Chiado & Baixa – Local tips (shopping)

A Vida Portuguesa is the kind of store that mesmerizes every visitor: on display you’ll find an amazing archive of genuine and typical Portuguese products, some of which I thought were no longer in production. It’s a walk through memory lane, which brings great childhood recollections!

Located in the late David & David building (an old perfume company and warehouse), the store maintains a lot of the place’s original features.

This is the spot to find Portuguese goods with superb quality, design and authentic retro flair. They have a careful selection of the best kitchen, home, bath and beauty products, as well as school supplies, ceramics, jewelery, toys and much more!

You must visit this place to discover its real Portuguese spirit – as it’s claimed on the company’s manifesto “These are our products. These products make us who we are”!

Vee’s Favourites – Old advertising posters, Bordalo Pinheiro porcelain designs.

Rita’s Favourites – Portuguese crafts designer Rosa Pomar tote bags made with chita (a vintage flower-pattern fabric) and Ach. Brito hand-made soaps.

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A Vida Portuguesa | Shopping
Rua Anchieta 11 | Chiado & Baixa | +351213465073
Mon – Sat 10:00 – 20:00, Nov 24 – Dec 24 10:00 – 21:00

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).

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 in 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 at 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 17 | Chiado & Baixa | +351213476122
10:00 – 19:00 daily

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

I like pretty stores that sell nice-smelling things in beautiful packages. Stocked full of colognes, creams, soaps and lots more to delight the body and the senses, Officina Profumo is a pamper haven that exudes understated elegance.

This Florentine perfumery and pharmacy has been around for ages. Since 1612, to be exact. And usually, if you’ve been doing something for almost four hundred years and are still around, chances are you’re doing it right. A favourite of royals from Italy to Russia to India and beyond, its products still follow the centuries-old formulas and hands-on techniques used by the Dominican friars that founded it. As the saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

So, with all manner of elixirs in exotic scents like clover, sandalwood, gardenia and citrus, you’ll be tempted to leave the mundane behind and slip into sensory bliss…

Think I’m getting carried away? You bet. And I like it.

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Officina Profumo Santa Maria Novella | Shopping
Rua da Misericórdia, 94 | Chiado & Baixa | +351916494894
Jan – Apr Mon – Sat 11:00 – 19:30 | May – Dec Mon – Sat 11:00 – 20:00 (Dec also open on Sun)

These days, it’s hard to steer completely clear of IKEA and the like, but a few choice pieces amidst your Lacks and Bjurstas do wonders to divert attention from Blah to Fab!

Enter Oficina à Lapa, an interior-decorating store with a boutique feel that brings out the decorating junkie in me. And whilst you’re unlikely to be able to pack a table or chairs into a suitcase, there are a bunch of travel-friendly items to add pizzazz to your home décor, not to mention being handy conversation pieces for the verbally challenged.

This store showcases an eclectic mix of cool and interesting items and, thankfully, not a Mies or Corbusier rip-off in sight. Much, in fact, is of original Portuguese design.

The Noova chandeliers made from plastic coat hangers are simply, well, de-lightful. I’m also a big fan of the colourful cabbage-leaf tableware by Bordallo Pinheiro – though not to be overdone, they serve as delicious and slightly kitschy accent pieces on an otherwise streamlined table service.

Other goodies include picture frames, jewellery and a collection of handbags by MUU.

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Oficina à Lapa – Concept Store | Shopping
Rua da Misericórdia 102 | Chiado & Baixa | +351213472293
Mon – Sat 11:00 – 14:00 & 15:00 – 19:30

The Wrong Shop is the perfect store to get a different souvenir from Lisbon. It represents a new side of the city, an original and filled with design kind of Lisbon.

It shows how very classic and representative products of our city and country are used outside its context. This is a store dedicated to people who live in Lisbon as well as people who visit Lisbon.

You can find a lot of cool stuff here, like funny “Elegance money” (a fake 500€ note) or typical “Barcelos” roosters painted with edgy neon colors, perfect to had a Portuguese touch in your living room.

You can also pick a T-Shirt with the Lisbon subway map so you won’t get lost, or even a paper “disposable” wedding ring, just in case you change your mind.

If you are bored of the traditional style souvenirs, you must visit this store and we’re sure you will surprise your friends when you get home!

Vee’s Favorites: Printed Canvas with Lisbon motives.

Rita’s Favorites: The subversive t-shirts are just great!

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The Wrong Shop | Shopping
Calçada do Sacramento 25 | Chiado & Baixa | +351213433197
Mon – Fri 11:00 – 20:00, Sat 11:00 – 22:00