Rio de Janeiro Shopping

  1. Argumento

    One of Leblon's fine neighborhood bookstores, Argumento stocks a small but decent selection of foreign-language books and magazines. The charming café in back is a perfect place to disappear with a book - or a new friend. A new branch in Copacabana opened recently.

    Read more about Argumento

  2. Boca do Sapo

    This charming used-book and record shop is a good place to browse on a rainy day - or when the sun gets too much. Indie rock, Música Popular Brasileira (MPB), samba and funk are well represented in the music department.

    Read more about Boca do Sapo

  3. Da Conde

    Secreted inside a tiny shopping plaza, this little multilevel bookstore stocks a small selection of English-language titles. You'll also find CDs, DVDs and a café and lounge on the 2nd floor that hosts occasional book signings and other literary events.

    Read more about Da Conde

  4. Letras E Expressões

    One of Ipanema's growing assortment of bookshops, Letras e Expressões carries a decent selection of foreign-language books from architectural tomes to fiction and travel books (Lonely Planet titles notwithstanding). It also has a variety of English-language magazines and an internet café (Café Ubaldo), which is nice for sipping cappuccino and sending envy-worthy missives back home. There is also a 24-hour location in Leblon.

    Read more about Letras E Expressões

  5. Livraria da Travessa - Centro

    Livraria da Travessa, hands down, wins Centro's most-charming-bookstore award. The location, tucked off the narrow alley Travessa de Ouvidor, accounts for a large part of it, then there's the knowledgeable sales staff, the bistro, and the light falling just so across the shelves. A second Livraria da Travessa on Av Rio Branco 44 has a decent café overlooking the store.

    Read more about Livraria da Travessa - Centro

  7. Livraria da Travessa - Ipanema

    One of a growing chain of bookstores around the city, Livraria da Travessa has a small selection of foreign-language books and periodicals. Upstairs it has a good music collection - most of which you can listen to by scanning the discs under the headphone stations. After browsing stop in at the cozy, second-floor cafe for tasty salads, quiches and desserts.

    Read more about Livraria da Travessa - Ipanema

  8. Livraria Imperial

    Bossa nova plays overhead at this charming bookstore-music shop. In addition to new books (including a selection of foreign-language titles), Livraria Imperial sells CDs covering bossa, samba and many other styles.

    Read more about Livraria Imperial

  9. Livraria Prefácio

    This charming bookshop stocks a small selection of foreign titles as well as music. And perusers need not go hungry or thirsty while they browse for titles: a slender bar in front delivers refreshing glasses of chope (draft beer), while seating upstairs and in the café out the back offers heartier fare. The bookshop hosts an occasional poetry reading or record-release party.

    Read more about Livraria Prefácio

  10. Nova Livraria Leonardo da Vinci

    With one of Rio's best foreign-language book collections, da Vinci also has a wide range of art and photography books, as well as coffee-table books about Rio's history and architecture. It's one floor down - follow the spiral ramp. There's a decent coffee shop nearby.

    Read more about Nova Livraria Leonardo da Vinci

  11. Renovar

    This bookshop has a charming old-world aesthetic and carries some 20,000 titles (a small portion of which are in English). The cozy café in back is a choice meeting spot for Ipanema's literary minded.

    Read more about Renovar

  12. Advertisement