I love this store! Situated down from Largo do Carmo on Calçado do Carmo towards Rossio, this bright, airy shop with the cool multi-colored logo has got a wonderful selection of Lisbon souvenirs with a difference. The shop stocks mainly t-shirts and what funky t-shirts they are.

Lisboa Carmo’s designs all in some way relate to Lisbon, but what makes these shirts unique is that each of these designs has been created by a different young Portuguese artist or designer. The shop has agreements with most of the designers so the t-shirts are unique to Lisboa Carmo and can’t be purchased elsewhere.

The staff in the store are very welcoming and are happy to explain the intricacies of each design, what they represent and give you a little bit of background into the reason behind the design. Most of the t-shirts have several different colors to choose from for each design.

They also stock coffee mugs with designs similar to the t-shirts as well as an array of fridge magnet and key rings, some of which you will have seen in other tourist shops and some of which are unique to Lisboa Carmo

If you want to buy something a little different in the way of gifts or souvenirs to remind you of your stay in Lisbon, I highly recommend a visit to this store!

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Lisboa Carmo | Shopping | T-shirts from € 14
Calcada do Carmo, 26-28 | Chiado & Baixa | +351213474374
Mon – Sat 10:00 – 19:00

The most unexpected place to find a coffee and cake bar – in the middle of a Portuguese style homeware store in Chiado. What is even more unexpected is that the little chairs and tables of the cafe are set up as if they are part of the showroom, placed carefully next to sideboards full of pretty, rustic blue and white crockery that is for sale. Go into the store and head up the stairs on the left.  

Whilst wandering towards the goods situated near the windows, you find yourself next to a coffee bar. You can buy simple beverages like coffee and various teas and there are always a couple of scrumptious looking cakes for sampling too, so this is a perfect (and quiet) place to rest your feet whilst you are doing some shopping. There are only a few chairs and tables, but it is a very calming atmosphere.

This fabulous store contains mainly Portuguese-made goods – textiles for the home (both for indoors and outdoors), cosmetics and restored furniture. It also has a variety of beautifully-packaged homemade gourmet goodies like jams and pickles for sale and these are all displayed invitingly on a table at the top of the stairs – you cannot miss it.

I recommend you pop in and browse (and drink coffee and eat cake too!).

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VOA Chiado | Coffee & tea, Shopping | Coffee & cake € 3
Rua Nova do Almada, 96 | Chiado & Baixa | +351213427097
Mon – Sat 10:00 – 17:00

Lisbon has the most fabulous fresh fruit, vegetable and fish markets where it is possible to buy healthy, fresh food for extremely reasonable prices.

Even if you are here for a weekend, staying in a hotel in the Saldanha area and don’t need to cook for yourself, it is worth popping into Mercado 31 Janeiro for the experience. The ground floor of the market is a brightly-colored, lively area with a vast array of fresh fruit and vegetables laid out in the centre whilst the sides of the hall are flanked by butchers’ stalls selling fresh cuts of meat. The sellers call out as you walk past their stalls to try and tempt you into buying their wares.

The mezzanine floor consists of the fresh fish market and there is a restaurant up there too. The variety of fresh fish in Lisbon is superb and I love to go here to buy salmon steaks to cook. This is not for the faint-hearted if you don’t like the smell of fish or are disturbed by the sight of whole fish and squid reposing on beds of ice! At one end of the floor is the fresh flower stall which provides a burst of color to the cooler, slightly austere air of the fish market.

There is a small vegetarian cafe on the ground floor of the market which serves sumptuous soup and various vegetarian meals. This cafe is open at lunch time during the week and is closed during the month of August.

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Mercado 31 de Janeiro | Shopping, Snacks | Lunch € 10
Rua Engenheiro Vieira da Silva | Avenidas | +351213540988
Mon – Sat 07:00 – 14:00

I love this place! It is “hidden” at the top floor of the Benetton shop at the beginning of Rua Garrett. Fabrica is the Benetton Group international communications research center (I had to llok it up as well!). This space has an ever-changing variety of design objects, both useful and useless, but always interesting. It displays work of Portuguese artists (as for instance JIMMY styleshop does) and international works. All items are for sale, ofcourse.

Besides this “shop”, half of the space is dedicated to temporary exhibitions. This means that you will always find something new and interesting when you visit (especially compared with Benetton clothes, but that’s a personal opinion).

