Being a bit less expensive than most other European nations, Lisbon is an apt place for doing a good amount of shopping. You have separate streets and areas dedicated to unrestrained marketing. They even keep the shops open for longer hours than in any other European city. While on a Sunday, maximum local stores remain closed, many of the shopping malls stay open. Besides, the traditional shops, especially in the downtown of Baixa, avail you of unique specialties and definitely deserve a purchase from you. And in case, you want further discount in the already cheap stores of Lisbon, you can get yourself one Lisbon Shopping Card. That will fetch you 5-20% rebate at around 200 major shops in Chiado, Liberty Avenue and even Baixa. Among specialties you have the traditional handmade goods that can be lovely souvenirs to take back with you. There are contemporary and antique tiles painted with hands, typical ceramics and fabulous fabrics with embroiderie that are characteristic to Lisbon. And of course, Portuguese gold is something you should never miss out on. If high fashion is what you are looking for, you will get it in Liberty Avenue in the form of international fashion houses and in Bairro Alto and Chiado in the form of Portuguese designs. You even have interior decorating shops, bookstores, fish halls and many more. Some of the shops are worth visiting because of their decoration alone. Casa das Velas do Loreto, Ourivesaria and Luvaria Ulises are the ones known for their typical decoration. Let us take a look at the three main shopping streets of Lisbon:
- Baixa: From the Commercial Plaza (or Praca do Comercio) to Restauradores, Baixa forms the antique shopping district of Lisbon. Rua Augusta, the very popular pedestrian of Baixa is always crowded with tourists interested in brands like Zara, Campers and H&M.
- Chiado: Here you will find international brands like Tony & Guy, Hugo Boss, Benetton, Vista Alegre, Sisley, Levi’s, Colcci and Pepe Jeans plus famous modern retailers such as H&M and Zara. You also get some informal companies like Crumpler, independent stores and services, old-time traditional shops and authentic bookstores. Rua Anchieta is a nice place for buying vintage products.
- Liberty Avenue: If you want to get the taste of high fashion, this is where you need to be. Liberty Avenue is a home for brands like Louis Vuitton, Timberland, Prada, Calvin Klein, Armani, Adolfo Dominguez, Massimo Dutti, Burberrys and lot more. This is among the widest and most beautiful avenues of Lisbon lined with posh restaurants and hotels.
The district of Principe Real is a shopping area known for interior designs. There are exclusive Portuguese design shops and those blending international and local styles. For alternative fashion, Bairro Alto provides you the street and club-wear shops, most of which are primarily night-shops. The Ribeira Market is the colorful hub of fresh productions and specialties that even has a wonderful fish hall. Alfama’s Feira da Ladra has Lisbon’s famous Flea Market that is a peppy colorful open-air market selling all kinds of things, new and old. What makes this market a hit among tourists is the bargaining. You get unbelievable sales on Saturday and Tuesday mornings. Coming to the shopping malls, following are some you must visit:
- Colombo Commercial Center: It is one of Europe’s largest malls with dozens of eateries, a health club, bowling alley, multiplex, amusement rides like go-carting and roller coaster.
- Armazéns do Chiado: It is huge and best for buying CDs, DVDs and books.
- Vasco da Gama Commercial Center: Parque Expo’s large mall in the honor of the famous explorer quenches your shopping thirst effectively.
- Amoreiras Commercial Center: Situated in the attractive postmodern towers is the oldest mall of Lisbon with many international brands.
- The English Cut: also known as the El Corte Inglés, this huge departmental store has a movie hall and a supermarket. The fact that it is a tad bit pricey is justified by the quality of items provided.
- Dolce Vita Tejo: Yet again, one of Europe’s biggest shopping malls, this has some of the most coveted brands.
