Fill your shopping bag at the best shops in Cascais

On the first floor above the Taberna da Praça restaurant you will find a very special bookshop. It sells “pre-read books” sold for charity - all of the proceeds are given to two organizations that help people with Down syndrome. Also special: books are not organized by conventional labels, but rather according to categories such as “scaaaaary books” or “naughty literature”. Oh, and there are also plenty of English-language books and a playground for children.

CURA STYLE Essentials, in Monte Estoril, is as small as its wares are cool. Minimalist clothes and accessories include Portuguese brands +351 (t-shirts and men’s bathing suits) and Komono (timepieces and sunglasses), and also purses, perfumes and some other items under the CURA name.

So good they named it twice, and it works in two ways. Say what? Galeria 5050, right in the centre of Cascais, has two locations on the same street, one selling pottery, china and sculptures, the other specializing in jewellery. But besides being a store, it is also a jewellery workshop, where you can have a conversation with the craftspeople. On top of that is a 100% Portuguese concept that produces original and beautiful pieces.

In Cascais there is always a reason to wear pretty clothe and for that matter nothing better than a visit to Sabão & Limão (“soap & lemon”) to stock up on (party) dresses, shirts, skirts, baskets and nice purses; you can bring home some scented candles too. Also if you already want to invest in your summer bikinis this is the right place to do it. The store has been going for 11 years, and it only sells women’s fashions - 50% Portuguese brands, 50% foreign ones. The proprietors only offer a few copies of each item, to avoid having everyone in Cascais dressed the same.

Get ready to enter Estoril’s most eccentric house: a series of small rooms forming an enchanted kingdom where you will find decoration items unlike any you may know, handpicked by proprietor Gracinha Viterbo. You will find pieces of furniture, lamps, paintings, rugs and also some fashionable accessories, fresh flowers and other small treasures. If you need to decorate a home in a different style, now you know where to look.

Many years of stylish women walking the stairs up to the first floor, seeking relaxed but eye- catching clothes, have earned this boutique the status of a town classic. On offer are shirts, pants, dresses, tunics (it’s a boho chic kind of place), shoes, swimwear, purses, belts, all of it personally picked by owner Pavlia Tomic, who herself became a Cascais fashion icon.

In a land of fishermen - and of excellent sardines -, of course there had to be a shop all about the sea and its food. Happy Sardine sells crockery for the home - plates, platters, mugs -, lots of sea-themed handcrafted pottery and decorative items such as tiles, paintings and wooden boards with personalized engravings. Almost all of the pieces are Portuguese-made, some of them locally. On one side of the building is the store, on the other is the workshop of the proprietor, German-born Sabine Ostermann.

France Balivet, owner of the Espace Canelle boutique, is one of Estoril’s most memorable characters. She was the first in the area to open a store featuring major clothing brands, the first to lend clothes for local magazine fashion shoots, and the first to buy wares from new designers directly from international fashion shows. And she did it all 30 years ago. She offers Etro, Bluemarine, Alberta Ferretti, Missoni, Barbara Bui, Diane Von Furstenberg and also some more affordable pieces. If you are going to a party and don’t know what to wear, knock on France’s door.

One of the prime locations in Cascais, right in the town’s centre, in a brick-coloured building that is impossible to miss. Inside is a Portuguese brand more than 100 years old, known for selling dozens of premium socks from international brands. Dior, Ralph Lauren, Stella McCartney and Boutique Moschino are just a few of them, offering fashion and accessories for men and women.

From 50 cents to 5000 euros. This concept store, located right in the centre of Cascais, offers products for all price ranges and occasions: from decoration items to beach dresses, from evening wear and jewellery to sunglasses and last-minute gifts. All of it stylish, to delight the ladies or - gentlemen, we are talking to you - to find the one souvenir that will impress your better half.

It was born 11 years ago in the centre of Cascais, aiming to bring a little bit of Brazil into town. This is therefore the place to find the latest tropical styles, always from quality brands. That includes women’s and menswear by iconic brand Osklen, bathing suits and bikinis by Salinas, the latest Havaianas models and cool accessories by Satya Spindel. You will also find other treasures which the proprietor, a Brazilian national living in Portugal for years, loves to show off. You might not be able to hang around the famous Posto 9 on Ipanema beach, sipping coconut water, but here there is everything to ensure that you will reach the beach in genuine Rio style.