Souvenirs are not the only cause for shopping, they’re only one part of the process. You can get familiar with a whole culture, its history, and the people by just shopping around. However, I’m not talking about high-class malls or gift shops at excellent hotels. This time it’s all about a wonderful flea market, which has existed in Lisbon together with Fado and good food for centuries.
Feira da Ladre starts at Arco de São Vicente. It can be one of the stops for your Tram 28 ride. Just hop off for a few hours and then continue exploring the city or taking the best pictures of the vacation. Another way of looking for it is wandering behind the National Pantheon.
The market functions every Tuesday and Saturday. In fact, I find this a great way of arranging the work of a flea market. This way even travelers that visit Lisbon for 3 days can get a look at it.
The day starts at 6:00 am here, so you can start the shopping really early, leaving enough time for other sightseeing. Feira da Ladra usually functions till 5:00 pm.
The market is often referred to as Thieves Market. While this name sounds a little curious, it has been resulted by a wrong translation only.
The market can be considered one of the best markets of the whole world, because it’s not only about trade here, tourists will probably be interested in history as well.
Even if the market is not as old as 8 centuries, the name was first mentioned in 17th century. So, 300 years is an official fact that can’t be doubted. Just imagine, how many hundreds of thousands of people have gone through the market, they sold, they bought, they bargained, or simply walked around.
Today some of the sellers are gypsies. They lay out their goods for display, sometimes on blankets directly on the ground. The items are various, ranging from books, stamps coins and clothing to antique objects, furniture, and the rest of extremely extraordinary items to be sold.
The most important tip for this flea market is the attention. Be careful of pickpockets, especially if the market is crowded. Moreover, don’t take too much money along. Chances are you’ll spend very little even if you buy a lot. The prices are not sky-high, you can even get pieces of Portuguese art for an amount that would be considered a sale in a shop. As mentioned earlier, it’s also a great place for looking up the right souvenirs.
Don’t expect everything to be brand new and shiny. Some of the items are second-hand, but it doesn’t necessarily mean useless or bad quality.
Make sure the weather is nice. Cold, rain, or fierce wind might interfere with your fun. You will want to get away from the market as soon as possible, to a very warm and dry place like a museum or cafe.
Another tip is looking for the right section. If you’ve started the trip from a section of broken computers, you will hardly be interested in trying the other sections. Look around before actually entering the flea market, look for art, antiques, and exclusive collections like books and music CDs. This is the best way of getting the best for a Lisbon traveler. Have a productive shopping day!
