Natal Shopping and Districts

(Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil)

There are innumerable places to shop and spend your holiday money in Natal, with a series of modern shopping malls, local Brazilian markets and beach strips. Praia Shopping is one of the most popular malls in Natal, since it is just a short walk from the Ponta Negra Beach and has its very own complimentary bus transportation.

Apart from a wealth of shops and restaurants, the Praia Shopping on the Avenida Engenheiro Roberto Freire centre also comes with a popular multiplex cinema and cafes with access to the Internet. Located on the Avenida Salgado Filho, the Via Direta Centre is another notable mall in Natal and one for all the family. With approximately 200 stores, this outdoor complex features a large children's playground, plenty of cafes with open-air seating areas and around 600 parking spaces.

Where to Shop

Ranking as one of the biggest shopping centres in the whole of the Rio Grande do Norte and opened in 2005, the Midway Mall is a major attraction in the city of Natal and attracts literally thousands of shoppers each day. The Midway Mall has recently been extended and boasts more than 300 different shops, a dozen large anchor stores, several gourmet restaurants and a seven-screen cinema, as well as parking for more than 3,500 vehicles and a recently opened music hall named the 'Midway Hall'.

Opened as recently as 2007, the North Mall (Natal North Shopping) is situated in the northern Potengi neighbourhood, on the corner of the Avenida Dr. Joao Medeiros Filho and the Avenida Senhor do Bonfim, close to the Praca Santa Catarina. With around 80 stores, the North Mall may not be as big as the Midway Mall, but it does come with a large Carrefour hypermarket and a mini-amusement park named 'Play Norte'.

On the southern side of Natal is the Shopping Cidade Jardim mall, which resides on the Avenida Roberto Freire and comprises some 100 stores. On a busy day, more than 15,000 come to this large shopping centre, not only to shop, but to watch films at the cinema and use the ice skating rink.