Faro

Forum Algarve is one of the town's premier shopping centres, featuring all sorts of fashion stores and restaurants. It is also home to one of the biggest cinema places in the Algarve.

Just outside Albufeira you find Algarve Shopping Centre. It is the perfect place to spend a rainy afternoon or just to stay out of the sun and heat for a while. You can find several different shops, both from chains like Zara and C&A but also some small local boutiques. If you get hungry there is a food court, and if you feel like catching a movie there is also a cinema.

When you think of shopping, maybe grocery shopping isn't the first thing that comes to mind. But you find a good selection of brands, fresh fruits and vegetables, live seafood, newly butchered meat and local wines at the Intermarché in Carvoeiro. This international chain has several outlets across the Algarve coast.

The town of Porches has a long history of pottery production. All items are unique and made by local artists and artisans, including hand-painted dishes, jars, carafes, and tea-sets, among many others. It is a great place to pick up a one-of-a-kind souvenir for your loved ones back home.

If you like to stroll in an outdoor market and watch the locals shop for fresh fruit and fish directly from the farmers and fishermen, almost every town in Algarve has this kind of food market one or several times a week. For those who prefer to visit a flea market or an auction, the weekend is the best time to try to strike a bargain.

Garrafeira Rui is a one-of-a-kind wine shop—as soon as you enter this tiny, centrally-located liquor emporium, you'll come across a wall full of Portugal's finest alcoholic beverages, and some international liquors too. Besides its astonishing alcohol selection, Garrafeira Rui also sells traditional sweets and patisserie.