The best fashion and gift stores - The Azores in 2024

Practical information : Treat yourself (& others) The Azores

Timetable

Most stores are open from 10am to 12:30pm and from 2pm to 6:30pm, Monday to Friday, and on Saturday from 10am to 1pm. Shopping centers, some supermarkets and craft stores are usually open all weekend.

Budget & Tips

If you want to go shopping, the prices are pretty good. Take into account that some shops do not accept credit cards, so always carry some cash with you if you want to shop.

Sales

The legislation concerning balances is the same as in Portugal. Since 2016, no more periods are imposed. Whether for winter or summer sales, shopkeepers, boutiques and large retailers have complete freedom to set these periods at any time of the year.

What's very local

Ceramics (notably the famous and fabulous azulejos), pottery, basketry, woven wool blankets from São Jorge, jewelry made from lava stone or fish scales and embroidery are all part of the archipelago's savoir-faire. Also emblematic: diaphanous sculptures in fig tree pith. For gourmets: São Jorge cheese, tea, pineapple jam, liqueurs of all kinds, tins of tuna, Pico wines and queijadas, typical cakes with fromage frais and cinnamon..

Tourist traps

It's not exactly a tourist trap, and it's not exactly illegal, but we'd still like to warn you. Scrimshaw, sculptures made from sperm whale bones or teeth, is no longer a popular souvenir. Since the ban on cetacean hunting in the 1980s, engravers have lost their raw material, relying solely on old stocks of teeth to practice their art. These stocks have slowly run out, and scrimshaw pieces have gradually disappeared from stores in the Azores. If you find one in a junk shop, please note that this trade is highly regulated and existing parts are usually all registered to avoid infringements. Nothing seems to attest to the authenticity of your scrimshaw? Be careful, you may be holding a simple resin copy.

The best fashion and gift stores The Azores

CASA DE EXPOSIÇÕES CAPITÃO ALVES

CENTRO DE ARTESANATO DE CAPELO

POTERIE O OLEIRO

RENT A CAR MEDINA & FILHOS

LOJA DO PETER

BARRETAS DO CORVO

ARTES EM BASALTO-LAVA ARTS & CRAFTS GIFT SHOP

AZULEJOS DA PONTA DA ILHA

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