7 Biggest & Best Shopping Malls For Foreigner in Rio De Janeiro - Brazil

Liz Allen December 25, 2021 | 22:54

Brazil has some of the hottest shopping destinations in all of South America. Check out the list of top 10 biggest and best shopping malls for foreigner in Brazil!

Photo: KnowInsiders

Shopping malls in Brazil are more than just a convenient place to buy everything under one roof; they are social hubs where people meet to catch up with friends, have dinner out, drink wine and watch the latest films. Rio de Janeiro has plenty of shopping malls to choose from ranging from cheaper options to extreme luxury. KnowInsiders round up some of the best shopping malls across the city.

List of 7 Biggest and Best Shopping Malls For Foreigner in Brazil

(Ranked by The Culture Trip)

1. New York City Center

2. Shopping Nova America

3. Shopping Tijuca

4. Shopping Rio Sul

5. Shopping Leblon

6. Shopping Village Mall

7. Shopping Recreio

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What are the best shopping malls for foreigner in Rio De Janeiro?

1. New York City Center

Hours: Address: Av. das Américas, 5000 - Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro - RJ, 22640-102, Brazil

Open ⋅ Closes 10PM

Christmas Day might affect these hours

Phone: +55 21 3089-1051

Opened: November 4, 1999

Photo: Multiplan

Located in a shopping mall central, Barra da Tijuca, Shopping New York City Center is easily identified with its large statue of liberty right outside. It appears deceivingly small on first impressions but the entrance just has restaurants and a couple of small shops. Pass through that and you enter the huge main shopping mall. Its cinema alone has 18 rooms and has hundreds of shops, restaurants and leisure areas. It’s big, it’s bold and it has everything. Just make sure you wear comfortable shoes because there is unavoidably a lot of walking around.

2. Shopping Nova America

Address: Av. Pastor Martin Luther King Jr, 126, Del Castilho, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

Opened: October 31 of 1995 (26 years old)

Slogan: Everything here to make you happy.

Photo: Wikimapia

Shopping Nova America is a huge mall in the north zone of the city. The layout inside is like it was designed by a Penrose stairs lover with random escalators, sudden new floors and plenty of twists and turns. It’s easy to spend hours in this mall purely from getting lost! However, that wouldn’t be a bad thing as with plenty of shops with reasonably priced items, it’s an easy way to have a splurge without feeling the guilt. There’s also a cinema to catch the latest flicks and a large dining hall. One wonderful addition here is ‘Rua do Rio’, an artificially built street leading from the mall that has rows of bars and restaurants, perfect to relax, drink and be merry.

3. Shopping Tijuca

Address: Av. Maracanã, 987 - Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro - RJ, 20511-000, Brazil

Open: 10:00 AM - 11:00 PM

Phone: +55 21 3094-6605

Photo: Ivan Carvalho

Shopping Tijuca takes its name from the neighborhood it’s located in, in the north of Rio. Its smaller than some of its larger counterparts but that is not a bad thing; everything is easy to locate and doesn’t have large walking sessions between each shop. Shops are mostly cheaper with old classics such as C&A and its Brazilian rival Renner, to mid-rangers such as Oh, Boy and Eclectic. It’s totally normal to go out for dinner in a shopping mall in Brazil and one of the most popular eating points at this mall is Outback, an Australian-themed restaurant famous for its burgers, steaks and deep-fried onions and large, super-cold beers.

4. Shopping Rio Sul

Address: Rua Lauro Müller, 116 - Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro - RJ, 22290-160, Brazil

Hours: Open ⋅ Closes 10PM

Phone: +55 21 3527-7299

Photo: MAIS COISAS

Near to Botafogo in the south of the city, Shopping Rio Sul is a large mall that will fulfill all your shopping needs and more with its 140 different shops and 21 restaurants. It has a wide range of national and international brands such as Havaianas, Zara and more recently Forever 21 with the majority of the shops priced around the mid-range mark. With white marble floors and polished silver furnishings, the layout is clean and logical with handy touchscreen aids dotted around to help you locate shops. To eat, try the Delirio Tropical for fresh salads and pasta dishes. The queue always looks daunting but it goes down pretty quickly.

5. Shopping Leblon

Address: Av. Afrânio de Melo Franco, 290 - Leblon, Rio de Janeiro - RJ, 22430-060, Brazil

Hours: Open ⋅ Closes 10PM

Phone: +55 21 2018-2508

Photo: MAIS COISAS

Shopping Leblon matches the style of its surrounding upmarket neighborhood Leblon with a luxury design and expensive stores with plenty of international brands. The shops range from mid-price up to high-range with stores such as Dolce & Gabbana, Burberry, and Diesel. Some Brazilian brands worth checking out there are Animale, with its sophisticated yet funky style, and Farm, which has youthful, cool designs. Like any other shopping mall in Rio, it has a cinema and a wide range of excellent restaurants and places for snacks. One that stands out is Bacio di Latte, a local ice cream parlor that does freshly made ice cream with pure, natural ingredients. For those hot summer days, it’s perfect.

6. Shopping Village Mall

Address: Av. das Américas, 3900 - Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro - RJ, 22640-102, Brazil

Hours: Open ⋅ Closes 10PM

Phone: +55 21 3003-4177

Photo: Tailor Luxury Travel MAIS COISAS

This is the crown jewels of the shopping mall world and is nothing short of pure luxury. With big names such as Hugo Boss and Gucci, it’s popular with the rich and famous with many Brazilian celebrities papped shopping here. Its exclusivity to the rich market limits the number of people who go there keeping the shopping mall peaceful and never crowded. The leisure area outside is a large wooden patio that stretches out with low, comfortable seating and breath-taking views across Barra and the mountainous skyline. The cinema here has ‘couple sofas’ that stretch out like a huge bed bringing the ultimate cinema experience. Strangely enough, despite everything else being wallet-busting, the cinema is surprisingly affordable.

7. Shopping Recreio

Address: Av. das Américas, 19019 - Recreio dos Bandeirantes, Rio de Janeiro - RJ, 22790-701, Brazil

Hours: Open ⋅ Closes 10PM

Phone: +55 21 2018-5421

Photo: Roteirinho Carioca

Located in Recreio where this shopping mall gets its name, Shopping Recreio is a large shopping mall with cheaper to mid-range shops with many Brazilian brands and some international brands such as Nike. There’s a kids play area where tired parents can drop off their kids in a safe and fun environment, and they're also a few salons where it’s cheap to get a hair cut, wax or nails painted in between shopping sprees. There are a few restaurants with the most popular being Balada Mix which serves fresh and healthy meals, and also the legendary Outback where waiting lines are common.

Aricanduva Shopping Center - the biggest shopping mall in Brazil

In first place is Shopping Aricanduva! Thus, in addition to being the largest mall in Brazil, it is also the largest mall in Latin America! Its size reaches one million square meters and its parking lot has space for 15 thousand vehicles! Can you imagine the immensity?

Photo: Shopping Aricanduva

In addition, there are a total of 545 store options, 13 movie theaters and 3 food courts. The shopping center also offers options for children who can have fun in leisure areas and also has gyms for those who want to find everything in one place!

This is a type of place where you can buy everything from clothes and accessories to cars and motorbikes! It is located on Avenida Aricanduva, in Aricanduva, in the municipality of São Paulo! So, if you are passing through the region you can easily see all this immensity. Worth knowing!