4 Best Places to Shop in Belem, The Amazon

A riverside town 18 km (11 miles) northeast of Belém, Icoaraci is a good place to buy marajoara pottery.

This town square is busy only on Sunday, when barracas (small shops) pop up to sell paintings, snacks, artisanal items, and regional foods. You can watch the action from a park bench while sipping a cold coconut or eating a slice of cupuaçú cake. It's a local favorite for morning family strolls.

São José Liberto is a combination museum and high-price jewelry and craft shops with Amazonian wares of gold, amethyst, and wood; pottery; and seeds and plant fibers.

To shop in air-conditioning, head for the upscale Shopping Patio Belém, a mall in the truest sense of the word. There are 198 stores, including four department stores with a bit of everything. The mall also includes a multiscreen cinema, banks, a food court, and currency-exchange shops.