Shopping

Address: Avenue Principal de Las Mercedes, Las Mercedes district Phone: 212 991 3164 Timings: Mondays to Saturdays 10am to 8pm Paseo is for Caraqueños living the high life! Aptly situated in one of the city’s most elite neighborhoods, Paseo is an old mall that the citizens have come to trust when it comes to authentic jewelry, especially gold and silver bracelets, designer labels in apparel, cosmetics and accessories, and charming interior décor. The mall offers, apart from the high-end, not-so-inexpensive garments and electronic gadgets, a commendable bookstore with a large international collection, a splendid cinema house, the mall’s own health and beauty salon, a well-stocked pharmacy, and a collection of some of the city’s tastiest diners and cafés. Hotel Paseo Las Mercedes, a high-end hotel that offers excellent service to guests, is included within the mall’s premises. Also within the mall, Transnocho Cultural, a very happening place for intellectuals and postmodernists, attracts a sizeable audience to its regularly held musical programs, art exhibitions, and performances. For the party loving horde, the mall includes its own nightclub – you can experience a subtle shift in the kind of crowd as the hours start setting in. Parking is available in the mall’s own garage.

Address: Avenida Blandín, La Castellana, Caracas Phone: 212 263 3953 Timings: Mondays to Saturdays 10am to 3am Two splendid elliptical towers with seemingly infinite terraces, resembling an ultramodern space station or a high-income futuristic elite colony, the San Ignacio is a visual marvel in itself for its visitors. The mall offers ridiculously expensive designer garments and footwear, fashion accessories, both locally crafted and internationally branded, and the latest in electronic gadgetry including computers, cell phones, and video games. The mall also contains a number of popular diners and coffee shops, perfect for that break in your tiring shopping day. An incredible cinema with VIP seating adds another dimension to the mall. Thus, San Ignacio forms a multi-faceted entertainment complex. As dusk falls, San Ignacio makes a smooth transition from a shopper’s paradise to a partygoers’ haven. With its numerous clubs and late-night bars serving up all kinds of shots to heart pumping music, San Ignacio entertains the city from morning till the very early hours of the morning again. Underground parking with valet service is available for up to 2000 cars.

Address: Avenue Principal de Las Mercedes Phone: 212 959 2169 Timings: Mondays to Saturdays 9am to 9pm, Sundays 1pm to 7pm Situated in Las Mercedes, the hip and happening part of Caracas, the CCCT is the perfect place to head to if you have a sizeable wallet or a collection of credit cards that actually work! The inverted half-pyramidal shape of the mall attracts many an unsuspecting tourist from a long distance, who wanders inside unaware of the outrageously expensive goods on display. CCCT is famous for its more than 500 shops and boutiques that sell anything from garments to undergarments and all in between and beyond. The stores contain toys, electronics, high end décor, and authentic artwork, apart from the mundane groceries and items of daily use. CCCT houses two nightclubs that rage on all night, a charming variety of international diners arranged around an artistically designed food court, and a splendid movie theater. The mall contains an indoor parking space for 6000 cars. Weekends get especially crowded, when people come not only to shop, but to eat, watch movies, and dance all night!

Address: Avenue Francisco de Miranda, El Rosal district Phone: 212 952 7196 Timings: Mondays to Saturdays 10am to 8pm Located in another elite neighborhood within Caracas, Lido presents a shopping experience marked by authentic serenity and comfort that many other malls fail to provide. Firstly, the mall is not very crowded – this may be due to the fact that its prices are WAY too high for common Caraqueños to even window-shop. The mall is actually complementary to an already existing office space, containing facilities like beauty salons, perfume and cosmetics stores, and fitness centers, which cater exclusively to its stinking rich corporate clientele. The mall offers high-end designer gear, accessories, jewelry, and footwear. It also houses two incredible movie theatres, more than a dozen authentic international diners, and a five-star hotel. Even if you do not shop, the mall offers an exciting insight into the lives of the city’s elite.

