The living cost in Portugal is one of the lowest in European countries. Portugal, a country with a lot of things to see and eat, is where even the tourists enjoy shopping more thanks to their comparatively low prices. Portugal especially has a number of souvenirs which are unique. What about buying a souvenir that makes you have the memory of your time in Portugal?
Portugal is especially famous for canned food. There are a lot of canned food stores around the corners of cities in Portugal and it's impressive to see the well-decorated interior of the store and splendidly displayed canned food which make people feel like they are in the amusement park. Portugal's canned food are good for gifts since they have pretty packages and various kinds of canned seafood and fish including the most famous one, canned sardines.
Also, it is fun to see canned food packages with years written on them along with the names of famous people who were born in those specific years. If you give a canned food item enscribed with the year that your friends or family was born, it creates a special and sentimental souvenir.
Couto toothpaste, which is one of the coolest items among Portugal shopping list, is a product with simple and luxurious design. Its yellow package is similar to the yellow trams of Lisboa. Couto toothpaste, the most well-known toothpaste in Portugal, is well-known for helping people to brush their teeth in a gentle and fresh way. Couto toothpastes are also good for dental health since a toxic ingredient called Paraben is not added.
This might be one of the most luxurious item in Portugal shopping list. Cutipol cutlery is already famous as a necessary item for the newlyweds. The store is easily accessible because it is located in the middle of Lisboa. The price is quite high but it is an investment as your meals will be more enjoyable with this uniquely and luxuriously designed cutlery.
Cutipol Cutlery with round-shaped, artistic and luxurious design is a Portugal brand but it also sells chopsticks which Asian people can use practically. The cutlery can be used for both Western and Asian food.
This is Claus Porto, also known as royal family soap of Portugal. Claus Porto is a brand for natural scented soaps that started in Porto and it became famous after a lot of celebrities including royal family started to use it. They produce soft soaps for sensitive skins and the soaps have good scents using natural perfumes blended by professional perfumers.
Its store is located in Flores street known as one of the prettiest streets in Porto. It might be hard to decide which part you should look around after you enter the store with luxurious interior and packages, but kind clerks would show you around the store according to your needs. These soaps are also sold in other countries but you can buy them much cheaper in Porto, so they are very famous for tourists. Also, you can try them on the spot to instantly feel how amazing they are!
Port wine is a classic wine of Portugal and a must-buy souvenir. Unlike other red wines, people drink Port wine after their meal like a dessert and it has a much sweeter flavor. Especially in Porto, there are a lot of wine cellar tours and if you have a chance to do the tour, you can buy Port Wine in the souvenir store after the tour.
This is Ginja, which is a must-drink Portuguese liqueur along with Port wine. Ginja is well known for its unique flavor since its is strong but has a flavor of sweet fruits. Since Ginja is strong, you have to drink in a pony glass made of chocolates and eat the chocolate glass after drinking. They also sell small bottles of Ginja together with chocolate pony glasses, so that you can bring home the experience!
Azulejo means tiles adorned with blue patterns common especially in Porto, Portugal. You can see them on outer walls of Catholic church of Porto. Azulejo tiles, which is one of the things that representes Portugal, have unique designs that you cannot easily see in other countries.
There are Ajulejo tile sourvenirs especially made for decoration purposes, and if you want to have souvenirs for practical purposes, there are also pot stands, plates, cups and etc. with Azulejo designs. Whenever you cook, it will remind you of your trip in Portugal.
Portugal is the world's largest producer of cork. There are a lot of products made of cork and they are light and unique which makes them interesting souvenirs.
You can see pot stands, coasters, post cards, bags, magnets, and notebooks all made with cork in the most of souvenir stores. The selection is fabulous and they are suitable for interior decorations as well.
If you visit a store called Meia.Duzia in Portugal or other typical souvenir stores, there are a lot of jams in a tube that look like tubes of paint. They sell jams which go well with cheese, ham, and bread, and the jams have a great advantage so that you can squeeze them and eat whenever you want. They have a great selection of flavors such as strawberries, grapes, pears, bananas, kiwi and etc., and you can also have unusual flavors uncommon in other general grocery stores.
When you look around Portugal, you can easily see a lot of sculptures made in the shape of a rooster. In Portugal, there are a lot of Rooster of Barcelos in lobbies of hotels, hallways, or souvenir stores since roosters are known as a symbol of luck and justice. There are a variety of designs for notebooks, pens, small potteries, and plates as well.
Words by Jieun Yoo
Photographs by Yuna Lee