Rio de Janeiro Shopping

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I was really bummed when we woke up Sunday morning to the sound of pouring rain because one of the things I really wanted to do was go to the Hippie Market in Ipanema which is only open on Sunday.

When the rain let up a little, we grabbed our umbrellas and headed over to the market anyway, there were actually quite a few vendors there given that the rain had been pretty constant throughout the entire morning.

My guide book says it's only once a month so either we hit it lucky or the guide book is wrong

What to buy: The vendors that we did see were selling jewelry, tshirts, clothes, souvenirs, artwork. We were busy dodging overflowing tarps and trying not to stab anyone with our umbrellas to do any serious looking.

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No trip to a foreign land would be complete for me without a trip to a local supermarket. Zona Sul, identifiable usually by these large ceramic rabbits (unless that's just an Easter thing?), was the one we ran into the most and we stocked up there on bottled water, soft drinks like Guarana and local chocolates.

What to buy: Although our hotel said the water was safe to drink, I'm just in the habit of picking up bottled water, for the price of a couple of dollars, I have the assurance that I won't get sick from the water.

Bring back a couple of cans/bottles of Guarana if you develop an affinity for it, you won't likely find it back home.

I picked up a couple of boxes of Garoto mixed chocolates for gifts, I think they were only $2-3 US and surprisingly good. The ones we bought we in a yellow box.

Every evening they would set up booths in the median strip of Av. Atlantica, not too far from our hotel which was on the end of Copacabana beach closest to Ipanema, selling tourist trinkets, tshirts, flip flops, etc. and then another section with original artworks. We were saving our souvenir shopping for our last night in Rio and unfortunately it wasn't in operation that night, not sure if it was because it was Sunday or because it had rained most of the day. But Friday and Saturday night it was in full swing.

Visconde de Piraj? street, in Ipanema, has most of the trendiest shops in town. There you'll find stores like Foch, Cavalera, many sunglasses stores, and at the end of the street, pass the square, stores like Louis Vitton and designer's stores.
Definately a must go.

What to buy: Rio is definately the place to buy tshirts, beachwear, sunglasses and everything that involves outdoors, beach and sun.

I like to shop. A lot. I'm not proud of it, but can't help it... When i go to some foreign country one of the things i love to do is to check out the different looking shops! Being a designer i'm very drawn to different, irreverent kind of clothes and accessories.
I found this shop at a mall and it was love at first sight... They have beautiful, colorful accessories, and not expensive at all (at least if comparing that kind of objects here in Lisbon!) Had to buy a bracelet to myself and to my mum as a souvenir ;)

Hotels on Copacabana offer vouchers taking the shuttel between beach hotels to the Rio Sul shopping center. I got few summer cloths, including the one I had in the photo here and the one in the member ID photo. they are nice designed and cheaper ( I shop BeBe in NA). And I love the colors. We had dinners and coffee too.

There is a market every night on Copacabana.

What to buy: I loved all the handmade jewellery all the different designs and stones, they were wonderful, especially the earrings.

Lovely hade made wooden stuff

t shirts to bring back as gifts

We went downtown to go shopping for cheap stuff, and we found it. There were hundreds of stores, with thousands of things to buy...clothes, toys, home supplies, music, jewelery, etc.

I said, as we were walking around, that it reminded me of Tijuana in Mexico...but a little cleaner. There were brand knockoffs all over the place.

What to buy: We bought a kid's Brasilian futebol jersey for cheap

What to pay: CHEAPER than normal