We all love shopping, or at least 50% of the population of the world do. In Lisbon there are several good options for those who want to spend some money, and here we will give you the ultimate shopping guide to Lisbon.
If you want to go shopping traditional Lisbon and Portugese objects we will tell you about those, but if you simply want to find a place to shop some clothes, then we will tell you about the best shopping malls in Lisbon, about the best shopping area downtown Lisbon and other information that you will find useful. First, let us start with the most popular shopping areas, and then some advices in the end about what to buy when in Lisbon.
Popular shopping areas in Lisbon
As you come to Lisbon for shopping you have probably heard that you should travel with the metro to the Baixa – Chiado metro station, because that is where you will find the main shopping streets and so. That is true, and this is where you should go once you start walking around in the area.
1) Rua Augusta
This is the most famous shopping street in Lisbon. It has its start at the beautiful Praca do Comercio (Commerce square) and from there it starts as you walk through the beautiful arch and into the Rua Augusta. In this street you will find famous and well known stores such as Zara, H&M, Pull and Bear and lots of other similar brands, and in addition you will find places where you can grab something to drink, taste the Pastel de Nata and in fact there are also some smaller stores not very famous, but still authentic Lisbon stores. Oh, and let us not forget that there are souvenir stores here as well where you can buy magnets, cheramics and other stuff to bring with you home as a memory from Lisbon. The street ends up between Praca Dom Pedro IV and Praca Figueira.
2) Rua do Carmo
If you take a look at the above you will see the Rua Augusta to the right, and you will then easily find the connection between Rua Augusta and the Rua do Carmo. The Rua do Carmo is a street with a beautiful atmosphere as it is a bit steep. It has beautiful stores and as you look up you will see a place you can be standing soon yourself if you stand in line and wait to take the Elevador da Santa Justa. In the Rua do Carmo you will find many of the same stores as you do in Rua Augusta, but some even nicer brands can be found here, including department stores. This is a modern street packed with brands you will know from other big cities elsewhere in Europe.
3) Avenida da Liberdade
In the Avenida da Liberdade which is located in the heart of Lisbon you can do some exclusive shopping. Here you will find some of the most famous exclusive brands such as Prada, Max Mara, Burberry and of course if you want to do some hard rocking eat, then you will also find Hard Rock Cafe here. The avenue origins at Praca Restauradores and ends at Praca do Marques de Pombal. It has a total length of a bit more than 1km and it is almost 100 metres wide.
4) Vasco da Gama shopping mall
For some real high quality indoor shopping, visit the Vasco da Gama shopping mall which is located a bit outside the city center, but if you travel with metro to the stop Orients you will find yourself at the mall right away. Inside the mall you can enjoy several floors with way to many shops and famous brands. You can also grab some food as there are quite a lot of restaurants and fast food chains located in the mall, and if you want some food to bring with you home you will be happy to know that there is a really big size grocery store located inside the Vasco da Gama mall where you not only can buy bread, butter and meat, but there is big selection of fresh fish from the ocean available, and you can also buy toys, clothes and almost whatever you may need. This mall is located near the Cable Car and the Oceanarium.
5) El Cortes Ingles
If you have been travelling around in for example Madrid and Barcelona you have probably heard abotu El Cortes Ingles. This is the place to go if you want to do exclusive shopping, and the same is true for those looking for exclusive shopping in Lisbon. You can of course visit the Avenida da Liberdade which we mentioned earlier, but in El Cortes Ingles you will find it all at the same spot, without having to walk that much. El Cortes Ingles is located near the Sao Sebastiao metro stop and the exact address is Av. António Augusto de Aguiar 31.
What should I shop in Lisbon?
If you want to leave Lisbon not only with clothes from famous brands such as Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Prada and Zara, then you probably want to buy something that feels more authentic. What should you buy then? Here are some traditional and typical stuff from Portugal that will make a nice souvenir as you come home.
1) Ceramics
As you travel around in Lisbon you will see that every third house has ceramics on the walls. This is one of the true faces of Lisbon, but ceramics is much more than a decoration to put on the walls. Walk around and visit souvenir shops or maybe visit shops dedicated to ceramics, and buy beautiful decorations to put on the wall, to use in the kitchen and so much more!
2) Wine
Portugal is known for its good wines. There are quite a lot of wine stores located around in town, one of the most famous is the Garrafeira Nacional located in Rua de Santa Justa 18. When coming to Portugal to buy wine you will for sure know that you have to try the Port Wine originating from the Douro Valley.
