Centro Artesanal Cusco
Centro Artesanal Cusco
4
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4.0
292 reviews
Excellent
120
Very good
122
Average
44
Poor
5
Terrible
1
Matvl
5,666 contributions
Aug 2022 • Family
We didn’t love this market… it’s big and full of tourist ‘stuff’ which is seen throughout Cusco (and other parts of Peru). But not exactly ‘artisinal’. The Mercado Centrale is much more interesting - combining both the tourist stuff with all sorts of other things and items that may be ‘touristy’ like spices, kitchen ware, homeware etc.
Written August 13, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tropiczul
Sarasota, FL50 contributions
Oct 2015 • Couples
We were here in late October and I did my power shopping here. We stayed at the JW Marriott near the Plaza de Armas. It's about a 15-20 minute walk from the hotel to this fantastic market. We've been to Cusco several times and this is my go-to place for alpaca items and handicrafts. By the way, you can find things here that they have in the shops near the Plaza de Armas for much less. It can be overwhelming chosing, because there is so much. Examples: I bought a woven alpaca shawl for 20 soles ($6.15 at the exchange rate then). These shawls are warm, light weight and can be used as a shawl, blanket or pillow on the airplane. Alpaca scarves ran around 10 soles. This is slightly more economical than Lima prices, even though Cusco is more touristy.
If you speak Spanish you can have fun connecting with the shop keepers. I met a lady who sold me a darling hand-knit alpaca cardigan for 85 soles. The neat thing is now I have a photo of the person who actually made the sweater I purchased. Can't beat that!
I also met a lady who has a stall on the back side of the market right by the restaurant who buys old mantas (weavings) in a town called Paucartambo in the mountains near Cusco and cuts up the fabric to make small change purses. I use them to store jewelery. This is hand made art and each one ran 10 soles. For me, hand made items like this are more valuable than gold. What I love is many times in this market you may be buying something from the actual person who made it. How's that for a memory of your trip to Cusco, Peru?
Tip: Once you are done shopping, go nearby to the restaurant La Valentina for a nice lunch. If you are having tourist tummy trouble they have great chicken soup and the atmosphere is nice. Very clean bathrooms!
If you speak Spanish you can have fun connecting with the shop keepers. I met a lady who sold me a darling hand-knit alpaca cardigan for 85 soles. The neat thing is now I have a photo of the person who actually made the sweater I purchased. Can't beat that!
I also met a lady who has a stall on the back side of the market right by the restaurant who buys old mantas (weavings) in a town called Paucartambo in the mountains near Cusco and cuts up the fabric to make small change purses. I use them to store jewelery. This is hand made art and each one ran 10 soles. For me, hand made items like this are more valuable than gold. What I love is many times in this market you may be buying something from the actual person who made it. How's that for a memory of your trip to Cusco, Peru?
Tip: Once you are done shopping, go nearby to the restaurant La Valentina for a nice lunch. If you are having tourist tummy trouble they have great chicken soup and the atmosphere is nice. Very clean bathrooms!
Written November 26, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
World-Wide-Gifts
Moscow, Russia19 contributions
Apr 2014 • Business
Great place for souvenirs/gifts shopping. All local souvenirs for very cheap price. Some of them are produced just in real time :) For example wooden plates are painted just on demand. Highly recommended!
Written March 5, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jenn C
1 contribution
Oct 2022
I admittedly was kind of an idiot and didn't realize most of the stuff at a place like this is ACRYLIC not real wools of any sort, much less alpaca. We wasted a fair bit of money on synthetic sweaters and blankets. After a couple of weeks in Peru, it seems pretty easy to tell the difference, but after getting burned here, would not have wasted my time here, and hopefully I'll be a lot less naive in the future!
Written October 11, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jeff C
Stoneham, MA201 contributions
Oct 2019
Stall after stall after stall of tourist centric gifts. If you see something you like, note the stall, and ask how much, then walk away. If you see it in another stall you can buy it or bargain for it there, or, go back to the original if it was a better price. Another piece of advice, if you see something you like, don't assume you'll see it again in Lima or Aguas Caliente or whereever.... We did and could not find the same pattern again anywhere.
Written November 6, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gracias por su visita y comentario, nuestros artesanos tratan siempre de innovar. Lo esperamos nuevamente!.
Written November 27, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
David K
Oyster Bay, NY47 contributions
Jul 2017 • Couples
This is a giant local market with food and local handmade and commercial goods. It is a great place to shop for souvenirs or get something to eat. People are friendly, helpful and not pushy. Everything is very cheap compared to the US. We had a large glass of fresh squeezed orange juice for 2 Solas which was delicious.
