including native musical instruments, locally mined minerals, and wood carvings.

This town square is busy only on Sunday, when barracas (small shops) pop up to sell paintings, snacks, artisanal items, and regional foods. You can watch the action from a park bench while sipping a cold coconut or eating a slice of cupuaçú cake. It's a local favorite for morning family strolls.

São José Liberto is a combination museum and high-price jewelry and craft shops with Amazonian wares of gold, amethyst, and wood; pottery; and seeds and plant fibers.

To shop in air-conditioning, head for the upscale Shopping Patio Belém, a mall in the truest sense of the word. There are 198 stores, including four department stores with a bit of everything. The mall also includes a multiscreen cinema, banks, a food court, and currency-exchange shops.

This artisan collective has stalls with everything from Marajoara pottery and woven items to T-shirts and liquor. In theory, the hours are daily 8–7, and Sunday 8–12; the reality may be something else entirely.

Part of a larger commercial complex, Studio 5 Festival Mall contains many clothing stores, restaurants, cinemas, a hotel, and even a convention center.