What to do in Portimao
What to do in Portimao – Architecture and its thriving year-round shopping scene. Being the biggest town in the western Algarve and the second largest city in the whole of the Algarve, the town of Portimao on the banks of the Arade River, is a hive of activity, all year round. A white contour church sits prettily atop a hillside framed by narrow streets in the old tradesman and fisherman quarter.
Subtly blending its old town with its new with a complimentary mix of old town architecture dominated by late 19th century and early 20th century and tasteful high rise apartments of pastel shades of coral, pink and blue, Portimao’s spiriting aesthetical makeup caters for all architectural tastes.
So Partimao’s architecture may suit all tastes, but does this popular Portuguese city have a similarly diverse shopping appeal? Here’s a rundown of one of the best Portimao activities – shopping!
Portimao shopping
If your holiday to the Algarve is filled with aspirations to take home many trinkets and treasures that are unique to the region, then you will not be disappointed with the Portimao.
What has been cited as being one of the best towns for shopping on the Algarve, Portimao’s consumer scene has gone from strength to strength in recent years. Asides having several huge supermarkets, such as Intermarche, which opened in 2009 and an E.LeClerc, which sells everything from baked beans to berets, the town is home to a handful of shopping malls.
The Portimao Retail Park is simply a shopper’s paradise, with a huge choice of fashion shops, goods for the home and food stalls, meaning that if you wanted to, you could spend the whole day in this comprehensive retail park.
For an H&M and Primark fix, Portimao shopping-loving tourists can head on down to the Agua Portimao shopping mall which has a huge selection of best-known brands.
Portimao markets
For those preferring to shop for more authentic and handmade Algarve delights, then visiting one of Portimao’s many markets may be more up your street.
One the first Monday of each month, except in August and November, a pottery market is held at the Parque de Feiras e Exposicoes de Pontimao. This popular market attracts a pleasant mix of locals and tourists alike, all eager to find a piece of precious Portuguese pottery for a bargain price.
If you miss Portimao’s pottery market then you’ll have another chance to pick up an authentic Portimao ceramic at the flea market. On the 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month also at the Parque de Feiras e Exposicoes, Portimao’s flea market takes place, selling a fascinating fuse of earthenware, handmade jewellery, bohemian clothes and Portuguese food and spices.
Although Portimao has a vibrant shopping scene all year round, shopping in this lively Algarve town is particularly enjoyable in the autumn and the winter when the crowds are sparser and the weather is cooler.