Written August 4, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
GRZ
Chicago, IL12,350 contributions
Jul 2017 • Friends
If you are looking for some souvenirs from Cusco this is a great spot to check out - though many vendors inside offer very very similar stuff and they are happy to bargain with you - it's hard to find something very unique but it's also the volume of all of the stuff they have to offer that may make you feel a little bit overwhelmed - it took me 2 times to come here to finally get what I originally purchased.
TIP: despite the fact they are in Cusco, the heart of tourism in Peru, the prices are very low and they do not advantage of tourists, unless you let them do so
TIP: many booths accept credit cards, US dollars as well
TIP: despite the fact they are in Cusco, the heart of tourism in Peru, the prices are very low and they do not advantage of tourists, unless you let them do so
TIP: many booths accept credit cards, US dollars as well
Written July 30, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
marathonjon
57 contributions
Jun 2017 • Family
This indoor mall is full of little shops selling all sorts of typical Peruvian woven goods. Many are no doubt made from genuine alpaca wool, but many are also made from acrylic—there's no way to tell unless you're an expert. There are also some restaurants inside, and I particularly enjoyed the wall murals depicting Incan scenes.
Written July 9, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ButteredToast
Fishers, IN496 contributions
Apr 2016 • Family
I love to buy souvenirs so this was the perfect place! We stayed at the Eco Inn (great hotel!) directly across the street.
Important tip to note before you get caught up shopping here in all the stalls -- many of the vendors do not take credit card. You will need cash and pay in soles to get the best deal. You will most certainly overpay if you use US dollars. There is a great money exchange on the outside of the market in the front. He has a small shop and offered the best exchange around, with no added fees, etc. We had problems finding an ATM that was operable and that would work with our card. Credit card machine outages are also common. We definitely wished we had brought more cash with us on the trip as we thought we could pay mainly in credit cards and get money from ATMs, but that didn't prove to be the case.
Shopping here is very relaxing and the people are not pushy. If you aren't interested, just move on and no one will follow you. There are so many stalls and many selling the same things, but I can tell you since I looked at every single one, they do not have all the same items for sale as they did at Machu Picchu (Aguas Calientes). I saw some very nicely done little sculptures of Machu Picchu in Aquas Calientes, but the guide told me to wait to buy until Cusco since it's all the same. Not true. There are some similar type items here, but not nearly as nice. Also, the prices for magnets and other trinkets were quite a bit less in Aguas.
We did find most everything we were looking for: panflute, alpaca blanket, sweater, magnets, cards, kitchen items, jewelry, pucara bulls, sweatshirts, etc. Definitely bargain on prices. Try out your Spanish if you know any and they will appreciate it. If you don't, they usually have calculators so you can put in the price you are wanting. Shop around to see where you can get the best deal. It works best if they have the same item at a shop nearby - then the vendors will compete for your business.
There are also some food vendors at the back of the market. We ate at Valentina's across the street which serves Peruvian specialties and other fare. They also have live music and the food is very good.
Important tip to note before you get caught up shopping here in all the stalls -- many of the vendors do not take credit card. You will need cash and pay in soles to get the best deal. You will most certainly overpay if you use US dollars. There is a great money exchange on the outside of the market in the front. He has a small shop and offered the best exchange around, with no added fees, etc. We had problems finding an ATM that was operable and that would work with our card. Credit card machine outages are also common. We definitely wished we had brought more cash with us on the trip as we thought we could pay mainly in credit cards and get money from ATMs, but that didn't prove to be the case.
Shopping here is very relaxing and the people are not pushy. If you aren't interested, just move on and no one will follow you. There are so many stalls and many selling the same things, but I can tell you since I looked at every single one, they do not have all the same items for sale as they did at Machu Picchu (Aguas Calientes). I saw some very nicely done little sculptures of Machu Picchu in Aquas Calientes, but the guide told me to wait to buy until Cusco since it's all the same. Not true. There are some similar type items here, but not nearly as nice. Also, the prices for magnets and other trinkets were quite a bit less in Aguas.
We did find most everything we were looking for: panflute, alpaca blanket, sweater, magnets, cards, kitchen items, jewelry, pucara bulls, sweatshirts, etc. Definitely bargain on prices. Try out your Spanish if you know any and they will appreciate it. If you don't, they usually have calculators so you can put in the price you are wanting. Shop around to see where you can get the best deal. It works best if they have the same item at a shop nearby - then the vendors will compete for your business.
