Traveling through the colorful Portugal, I want to take something original and beautiful from my trip that would remind me of this wonderful country and its people at home. Leather and ceramic products, gold and silver jewelry, coffee, wine, national souvenirs – this is not a complete list of what they are trying to bring from Portugal in the first place. In this country there are a lot of goods at fairly reasonable prices, so you should think carefully about what to take from here as a keepsake. So, tips for tourists!
Souvenirs with the image of the rooster “Barcelos”
Many tourists are interested in what to bring from Portugal from souvenirs. It is really worth paying attention to souvenirs with the image of the famous rooster even outside the country.
The Barcelos rooster is the national symbol of Portugal. What is he so famous for? There is one old story which says that when a theft occurred in the small town of Barcelos, the thief could not be detected for a long time. But somehow a traveler came to the town – he was found guilty and sentenced to death. Although the traveler claimed for a long time that he was innocent, they did not believe him. And then he said that even a roasted rooster could confirm his innocence. And so, when the unjustly accused climbed the scaffold, a roasted rooster crowed on the judge’s dining table! The execution was canceled, justice was restored.
Various souvenirs, fridge magnets, postcards, kitchen towels and potholders, mugs and glasses are produced with images of the Barcelos cock. There are also figures of a rooster of different sizes made of clay, glass, cork, as well as soft toys. Such products are literally in any souvenir shop.
Azulejo tile
Azulejo – the so-called square or rectangular ceramic tile, painted with folk patterns in white and blue tones. This tile is the main “highlight” of the traditional architecture of Portugal, here it is used to decorate the facades of religious monuments, public buildings and ordinary residential buildings.
You can buy one or more tiles and decorate the house with it, for example, a wall in the bathroom or in the kitchen. By the way, at flea markets you can cheaply buy even ancient specimens of azulejos.
As souvenirs from Portugal, you can bring not only tiles, but also various products, the design of which is designed in the Azulejo style. For example, bags, caskets, kitchen utensils, fridge magnets, jewelry. You can choose very beautiful small boxes in the Pena castle in Sintra or in the Kelush palace near Lisbon – such little things cost about 15-30 €.
Crockery and other products of their ceramics
The manufacture of ceramics in Portugal is a national craft raised to the level of art. The local shops have a very large selection of amazingly beautiful and unique painted dishes. From this country you can bring a dish in the form of a cabbage leaf, a pan in the shape of a huge pumpkin, a teapot in the form of a frog or a plate with the image of sardines. Such dishes are made by hand, the main production is located in the small town of Caldas da Rainha. Prices for these products are appropriate: from 20 to 100 € apiece.
Ceramic crafts are unusual and attractive, but keep in mind that it is very difficult for tourists to transport large fragile items. It’s good that you can bring small souvenirs from Portugal as a gift: a frog or a ceramic sardine.
Jewelry in the style of “filigree”
Portuguese jewelers make very beautiful jewelry from gold and silver using the unique filigree technique. “Filigree” is a delicate and sophisticated patterns created by interweaving the finest threads-wires of precious metal.
In memory of a tourist trip, you can buy a typical Viana Heart jewelry in Portugal – earrings or a pendant in the shape of a lace heart with a flower surrounded by flames. Hundreds of variations of such jewelry are found in all jewelry stores, the average cost is 50 €.
By the way, in Lisbon there are many jewelry stores in which earrings and pendants can be found at a price of 30 €.
Leather Products
What can be brought from Portugal not only as a souvenir, but also as a really good gift? Tourists should be interested in solid leather things: shoes, bags, gloves.
In Portugal, comfortable comfortable shoes of good quality are produced, both from world-famous brands and more affordable local brands.
The Eureka trademark offers classic and modern design shoes, hand-sewn – the cost of a pair starts from 100 €. Inexpensive but excellent quality shoes of the SEASIDE and Guimarães brands can be found in branded boutiques located in the center of Lisbon. In Portugal there is a brand of “luxury” men’s shoes, very well known throughout Europe – this is Carlos Santos. The cost of a pair starts from 300 €, and the quality is much higher than the things from Dolce & Gabbana and Prada, which are so popular with us.
Portuguese leather manually sew a variety of accessories. In boutiques throughout Portugal, tourists can find women’s bags and wallets, men’s wallets, gloves, belts.
clothing
What can I buy in Portugal from clothes? This country is known for its talented designers and the excellent quality of manufactured items. Here you can find both high-quality clothing of brands popular all over the world, as well as exclusive items of not-so-well-known brands.
