20 Best Places to Shop in Cusco and the Sacred Valley, Peru

If you're looking for something truly unique, you must make your way here. Part museum, mostly a store, this has been a labor of love for many years as Rosie Barnes and Walter Rodriguez Mamani painstakingly made their way through the legal mire of renovating a colonial manse. The result is simply gorgeous, not least owing to the plethora of one-of-a-kind items that you simply won't find elsewhere, due to locals from all over Peru and Bolivia bringing their heirlooms to sell over the years before the store finally opened.

Religious art, including elaborately costumed statues of the Virgin Mary, is sold at the shop at the Galería Mendívil. The popular Museo Hilario Mendívil is located across the plaza.

In San Blas, the Galería Mérida sells the much-imitated ceramics of Edilberto Mérida. His characters are so expressive you can practically hear them as you browse through the gallery, which doubles as a museum where you can learn more about this award-winning Peruvian artist and his work.

This is Cusco's finest silver store, with an ample selection of replicas of colonial-era pieces, as well as some really creative and elegant originals. The internationally recognized shop is based in Lima, though there are multiple locations in Cusco, including ones in the Monasterio, Casa Andina Private Collection, and JW Marriott hotels.

Long-established and übermodern KUNA has alpaca garments and is one of the only authorized distributors of high-quality vicuña scarves and sweaters. It's run by Peruvian design company Alpaca 111, which has eight other shops in Cusco, including at the Plaza Regocijo, the Monasterio hotel, the Marriott hotel, the Palacio del Inca hotel, and the airport.

The Cusco shop of famed ceramics maker Pablo Seminario is now housed in the MAP museum building. Known around the world, it is an ideal place to get a locally made gift that is truly special. Prices are lower at the source, in the Sacred Valley town of Urubamba.

With several stores in Cusco, Alpaca's Best sells quality knits but also has a good selection of jewelry.

This reasonably priced crafts shop has many original pieces including tapestries, ceramics, and alpaca clothing.

If you're looking for modern twists on folkloric crafts, check out Arte y Canela, which sells a variety of high-end silver jewelry and household goods, all with a regional artistic flair.

One of the best shops in town, this atmospheric place filled with stone statues carries an array of high-quality handmade leather goods, woolen ponchos, and traditional handicrafts from the valley and elsewhere in Peru. It's open by appointment only.

Sweaters, ponchos, scarves, and wall hangings are sold at fair-trade prices at this nonprofit organization dedicated to the survival of traditional weaving. Weavers from local villages work in the shop, and the on-site museum has informative exhibits about weaving techniques and the customs behind traditional costume. There are additional branches in MAP and Museo Inka.

The municipal government operates the Centro Artesanal Cusco, containing 340 stands of artisan vendors. This is often your best bet for buying those souvenirs that you've seen everywhere but not gotten around to purchasing. Prices are typically negotiable (and often cheaper than you will find in Pisac), and the more you buy at one stall, the better discount you are likely to get.

If you'd rather knit your own sweater than buy one, there are many places where you can buy yarn. Take a walk over toward the San Pedro market, where you will find a number of yarn stores, such as this one, where you can buy packets of the famous baby alpaca yarn.

For fine alpaca coats, sweaters, scarves, and shawls, check out this shop; there are two other central locations at Santa Catalina Ancha and Limacpampa Chico.

Like to find fun and unique clothing wherever you travel? This is the store for you. Not remotely Peruvian, Hilo is a boutique shop where you'll find all original pieces unlike anything you've ever seen. Irish-born Eibhlin Cassidy is more artist than mere dressmaker, and if you have the time, she's more than happy to design something especially for you.

At this shop that aims to support Indigenous communities in Peru's Amazonian forests, you'll find a great selection of souvenirs and handcrafted goods, including woven baskets, necklaces, natural plants, and infusions. 

There are three locations for this well-known supplier of outdoor wear. In the center, there is one right on the Plaza de Armas and another at Plazoleta Espinar 188; the third store is in the Real Plaza, Cusco's mall. It's best to buy directly from the company, as there have been problems with inferior knockoffs of North Face products being sold in Peru.

Forget to pack your winter jacket for the Inca Trail? No problem: check out RKF, where you'll find a variety of quality (mostly imported) outdoor goods from the top brands like Mountain Hard Wear and Columbia.

Offering fine garments made from alpaca and vicuña fibers, this store is part of the Michell Group, which has more than 75 years of know-how in processing alpaca and is the leading alpaca producer and exporter in the world. There are also stores on Calle Espaderos, Portal de Mantas, Santa Catalina Ancha, and in the Plaza Nazarenas.

Although the shop sells camping equipment, it's also the first place to check if you get to town and want to rent something for your trek. They also do repairs.