On your way to the Castle of St. George from downtown Lisbon, you’ll pass by Rua da Madalena whether you’re doing it on tram 28 or walking. If you pay attention to the shops on that street along the way, you’ll find Amatudo, a gift shop selling unique Portuguese products that are alternatives to the kitschy souvenirs at most of the other gift shops in the city. Many of those other shops sell exactly the same items you’ll find in any other city except that instead of the Eiffel Tower or Big Ben you’ll see the Belém Tower, Jerónimos Monastery, or the Discoveries Monument pictured on them.
So for something more truly unique to Lisbon you’ll have to look for those shops offering more authentic local products. An already hugely popular shop is A Vida Portuguesa in Chiado, but there are now others worth being discovered.
At Amatudo you’ll also love practically everything you see, from the attractive packagings to the distinctive designs. Everything is Portuguese-made, straight out of the hands of Portuguese designers and artisans, and ranges from the increasingly-famous Portuguese soaps to Ginjinha bottles to traditional Portuguese jams and honey. There is also space for jewelry and ceramics, including images of local icons such as Saint Anthony and poet Fernano Pessoa with alternative looks and made of different materials, often to humorous effect.
This is therefore a shop that appeals not just to tourists, but also to locals or any Lisbonphile. Check it out.

Address: Rua da Madalena 76/78
Phone: 218 862 631

Today is the 10th anniversary of the opening of the new “Armazéns do Chiado.” In a previous incarnation it was Lisbon’s version of the grand Parisian department stores such as Galeries Lafayette and Printemps, featuring a grand palatial interior (see photo below) and advertising itself in 1894 as the largest store in Portugal and with the best prices. That all came to an end in the great fire of 1988 that devastated much of the Chiado district, and the only thing left standing of “Armazéns” was its façade. The building had to be completely rebuilt and reopened eleven years later not as a department store, but as a shopping mall. Those who knew how it once was, were saddened to see an ordinary-looking modern mall interior take over such a legendary space of the city, but the truth is that this mall is responsible for the renovation of all of Chiado which is today Lisbon’s most vibrant and dynamic neighborhood of the whole historical center.
Its big draw is FNAC, the French megastore that’s the Portuguese favorite for music, books, and electronics. Because it also occasionally hosts cultural events, FNAC has also become a meeting place, and brought much-needed young blood to the center of the city.
What the new “Armazéns” has not lost from the past are the views from its top floor (now a food court), from where visitors can see directly towards the castle on one side, and up the popular Rua Garrett shopping street from the other.
In another part of the building (designed by world-renowned architect Siza Vieira) is Hotel do Chiado, one of the most recommended in the city, if only for its breathtaking views and terrace bar.

American designer and Louis Vuitton creative director Marc Jacobs has just opened his own store in Lisbon, in one of the city’s most prestigious addresses. It is found across from the opera house (São Carlos Theater), in the building where poet Fernando Pessoa was born (a sculpture commemorating the writer stands by the entrance).

The shop is divided into two separate areas, a larger space for women’s fashions and accessories, and a much smaller area for men. The shop was designed by New York-based Stephan Jaklitsch Architects who also designed the Marc Jacobs store in Paris, and the plan is for it to also show temporary exhibits.

Right now what clearly stands out are the women’s handbags going for an average couple hundred of euros, while the most expensive piece in the men’s section seems to be a €509 jacket. Another curiosity are women’s galoshes which Jacobs apparently believes can be back in style, while another item to check out are the unisex perfumes.

Lisbon is Jacobs’ sixth European home, after having already opened stores in Paris, London, Madrid, Istanbul, and Athens.

