This place is wild! And as such, it isn’t primarily a shopping destination. On the other hand there’s a handful of delightful products made here that you might want to take home with you as a memento of your island experience. Here’s what you need to know about shopping in the Azores.
The classic cockerel good luck symbol
Named the Galo Barcelos, the traditional hand-made pottery rooster is a firm favourite with tourists. It symbolises an abundance of happiness and good luck and the cute creature comes in many forms, from large to small. Try the Azorean Gift Shop in Ponta Delgada for a wide variety of good luck roosters.
More hand-made pottery treats
Go to the city of Lagoa, on Sao Miguel island, to find the historic Ceramica Viera workshop, where you can not only buy pottery but see it being made by skilled artisans. The factory makes the fabulous blue and white Azulejo tiles Portugal is so famous for as well as interesting miniature painted plates, perfect for your kitchen wall back home and a thoughtful gift for someone you love.
Azorean baskets and wickerwork
Beautiful wickerwork and baskets are the name of the game here, requiring a lot of skill and creativity. Choose from a variety of small items you can fit into your suitcase. The Arrisca Experience is a good place to go to buy them, and because it’s a not-for-profit outlet buying means you make a valuable contribution to local culture and help to support ongoing creativity.
Love cheese? Head for Terceira island
The little city of Tretya is where you’ll find an excellent Queijo Vaquinha shop, source of rich, delicious, fresh cottage cheese from local farmers, local wines and beers, and great value local farm produce.
Rummage for treasures in the Mercado da Graca market
Ponta Delgada is home to one of the islands’ biggest markets, a vibrant place stacked with local seasonal fruit and veg, gorgeous farm cheeses, liqueurs, wines and local spuds grown in the fertile volcanic soil. Apparently they taste incredibly good.
Then make your way there to find O Rei dos Queijos, another treat for lovers of fine produce. Translating as ‘The King of Cheese’, they sell cheeses from across the Azores plus jams, honeys, biscuits and of course local tea. Because it’s right next to the Mercado da Graça market, it’s perfect for an all-in-one retail therapy experience!
Go on a tuna frenzy
Tuna is a popular fish in the Azores, a delicacy everyone loves. The tuna is preserved in olive oil and seasoned with salt for extra ‘oomph’, a universe away from the tinned tuna we get in British supermarkets. This is how tuna is supposed to taste, and it’s epic. The olive oil makes a powerful preservative, so grab yourself a few tins to take home and enjoy the island flavour all over again. Tinned Santa Catarina tuna is one of the most popular brands.
Real wool socks done the Azorean way
The sheep in the fields provide really lovely wool which is carefully woven into perfectly comfortable, soft and warm 100% sheep wool socks, made to with stand the weather here all year round so also perfect for UK autumns and winters. We recommend the Azorean Gift Shop at the airport for a great sheep wool sock choice.
A store you won’t want to miss
Gifts, ceramics, food and more are yours at the store inside the old Fabrica de Licores Mulher de Capote building in the city of Ribeira Grande in the north of São Miguel island. Test-drive some locally produced drinks and foods, buy liqueurs and sample local cuisine there, and don’t miss the splendid traditional passion fruit liqueur, sheer delight to the taste buds.
Traditional souvenirs for the folks back home
T-shirts, mugs, ceramics, beach bags and more, many featuring the cow symbol of Terceira island, are yours at the fun and funky Atlantic Souvenir store in the city of Angra do Heroismo, inside a really pretty building decked out in blue and white.
St Mary island’s cool souvenir shop
There’s more tourist treasure to inspire you on the island of Saint Mary, home to the Água-Viva souvenir shop, where you can buy everything from souvenir T shirts to notebooks, wood carvings, and a load more unique products you won’t find anywhere else on the islands.
Go pineapple crazy!
They’re on sale everywhere, from the airports on every island to local fruit and veg stores and supermarkets. On Sao Miguel Island you can actually visit the greenhouses where the fruit is grown and buy a host of different pineapple products including superb jams, perfect for bringing home. No wonder so many Azores desserts feature a big blog of this totally delicious conserve. You’ll also want to sample the local fig jam.
Buy Azores tea and honey
They grow tea here, available at supermarkets as well as via the actual Gorreana tea factory on São Miguel Island. There are tea tours on tap plus tea tasting sessions. Or, alternatively, head for the Parque Atlantico shopping mall in Ponta Delgada, São Miguel Island. Parque Atlantico is one of the islands’ biggest shopping malls, a huge place offering lovely handmade jewellery, clothing and footwear, sports gear, cosmetics and accessories, local foodie specialities and wonderful artisan ornaments. There are more than 100 stores to explore as well as a huge supermarket selling, amongst everything else, fragrant Azorean honey, another excellent souvenir to keep your taste buds happy.
Wines and beers made in the Azores
Vines in the Azores are grown in a unique and eccentric way to handle the conditions, planted safely in holes inside old lava flows and protected by beautiful dry stone walling made from black volcanic rock.
They might not produce as much of it as they do in Portugal, but the wine making scene here is lively and exciting. Try the brilliant Adega A Buraca on Pico island, where you’ll see how the wine is made, can sample different varieties, and choose a bottle or two to take home with you.
Then there’s the beer, which is a delight. Don’t miss Sagres, Super Bock, Coral, Cintra, Cristal, Tagus and Topazio beers along with brilliant Azorean Beer served in style at Melo Abreu, complete with wonderful appetizers.
Last but not least – the Galerias Portas do Mar
You’re in the old marina of Ponta Delgada and fancy some shopping? Not a problem. The prime seafront location makes this area, scattered with shops and offering a lovely seaside garden promenade, a favourite. Walk this way for a choice of great restaurants as well as cool bars, handy banks, useful travel agencies and more.
While it isn’t a top shopping destination, more about the wonderful wild landscapes than the retail, there are some nice places to pick up mementoes of your trip.
Comment (0)