10 Best Places to Go Shopping in Albufeira

Rua da Escolas in Olhos de Água, part of Albufeira district, is home to a flea market referred to locally as the mercado mensal. It takes place twice a month (not once as the name suggests) on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday. You’ll find stallholders selling a range of goods, from souvenirs to household goods – haggling is encouraged.

Other gypsy markets in the Albufeira area include the one held in front of the Municipal Market in Caliços every 2nd and 3rd Saturday of the month. It also takes place in São João on the 4th Saturday of the month. They sell goods much like those you’d find at the Rua da Escolas market.

Mercado Municipal dos Caliços is a smart and well-maintained shopping space housed in the Largo do Mercado building, not far south of the bus station. It’s not to be confused with the outdoor market that sometimes sprawls across Estrada de Vale de Pedras on the opposite side of the terminal.

Mercado Municipal dos Caliços occupies a smart complex with a mosaic-tiled courtyard. Duck under the terracotta-painted arches to stroll along a collonaded walkway which links the different sections of the market. Under the whitewashed ceilings, you’ll find stalls piled high with fresh fruit, vegetables, fish and meat.

The Rua 5 de Outubro is a street that runs parallel to Avenida da Liberdade, Albufeira’s main shopping street. Though a little less busy, it’s a must for shoppers who are drawn by its diverse selection of stores.

One of the best places in town for handicrafts and art is Portucale. Love but Pau de Pita Artesanato Pottery and Casa Raminhos also sell good quality ceramics. Sandwiched between the restaurants and tour operators you’ll also find some clothing stores, a small supermarket and a pharmacy.

Albufeira Shopping is a downtown mall close to the centre of Albufeira where you can browse for a variety of goods, including clothing, perfume, stationery and electronics. While the mall doesn’t have the range afforded by the larger Algarve Shopping mall in Guia, its handy position is more convenient.

In between your shopping, you can simply refuel at one of several restaurants serving pizza, burgers, Asian food and local dishes. There are also a handful of cafés where you can grab a coffee and a pastry and settle down at a table and people watch. If you’re self-catering, you’ll find the supermarket quite useful.

Artisanal pottery in Albufeira, or the Algarve as a whole, is well known as the ceramics and brightly painted pottery make a useful as well as pretty souvenirs. One of the best places to find a unique piece is at Pau de Pita Artesanato Pottery on Rua 5 de Outubro. Their colourful bowls will bring a dash of Portuguese flavour to gatherings at home, while vases with floral motifs will look great on a windowsill.

Casa Raminhos is another locally owned business which sells Portuguese rather than imported pottery. They have a wide variety of hand-painted tiles to choose from in their Rua 5 de Outubro premises. For something for the garden, check out plant pots on sale at Gigagarden Botanic, located close to the Algarve Shopping mall.

When in Portugal, or the Algarve, cork products are something you should look into. Cork has many useful properties: it is lightweight yet durable, easily cleaned and waterproof. Sustainably harvested from the cork oak, its production is still commonplace in Portugal. Along the Algarve, you’ll find evidence of this in the form of many shops specialising in the sale of items made from this versatile material. Albufeira is no exception.

At Cork Shop on Rua do Município you can find shoes, wallets, handbags, and belts – there’s another branch in the Algarve Shopping mall. Nearby, Cork & Leather offers a similar range, while Cork World in neighbouring Olhos de Água has cork items for sale, along with a wider variety of local handicrafts.