Language 
Brazil souvenirs: The best gifts and keepsakes to bring home
Get to know all about Brazilian souvenirs like a local, with local recommendations from Pedro, and tips on what’s best to buy during your trip.
Best souvenirs from Brazil include artisanal cachaça, brigadeiro sweets, Havaianas flip-flops, Brazilian coffee, and even handcrafted hammocks for relaxing back home.
To learn more about Brazilian souvenirs, our local colleague, Pedro Correia, is sharing insights, including recommendations and the importance of each one.
Find out what the best gift to get from Brazil is, where to buy it, and how using an eSIM for Brazil can help you stay connected wherever you look for the perfect gift.
Unlimited data. Peace of mind.
Make sure you have travel data that's there when you need it most.
Top 10 Brazil souvenirs
Finding the perfect Brazil souvenir might take you some time, but knowing where to find it and where to store it while traveling can reduce the stress you feel.
Havaianas
The first recommendation from Pedro is to get Havaianas, which are a national symbol of democracy, culture, and equality.
Havaianas is a popular Brazilian brand created in 1962, inspired by Japanese zori straw sandals, featuring flexible rubber soles and a signature rice-grain pattern.
Compared to buying them abroad, in Brazil, you can get them in far more colors and styles, and way cheaper than when you order them online.
Your best option to buy Havaianas is to visit local shops, such as KiKarnes, official Havaianas stores, and local markets like SAARA.
Artisanal cachaça
A food gift recommendation from Pedro is artisanal cachaça, made from fermented sugarcane juice, and locally known as pinga and caninha. The best ones are found with small producers.
A tip to find great cachaça is to look for wood-aged bottles, such as those aged in Amburana wood, as these are usually better and follow a more traditional recipe.
Plus, mass-market cachaça is usually lower in quality terms, so if you really want a traditional gift from Brazil, look for local cachaça crafters, like Novo Fogo, which offer estate-grown cachaça, Weber House for multi-generation batch aging, and Anísio Santiago for exclusive collector bottles.
Brigadeiro and Brazilian sweets
Looking for the perfect gift for someone with a sweet tooth? Pedro recommends gifting brigadeiro and paçoca.
Brigadeiro is basically a chocolate truffle made with a local recipe, and paçoca is a simple yet beloved peanut candy.
These are great food souvenirs, and both are vacuum-packed, making them easy to carry while traveling.
The best options to buy these are Brigadeiro Doce e Cafés, Camélia Òdòdó, and Hanami Confeitaria.
Brazilian coffee
Brazilian coffee is among the best in the world, and, as Pedro noted, it’s also one of the largest coffee producers worldwide.
Another tip from Pedro is to buy directly from a local roaster or a specialty shop for the best quality, such as Aussie Coffee, Coffee Five, or Coffee Lab.
If you’re looking for ideas, check the Top 100 Coffee Shops ranking and find the nearest one to pick up a single-origin bag to take home.
Biquinis and Brazilian beachwear
A recommendation from Pedro that no one can miss when visiting the best beaches in Brazil is to get a local biquini or Brazilian beachwear.
These are widely popular for their style and fit, and, aside from souvenirs, you can prepare your Brazil packing list without one and buy one at Ipanema or Copacabana.
If you’re out shopping at local malls, your best bet is to get them at boutiques like Loja Trés and Boutique.rmo, though prices will likely be a bit higher than expected.
Handcrafted hammocks (rede)
If you’re visiting the Northeast region, Pedro notes that these are great, durable, and practical souvenirs from Brazil.
These hand-woven cotton hammocks are widely available in this region, especially at street markets and artisan fairs.
The only thing to keep in mind is that hammocks can take up a lot of space, so make sure you have enough room in your luggage to bring one.
Precious stones and gemstones
Brazil is a world leader in precious stones and gemstones, with Bahia, Rio Grande do Sul, and Minas Gerais being the best places to get these.
A tip from Pedro is to buy whatever precious stone you have in mind, quartz, aquamarines, or emeralds, from reputable jewelers and to avoid sellers without certification.
These come in different sizes and shapes, so it’s easy to get one for a ring, earrings, or a necklace.
