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Shopping in Lisbon is less about multinational chains and more about locally owned shops. Instead of the same-old mass-produced goods, you’ll find ceramics and lace made by Portuguese craftspeople, foodstuffs and wine that impart the nation’s flavor, and clothes by established local designers.
Family-owned stores are still common in Lisbon, especially in Baixa, where a grid of streets from the Rossio to the Rio Tejo has many small shops selling jewelry, shoes, clothing, and foodstuffs. Trendy Bairro Alto is another district full of little crafts shops with stylish, contemporary ceramics, wooden sculpture, linen, and clothing; some open only in the afternoon and stay open—sometimes with their own resident DJ—until after the restaurants and bars around them have begun filling up.
Bairro Alto is also one of the shopping hubs of Lisbon’s flourishing fashion scene. The brightly lighted modern shops of local designers stand in stark contrast to the area's 16th-century layout and dark, narrow streets. The Principe Real area is home to one of the best spots in the city for boutique browsing at the grand Embaixada gallery. Many antiques stores can be found on a single long street that changes its name four times as it runs southward from Largo do Rato: Rua Escola Politécnica, Rua Dom Pedro V, Rua da Misericórdia, and Rua do Alecrim. Look on the nearby Rua de São Bento for more stores. There's also a cluster of antiques shops on Rua Augusto Rosa, between the Baixa and Alfama districts.
Chiado, Lisbon’s smartest shopping district, has a small shopping complex as well as many stores with considerable cachet, particularly on and around Rua Garrett. And Praça de Londres and Avenida de Roma—both in the Modern City—form one long run of haute-couture stores and fashion outlets. International luxury brands are also increasingly found on the city’s downtown axis, Avenida da Liberdade.
Several excellent shops in Baixa sell chocolates, marzipan, dried and crystallized fruits, pastries, and regional cheeses and wines—especially varieties of port, one of Portugal's major exports. Baixa is also a good place to look for jewelry. What is now called Rua Aurea was once Rua do Ouro (Gold Street), named for the goldsmiths' shops installed on it under Pombal's 18th-century city plan. The trade has flourished here ever since.
This artisanal company uses traditional methods to paint and glaze each tile sold in the shop. Many of the designs for sale originated in the 16th to the 19th centuries. You can even paint your own tile—just call ahead to organize a workshop.
The Portuguese love affair with azulejo tiles is enduring, but buying one as a memento has implications, as many of those for sale have been stolen from historic buildings. For a more ethical option, Cortiço & Netos sells distinctive and beautiful discontinued tiles from the 1950s onward. You can buy just one tile or by the square meter.
This is the downtown showroom for a company established in 1741 that continues to use centuries-old techniques in its Ajuda workshop (uphill from Belém), including painting and glazing entirely by hand, to create contemporary designs and reproductions of antique azulejo tiles.
This shop, which occupies a permanent space adjacent to the Feira da Ladra market, specializes in ceramics from various Portuguese factories and artisans’ workshops. Crockery, tableware, and decorative pieces take the form of pumpkins, cabbages, swallows, roosters, frogs, lizards, sardines, and hanging codfish. Prices are more than fair.
You can try your hand at painting your own tiles at this shop specializing in hand-painted azulejos. It ships worldwide, so there's no need to haul any breakables home in your bags.
From ornate azulejo tiles to kitsch designs (think dishes shaped like giant lettuce leaves), Portuguese ceramics are much sought after by visitors from around the world. Hidden slightly off the main shopping strip in upscale Chiado, Luza offers beautiful pieces at very affordable prices, with some items priced by weight. Smaller items, like Portuguese cockerel wine stoppers, make cute mementos and gifts.
Originally a royal factory founded in 1817, Vista Alegre is now one of Europe’s most prestigious porcelain manufacturers. Prestigious glassware and crystal maker Atlantis is also now part of the group. This flagship store presents the companies' ever-changing collections, which are often signed by national and international artists.
