Recife Shopping and Districts

(Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil)

Several large shopping malls are present in the city of Recife, together with a number of centrally located shopping districts and bustling Brazilian markets. Many traditional Pernambuco handicrafts are sold in Recife, with tourists tending to be drawn to the wooden carvings, clay figurines, laceworks and leather goods.

Shops close to the Recife beachfront generally stock a good range of bikinis, shorts, T-shirts, sunglasses and suntan lotion, while an ice cream parlour or kiosk is never far from hand on a sunny day.


Those who favour market shopping will enjoy their time exploring the stalls at the Mercado do Sao José (Market of Saint Joseph) on the Praca Dom Vital, which was founded in 1871 and is housed inside a distinctive iron building. Alternatively, head on down to the street market on the Rua Bom Jesus - known locally as the Feirinha do Bairro do Recife. Both of these markets are open seven days a week, with Sundays being especially busy.

Where to Shop

One of the most unusual shopping centres in Recife is the Casa da Cultura on the Rua Floriano Peixoto, which is located within a former colonial prison. Shops here occupy the former prison cells, which actually housed criminals until the early 1970s. Today, an afternoon at the Casa da Cultura makes for a memorable shopping trip, with the surrounding streets being lined with stores, cafes and stalls.

The earliest shopping mall to be built in the north-eastern region of Brazil, the Shopping Centre Recife first opened its doors to keen shoppers in 1980 and has been expanded on a number of occasions over the following years. Now home to more than 450 shops, a ten-screen cinema complex, several food courts and around a dozen good restaurants, the Shopping Centre Recife has become one of Latin America's biggest malls. Each day, just short of 100,000 people come here, with the 5,000 car parking spaces quickly filling up.

Opened in the late 1990s, the Plaza Shopping Casa Forte contains some 150 outlets and an extensive food court. Locals from the neighbourhoods of Aflitos, Casa Forte, Espinheiro and Poco da Panela tend to favour this mall, due to its close proximity.

Inaugurated in the early part of 1997, the Shopping Centre Tacaruna is yet another major mall in this part of Pernambuco and boasts many familiar chain stores and brands. With three prominent anchor stores, an eight-screen cinema and good amenities, the Tacaruna lies on the north-western side of the Metropolitan Recife area.

Opened in 2003, the Shopping Paco da Alfandega Centre is amongst the most distinctive malls in Recife, since its 80 stores are located within a historic customs house dating back to the early part of the 19th century. The Paco da Alfandega is the place to come for books, as it is home to the Livraria Cultura - currently Brazil's largest bookstore.