Shopping in Lima

Lima is a good place to buy traditional Peruvian handicrafts. Miraflores has several handicraft shops around Avenida La Paz or in the large emporia on Avenida Petit Thouars 53-54, a block from the Miraflores roundabout. One of the best is Kuntur Wasi, Calle Ocharan 182, which has an English-speaking owner.

Equally good is Antisuyo, Javier Tacna 460, Miraflores, an indigenous cooperative that sells artifacts from all over Peru. A good place for fine crafts and indigenous painting is Agua y Tierra, Javier Diez Canseco 298, Miraflores. Alpaca III, Avenida Larco 671, Miraflores,
has a fine selection of woven or knitted alpaca goods, as does Royal Alpaca, Centro Commercial, Pasaje El Suche, Avenida La Paz 646, Miraflores, and Inkantations, Avenida Larco 1180, Miraflores. All these shops offer a whole range of silver and gold artifacts, locally made woven textiles, alpaca sweaters, ponchos, rugs, coats and blankets.

Prices are similar to those paid in the Andes. Lima also specializes in arpilleras, native pictures of typical Peruvian life, made by local women. Miraflores has a daily crafts market in Parque Kennedy, open 1700-2300. Probably Lima’s biggest arts and crafts market is Feria Artesanal, Avenida La Marina and Avenida Sucre in Pueblo Libre. This market is open daily 1200-2000, sprawling along Avenida La Marina from the sixth block.

For more up-to-date shopping, visitors should head to the new Ripley department store on Parque Kennedy, Miraflores. Lima’s best bookstore, Crisol, can be found in Ovalo Gutierrez, Miraflores. Also in Miraflores, the US-style shopping mall in Miraflores, Larco Mar , has ten-pin bowling, a multiplex cinema, snack bars, restaurants, discos and live music. The mall is situated right on the cliffs overlooking the sea. The biggest shopping mall of all, Jockey Plaza, Avenida Prado Este, Surco, is open daily 1100-2100 and has many top designer shops, such as Guess, Benetton and Tommy Hilfiger.

On the whole, shops are open 0930-1230 and 1500-2000. At present there is no way of getting back the 18% sales tax, other than buying goods at the international departure lounge of Jorge Chavez Airport.