Tourists should pay attention to women’s clothing company Lanidor, offered in branded boutiques under the brand LA Woman. Another popular women’s clothing brand in Portugal is Ana Sousa.
Giovanni Galli brand offers exclusively men’s clothing. The stores offer a huge assortment of suits, club jackets, shirts, pullovers.
Cork Wood Gifts
Only in Portugal they practice the production of various things and crafts from cork oak (cortis), so the acquisition of this kind will certainly be exclusive. Each souvenir shop has a rich assortment of original bags, wallets, coasters, hats, jewelry, business card holders.
Cork wood crafts are in incredible demand, because they are very durable, beautiful, practical, hypoallergenic. And they are characterized by warming properties.
The cost of cork accessories starts from 10 €, and a designer designer product (clutch bag, wallet) will cost from 40 €.
Portuguese alcoholic drinks
Ginja tincture of cherry – this is what every tourist can bring from Portugal as a gift. Attractive bottles with this tincture are sold in equally attractive packaging, complete with chocolate cups, which are both a sweet snack. The cost of gift packaging for a drink starts from 5 €.
Young green wine is made only in Portugal; nothing like it can be found anywhere else in the world. The most affordable producer of Vinho Verde is Casal Garsia, in Continente supermarkets a bottle of 0.75 liters can be bought for 3.39 €. Alvarinho green wine is also popular, the cost of a bottle of which can be 5-15 €.
Madera (or Madeira) is a fairly strong drink, which is distinguished by the degree of aging and varieties. Madeira price depends on them, and it starts from 13 €.
Portugal is the birthplace of port, but here it is called “Vinho do Porto”, that is, “Wine from Porto”. Both supermarkets and specialized stores sell collection, dessert, young, old port, but red sweet is most popular. If you ask the locals “What to buy for a tourist in Portugal from alcoholic drinks?”, As a rule, the answer will be: “Port Doly, Taylor, Ruby, or a port of the Tawny category, which matures in oak barrel for 10 years or more. ” But you need to take into account that the price of a good port is not small: a bottle will cost 15-20 €, although during the campaign it can be 7-10 €.
Dried cod bakalyau
A good gift from a trip to Portugal will be the salty dried cod bacagliau. Despite the fact that “bakalyau” means “cod” in general, in this country this name implies only dried cod, fresh is hardly sold here. Carcasses of bakalyau are usually sold whole, but if you ask, after payment it can be cut on a special device. You can also find on sale this fish, which has already been cut into pieces of two types: Lombush – the side parts, the postman – the rest of the fish.
Olives and Olive Oil
In Portugal, olives are universally loved, however, like oil from them, they are used to prepare most dishes. They make very high-quality olive oil, and it costs much less than Italian counterparts. For those who are wondering, “What should I bring from Portugal?”, Tips for tourists will be as follows: gift oil from olives in a tin bottle, where it can retain its original taste and aroma for a long time. The most popular in Portugal is the oil of the Gallo, Oliveira de serra brands, a bottle of this product will cost from 3 €.
Coffee
Portugal loves coffee, and the variety of its varieties is simply amazing. The most famous coffee producers are Delta, Biondi, Camelo, Sical, Nicola. In Lisbon, there is a Carioca store specializing in the sale of ground coffee and coffee beans – there it can be purchased at a price of 2 €.
How to choose a good gift
Choosing what to bring from Portugal as a gift or souvenir, you do not need to rush and get excited. You should not make purchases on the first day and at the first available outlet. Here is a list of places in Lisbon where the Portuguese are bought:
- LX Factory at R. Rodrigues de Faria 103. These are shops with designer items, books, souvenirs, gifts and products located on the site of an old weaving factory.
- Long-running liquor stores: Napoleão at 70 dos Fanqueiros and Garrafeira Nacional on Rua de Santa Justa.
- The jewelry store Joalharia Ferreira Marques Filhos, located at Praça D. Pedro IV 7/9.
- Street jewelry boutiques and Rua de prata and Rua do ouro.
- Bazaar with Mercado da Ribeira products, where a large assortment of cheese and wine is presented. Located at Avenida 24 de Julho 49.
- Flea market (Feira da Ladra), located at Campo de Santa Clara. This market, which sells old and vintage items, is open on Tuesday and Saturday in the morning.
