Markets to visit Brazil

The mercado de São José gives the temperature of the popular Recife. Built by French architects, the iron market of the São José district is directly inspired by the Grenelle market. It was inaugurated in 1875 and today you can find more than 500 stalls selling a wide variety of products: handicrafts, medicinal herbs, cashew nuts, etc. It is always very pleasant to stroll around and get lost before going to the patio of São Pedro. Be careful, however, when the market closes, the neighborhood becomes empty and unsafe.

Going to a market is a great way to get a few snapshots of local life. Traditions and lifestyles are on display in the open air. Here, on one side, you have the most popular handicraft market with typical products for sale: ceramics, embroidery, straw objects, hammocks... The prices are very attractive! On the other side of the square you will find the fruit and vegetable market, also very nice.

The market was built at the end of the 17th century and restored according to the original plans. Handicrafts, wood carvers' workshops, engravings, paintings. After the fire that destroyed Marim dos Caetés in 1601, the city began to be rebuilt by the Rua de São Bento, with the Palace of the Governors, then came the House of the Chamber and the prison, which were one above the other, and in front of them the public market. The market is U-shaped and has typical characteristics of buildings from the colonial period,

It is a former prison, now occupied by small craft lodges. The building, which dates from the 19th century, was once an orphanage, then a residence, before being transformed and restored to house the tourist centre. It is one of the best places in the city for shopping. Shirts, dresses, hammocks, home decor, lace fabrics and souvenirs. On Thursday evenings, the center becomes a very lively place. This is the Forró do turista, a highlight of the Potiguar night.

Porto Alegre's Mercado Publico, the city's oldest market, isn't just a market. This handsome 1869 building boasts a beautiful yellow façade and a metal roof inside, where you'll find over 110 stalls of all kinds. It's one of the city's must-visit meeting places. You can buy food, maté, cuia and bomba to prepare your chimarrão at home! For those into local folklore, it's possible to buy typical gaucho clothing.