Address: Nicholas Copernico Road, south of Plaza Alfredo Sadel, El Rosal disrtict Timings: Mondays to Saturdays 10am to 9pm, Sundays and holidays 12noon to 8pm A lavish upscale mall that has recently entered the shopping scene in Caracas, El Tolón has quickly become one of the most popular malls around Caracas, as can be witnessed by the sheer number of people that swarm it each day. The mall contains a very diverse range of products, including, apart from garments and footwear, gifts and toys, the latest in electronic items, high end cosmetics and perfumes, opticians, pharmacies, two cinema houses, and a host of trendy diners serving up delectable local and international menus.

Address: Avenue Libertador intersection at Los Ángeles, Chacao district Phone: 212 263 9323 Timings: Mondays to Saturdays 11am to 9pm, Sundays and holidays 12noon to 8pm Sambil is believed to be the largest mall in all of South America. It is not uncommon, especially during the first weekend of every month, to see people from all around the country who just come to spend a full day of shopping at the mall before returning to their own cities towards the evening. A visit to the mall on any such day is sure to be filled with exciting, enlightening, and sometimes even amusing moments. The mall is a visual treat in itself, fusing elements of formal, modern architecture with the city’s rich cultural heritage. Spread over five floors, its dozens of elegant boutiques are a pleasure for any kind of shopper. Come here for the designer apparel, shoes, and fashion accessories that are hard to find anywhere else around the city – at such good prices, anyway. Sambil is one place where you can get ridiculously expensive items at somewhat reasonable prices. The large variety of items on apparently permanent year-round sales, coupled with the Caraqueños’ inherent love for shopping, make this mall a first choice for everyday shoppers as well as window-shopping social anthropologists. The mall contains two small cinema houses and more than a dozen decent restaurants serving up Asian, French, Spanish, and Italian cuisine. The top floor also houses an arena for the game-loving shopper. Word of advice – always keep your valuables in a safe place, especially your ID’s. Lots of people means lots of pickpockets!

Address: Avenue Francisco de Miranda, Los Palos Grandes neighborhood Phone: 212 507 8800 Timings: Mondays to Fridays 9am to 12noon, 230pm to 630pm You will easily recognize this tall, slim office block with its glittering glass façade and the golden colored “Centro Plaza” sign on the front. The Centro Plaza is tucked away on the lower five floors of a 20-floor office building, and is a relatively unknown shopping center considering the shopping craze of the Caraqueños. This might be because it specializes mostly in office goods, electrical equipment, audio visual gadgets, videogame stores, and quite affordable designer clothing and footwear for youngsters and teens. The mall also contains a sizeable fitness and sports equipment section. For this reason you will often find, as opposed to the families and couples at other malls, groups of local teenagers rambling around its premises, ogling and whistling at girls passing by, sitting in one of the many courtyard cafes sipping away on simmering coffee, and enjoying the slower pace of city life. Centro Plaza has a large underground parking lot (owing to the fifteen floors of office space it also houses), a mini-theater, and a grocery mart.

Address: Plaza Chacaito, Chacao district Situated by Plaza Chacaito, the central landmark piazza within the elite Chacao district, the Chacaito mall is known for its pleasing variety of everyday casual wear garments and accessories. The place also contains a well-stocked supermarket, and a café which offers some very fine cappuccino.

Address: Avenue Baralt and Avenue Universidad intersection, El Silencio district Phone: 212 482 7646 A relatively new and stylishly designed mall, Metro Center has yet to achieve the attention of the crazy Caraqueño shopper crowd. The mall is located in a fairly secluded part within the old central district, almost devoid of traffic when compared to the highway rage Caraqueños have to face every day. Metro Center offers a general collection of garments and accessories, everyday items, and home décor. The mall is more popular with the tourist crowd, however, for the sheer number of fast food outlets it contains – it is the perfect spot to stop for a quick bite during a tour of the old city. From Asian to American and all that is in between, topped with juices and shakes from around the world, you can find anything to your taste in these more than three dozen diners even if you do nothing more than window shop.

