The 13 best shops in Porto

With three high street shops in Lisbon and two in shopping centres Amoreiras and Colombo, the famous Portuguese cosmetics brand Benamôr finally head north to open its first shop. It's in the heart of Rua das Flores and the atmosphere is a bit like old pharmacies – with shades of green and red, and glazed cabinets that hold the brand's various ranges – not forgetting the marble central counter with little sinks for trying out the products. The Benamôr family has grown over the years, with the Nata range, inspired by Portuguese pastries and traditional sweets, being the youngest member. The other shelves stock shower gels, oils, balms, body butters and even micellar water.

Costa Nova has made a name for itself on the national and international markets, and can be found all over the world in decoration shops, hotels and restaurants. The brand, based in the industrial area of Vagos, in Aveiro, Porto, produces fine stoneware tableware, ovenware and accessories. After opening shops in Aveiro and Lisbon, it arrived in Porto in December 2021, with the opening of a shop in the Emporium Building, in Rua Sá da Bandeira. With an area of around 224sq m, the space brings together all the brand's collections and includes a professional showroom dedicated to hotels.

On the ground floor of this iconic bath shop, you'll find its classic products, from soaps to lotions and colognes, as well as the shop's gigantic sink, cut from a single block of Estremoz marble. Upstairs is a gallery filled with four generations of hand-drawn designs, lithographs, 1940s newspaper clippings, perfume bottles and more. Claus Porto is one of Porto’s most recognised and prestigious century-old brands, located on one of its busiest streets, and there's even classes to show you how to make its lovely soaps, perfumes and more.

Portugual is famous for its shoemaking, and deservedly so. Drop into The Feeting Room, a shop that stocks Portuguese brands such as Lemon Jelly, Guava and Wolf & Son. There are shoes for all (that’s to say, for men, women and children) as well as accessories, clothes and a café on the first floor with craft coffee and Brazilian-style brigadeiro chocolate-caramel bonbons, made locally. Luckily fat isn’t stored on your feet, so your new shoes will still fit.

This is one of the most popular spots in Baixa: it’s essentially five shops in one. You can find clothing, illustration, footwear, accessories and much more from four Portuguese brands: Águas Furtadas, MIMO store, Rota do Chá and The Yellow Boat. The line-up is complemented by Miss Pavlova, which serves the city’s best… pavlovas.

Behind one of Porto’s most photographed doors (it was painted by a design student) lies one of the city’s prettiest stores. It describes itself as ‘green, vintage, indie’ and as soon as you enter you can understand why. The handmade products foreground ecological sustainability and are really worth a look.

If you avoid shopping centres like the plague and love filling your wardrobe with unique, comfortable and timeless pieces, then THE is the place for you. Issey Miyake from Japan, Umitunal from Turkey, Barbara Alan from the UK and Carla Pontes from Portugal are just some of the designers whose clothing and accessories are stocked in this shop in Foz.

Fans of interior decor will go crazy at Mercado Loft Store, a homeware and design store in Baixa that looks like a magazine photoshoot. You can buy pieces for every room in the house a,d in every style – from classic to contemporary – from around the world. Those keen on recycling can drop off their old furniture for it to be given a new lease of life.

Vintage clothing, retro furniture, Portuguese ceramics and original lighting fittings from Artur Mendanha, the mastermind behind the store: just a few examples of what you’ll find at Patch Porto, a concept store on one of the city’s trendiest streets. Downstairs there is a room for exhibitions and performances and out back a delightful patio.

AVP opened in Porto in 2009 and ever since has showcased the country’s history through products familiar to generations: Paupério biscuits, Viacro pencils, Couto toothpaste and Fábrica Coração silver CY polish. It’s a retail timewarp.

A former ironware workshop has been given over to a multi-purpose space that serves as a showcase for dozens of brands of clothing and accessories, tableware and plants. At the back there’s a kitchen that hosts cooking workshops. It’s all pretty ace.

It’s got rough stone walls and indoor tree trunks, but look beyond the designer tropes and you’ll find hand-painted ceramics, wooden toys and screen-printed tote bags and T-shirts, plus Danish furniture and bicycles – something which Mercado 48 is famous for.

CRU Cowork was one of the first arrivals in the Quarteirão das Artes – the ‘Arts Block’ as the area is loosely defined. As well as the coworking space that gives it its name, it houses projects around illustration, accessories, footwear and clothing by the likes of Filipa Viana, Marina Moreno and Ana Paula Allen.