192 Best Places to Shop in Brazil

At this gallery you'll find oil paintings by such Brazilian artists as Vicente Rego Monteiro, Di Cavalcanti, Cícero Dias, and Anita Malfatti.

Stores at this youth-focused arcade sell all the clothing and equipment you'll need for a surfing or sporting vacation, as well as gear for climbing, rappelling, and other extreme sports.

Come here for killer bikinis as well as T-shirts, tanks, colorful beach bags, and beachwear for kids.

The charming liquor store Garrafeira sells a wide range of cachaça, including excellent versions from Minas Gerais State.

The shops of one of Brazil's most gifted and acclaimed designers sell his colorful Rio-inspired bags and accessories at affordable prices. There are two additional locations in Copacabana.

As with the other locations of this Brazilian beauty-supplies chain that dates back to 1870, the Jardins shop maintains the old-time appearance of an apothecary.

Check out the handicrafts made of wood and stone, including sculptures carved from pau-brasil (brazilwood).

The well-known, reputable H.Stern has several branches in Salvador, most of them in malls and major hotels.

The award-winning designers at H.Stern create distinctive contemporary pieces—the inventory runs to about 300,000 items. The shops downstairs sell more affordable pieces and folkloric items. Around the corner at the company's world headquarters, you can see exhibits of rare stones and watch craftspeople transform rough stones into sparkling jewels.

An internationally known Brazilian brand for jewelry, especially featuring precious Brazilian gems, H.Stern has shops in more than 30 countries. This one has designs made especially for the Brazilian stores.

The Ipanema Havaianas store carries the fun and funky flip-flops in all colors, styles, and sizes, for men, women, and kids. The range is staggering, from classic Brazil-flag designs to limited-edition gem-encrusted versions. The prices start at R$28 and creep over R$100. Alongside the legendary flops, the store also sells canvas deck shoes and sturdier sandals, as well as opinion-dividing "flip flop socks." Don't miss their brightly colored plastic wallets—a clever solution to protect your loose change and phone from sand at the beach. Other locations around town include one in Centro.

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

This may be the city's oldest mall, but it has the latest in fashion and fast food. The Cinemark movie theaters often show films in English with Portuguese subtitles. The Gero Caffé, built in the middle of the main hall, has a fine menu. If you're in São Paulo at Christmastime, the North Pole–theme displays here are well worth a detour.

Brasília's newest and most upscale shopping mall, Iguatemi opened in the Lago Norte area in 2010. Posh shops—including branches of Burberry, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton—are open daily, with restaurants open until 10 every night.

Here you can visit a stone-cutting and -setting workshop. Various types of topaz can be found here, as well as green tourmaline and amethyst. You can choose from the available jewelry sets or ask the store to make items to your specifications.

A shop you'll find in many malls all over town, Inovathi has leather accessories at good prices.

Of Salvador's state-run handicrafts stores, the best is the Instituto de Artesanato Visconde de Mauá. Look for exquisite lace, musical instruments of African origin, weavings, and wood carvings.

Natural light illuminates the atrium and walkways of this luxury mall for the elite, where international brands from AW Store to Zara mix it up with national brands like Animale and Carlos Miele. There are plenty of fancy dining spots. If scheduled beforehand, the mall will supply you with a personal shopper.

The antiques shop run by Juliana Benfatti and her two sons has inventory that dates back to the 18th century. The buyers have a discerning eye for what was unique and special in many lands over many generations.

Head to this Santa Teresa arts and crafts store for colorful ceramics, ornate mirrors, and original works by local artists. For the quality and inventiveness of the objects it sells, La Vereda warrants a lengthy browsing session.

To pick up contemporary local art, art naïf, and gemstones, visit the many galleries in the Cidade Alta and around the Largo do Pelourinho: Rua do Carmo and Direito do Santo Antonio have some particularly good options.

This chain is Brazil's exclusive purveyor of the French brand Vertigo. Look for party dresses in velvet and sheer fabrics.

One of the biggest brands for luggage and leather goods in Brazil, Le Postiche has 96 shops around the country. You can find one in almost any mall in São Paulo.

At this antiques showroom that holds monthly auctions you'll find plenty of heirlooms looking for new homes—Baccarat bowls and vases, art nouveau and art deco sideboards, and a slew of silver trays and tea sets among them. Past oddities include the helmet of the late race-car legend Ayrton Senna.

The designer Lita Mortari sells her feminine festive wear in four stores in São Paulo, including two in Jardins.

São Paulo's best selection of travel literature can be found here, along with many maps.

One of Rio's best sources for foreign-language titles, this bookstore has a wide selection of titles in English, Spanish, and French.