70 Best Shopping in Peru

Housed in a restored mansion on Barranco's stately Avenida Sáenz Peña, this Aladdin's cave–like tienda specializes in contemporary work, as opposed to the traditional handicrafts sold by most shops. It's packed with the colorful creations of dozens of independent artists and artisans, including an impressive selection of jewelry. The little café in the back garden is a pleasant spot to take a breather while traipsing around Barranco.

Religious art, including elaborately costumed statues of the Virgin Mary, is sold at the shop at the Galería Mendívil. The popular Museo Hilario Mendívil is located across the plaza.

In San Blas, the Galería Mérida sells the much-imitated ceramics of Edilberto Mérida. His characters are so expressive you can practically hear them as you browse through the gallery, which doubles as a museum where you can learn more about this award-winning Peruvian artist and his work.

This is Cusco's finest silver store, with an ample selection of replicas of colonial-era pieces, as well as some really creative and elegant originals. The internationally recognized shop is based in Lima, though there are multiple locations in Cusco, including ones in the Monasterio, Casa Andina Private Collection, and JW Marriott hotels.

Long-established and ubermodern KUNA has alpaca garments and is one of the only authorized distributors of high-quality vicuña scarves and sweaters. Run by Peruvian design company Alpaca 111, they have shops at the Plaza Regocijo and the Libertador hotel and at the airport.

The tiny but charming La Floristeria, in front of the Pasaje El Suche complex, is filled with quality handicrafts from a select group of artisans: hand-painted trays, ceramic-figure-packed retablos ayacuchanos (decorative, portable altar boxes that depict religious events), jewelry, weavings, candles, and other colorful collectables.

The Cusco shop of famed ceramics maker Pablo Seminario is now housed in the MAP museum building. Known around the world, it is an ideal place to get a locally made gift that is truly special. Prices are lower at the source, in the Sacred Valley town of Urubamba.

Ceramics, hand-painted or embroidered fabrics, and other handicrafts of the country´s Amazonian tribes decorate the windows of this small shop two blocks east of Parque Miraflores, but it also has some Andean handicrafts.

One of several shops in Miraflores specializing in alpaca clothing, All Alpaca sells sophisticated sweaters, ponchos, coats, and more. There's a second shop at Avenida José Larco 1005.

This colorful store in the heart of Miraflores's shopping district has some lovely clothing, as well as a small selection of handwoven tapestries.

With several stores in Cusco, Alpaca's Best sells quality knits but also has a good selection of jewelry.

This reasonably priced crafts shop has many original pieces including tapestries, ceramics, and alpaca clothing.

If you're looking for modern twists on folkloric crafts, check out Arte y Canela, which sells a variety of high-end silver jewelry and household goods, all with a regional artistic flair.

On a quiet street one block east of busy Avenida Grau, this shop is in the home of Mari Solari, who has been selling handcrafted goods and folk art for decades. She works with some of the best artisans in the Andes and Amazon basin. Ring the doorbell and someone will let you in.

If you've made it to the Sacred Valley, you've likely seen your share of woven garments. But it's worth swinging by this fair-trade shop just down the road from the Plaza de Armas on the way to the ruins. All goods are produced as part of the Awamaki weaving project, which supports a cooperative of Quechua women from the Patacancha Valley. The organization also offers a variety of cultural tours, including homestays and weaving courses, all of which you can find out about at the shop.

You'll find top-quality, locally made goods near the Plaza de la Constitución at Casa del Artesano, where independent artists sit in their tiny shops working on their respective crafts.

The tiny pueblo of Catacaos, 12 km (7 miles) southwest of Piura, is famous for its textiles, gold and silver figurines and jewelry, and excellent pottery. The small market, filled with street stalls and shops, is open daily until 6 pm. Look around as much as you like, but to get the best price, only closely examine what you really want to buy. The town also has excellent picanterías to sample northern cuisine. To get to Catacaos, take the Pan-American Highway. A taxi should cost around S/30 round-trip.

Sweaters, ponchos, scarves, and wall hangings are sold at fair-trade prices at this nonprofit organization dedicated to the survival of traditional weaving. Weavers from local villages work in the shop, and the on-site museum has informative exhibits about weaving techniques and the customs behind traditional costume. There are additional branches in MAP and Museo Inka.

The municipal government operates the Centro Artesanal Cusco, containing 340 stands of artisan vendors. This is often your best bet for buying those souvenirs that you've seen everywhere but not gotten around to purchasing. Prices are typically negotiable (and often cheaper than you will find in Pisac), and the more you buy at one stall, the better discount you are likely to get.

This collection of handicraft stalls on a wooden platform perched over a seasonal swamp is worth wandering through even if you don't want to buy anything. It's down the stairs from the Malecón Maldonado, at the end of Jirón Napo.

This is one of the more organized places to learn about Chinchero's weaving tradition and techniques. Guests are welcomed with a cup of coca tea and then whisked through a series of hands-on explanations of the washing, dyeing, and weaving processes. There is also a good selection of hand-woven sweaters and tapestries for sale from the weavers themselves.

Brooding saints dominate the walls of this small shop, which also has some interesting ceramic and silver figures. It's open only for a few hours in the afternoon and evening, but the owners live nearby and are happy to open the store at other times if you give them a call.

One of several small antiques shops in the Pasaje El Suche (a small, colonial-style complex), El Nazareno has an eclectic selection of antique statues and religious art, as well as handicrafts such as woven rugs.