If you are not one convinced yet: you can step out on one of the small balconies and have a bird’s-eye view of Rua Garrett.

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Fabrica @ Benetton | Art & culture, Shopping
4º andar, Rua Garrett, 83 | Chiado & Baixa | +351213556764
Mon – Sat 10:00 – 08:00

Let´s say I have a birthday dinner somewhere in Bairro Alto. And I had the busiest day and hadn’t have any time to buy a present. No problem, now we have Bairro Arte to solve our lack of gift-shops during nightlife.

Bairro Arte, besides being a gift shop, is also an art gallery. It’s an art gallery like any other, but as any other art gallery it’s unique by nature. Nevertheless, one thing Bairro Arte can’t be called is a simple gift-shop, for each thing they sell is very exclusive and original.

I feel like being in a shop in Barcelona when I enter the shop, because the stuff they sell is creative and colorful as Barcelona is. For example, they have marble tiles with nice and fun paintings, giant kangaroos statues for our living room, puffs in shape of balls, trendy bags and many things more.

The building where Bairro Arte is installed is a very nice example itself of Lisbon old architecture and a well-restored building. And it has a very picturesque and outstanding chimney. The entrance is in the middle of the building, which divides the room for the shop and the room for the art gallery. I always take more time on the shop side. Shame on me!

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Bairro Arte | Art & culture, Shopping | Free
Rua das Salgadeiras, 5 | Bairro Alto | +351910571594
Mon – Fri 16:00 – 01:00, Sat – Mon 14:00 – 01:00

This is the place I have always hoped would open in Lisbon, and it did last year, by the end of November. The only Tintin store I have visited till now has always been in Brussels, and although the Lisbon store is not as big as the Brussels one, you can find in here almost everything the trademark Tintin sells, such as postales, pins, agendas, notebooks and PVC figures. They also sell clothing for all seasons, books, watches and miniatures of the famous car from Hergé stories… There is even a room filled with Tintin’s book covers, which belong to the owner and Tintin fan, Paulo Ferreira de Almeida.

At the same place, you have a very nice and cozy Cafe-Lounge with also recalls Hergé Character’s heroism, as it has some very nice original lithographs of Tintin books as wall decoration. What attracted me most, besides being a cafe with Tintin’s allusion, is the way the tables are organized, making each space of the cafe very different and private. The menu holds no surprises, except for the Belgian beers, of course. I suggest their muffin – unbelievably good!

The only problem the cafe still faces is a lack of organization. Sometimes the delay in the service is just unacceptable, but I like the place so much that I really never cared about that.

They also serve lunch, as a “meal of the day” basis and salads and are opened till really late. And, best of all, on Mondays.

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Espaço Tintin | Bars, Coffee & tea, Shopping, Snacks
Av. de Roma, 39 A | Avenidas | +351217935582
Mon – Thu 08:30 – 23:00, Fri – Sat 08:30 – 01:00, Mon 14:00 – 19:00

Bull fighting is certainly not my cup of tea, so… besides the “Tourada” what can you expect me to recommend in the red brick ring of Campo Pequeno? Well, first of all, the fantastic Neo-Mudejár – Arab influenced architecture that one can easily admire from the park located nearby. The bull ring of Campo Pequeno was built in 1890 by a Portuguese architect and the design was inspired by the old bull ring of Madrid.

The Arab influence can be seen in the oriental-looking domes, the horseshoe shaped doors and the two towers at the main entrance. It looks like you’re back to the “Arabian Nights”, and inside the bull ring there’s a world to explore.

Besides the “Tourada“, that is seasonal and could happen from time to time, the place is used as stage for concerts and underneath the 10.000 seat arena, there’s a shopping center with cinemas, restaurants and souvenir shops and possibly the best supermarket of Lisbon, Sá. The small supermarket sells products made on Madeira Island and is definitely a place I would go to buy local products such as: Passion fruit, Bananas, Coral Beer, Physalis Jam, Madeira wine, Cheese and Honey cake (the best I’ve tasted so far) or traditional cookies.