There are also some food vendors at the back of the market. We ate at Valentina's across the street which serves Peruvian specialties and other fare. They also have live music and the food is very good.
Written March 9, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Brianne M
Los Angeles, CA27 contributions
May 2014 • Friends
My friend and I loved this market! We briefly came across it one night on a forum about markets in Cusco and decided to check it out. Was so totally worth it!!
You have to walk a bit off the plaza to get here. It's not far, maybe a 15 minute walk, but you are walking away from touristy areas which started worrying us that we were headed in the wrong direction. But once you find it, you can find all of your souvenirs here. Now, I'm not quite sure that everything here was quite as "hand made" as it was advertised, but I certainly didn't find anything better in the Plaza where items were marked up twice as high as we found them here.
We found blankets, scarves, ceramic bulls, little Peruvian dolls, jewelry, hats and more. The women were all quite nice (and often very persistent). Some knew the basic english words they needed to get by selling to tourists, but knowing Spanish definitely helped us out several times. They do what I call "soft haggling" for their products. As in, it is rude to offer a lower price (unless they ask you what you are willing to pay), but if you wait for a few moments or act unsure, they will then give you a lower prices.
I thought the products we found here were better than what we found in the Plaza. At the very least, the selection was much larger. We were traveling with a few Peruvian friends who were shocked to hear what we paid for our items and said they never knew of tourists getting such good deals. So yes, it pays to step off the Plaza and into the city for this market!
You have to walk a bit off the plaza to get here. It's not far, maybe a 15 minute walk, but you are walking away from touristy areas which started worrying us that we were headed in the wrong direction. But once you find it, you can find all of your souvenirs here. Now, I'm not quite sure that everything here was quite as "hand made" as it was advertised, but I certainly didn't find anything better in the Plaza where items were marked up twice as high as we found them here.
We found blankets, scarves, ceramic bulls, little Peruvian dolls, jewelry, hats and more. The women were all quite nice (and often very persistent). Some knew the basic english words they needed to get by selling to tourists, but knowing Spanish definitely helped us out several times. They do what I call "soft haggling" for their products. As in, it is rude to offer a lower price (unless they ask you what you are willing to pay), but if you wait for a few moments or act unsure, they will then give you a lower prices.
I thought the products we found here were better than what we found in the Plaza. At the very least, the selection was much larger. We were traveling with a few Peruvian friends who were shocked to hear what we paid for our items and said they never knew of tourists getting such good deals. So yes, it pays to step off the Plaza and into the city for this market!
Written May 9, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Compré un niño de la espina ... quisiera comprar una muda de ropa típica para el hermoso recuerdo que traje ... Puedo encontrar en este centro... ropa de niño Manuelito ???
Written October 10, 2019
Hola, claro que si, tenemos varios stands donde encontraras la muda para el niño de la espina, asi como accesorios.
Written October 11, 2019
What days and hours is this market open?
Written June 30, 2019
read your review of the market and was wondering if there was a place to eat there.thanks
Written March 4, 2018
¿Cuáles son los días y las horas que está abierto?
What are the days and hours this market is open?
Written February 12, 2018
Qual o melhor lugar p se comprar poncho em Cusco, daqueles bem grandes q vão abaixo dos joelhos?
Written September 18, 2016
Olá Regina
Penso que o melhor local é o centro de artesanatos (o maior em Cuzco). Lá além de inúmeras tendas, variados modelos e cores, sempre é possível tentar um preço diferenciado. Não comprei poncho, mas os produtos que comprei consegui preços diferenciados entre uma tenda e outra. BOA VIAGEM!
Written September 18, 2016
Sim, muita diversidade em joias de prata, porem não há muita diferença daqui. Não possuo fots.
Written November 9, 2015
Preciso comprar em atacado,em jóias de prata verdadeiro para revenda preciso imagens das jóias
Written November 8, 2015
Boa tarde,preciso saber o preço de jóias, em prata(anéis,fios,brincos)valeu.Manda-me por favor as imagens das jóias.
Written November 8, 2015
Não tiramos fotos, eles não gostam muito se você tira fotos e não compra. Mas minha esposa gostou da variedade e por serem peças características do lugar, não exatamente por ser uma pechincha, ainda mais que pegamos o dólar já mais caro.
Written November 18, 2015
Besides alpaca, do they sell Pima cotton clothing and accessories? Jade, silver, and gold?
Written October 7, 2015
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