Lisbon design guide

Lisbon is the place to be at the moment and is great city for design lovers.

I wrote this Lisbon design guide after spending a lot of my time in Lisbon just wandering the streets, impressed and touched by the beauty of its architecture, the street art and its cool vibe.

The Portuguese capital is happening, full of life, buzzing, exciting and unsurprisingly attracts a lot of visitors.

Design lovers will be delighted by the famous Portuguese tiles. They are stunning and you’ll see them everywhere around the city. They even have their own museum (more about that below).

If you’re in Lisbon on short visit, head straight to LX Factory, definitely one of the most trendy places to visit in Lisbon.

It’s a former textile factory converted into a stylish shopping and dining centre with a strong hipster shopping vibe.

Go there to enjoy a brilliant selection of design shops, some of them I mention in this post below.

While you’re there, don’t miss out on Ler Devagar, the bookshop with a flying bike!

Lisbon is great for vintage shopping as well. I reviewed some of its coolest vintage and antique shops below.

Art and design lovers who want to experience the city in style and look for alternative, off the beaten path things to do and see will find plenty of unique activities and alternative tours in Lisbon.

Lisbon also has some of the best design hotels that you want to check out when you’re planning a trip there.

Lisbon design hotels – where to stay in Lisbon in style

If you’re looking for a place to stay in Lisbon in style, have a look at these gorgeous design hotels.

Internacional Design Hotel, Lisbon

The International Design Hotel in Lisbon is a trendy place to stay and is located in the city centre.

This is a sophisticated design hotel where each of its four floors has a theme and the rooms feature design inspired by city life, ethnic chic, minimalism and pop art.

Books a room at Internacional Design Hotel

Lx Boutique Hotel

This hotel offers rooms and public areas with unique design and is at a perfect location between Chiado, Baixa and Cais do Sodré districts in Lisbon.

Find a room at LX Boutique Hotel

Memmo alfama – design hotel Lisbon

A highly rated hotel in the oldest part of Lisbon. Alfama is a district that tourist love to visit and it has some wonderful viewing points.

This boutique hotel has views of Tagus River and lovely rooms designed in a contemporary style.

Find a room at Memmo Alfama – Design Hotel

The best design shops in Lisbon

Muito Muito – vintage shopping in Lisbon

A perfect Lisbon shop for vintage lovers. This shop has a very unique feel.

It’s full of antiques, curated and renewed by the owner. It has a lot of beautiful, collectible furniture, as well as lamps, toys, typewriters and all sorts of surprises.

Muito Muito

Kare Design – Lisbon interior design shop

This gorgeous design shop inside LX Factory is part of an international chain.

It is a big space – prepare to spend some time there exploring all the lovely items. It offers mostly items for the home, like furniture and lighting.

If you need some interior design inspiration, you’ll get plenty of ideas from the beautiful and funky display.

Kare Design

Puracal – elegant Lisbon design shop

Another lovely design shop in LX Factory. Browse their selection of ceramics, rugs, furniture, toys, textiles and more.

It offers very elegant modern designs with a vintage feel.

Puracal

Retroshop – retro and vintage shop in Lisbon

The appropriately named shop is inside one of the industrial spaces of LX Factory feels a little like a gallery of old stuff.

It has a very colourful collection of retro and vintage items, from a candy machines to old typewriters.

The shop has many smaller items too, like glasses, clocks, lamps and posters. A joy for vintage lovers!

Retroshop

Real Slow Retail Concept Store in Lisbon

In the trendy area of Principe Real, close to Barrio Alto but with a very different vibe, you’ll find this large concept store.

It’s very inviting and colourful and seems to be very popular too, judging by the number of people who were there when I visited.

This Lisbon design shop is a great place to find shoes, purses, bags, fashion items, kids’ stuff, gadgets, ceramics, accessories and small gifts.

REAL Slow Retail Concept Store

Stock the Nature – Lisbon design shop

A very elegant design shop. The display has a lot of interior design items with pleasant muted colours, like ceramics, pillows, furniture, lighting and more.

It is located inside the Embaixada shopping centre, in the cool neighbourhood of Príncipe Real in Lisbon.

It’s a gorgeous building full of design and fashion shops. When you enter, go up the stairs to find the shop above the restaurant.

Stock the Nature

Unique tours and experiences in Lisbon for design lovers

There are plenty of tours in Lisbon. I recommend you start your visit with one of the Lisbon free walking tours to get a general introduction to the city.

Then explore the some unique and alternative experiences and guided tours in Lisbon that will make your trip special.

You can learn a new skill, see the city at night or on a segway, see a traditional music show, learn to cook Portuguese food and meet some interesting locals.

Lisbon tours

• Lisbon Street Art Tour
• River Tagus Guided Sightseeing Cruise
• Segway Tour of Lisbon
• Private Electric Tuk Tuk Tour
• Lisbon Fado Dinner Show and Night Tour

The National Tile Museum in Lisbon

The beautiful tiles that Portugal is so famous for have their own museum.

I normally write about design shops in my design city guides, but this amazing museum certainly belongs here.

Overlooking the port, the Lisbon National Tile Museum has an impressive collection of well preserved tiles from various time periods, with historical explanations about the different types of tiles.

The tiles are called azulejos in Portuguese.

Some have simple or complex geometric patterns on them, others depict stories and scenes. Either way, they’re beautiful and impressive.

The museum is quite big, with an interesting layout that lets you see the tiles from many different perspectives.

If you want to learn more about this Portuguese tile art, take a workshop with a tile artist, alongside your visit to the museum. Full details about this special tile workshop here.

Feira da Ladra – the flea market in Lisbon

This Lisbon flea market takes place every Tuesday and Saturday. I went there on a sunny Saturday afternoon and the place was full of people and full of energy.

It’s a big market, spread over several streets right next to The Pantheon.

It’s full of antiques, funky retro gems, and tons of Lisbon souvenirs. Alongside the standard souvenirs you see all over the city, there are also quite a lot of handmade items.

If you fell in love with the typical Portuguese cork purses, look for some nice, original designs here.

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