A bit of an ikea meets dollarama style shop…read more The aisles guide you through the store and offer cheap, one off items hat you'll probably need during your stay. To me, it's an over priced dollar store. Skip, don't bother and you won't miss anything. Eat some Nata's instead!

This dollar store chain from Denmark has hundreds of stores in over 30 countries, including some in…read moreNew York too, but it's the first I see them. It's easy to get hooked, because it's so much fun shopping here! Unlike other stores, there's an in and out, and you kind of walk around the maze passing one section after another. You can double back, but you can't really skip one part and head directly to what you need. Plenty of neat things, from home goods, art supplies, to toys, accessories, snacks, pet stuff and party supplies.

Situated on the 4th floor of the Chiado Benetton store, Fabrica is an amazing place to visit if you…read moreare into design. It is here where young Portuguese designers sell their stuff. Fabrica is a huge complex in Italy that the clothing giant Benetton opened to develop the Design practice and I found it very nice of them to open one of their polos in Lisboa. Benetton stores are everywhere but Fabrica aren't! You will find from Lomography to strangely designed backpacks, this is the place to go if you want to give someone a different and unique gift. Whenever I go to Lisboa I make a point of going there, since it is across the road of one of the best croissant making shops in the world it makes it even better! If you are wandering around, visit this store! It even has exhibitions on a small corner of the shop. And also a reading space full of design magazines.

It'd be easy to pass this shop off as a tourist scam, given the location, but it actually is not…read more It's a beautiful shop with great gifts for yourself or others. In addition to the souvenir type items (tinned fish, magnets, soaps, etc.), they offer gorgeous ceramics from Coimbra, linens, and other items. So this shop was perfect because I was looking for both souvenirs for family and unique pieces for myself. And I found it here, along with friendly staff. Artesanato 2 Rosas is a great place to shop for Portuguese products.

Discovering Ale-Hop was a delight as I sought something for my kids. I stumbled upon a charming…read moredress-up doll sticker travel-sized slim pad for 3 euros and chess-patterned men's socks. The playful front display caught my eye, and I appreciated the humor of the staff. They were accommodating in terms of language preferences, and the overall value for the items purchased was noteworthy. Overall, I would consider returning in the future. An added benefit was the proximity of another location very near to each other.

It's full of tat so the main shopping is not for a male customer base. I had walked around town for…read moremiles and miles over a few hours and my wife pointed to a chair within. I poo pooed the very idea. Me. Sit. Not likely even as my joints ached and creaked. But my wife was pointing to a chair with a battery operated back massage contraption at €30 (so it's not cheap tat). I switched it on and sat for twenty minutes and I gotta tell ya it was delightful - the contraption worked wonders in the small of my back. I was surrounded by mostly overpriced most likely Chinese rubbish made from variations of plastic and other chemicals. I cannot conceive of a single item worth buying but I do confess to the delights of the Chinese made massage contraption. The reality was though that within 5 minutes of leaving the Hop all the pains and aches re commenced, still it was enjoyable for the time I sat. If tats your thing and buying stuff you can't conceivably ever need this is your dream emporium.