Welcome to the next article in our spotlight on the Algarve region of Portugal. If you missed any of our other articles, make sure you check them out to see why there are so many Americans retiring in Portugal. So far we have learned about topics like safety, language, climate, and driving in the Algarve region of Portugal. We have also learned about some of the best towns for expats in the Algarve. That’s great info, but I know some of you are out there saying “yeah, yeah; but what about the shopping?”. Well, don’t worry; this one is for you. Let’s discuss Portugal shopping.
- Portugal Grocery Shopping – What are Portugal supermarkets like?
- Portuguese Markets – How are the town markets in Algarve?
- Portugal Shopping Malls – Are there good Algarve shopping centres?
- Amazon in Portugal – Can I use Amazon in Portugal?
- Portugal Home Improvement Stores – Does Portugal have something like a Home Depot?
- Portugal Pet Supplies – Where can I get pet food and pet supplies in Portugal?
Portugal Grocery Shopping
If you are like me, food is never far from your mind. Therefore, as you consider what it may be like retiring abroad, one of the most important things you may be wondering is what supermarkets and grocery stores in Portugal are like. Furthermore, as a person that cooks as a hobby, I was also curious whether I would be able to find all of the ingredients that I am used to cooking with. It turns out I had nothing to worry about. Grocery stores in Portugal are amazing! In the Algarve region of Portugal, some of the larger supermarket chains include: Continente, ALDI, LIDL, and Pingo Doce.
Continente Portugal
We made a lot of visits to Continente stores during our scouting trip across the Algarve, and we constantly marveled at how much nicer the stores were than anything we have at home. Continente merged with another large chain called Modelo, and later purchased a chain of stores called Dia. Therefore, you will find stores named Continente (very large urban hypermarkets), Continente Modelo (large supermarkets), and Continente Bom Dia (smaller neighborhood markets) depending on the store’s size, location, and origin. We thought the Continente stores felt like an upscale version of a Super Target or Super Walmart. They carry a huge grocery selection as well as home goods. Continente stores often have a small in-store pharmacy (over-the-counter only; no prescriptions) called Wells. They also often have an in-store pet-supply store called Zu. Continente offers online ordering and delivery as well.
ALDI or LIDL
ALDI and LIDL are both German discount grocery stores. They both take a similar approach in terms of no-frills stores with a smaller selection of goods, and low prices. Both stores have strong followings who swear by one, and hate the other one. I have no intention of stepping into that mix. Suffice it to say that no matter which you prefer, you will find good representation of your chosen store in the Algarve region when shopping Portugal.
Pingo Doce
Pingo Doce is one of the largest supermarket chains in Portugal. Similar to Continente, it offers a range of stores. You will find hypermarkets (groceries, home goods, and even appliances and electronics), standard grocery stores, and smaller convenience stores. Pingo Doce offers online shopping and delivery as well.
Overall, we were highly impressed with our food shopping in Portugal. The selection was better than our stores in the East coast of the United States. The quality was good, the shopping experience was pleasant. Checkout was easy with both standard checkout lanes and self checkout. Self checkout in some stores did have some quirks to learn. For example, some have an exit gate where you are required to scan your receipt. It was also interesting to learn that the large Continente hypermarkets are often attached to shopping malls. We also found that parking is often underground beneath the store.
Portugal Shopping at Town Markets
Many towns in the Algarve have their own farmers markets, usually hosted in a dedicated market building in town. Town markets typically have fresh fruits, produce, meats, fish, and other goods sourced from the local area. Most markets happen monthly or bi-monthly, but there are a few towns that host weekly markets. For example, the Loulé Saturday market is one of the largest in the Algarve. It brings in people from all over the region every weekend for the farmer and gypsy markets. We found prices at the Loulé market to be fairly similar to grocery stores (prices vary by town). Visiting and browsing the market was a great way to spend a Saturday morning. It was also fun to discover unique local goods that are not available elsewhere.
