Óbidos Shopping

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What to buy: Widely available, there are several shops in downtown Óbidos that will make the delights of any Ceramics lover.

Visitors will find traditional regional Ceramics from various portuguese towns, such as the traditional "blues" from Alcobaça, also the traditional from Coimbra, the terracotta from Alentejo and even the "portuguese rooster" from Barcelos, among others.

Purchasing traditional portuguese ceramics in Óbidos, is a must for any visitor.

What to buy: Hand Painted Tile > the Portuguese Monarchic Flag (motif). € 30 euros.

Contrary to current Portugal's Republican Flag whose predominate colours are Red & Green, the last Portuguese Monarchic Flag, which was official until 1910, had Blue & White as its predominate colors.

I confess I like the Monarchic flag most. :)

If you visit Obidos, you must try their local homemade beverage called "Ginja". You can find this drink in any of the shops. There are several "Ginja Bars" on the mainstreet. You can stop in and have a quick taste. Start from the main entrance and stop in every shop as you walk down the mainstreet and have a taste until you reach the castle. By the time you reach the castle, you should be feeling mighty happy! Enjoy.........

What to pay: 1 Euro per drink or 5-10 per bottle, depending on the size.

This was the first time in some days that my wife had been able to get me slowed down long enough to enjoy some browsing. In this particular little shop (I cannot rememer its name), she enjoyed the style of the plates and some small decorative tiles - azulejos.

We ended up buying a few of each for about E20 total, hoping that we could get them back to Canada in one piece (we did!).

The streets of Obidos were not all that crowded as we walked along, despite the several large tour busses that were waiting empty in the town parking lot outside the walls.

There were lots of small craft stores open for business, with their wares artfully arranged to entice their customers inside. We had a look inside a few of these and also came across a very modern looking glass-fronted building on one of the main streets.

This turned out to be a free internet cafe, so we made a short stop there to check up on our emails!

What to buy: The decorative style of the windows above the shop entrance are typical for the architecture in this part of Portugal.

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the main path of obidos as you enter porta da vila it is called rua direita. there all kind of handycraft and local dellicatessen for tourists to buy.
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What to buy: __________________________________________________

ginjinha de obidos is the special item in obidos. no words to describe it. you'll have to try.
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Traditional pottery or hand painted azulejos (Portuguese tiles) are also a good choice for taking home. Pottery is colourful and hand painted (at least it should be!!) and may have varied patterns such as animals or flowers. If you are interested in pottery you will find various shapes such as flowerpots, plates or kitchen utensils. Regarding azulejos you may find them as replicas of ancient patterns and epochs or if you prefer the modern style you may also find some nice modern patterned azulejos to take home.

If you want to buy souvenirs or arts craft you will find plenty of shops on main street selling the most varied products, from the usual touristy t-shirts, postcards and fridge magnets to authentic Portuguese arts craft. Before you decide to buy take a look at other shops, just in case, as price and quality may vary ... Buying ginjinha (a typical liquor made of a fruit similar to cherry) could be a good choice to take home and invite friends and family to taste it.