Address: Plaza Bolivar, El Centro Phone: 212 507 8815 Timings: Mondays to Fridays 9am to5pm, Saturdays 9am to 230pm This multistory shopping mall specializes in jewelry and accessories at very reasonable prices. Over a hundred outlets and display centers that offer you authentic designer accessories in gold and silver, as well as beautiful gemstones and masterfully crafted diamonds. You can find anything from necklaces and earrings to bracelets, bangles and rings, to pins and brooches in all shapes and designs for all ages of men and women. The prices are usually very reasonable, and you can still be lucky enough to strike up a bargain! Note that even though the stores deal in thousands of VEF on each transaction, every outlet might not necessarily accept a credit card, so ask before purchasing.

Address: Avenue Casanova Sabana Grande Phone: 212 761 2740 Timings: Mondays to Saturdays 10am to 9pm, Sundays 12noon to 8pm Located a few walking steps from the Hotel Gran Melia, El Recreo offers affordable recreation for locals and tourists alike. With its numerous boutiques selling garments, accessories, and groceries and its selection of fine delicatessens, El Recreo is one mall that will introduce you to the most mundane shopping scenes of the city – ones that start with a fine day of shopping for everyday items, go on to delightful afternoon meals, and end with a movie or two at the in-house cinema.

Address: Avenue Fuerzas Armadas, Centro district Phone: 212 576 8147 Timings: open daily 8am to 8pm A sprawling open-air market, the Hoyoda offers, at very reasonable prices, all that you could hope to find in the most glamorous of malls around Caracas – or quite authentic copies, anyway! The market consists of hundreds of kiosks that sell anything from clothes and artificial jewelry to eatables, drinkables, and store-ables. A fine collection of cheap local artwork in the form of vintage paintings, photo frames, and hand-crafted sculptures make for delightful souvenirs. The market is very popular amongst locals and tourists alike, who might as well venture in and out of it as they go around exploring the city. A number of cafés and restaurants dotted along the market’s periphery offer refreshing breaks from shopping sprees. Parking is available on the street, provided you manage to arrive early! Word of caution – be very mindful of your valuables, as pickpockets just lurk around street markets like this one where people inevitably keep bumping into one another.

Address: parking lot of the UCV baseball stadium, Parque Central district Timings: Mondays to Saturdays 8am to 8pm A large open-air flea market, specializing in new and used clothes, shoes, handbags, bed sheets, curtains, and other fabrics for use around the house. A domestic, family-like environment, with most customers from the local neighborhoods around town. Head here if you urgently need a pair of cheap clothes or footwear, not for some exciting high-paced shopping action. Or, you could come down here to watch Caraqueños go about the most mundane of chores while you enjoy an arepa or coffee from an adjoining stall.

Address: in front of the Municipal Hall in the Chacao district Timings: Mondays to Saturdays 8am to 8pm

Address: Guacaipuro neighborhood, across from the Colegio San Francisco de Sales, Parque Central district Timings: Mondays to Saturdays 8am to 8pm These are both small local flea markets, ideal for picking up everyday groceries, fresh vegetables, and traditional crafts. If you have a bit of idle time on your hands, you might want to just stroll along the series of stalls till you find a visually pleasing handicraft, like a rug, basket, or a wooden Indian mask. The markets also offer great bargains on clothing bought in bulk, which is usually what Caraqueños do at flea markets.

Address: Avenue Santa Maria, south of El Avila Country Club Timings: Mondays to Saturdays 8am to 8pm Located right next to Chef Chino Restaurant in a predominantly Chinese neighborhood, this small market offers fresh vegetables and spices that are usually bought by the Chinese community and restaurant owners nearby, but are also on sale for anyone else who would be interested in throwing together a Chinese-looking concoction themselves. You can find a lot of new edible stuff, mostly organic, but also baked, fried, and stewed, that you will not find anywhere else around Caracas.

