Shopping in Curitiba

Curitiba Shopping Guide

If you are looking for bargain items, wait for the Sunday flea market  - "feirinha" in Garibaldi Square. From nine in the morning to two in the afternoon the square becomes the hub of excitement, as locals and tourists throng the numerous Curitiba shops that sell handicrafts made by Curitibano artists, various kinds of food and other wares. There are local musical groups that render pop music and old Paraná folk music. Wandering musicians from other Latin American nations also perform here.

Shopping Centres

Though there are a lot of places to shop in Curitiba, the shopping malls are very popular options among locals and for those of you who are in the city for a first time. There are six shopping malls in Curitiba that are quite good, besides the smaller places that are interesting to browse around.

If you are looking for haute couture brands then the Shopping Centre Mueller, one of Curitiba's traditional malls, will be the right place. In Saraiva or Curitiba book store you will also find English books.

The Shopping Estação Mall is inside a train station that has been restored, like many other old buildings in Curitiba, and put to innovative use. The mall houses numerous knowledge centres such as a puppet museum, a pharmacy museum, a train museum and interactive nature exhibit and a fragrance centre. There are close to 180 shops, quite a few eateries and bowling alley where you can have fun along with the children. You will also find several movie theatres here.

If a movie or fancier clothing is what you have in mind, then the Shopping Crystal Mall is where you should head.

Shopping Curitiba Mall has recently been renewed and offers in Largo Curitiba a nice square with different kinds of restaurants and eateries and a wide range of shops.

If you have time on hand, go to the Park Shopping Barigui, the latest mall in Curitiba, located close to the Barigui Park. The neighbouring areas are very good and you can get everything that you can imagine in the shops here. Its distance from downtown is a limiting factor for some.

Shopping Palladium, the biggest mall in Southern Brazil, has an incredible 356 stores, eight restaurants and a beautiful boulevard. Each restaurant can accommodate 150 people. Other than this, there is a Plaza of Food, which can seat over 1,200 people, and innumerable fast food joints. The mall also has commercial buildings and Brazil's first IMAX theatre.

Other Shopping Interests

Even if you are not interested in shopping in Curitiba for food items and beverages, do visit the Municipal Market or Mercado Municipal de Curitiba. A veritable treat that titillates all the senses with a mesmerising array of fruits, vegetables, fish, meat, Japanese and Chinese fare, and beer and wine, this market is where you would come for your daily stuff. The food available here is very tasty and reasonably priced.

There are some incredibly interesting options that you can carry back as Curitiba souvenirs. One of these is the hand painted bookmarks that local artists at the Opera House sell. You can make your choice, as they sit painting in front of you. There are some good book stores and art galleries in Largo da Ordem or Old downtown. The street fair in this area, called the Feira do Largo da Ordem, has a Sunday open market displaying paintings, sculptures and other exhibits. You can pick good gifts from here, for people back home.

The Feira da praça da Espanha or Spain Square's Fair deals in antiquities and local design. The place is very lively especially on Saturdays. During the morning there are options for children, such as painting and literature at Bisbiblioteca, a children´s book store. In the afternoon musicians perform here. As there are several cafés and restaurants around, the place is full with people of all ages. The area is now know as Batel Soho and you will find many nice design stores here, from furniture to decoration, jewelry and hipe clothing.

Rua Teffé is a beloved place for small outlets, especially for shoes. It is an open air shopping area in a quiet neighbourhood close to downtown.