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This means that our bookstores bear witness to our history and are important symbols of Portugal by the books they sell and the walls that contain them.
It would be a pity to visit Portugal without touring some of its most remarkable bookstores. Here are some of the most important ones you cannot miss.
Livraria Centésima Página – Braga
Known in English as The Bookstore of Page 100 and located in the very center of Minho’s capital, you will find this precious gem of a bookstore. It was founded in 1999 in a different location and finally settled in the Casa do Rolão, a gorgeous 18th-century baroque manor designed by Northern Portugal’s premiere baroque architect André Soares.
Braga is known for this architectural style, so it’s only fitting that its most impressive bookstore would be in a place like this. It features a cozy café and a sunlit backyard where you can sit and enjoy a beverage of your choosing and a slice of cake while browsing through Centésima’s exquisite selection of books. If you don’t read Portuguese, don’t worry, they also have quite a fair amount of English and French selections as well.
Ler Devagar – Lisbon
If you’re in Portugal’s capital city, you will find plenty of historic and remarkable bookstores to visit including the Guinness World Record holder for the oldest working bookstore, Bertrand Chiado, and antiquity shops, like Ferin and Sá da Costa. But the most precious one is in Lx Factory, a few train stops from the city center. It’s called Ler Devagar (Reading Slowly) and is located inside an old Portuguese newspaper pressroom.
They still keep some of the machinery inside the store, as a museum of sorts. It also features two cafés, one on each floor, and a vast selection of books that goes from the newest to thousands of uncatalogued used books that would take a lifetime to sort through.
Livraria Almedina – Coimbra
If you’re a local, or a frequent visitor to Portugal, you will know the Almedina bookstore chain. They are the premier purveyors of academic or judicial books in Portugal and have stores all over the country. The first one, however, was opened in 1955, in one of the oldest neighborhoods in Coimbra, right next to the gate of the ancient city walls, built in the 11th century.
The interior is decorated all in black with modern materials but the exquisite design models the medieval wall that inspired the brand. Despite specializing in academic materials, you will still find a healthy selection of fiction and commercial books as well.
Livraria Santiago – Óbidos
Built inside a hundred-year-old building, Livraria Santiago is a surprise for all who visit. It is located inside the walls of one of Portugal’s most charming medieval villages, Óbidos. At first glance, it is nothing but yet another Portuguese church but once you go inside, you will see a selection of over thirty thousand books, on display from the altar to the door. It has a little bit of everything for everyone, and the ambiance is truly special.
Livraria Lello – Porto
We have saved the best for last. Selected as one of the world’s most beautiful bookstores by publications such as The Guardian, Time or Lonely Planet, Lello is likely the most visited attraction in Portugal’s second most popular city. Built in 1906 in a very unique art nouveau style, its spectacular staircases, ceilings, and façade have been referenced by some of the greats of Portuguese literature, such as Eça de Queirós, Camilo Castelo Branco or Teóphilo Braga.
As one of the world’s premier temples to reading, we definitely recommend booking your visit in advance since the lines are as long as the visit is worthwhile.
A Piece of Portugal in your Home
Since 1922, Amalia Home Collection has been developing luxurious, artistic home textiles and linens made in Portugal.
Inspired by a rich Portuguese history of beautiful buildings, art nouveau, and deep and resonant culture, we have brought Portuguese traditional patterns to the forefront in the linen and bedding world.
Our products are woven by and with our culture.
Just as the bookstores mentioned here, we want Amalia Home Collection to not only be a stunning item of comfort in your home, but also be a meaningful thread in the fabric of your lives.
As a fourth-generation family business, Amalia Home Collection is the culmination of almost 100 years of experience and heritage in the textile industry.
Our roots can be traced back several generations to around the same time of the poets and artistic gatherings of the 1920s, when some of the original mills of northern Portugal began to manufacture products that personified the European quality and craftsmanship.
Today, many of those same methods and techniques used for decades are combined with modern innovation, resulting in a luxurious high-end product.
Our home is your home, with linens for bed and bath, we are a lifestyle brand in sync with our heritage and the everyday modern luxuries that enrich our lives.
Imagine decorating your home with the inspired look and feel of vibrant Portuguese colors and patterns? Check out our linen collection while listening to our curated music playlist or continue to discover other aspects of Portuguese life and culture on our blog.