Some stores to explore are SARA Joias, Vivara, and H.Stern, which are the most popular and respected brands in the country.
Cangas
Canga is a lightweight, vibrantly patterned sarong that’s widely used across Brazil in various ways, from sarongs to beach towels to scarves that match your beach attire.
For Pedro, these are some of the most affordable Brazilian souvenirs, with prices ranging from 10 to 50 Brazilian Reais, which is around ~$2 to ~$10 USD
Plus, these are widely available across Brazil, but for a wider variety, it’s best to visit beach markets like the Copacabana Night Market and the Feirinha da Beira Mar.
Natura Cosmetics
For those considering getting cosmetics in Brazil, Natura Cosmetics is Pedro’s pick.
This top-quality brand uses Amazonian ingredients like Cupuaçu and Murumuru in its products, and its stores are widely available across Brazil.
Also, skincare and perfume products are easy to take on your luggage, making them ideal, easy-to-carry souvenirs from Brazil.
Doce de leite (dulce de leche)
Doce de leite, widely known as dulce de leche, is one of the most important sweets in Brazilian food, and travelers love to take it back home.
These are easily found in supermarkets, but for better-tasting options, it’s best to use specialty food shops, like Casa Santa Luzia or Casa Godinho.
You can also find these at local supermarkets, like Mercado Modelo or the São Paulo Municipal Market.
Honorable mentions
Got some space left on your luggage to add other Brazilian souvenirs? Here are some honorable mentions to consider as gifts:
- IRVINS-style snacks: Local equivalents like pamonha (corn cake) and canjica are great seasonal food souvenirs.
- Leather goods: Shoes from brands such as Melissa, Usafelx, and Arezzo are great, high-quality, and affordable gifts to take from Brazil. But beware of replicas, as these are pretty common in touristy areas.
- Yerba mate and chimarrão kits: Great gifts to buy when visiting southern Brazil, and easy to carry in your checked luggage.
- Carnival costumes: Accessories, masks, and decorative items are widely available, especially during one of the biggest carnivals in the world, Rio’s Carnival, and you can find plenty of styles to wear.
- Brazilian art and prints: Best found in the Santa Teresa neighborhood in Rio, with original work from local artists, and avoid getting these at any major airport.
Where to buy souvenirs in Brazil
If you have a souvenir-buying list ready, it’s time to find out the best places where you can buy these, but keep Pedro’s recommendation in mind: “Avoid airport shops; everything is overpriced.”
- Rio de Janeiro: Ipanema Sunday market in Praça General Osoario, Feira de São Cristovão in the northeastern part of the city, and Santa Teresa for arts and crafts.
- São Paulo: Liberdade neighborhood for Japanese-Brazilian specialties and Mercado Municipal for Brazilian food gifts.
- Salvador: Mercado Modelo for acarajé ingredients and Afro-Brazilian crafts.
Stay connected while shopping in Brazil with Holafly
When looking for an address to get to Liberdade or Ipanema, you’ll need internet to find the easiest way to get there or just to check opening times.
Using an eSIM can help you get reliable internet in Brazil for whatever reason, and you can navigate local markets and understand Portuguese-labeled products like a local.
A great option with unlimited data, 5G coverage, and up to 1 GB of daily hotspot data is the Holafly eSIM for Brazil.
Plus, you get the Always On perk at no extra cost, which gives you 1 GB of mobile data each month, so you can keep exploring other countries without worrying about mobile internet.
Unlimited data. Peace of mind.
Make sure you have travel data that's there when you need it most.
FAQs
Brazilian coffee, sweets, biquinis, and Havaianas are the most popular things bought by Americans in Brazil.
The Havaianas are by far the most bought souvenir in Brazil due to their variety and lower price compared to buying them abroad.
Depends on the city you’re visiting. Local markets are a great place to start, but if you’re looking for something specific, places such as Santa Teresa and Liberdade are great spots for souvenirs.
Plans that may interest you
I first started my content creation journey as a freelancer in 2019, before connecting with Holafly in 2021. At Holafly, my travel and tech interests come together in one place as I craft high-quality articles about the eSIM and related markets. My content aims to help travelers stay connected, wherever they are.