Portugal Shopping Malls
We were probably the only people spending our trip to Portugal checking out shopping malls. Hey, we did say it was a scouting trip. The good news is that the Algarve has some great shopping malls across the entire southern region. You don’t need to be worried about getting in your shopping fix. Interestingly, shopping malls don’t seem to have died out in Portugal the way they have in the U.S. They are alive and well, easy to find, and have free parking. Here are some of the larger shopping malls in the Algarve:
I was particularly impressed with the Algarve Shopping mall near Guia. It was a beautiful indoor/outdoor mall with a lot nicer greenery and decor than many of the others. MAR Shopping Algarve is the largest in the Algarve. I was a little underwhelmed by the interior design and shops. It did, however, have a large separate outdoor outlet mall right next door.
Amazon in Portugal
Be honest – when considering retiring abroad was your first question about what language people speak or were you more curious about whether you can still order from Amazon? Well, I have good news and bad news about Amazon in Portugal. The bad news is that there is currently no Amazon Portugal. The good news is that you can still order from Amazon and have goods delivered while retired in the Algarve. How’s that work? Let me explain…
How to shop at Amazon from Portugal
You can still shop at Amazon while retired in Portugal by leveraging Amazon services in one of the other European countries currently covered by Amazon. The most popular choices are Amazon Spain, Amazon Germany, and Amazon U.K. Amazon U.K. and Germany both offer shopping experiences in English. However you may pay higher shipping and import taxes when using their services. Therefore, the most popular option for retirees living in the Algarve is often to shop from Amazon Spain. The shopping experience is in Spanish or Portuguese. However, you can always use Google to translate the web pages to English as needed.
Amazon Prime Portugal
Now that you know you can still use Amazon while retired in Portugal, your next question may be to wonder whether you can still use Amazon Prime. Good news; even though Amazon does not operate in Portugal, Portuguese residents can still take advantage of Amazon Prime through Amazon Spain. Check out this press release from Amazon with the full details. It includes the Amazon Prime features you would expect such as free 2-day delivery to your home in Portugal, access to Prime Video, and more.
Can’t I just use my existing Amazon Prime membership from the U.S. or U.K.?
Nope, sorry. You could use it to stream video content (if you use a VPN to overcome regional restrictions), but it is not going to help you from a delivery perspective. Your existing Prime account will not work with Amazon Spain; you will need a new one.
Portugal Home Improvement Stores
Are you the ‘handy person’ type? Convinced you can figure it out, and fix it yourself (and only occasionally make it worse)? If this is you, then you may be wondering where you will get the supplies for your hobby and home-improvement projects while retired abroad in Portugal. I have good news for you. As we discovered on our recent scouting trip to the Algarve, stores similar to an American Home Depot are easy to find, and far nicer than the ones we have in the U.S.
One of the most common stores you will find in the region is the French chain Leroy Merlin. We found these distributed across the southern region of Portugal, and we visited one near the central town of Loulé. We found the store to be cleaner and nicer than American home-improvement stores. It also had a far larger selection of most items, and had more of a showroom experience with many more floor models on display.
If you are envisioning retiring to Portugal to either build a new home or do major renovations, we will pass along a cautionary note. Our early research into this has found that many people have had challenges finding reliable home contractors in Portugal, and many have had bad experiences. Just something to be aware of. We will pass along any more information we uncover as we look into this further. To be fair, however, our experiences with home contractors in U.S. have not exactly been stellar either.
Portugal Shopping for Pet Supplies
An important consideration for many people looking to move to Portugal is the question of pet supplies and veterinary care. In our scouting trip to the Algarve region, we found the pet situation to be very similar to the U.S. Pet supplies are readily available in grocery stores, and we came across numerous pet-supply stores in shopping centers and malls throughout the region. Stores carried many of the same brands and products that we use for our own pets in America, and we readily found even the specialty foods that our cats use for sensitive digestion and urinary care. In all of our driving across the towns on the southern coast, we also came across veterinary clinics everywhere we went. Bottom line is that your pets will have everything they need if you decide to retire in Portugal.
Summary
That’s it for our rundown on Portugal shopping. As you can see, the shopping landscape in the Algarve is pretty great, and you should have no problem getting the necessities while satisfying your shopping fix. Keep an eye out for future updates as we will be adding grocery-store prices recorded during our recent scouting trip to the Algarve. Until then, happy retire-abroad planning!
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