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Shopping spree!

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Whether you're looking for the perfect Brazilian bikini, a funky new outfit for a night out, or locally-produced handicrafts, you'll find it in Rio. This one-day shopping trip explores all the city's best spots for shopping, whatever your budget and whatever your tastes. The itinerary also includes eating options (well, you'll need to keep your strength up...) and suggestions for places to head for at night in order to showcase your new wardrobe!

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Author: Lucy

Day 1 - Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro is a fantastic city for shopping, but be warned, prices can rival or even exceed those of Europe and the US. To maximise your budget, avoid the super-pricey hotels on Ipanema beachfront and stay instead at Hotel Ipanema Inn. Just one block back from the beach, this hotel's also just a stone's throw from Ipanema's best nightlife options and, of course, the neighborhood's best shops. Ipanema's awash with opportunties to max out your credit card - wander down to Rua Visconde de Piraja and you'll find an entire street lined with shops. If you're looking for a chic Brazilian bikini, check out Bum Bum. The designs here are gorgeous but, while the sizes are small, prices are very large! If your budget won't stretch to a purchase in one of the many boutiques in the neighborhood, check out Marisa - a Brazilian chain store offering decent quality, simple clothes at budget prices. Next, head down to the famous 'Hippie Fair', held each Sunday in Ipanema. Here you'll find arts and crafts, clothes, and a variety of tourist souvenirs. Prices here can be high, but don't be afraid to try out your bargaining skills! After a hard morning's bargain-hunting, pick up a snack from New Natural before taking a taxi to the tram station (estacao de bonde) in Centro. (Note that, while it's fine to get here by bus during the week, Centro is dangerously deserted on Sundays, so a cab will be necessary today). Take the little tram up to Santa Teresa, where you can browse around the numerous shops selling colorful arts, crafts, and vintage clothes. Stop for lunch at Espirito Santa, where you'll find wonderful Pan-Brazilian dishes with an emphasis on cuisine from the Amazon region. Ask somebody to point you in the direction of the Escadaria do Selaron - or the 'Lapa Steps'. Here, eccentric Chilean artist and local celebrity Selaron has painstakingly transformed a steep flight of stairs into an ever-evolving art installation featuring colourful mosaics and paintings. You'll often find the artist himself at work on the steps, and he'll happily sell you a painting, t-shirt or postcard. Lapa's somewhat edgy, however, so don't linger around here too long. Instead, climb the steps back up to Santa, as the locals call it, and catch the bonde back down to Centro. After taking a cab back to the hotel (you'll need to drop off all those bags of goodies!), take a bus from the beachfront to Barra da Tijuca, where you'll find Barra Shopping - the largest shopping mall in South America. The mall boasts everything from uber-chic boutiques to giant chain stores, and after a couple of hours in here you may well want to treat yourself to a foot treatment at Spé o Spa do Pé. Of course, you'll want to show off some of those new purchases, so jump on a bus back to the hotel and get yourself ready for a night out. What you will want to wear depends on where you want to go - if you've a new wardrobe full of super-dressy numbers, you might want to join the queue to get into exclusive, expensive Baronnetti, where you can mingle with Rio's 'gente bonita' (beautiful people). If you've splashed out on funky new clothes and accessories, head instead for Rio Scenarium in Lapa, where you can shake your thang to live samba music, in the company of the city's hip, bohemian types. Either way, start the evening with a meal and a drink at the Ipanema branch of Devassa, where you'll find excellent home-brewed beers and a lively, diverse crowd.

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