Address: Avenida Andres Bello, Los Palos Grandes Phone: 212 285 1863 Timings: Tuesdays to Saturdays 9am to1230pm, 230pm to 630pm, Sundays 11am to 2pm What started off as a simple photo-frame business has now achieved the status of an artist’s first choice of inexpensive gallery/marketing space. The Galleria Dimaca today displays various forms of art work from aspiring as well as established Venezuelan craftsmen and painters. Venezuelan artwork is especially known for its vibrant colors and its exotic fusion of indigenous and international themes. Paintings, photographs, sculptures in gold and bronze, and wooden items for home décor are the primary highlights you can pick up here. Admission is free, and the pieces are quite reasonably priced.

Address: Avenida Andres Bello, Los Palos Grandes Phone: 212 283 1857 Timings: Mondays to Fridays 10am to 1pm, 3pm to 7pm, Saturdays 10am to 7pm Vintage furniture? Home décor? Trivial collectibles? All wooden, all hand carved, polished to shine, and smelling of fragrances right out of the rain forest, Casa Curuba offers souvenirs in the form of useless pieces of furniture, masks, figurines, utensils, and just about anything that the creative minds of Venezuelan artists can come up with. A visit is highly recommended.

Address: Calle Bolívar 12, El Hatillo district Phone: 212 963 5577 Timings: Mondays to Thursdays 10am to 7pm, Fridays to Sundays 10am to 8pm Splurge on a fine collection of local jewelry, hammocks, ornamental objects engraved out of wood, baskets woven using indigenous thatch patterns, ceramics painted in bright traditional colors, lamps and chandeliers, musical instruments, and a sizeable collection of local cigars.

Address: Avenue Ávila, Altamira district Phone: 212 266 4727 Timings: open daily 8am to 6pm A bit expensive, but sells quality. Traditional Indian masks, figurines, and woven basketwork. Also present are bits of local jewelry, and some beautifully carved pieces of furniture.

Address: Avenue Libertador, Chacao district Phone: 212 263 7574 Timings: Mondays to Saturdays 10am to 9pm, Sundays 12noon to 8pm Situated inside El Sambil, this store offers everything for children from the ages of 0 to 100! Toys, games that are educational, games that are little more than a sheer waste of time, cartoon characters, coloring books, children’s literature, action figures, and what-not. A fully-stocked inventory on the latest in entertainment for kids.

Address: El Sambil Mall, Avenue Libertador, Chacao district Phone: 212 263 7574 Timings: Mondays to Saturdays 10am to 9pm, Sundays 12noon to 8pm The beach is not that far away from the main city, so you might want to check out on great surfing and paddling gear once you are in town. Make Waves is the perfect place to stock up on equipment and clothing for water sports for all water lovers, from the mere curious amateur to the extreme hardcore daredevil!

Address: Avenida Blandín, La Castellana district Phone: 212 959 5547 Timings: Mondays to Saturdays 10am to 3am For the book lovers! With outlets at many major malls across Caracas, Tecni-ciencia has become a trusted name amongst students, intellectuals, and general bookworms all around town. With books on almost all technical subjects, as well as a broad variety of English and Spanish fiction, Tecni-ciencia makes for a very different, relaxing kind of shopping experience. You can also pick up maps, travel guides, and coffee table books from this store at quite reasonable prices. Books can even be ordered online after viewing their catalogue.

Address: Avenue Principal de las Mercedes Phone: 212 993 5583 Timings: Mondays to Sundays 9am to 9pm Located on the second floor of the Paseo shopping mall, Kakao is an excellent choice for local confectionery and baked eatables. Chocolate in all sizes and wrappings, from the usual milky and coconut flavors to exotic varieties of chocolate you never even knew existed. You can select one or two artistically crafted boxes from an assortment of packing types to finally hold your selection of chocolates, and then go about the store filling them with whatever catches your eye!