According to a study reported by Lisbon Tourism, what most tourists look for when shopping in Lisbon are crafts.  That’s the choice of nearly 70% of tourists, while close to 55% of them chose to take some of the city’s famous pastries.  Those are followed by postcards, which is a curious choice in the age of email, Facebook, and Flickr galleries.
Just over 40% purchase wines, while the distant fifth most popular choice is clothing at about 7%.  Books are bought by about 4% of tourists in the city, while about 2% like the shoes.  Everything else you can think of comes at less than 1%.
If you’re one of those 70% who look for crafts, here are a few suggestions at our Lisbon shopping guide — Handicrafts and Textiles — and since almost everyone seems to love the pastries, take a look at our cafés section which also lists the best pastry shops. We recommend the most famous of all, of course, Antiga Confeitaria de Belém, but you should also check out Confeitaria Nacional downtown.

Famous names such as Nicholas Cage, Kate Moss, and Oprah Winfrey have been reported to be fans of one of Portugal’s most famous products. If you’ve guessed Port Wine, you’re wrong. They all love CLAUS PORTO soaps, a natural, creamy, luxury soap that’s been made in the city of Porto since 1887. They’re now sold at luxury shops around the world, in a colorful Art Deco-design packaging. In Lisbon you may get them at special gift shops such as Meio da Praça which we just told you about, as well as at a couple of museum shops such as that of the Berardo Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art. In Paris you may find them at the Galeries Lafayette department store, in London you may look for them at Harrods, and in New York you may see them available at Saks Fifth Avenue.
These soaps have become more popular than ever in the last couple of years since Oprah Winfrey named them one of her favorite things on her program. She was introduced to the Portuguese soaps by Lafco, a shop in New York that had been sending her products to try over time. She never really responded until one day when the shop got a call from one of her show’s producers requesting more samples of the Claus Porto soap. As soon as Oprah mentioned the product on her show, the shop’s phones started to ring off the hook, and even now, a couple of years later, they still get calls asking for “Oprah’s soap.”
In reality these soaps have been a favorite luxury item of European elites for some time, with fashion names such as Chanel having requested custom-crested versions.
The main quality of the soaps that make them so unique and special is that they’re all traditionally made, using manual milling and drying processes. They’re therefore much more expensive than the typical supermarket soap, going for as much as 15 euros.

Since last March there is a new shop in downtown Lisbon offering only the most special products “made in Portugal.” Meio da Praça is found on Rua da Prata and has everything from quirky souvenirs to special gourmet products. You’ll see tshirts saying “Portugal is a country right next to Spain!” or the best of all Portuguese olive oils, and you’ll likely stay at the shop browsing for a while. Best of all is that everything is really inexpensive and you can find some traditional products that are disappearing from most other shops.
For some ideas of what you’ll find at “Meio da Praça,” see the shop’s website: meiodapraca.blogspot.com

We’ve told you about Lisbon’s new kiosk cafes serving long-forgotten drinks, but that’s just one example of how the city is nostalgic for what it has always done best over time. The same owner of those kiosks is also responsible for “A Vida Portuguesa,” a shop selling Portuguese products that every Lisboeta remembers from their grandmother’s house and tourists love for their authenticity. In fact, shops bringing the traditional to modern times are a new trend, as in the case of the new Jimmy Portuguese Styleshop that we also told you about recently.
Then there are the restaurants which are bringing back the “taberna” and “tasca” spirit. Those roughly translate to “tavern” and a traditional, very informal, usually family-owned neighborhood restaurant serving home-style cooking. The new tabernas and tascas place traditional touches in contemporary spaces and serve slightly more refined versions of classic Portuguese dishes. One of them is Taberna Ideal in the Santos district (Rua da Esperança 112-114), only a few months old but that is packed every night by crowds sharing traditional dishes and some excellent desserts. It has a very welcoming and relaxed ambience, which is also what Taberna do Chiado is hoping for. Also a few months old, this restaurant is located in the city’s trendiest neighborhood (Calçada Nova de São Francisco 2A), but instead of fusion cuisine it serves time-tested Portuguese dishes in a very contemporary-designed space. That formula apparently works, and the same owner has taken over an old “tasca” in Bairro Alto, transforming it into a new bar serving tapas-sized food as you drink. The name is “Tendinha da Atalaia” (Rua da Atalaia, 4), and you can listen to loungy sounds as you take bites of cheeses, prawns, or sausages, and have a beer, wiskey, or a wide range of alcoholic beverages. The decor was kept simple, adding only the names of Lisbon’s poets throughout much of the walls.
Yet another new old-is-new space is Tasca da Esquina, a restaurant in the Campo de Ourique neighborhood, on a corner where the popular “tourist tram 28″ passes by towards the end of its journey. The man behind it is Vitor Sobral, a well-known chef who’s been at the acclaimed Terreiro do Paço restaurant downtown which is temporarily closed due to the construction works in Comercio Square. At this new restaurant, Sobral transforms “petiscos” (a Portuguese equivalent of the Spanish tapas) into full-blown dishes and serves them in a sophisticated yet informal environment.
While contemporary spaces offering fusion cuisine or the biggest international fashion labels quickly become favorites among the city’s hippest and youngest crowds, these new businesses offering a taste of a more authentic past are gaining an equal number of fans. And for tourists they are even more attractive, as they can be the quintessential Lisbon experiences.

