Going shopping for souvenirs and gifts in Rio de Janeiro can be a great experience, as the city offers various shopping options to suit diverse tastes and budgets. From vibrant street markets to upscale shopping malls, you’ll find everything from local handicrafts to international luxury brands.
But with so many options available, you might ask yourself what are the best items and where to buy souvenirs and gifts in Rio de Janeiro. So here are our suggestions of souvenirs from Rio that might help you out with your shopping spree:
What To Buy in Rio de Janeiro
Some of the hottest things that you can buy in Rio de Janeiro are the endless variety of beachwear, the famous Brazilian flip flops Havaianas, gemstones crafts and jewelry, football jerseys, Cachaça bottles, and Brazilian treats such as candy and sweets.
And yes, we have not forgotten the antique lovers. You will be pleasantly surprised to know that Rio de Janeiro does have some of the rarest antique and vintage objects. Places like Downtown and Lapa have antique markets with many shops selling antique furniture and other small pieces. You might want to check it out and do some treasure hunting.
Where to Buy Souvenirs and Gifts in Rio de Janeiro
Here are some ideas of items and places where you can buy souvenirs and gifts in Rio de Janeiro that are very Carioca and worth it:
Havaianas Stores
The famous flip-flop Havaianas has become one of Brazil’s most iconic brands known worldwide. It leads the footwear market in Brazil, where the name Havaianas has become the popular term for ‘flip-flops.’ In Brazil, purchasing a pair’s almost obligatory, and their tropical patterns and colors make a wonderful souvenir.
Where to buy:
The best choice is to buy them from the many Havaianas stores spread all around the city. You will find a great variety of exclusive designs, sizes, colors, and patterns. There are also fancy extras such as crystal-studded straps or trinkets to add to your chosen pair giving them a personal touch. The stores also offer exclusive clothes and accessories, like small purses and beach towels.
Beachwear
Rio is famous worldwide for its iconic beaches, such as Copacabana and Ipanema, and it’s only natural that Brazilians would develop a flair for beachwear. It is in Rio that many international beachwear designers are and where it’s set the trend on what is new, modern, and sexy.
Where to buy
Swimwear boutiques: Salinas, Rosa Chá, Cia. Marítima, Lenny Niemeyer, and Bumbum Ipanema are among the best stores to find high-quality swimwear for both men and women. You can find Most of these brands in the city’s main shopping malls or at their own stores, usually in Leblon and Ipanema.
Shopping Santa Clara 33
Vertical shopping mall where you will find several factory or outlet stores for bikinis, cangas (sarongs), and workout clothes at a fabulous cost-benefit ratio.
At the beach
One of the most cost-effective, convenient, and easy ways to purchase a new bikini, but be aware of the quality of it and don’t be shy to bargain the prices.
Soccer Jersey
Another thing that is really popular around here is soccer jerseys. The national team is not only a best seller, but the ones from local teams, especially Flamengo and Fluminense.
Where to buy
You can find official shirts in the best sports stores in town, like Centauro, or at the official team stores (either in Maracanã or at Sugarloaf, you will find stalls from Flamengo, the most popular team in Brazil).
Now, if you don’t mind buying official ones (that are usually way more expensive than the non-official ones), you can find copies on stalls on the beach or on the streets for a reasonable cost-benefit price.
Cachaça
Famous as the alcohol base of the Caipirinha cocktail, cachaça (an original Brazilian liquor made of sugar cane) has a long history that goes back 400 years to colonial Brazil, when the country was the biggest sugar producer in the world and therefore, makes Brazil a reference for buying this type of liquor.
Where to buy
The best place to buy is at supermarket stores, where you can find a range of good brands reasonably priced. Magnifica, Salinas, Seleta, Leblon, and Ypioca are the best commercial brands.
However, suppose you are looking for a more artisanal or craft brand. In that case, you can find it in specialized shops such as Mangue Seco Cachaçaria or Cachaça Social Club, where you can try different types of cachaças and combine your visit with good food options.
Brazilian chocolates
Not many people know that Brazil is one of the world’s leading producers of cocoa and chocolates. Therefore, it has excellent chocolate brands offering this beloved treat’s most varied types and flavors.
Where to buy
Some of the best Brazilian chocolate brands are Kopenhagen, Cacau Show, Dengo, and Garoto.
Garoto’s chocolates can be easily found at several supermarkets in Rio, sold in units or boxes of assorted bonbons, and are the cheaper option. The others have their own shops spread around the town, ranging from refined luxury to exclusively Brazilian ingredient options.
Gilson Martins bags
Gilson Martins is a Carioca designer that uses up-cycles material to design and create exclusive sculpture bags for which he has become well-known worldwide. He’s also made a range called Lixo Nobre (‘noble trash’), incorporating recycling and social responsibility into the design. Bold, funky, and imaginative, Gilson Martins makes fantastic gifts for design lovers.
Where to buy
He keeps three shops in Rio: two in Copacabana and one in Ipanema, where you can find many unique, stylish signature Rio handbags and accessories.
Granado Products
Founded in Rio de Janeiro in 1870, Granado Pharmácias is Brazil’s most traditional cosmetics and medicines company.
Founded by the Portuguese José Antonio Coxito Granado, he produced remedies, cosmetics, and other products made from plants, herbs, and native flowers of Teresópolis, a mountainous region near Rio de Janeiro, where he had a small farm. Still, nowadays, it is a reference in Brazilian beauty products.
Where to buy
Granado has several shops around the city, but a must-go is the first renovated flagship store downtown – at the pharmacy’s original address. In its all-glass-fronted mahogany cabinets with antique tills, you will find all-natural soaps, body butter made with indigenous botanicals, and special souvenir kits with Rio de Janeiro as a theme.
Whether you’re looking for Brazilian gifts for a relative or friend, or souvenirs for yourself, we hope these suggestions give you excellent ideas of what to buy in Rio de Janeiro and have a lovely souvenir from a fantastic vacation.
And now that you know what to buy for souvenirs and gift in Rio de Janeiro, you can also check where to go shopping in Rio de Janeiro. We wish you good shopping!
