5 Best Places to Shop in Estremadura and the Ribatejo, Portugal

About 8 km (5 miles) north of Alcobaça, this outlet shop sells first-rate crystal and secondhand items. 

The shop at this factory, once overseen by Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro, has a good range of Caldas-style ceramics, many produced using vintage molds designed by the artist himself. In recent years, leading contemporary artists—most notably Portugal's own Joana Vasconcelos—have worked with the company to produce new works or to use old designs in unexpected ways. There are guided visits to Bordalo Pinheiro's former home, now a museum, on weekdays by appointment only.

Óbidos has ambitions to become Portugal's prime literary town, with a high-profile international festival and bookshops springing up in the most unlikely places. The 18th-century Igreja de Santiago, by the castle keep, has been dramatically transformed, with bookshelves and wooden staircases whose curves echo its baroque interior. It stocks mainly Portuguese literature and glossy coffee-table books, though you will also find some fiction and nonfiction in English.

Óbidos is dotted with crafts shops, but this one stands out for its ceramic items—many of them very large—produced by some of the wave of artists who are successfully updating this traditional form in Caldas da Rainha and other towns in the region. Sónia Borga, for example, mixes her own vibrant colors and often fires pieces several times to achieve striking results. The shop also sells jewelry and Andalusia-style azulejo tiles, and will ship any item.

This factory store on the Nazaré road is a great place to buy porcelain from a leading Portuguese manufacturer. Its outlet section stocks discounted items with minimal defects. The staff will box and ship your purchases.