When you pass by traditional souvenir shops in Lisbon or crafts fairs around Portugal you’ll likely always see the same images — the Barcelos roosters, Our Lady of Fatima, Saint Anthony holding baby Jesus, all surrounded by colorful ceramics… At the newer shops you’ll also find all of that, but with updated designs to meet modern tastes. One of those in Lisbon is Jimmy Portuguese Styleshop, a recently opened space found around the corner from the Bairro Alto Hotel in Chiado. Everything is 100% Portuguese but nothing like you’ve ever seen before. The usual icons are given several different colors and shapes using minimal and pop designs, and are placed next to fragrances, fashion accessories, and contemporary versions of Portuguese delicacies.
Other items stand out for their peculiar details, such as colorful handbags completely made of computer keyboard keys designed by a Portuguese artist and that’s already been featured in the American edition of Elle magazine. That is just an example of a fun gift to take for yourself or someone else, but there are other curious pieces in a wide range of prices. All Portuguese, but completely international and a lot of fun.

Address: Rua das Flores, 100
Open 10:30AM-7:30PM (closed Sundays)

Described as “a haven for the artsy set,” Lisbon’s Principe Real neighborhood has been highlighted in this weekend’s New York Times travel section. This residential area mostly known for its antique shops and gay bars since the 1980s has now become a hotspot for some of Lisbon’s most attractive new stores, many of them related to fashion and interior design. One of those shops is Fabrico Infinito (GoLisbon Blog recommended its backyard café when it opened last year), and another is Emporio Casa Bazar, a shop recommended for its fun Portuguese designs. The article goes on to highlight the area’s nightlife options, including Cinco Lounge which GoLisbon recommends for mixing the best cocktails in town.
For the full New York Times article click here.

This weekend’s New York Times travel section has a special report about visiting Europe on both a low and high budget. Entitled “Europe for Every Budget,” it tells you where to save or splurge in ten European capitals, including Lisbon.

According to the article, a good reasonably-priced option when it comes to hotels is Hotel Florida, while those looking for an extra-special place should check Fontana Park Hotel and its award-winning interior design.

For eating and drinking, it suggests the very traditional O Cantinho do Bem Estar for seafood lovers, while admirers of haute cuisine should choose Olivier Avenida.

When looking to buy something from Lisbon, it suggests visitors get some chocolates at the inexpensive Claudio Corallo Cacau & Café chocolate shop or world-class wines found at Garrafeira Nacional.

Those who enjoy a good night out don’t have to spend a lot to dance at Music Box, but those who must sip a good Moët & Chandon Champagne after dinner should chill out at Silk.

The article also recommends visiting Lisbon’s main sights on Sunday morning when they’re free, and those who still have some money left in their wallet can spend it at the sleek LA Spa.

You can read the entire article here.