go to content go to search box go to global site navigation

The North

Shopping in The North

  1. A

    Mercado Municipal Adolfo Lisboa

    This imposing cast-iron city market building opened in 1882, a copy in miniature of Paris’s famed Les Halles market. Although the art-nouveau ironwork was imported from Europe, the place has acquired a distinctly Amazonian character. In and around the market, you can purchase just about anything, from leather hats and índio crafts to bizarre fruits and traditional medicines.

    reviewed

  2. Cerâmica Mbara-yo

    This is the modest shop of ceramicist Carlos Amaral, who combines traditional Aruã and Marajoara ceramic traditions with award-winning results. You can have a short tour of the workshop to see how the pieces are made. Numerous small, affordable pieces are for sale, and each has a particular tale or significance behind it. It’s between Ruas 3 and 4.

    reviewed

  3. B

    Mercado Ver-o-Peso

    This and the surrounding area is probably the most interesting place to shop, whether for pants or piranha or anything in between. There are no set hours, but there is something interesting to see from 5:30am to 8:30pm every day. However, you should be especially wary of pickpockets and assailants in the early and late hours.

    reviewed

  4. C

    Artes Brasil

    The best items here are carved wooden animals, from pink dolphins to peacock bass, and ranging from keychain size to several feet long. The rest is fairly predictable artesenato, but still worth perusing. It faces the Mercado Central, a short distance from the railroad museum.

    reviewed

  5. APITU

    A small but authentic selection of art and jewelry of the Tumucumaque indigenous people who come from the mountainous borders of Amapá, Pará and Suriname. Not to be confused with the hugely (and hugely disappointing) state-run handicrafts store next door.

    reviewed

  6. D

    Amazonas Ecoshop

    Smallish store with art, jewelry and other gift items. The selection is a bit lacking, but most items are made in the region and certified ‘fair trade.’ An in-store coffee shop has appealing coffees and pastries.

    reviewed

  7. E

    Artesanato da Amazônia

    Once a terrific store for folk art; the good stuff here is getting buried by a growing amount of predictable kitsch. But you can still find some quality items, especially indigenous masks and handmade weapons.

    reviewed

  8. F

    Foto Nascimento

    You've got a jungle trip tomorrow and that new 2GB memory chip you bought online isn't £$&%!! formatting. You can buy a replacement here - and other photo supplies - but don't count on eBay prices.

    reviewed

  9. G

    Galeria Amazônica

    Right on Praça São Sebastião, this is Manaus’s top shop for genuine-article Amazonian handiwork, including gorgeous basketwork, pottery and folk art. Prices are on the high side, but so is the quality.

    reviewed

  10. H

    Boulevard Shopping

    Belém’s latest, biggest mall is a modern cement, steel and glass structure, brilliantly lit at night, and boasting top-tier clothing, electronics and department stores as well as a cinema complex.

    reviewed

  11. Advertisement

  12. I

    Artíndia

    Sells authentic and inexpensive índio crafts at its main shop, at the end of an arcade, in the center of town, and from a kiosk (open from noon to midnight) in Estação das Docas.

    reviewed

  13. Shopping Pátio Belém

    The former ‘Iguatemi Shopping’ has a new name and much more highbrow orientation, with upscale shops, from jewelry to electronics to designer clothing, spread over four floors.

    reviewed

  14. J

    Mercado Municipal Adolfo Lisboa

    Near Porto Manaus Moderno, the Mercado Municipal Adolfo Lisboa is good for inexpensive crafts and T-shirts, cheap stuffed piranhas and natural medicines.

    reviewed

  15. Arariba

    Arguably the best indigenous art store in the Amazon, with items ranging from inexpensive necklaces to museum-quality masks and ceremonial figures. Credit cards accepted.

    reviewed

  16. K

    Iguatemi Shopping

    A modern shopping center with designer clothes, bookshops and music stores. Most shops are open from 10:00 to 22:00 Monday to Saturday, and from 14:00 to 22:00 on Sunday.

    reviewed

  17. L

    Casa das Redes

    For hammocks, head to any of numerous Casa das Redes on Rua Rocha dos Santos and the side streets (or the street vendors around Praça Tenreiro Aranha).

    reviewed

  18. M

    Natural Ervas

    One of a handful of shops on Rua Gaspar Viana that specialize in natural Amazonian medicines, good for everything from dandruff to cancer.

    reviewed

  19. N

    Feira de Artesanato

    A large crafts fair that has the city’s biggest range of attractive artwork, and a lot of it is homemade. It’s especially busy on Sundays.

    reviewed

  20. O

    Centro de Artesanato Caxabmú

    Two city blocks have been designated as pedestrian only, and are lined with stalls selling everything from handicrafts to cashew nuts.

    reviewed

  21. Fruit and Vegetable Market

    On weekends head to the fruit and vegetable market alongside Belém’s cemetery for fresh produce.

    reviewed

  22. Advertisement

  23. P

    Carrefour

    The biggest and best downtown supermarket. Also a good place to buy batteries, flashlights and rain ponchos.

    reviewed

  24. Q

    Crafts Stands

    Numerous Crafts Stands sell mostly identical souvenir-type items in Praça Tenreiro Aranha.

    reviewed

  25. Clio

    Belém's best English-language selection, including guidebooks.

    reviewed

  26. R

    Nobel

    Occasionally stocks English-language guidebooks.

    reviewed

  27. Mercado dos Produtos da Floresta

    All-natural medicines, oils, shampoos and more.

    reviewed