The bull ring is located in one of the main avenues, near a metro station. Enjoy the place and go to the movies. All movies have subtitles and remain in the original language,… so there’s no mistakes and misunderstandings! ;)

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Campo Pequeno | Cinemas, Coffee & tea, Shopping, Snacks, Restaurants | Honey Cake € 7.50
Avenida da República, 100 | Avenidas
10:00 – 22:00 daily

I lived in this quarter for 20 years, and even when I was living somewhere else in Lisbon I always returned for visiting my grandmother. Surprisingly, it hasn’t changed much. Besides the aggressive car parking, the quarter remains a hidden oasis with large sidewalks, gardens and magnificent avenues. It’s still my favorite place to live inside town. Here, everyone has their own small garden and friendly neighbors still talk to each other. I have friends since school days.

Alvalade quarter was planned 70 years ago, and even nowadays it’s surprising that this urbanism example is not more valued in other new cities. It’s an ideal form of urbanism with small three floor buildings – all yellow or pink – with simple, functional architecture. There’s a garden for every family and the years seems to pass slowly around here.

Alvalade is still a good and peaceful place to live. There are old pubs like Grog (check the Grog article), parks and small shops open since I remember. Here, the Portuguese punk movement also started, giving birth to bands such as Censurados and Tara Perdida. The quarter blends aristocrats with poor families and is a good example of a place with no social tensions.

The Igreja Avenue is a good place to start the day, shopping or strolling along the main streets. Try Café Tin Tin at Roma Avenue and Ó Chá near Igreja Avenue (check the Tin Tin and Ó Chá articles). Roma Avenue is also good place to take a long walk and if you get starving, go straight to the original Frutalmeidas small grocery (check the Frutalmeidas article) for the best “Pastéis de Massa Tenra”.

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Bairro de Alvalade | Art & culture, Relaxing, Shopping
Avenida da Igreja | Avenidas
09:00 – 20:00 daily (depending on location)

Legend has it, Martim Moniz was a noble knight who died during the siege of Lisbon in 1147 – He saw the Moors closing one of the main doors of the castle and he led an attack alone, preventing them from closing one of the gates of Saint George Castles. He sacrificed himself and he died.

It’s been a long time, and besides the gate, there’s also a square, Martim Moniz, that pays homage to the noble hero knight. Multicultural Lisbon starts here and it looks like you’re in Raval (Barcelona) or Kreuzberg (Berlin). Down the Almirante Reis Avenue, there are small Chinese groceries, Turkish kebab houses, Indian restaurants and stores, and looking like you’re in Chinatown or Little Bombay.

Inside the Mouraria shopping center, located in the Martim Moniz square, you’ll find African products as well as dried fish, coconut milk, okra and hot piri-piri. I love to cook and I always prefer to buy the original stuff in a local small shop. Popat Store’s owners are friendly and if you’re lost, they’ll kindly help you finding the exotic spices and products from far far away. There’s achar (Indian pickle), cardamom, turmeric, tamarind, saffron, ginger, dried coconut, nigella and things that I don’t know yet how to use in the kitchen.

Everytime I go there I buy Besan Laddu (chickpea cake) and vimto (raspberry juice) for snack. My trouble is to decide what to buy for dinner and how to cook it… I’m still looking for fresh Lemongrass in Martim Moniz, and sadly I always buy the wrong herb…

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Martim Moniz | Shopping, Snacks | Tikka Masala € 3.75
Largo Martim Moniz | Chiado & Baixa
09:00 – 20:00 daily

The Bertrand Bookstore in Rua Garret opened in 1773, and it’s the oldest store from the Bertrand chain (the first one, built in 1732, was devastated by the Lisbon 1755 Earthquake). It has also been considered the oldest bookstore in the world!!

Bertrand, which once was a privileged space of cultural debate and a literary club, frequented by the intellectual elite of the city, is now transformed into a regular bookstore, but keeps a few peculiarities that are worth a visit.

Still located in the original building, the shop has an amazing quantity of books, divided into maze-sections that respect the original architectural features of the space.

The staff is polite, helpful and glad to be of service when asked to. You also won’t be disturbed if you just wish to sit quietly and read a novel.

This is an excellent spot to relax and recharge batteries, and can as well be the place to find information about Lisbon and Portugal.

Rita’s favorites – Top selection of travel and art books.

Vee’s favorites – Great place to find hidden book marvels as well as a great selection of magazines from all over the world.

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Bertrand livreiros | Relaxing, Shopping
Rua Garrett 73 | Chiado & Baixa | +351213476122
Mon – Sat 09:00 – 22:00, Sun 11:00 – 20:00 (holidays 10:00 – 19:00)