2 Best Places to Shop in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais

The fashionable Savassi and Lourdes neighborhoods have the city's best antiques, handicrafts, and jewelry stores. For clothing, head to one of the major shopping centers such as BH Shopping. On Saturday between 10 am and 6 pm, an antiques fair and food market takes place on the Avenida Bernardo Monteiro between Avenida Brasil and Rua dos Otoni.

Sunday morning the Avenida Afonso Pena is crowded with tents for the Feira de Artesanato (Artisans Fair). This is a meeting point for locals, who come here to grab a few beers and a snack then head off to the neighboring bars along Rua da Bahia to resume drinking and to watch a Sunday football match. Here you can also taste some delicious Brazilian street food, such as coco gelado, a large green coconut filled with sweet water, or acarajé, a deep-fried pastry stuffed with shrimps, ground cashews, and spices. The artisan market is famous for nice leather shoes and wallets, beautiful knitted shirts and skirts, handmade home accessories, and jewelry made from beads and seashells. It is advisable to get there early, just before 8 am, or after 1 pm, one hour before the vendors start packing up and when you can get the best bargains.