If you ever find yourself in Perú and in need of some souvenirs, this is the number one go-to place for all your Peruvian shopping. A total tourist trap, but honestly, I kind of love it!
If you love the culture and love unique trinkets like itty bitty alpacas, journals, and blankets, then stopping here is totally worth it!
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Our Agenda
We typically start our day by getting breakfast in a nearby neighborhood, at Kennedy Park, and then move our way to the Indian Market. After four to six hours of wandering and shopping through the humongous market, we return to Kennedy Park for a late lunch.
We’ve never managed to do the Indian Market in a short amount of time, it always takes us hours. You just get caught up in the beauty and the colors.
What’s The Difference Between The Markets?
You’ll notice as you stand at the entrance to the Indian Market that there are quite a few shops in this neighborhood, including an Inka Market directly across the street. I’ve found that most people will say “We’re going to the Inka Market,” but they’re actually referring to the Indian Market by the wrong name.
There are actually three Inka Markets/Indian Markets, and of course, a bunch of little shops you could check out, but the Indian Markets and Inka Markets are the main three. The one I recommend you visit is the Indian Market located here.
The Inka Market
The Inka Market, located across the street from the Indian Market, is smaller and the people are pushier there. The locals selling in the shops there will insist you buy things if you show any sign of interest. And if they get you to take an item in your hands, as they will always try to hand you things, they’ll refuse to take it back until you give in and pay for it. It’s super hard to just look around and shop.
The prices here are a little higher too. I always feel overwhelmed and bombarded when we walk through this market.
However, if you are looking for dream catchers, they do seem to have a bigger selection right at the entrance of the Inka Market.
The Indian Market
The people at the Indian Market are much friendlier and the market is bigger. This market has a wide selection of all the Peruvian things you could ever wish for, including bags, blankets, and even decorations for your hat, home, or yourself.
I would still recommend that you try not to show any interest in items, even if you know you absolutely love something and want to come home with that item. As the Indian Market is a tourist place, they price things a little higher and expect you to bargain, or just give in, because when you do the math you think, “Oh, in dollars that isn’t that much…”
Tips For Bargaining
My husband recommends you spot the item you know you want to ask about the price of, but you pick up something next to it, something similar, and ask the price of that item instead. As you’re not interested in it, kind of give an “Eh, I don’t know…” type of response, and move your way toward the item you’re more interested in. Now bargain for the item you actually want.
My favorite thing to say at the Indian Market is, “Nada menos?” (“Nothing less?” As in, “You’re not willing to go any lower than the price you gave me?”) My brother and I managed to bargain some matching pants for the two of us down an additional S/10.00 cheaper once! We felt powerful! I styled my pants in this post if you want to check it out.
Another note, sometimes they are willing to go a little lower on the prices if you buy a large number of items, in bulk to a certain extent. For example, usually, we buy eight or 16 balls of yarn from one shop. Or one time we bought about eight journals, all of the journals that shop had, and they were willing to give us a little discount.
I recommend you always ask, you never know what they’ll say.
On that note, don’t be afraid to ask questions about the quality of a product. When we buy yarn we always ask what percentage of alpaca it is, even when the package says it’s 100%, it isn’t always. Don’t believe everything you read, ask them to clarify.
Favorite Things To Shop For
At the Indian Market, if you don’t find what you want at one shop, chances are there will be another store with a completely different collection.
The top five things we buy here are wooden bowls, alpaca blankets, baskets, yarn, and jewelry.
There are some shops that we tend to frequent every time we go to the Indian Market, but there’s not really a map of the place or a name of the store that I could point you to. So when I refer to a shop in the back left corner, you could end up at a totally different shop depending on what direction you’re facing and what entrance you came in at. Unfortunately, that means I can’t really point you to our favorite shops, but honestly, that shouldn’t matter. Just have fun and explore!
We love to buy blankets here! We’ve bought alpaca and baby alpaca blankets at half a dozen shops. The baby alpaca blankets are the more expensive ones but they’re so soft and I would absolutely recommend them.
We’ve come home with a couple of backpacks. Frequently explored the earrings made from bull horns. I bought one of those hats in the back too, you’ll see it in a picture below.
The rainbow baskets are a fav and we’ve spent many hours picking out the right baskets and bags to bring home.
The Selection Is Endless
The Indian Market has tons of cute scrunchies, ponchos, art and wall decorations, magnets, and of course, the Peruvian beanies.
We found a shop that makes incredible bowls, utensils, cutting boards and more made out of wood from olive trees. You can find many options on the quality of these products and the prices vary greatly based off of that.
Of course, this is not an all-inclusive list. There’s just so much there. And things change based on the time of year that you go shopping! I was surprised to find Peruvian Christmas tree ornaments the last time we went there in January.
Can you tell we’re repeat customers? It’s kind of incredible that my house isn’t filled to the brim with Peruvian souvenirs.
Going to the Indian Market is a total day adventure for me, I love looking at all of the colors and the soft floofy fluffies. We try to make the most out of the day by going to our favorite restaurants that are only available in that area while we’re there.
That’s why when you shop at the Indian Market we really recommend coming prepared for the day with a backpack and good walking shoes! But more on that below!
Restaurants Nearby
There are three main restaurants that we tend to frequent in the area. However, if you are willing to walk a little more, Punto Azul, mentioned in this post about Peruvian Food You’ve Got To Try has some really great seafood.
As mentioned at the beginning, we make a whole day of going to the Indian Market, our food schedule for the day usually follows as such:
Breakfast: La Lucha
I don’t have a picture of this place unfortunately, but they sell chicharrón (pork) sandwiches with onion salad, sweet potato fries, and a side of coffee. They make a great breakfast stop, but the lines are usually quite long.
Lunch: Tarboush
This place sells amazing Middle Eastern food! We usually get the shawarma and Arabian lemonade, but they have other amazing options too!
Dessert: Té Burbuja
The lines here are super long, but so worth the wait! 10/10 would recommend the Taro bubble tea.
I recommend you order your tea with milk, we like the flavors better that way.
Pro Tips
- Go with someone who can negotiate the prices and translate.
- It makes it so much easier and they’re less likely to trick you into paying more. It’s even better if your translator is native to the country because they’ll know the value of something and what you should be paying for it.
- Bring a backpack and wear walking shoes.
- No seriously, each person in your party should bring a backpack. We always go out empty and come back with too many things to even fit in our bags. It’s a lot of fun shopping at the Indian Market, but you should expect to spend a lot (not necessarily a lot in dollars, but you’ll probably buy a lot). And believe me–you will be walking! This will not be a good day to break in your new shoes.
Something to note:
- Going on the weekend really isn’t that bad or crowded. We usually go to the Indian Market on the weekends and never have issues with crowds or long lines at the market. However, that might not be the same with the lines at the restaurants or the train.
I hope you get a chance to really go to the Indian Market and explore for a few hours, with no one rushing you. It’s a lot of fun, so pretty, and totally worth checking out at least once…or two or three times. Happy exploring!
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P.S. Looking for a fun activity to play while traveling to your next adventure? We put together a great freebie that you can play with your seatmate on a plane, train, or long bus ride, download your free trivia here.
Playing trivia is a great way to participate in fun activities with your friends and family, even when you’re 4,591 miles apart or constantly on the go. It helps you keep your long-distance relationships growing and is sure to provide lots of fun!
