São Paulo is not a
touristy city, so you will not come across a souvenir shop on every corner.
Actually you may want to buy a souvenir after all, no matter how kitsch it
might be, and not find anything. So I’ll give you some suggestions in case you
want to make the effort to take something back home.
Two arts and crafts
markets that are usually recommended to tourists are the ones that are held on
Praça da República (held during the day on Fridays and Saturdays), which is
easy to reach with the subway (Red and Yellow Lines, República station), or the
one held in front of Parque Trianon, just across MASP on Avenida Paulista (just
off the Trianon subway station), which is held on Sundays. Both have several
stalls selling mainly things crafted in wood; though not extremely creative,
they are bound to please tourists.
I would suggest a more ‘sophisticated’
arts and crafts market, whose exhibitors are young artists or designers. This
is the fair called “Como Assim?”; it is held every Sunday from 10am to 10pm in
the corridors of the Shopping Center 3, also located on Avenida Paulista (close
to the Consolação station). Though you have a bit of everything, custom
jewellery and clothes occupy a large part of the market, so most probably it
will please girls, or boys wishing to purchase creative gifts to their loved
ones. Specifically on the lower floor there is a stall with souvenirs (t-shirts, mugs, etc) using São Paulo as their theme.
For some reason,
foreigners are usually drawn to objects made of Brazilian gemstones. You can
find a wealth of these (from kitsch to really delicate items) on some shops
near Praça da Liberdade. Though Liberdade is São Paulo’s ‘Chinatown’ so to
speak, these shops are easy bets – and you can take the chance to taste a
legitimate Japanese Brazilian dish. Try the shop Ho Kim Do, on Praça da Liberdade, 276, right on the corner with the main street in the area, Rua Galvão Bueno. Easy access with the subway – take the blue
line to the Liberdade station.
Finally, if you have some
energy left, walk down Rua Augusta to #2795 (just after it crosses Rua Oscar
Freire) and visit the shop called Arte Tribal. Brazilian souvenirs, popular
art, crafts from Brazilian indigenous tribes are available at the shop. To have
an idea, access their website www.artetribal.com.br
(available in English).
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