As both an avid reader and a semi-professional book dragon, I try to make a point of visiting bookstores in every city I visit. (After all, what could be batter souvenir than a book that gets all the trip memories associated with it?) Most of the time, this involves me doing a bit of research – after all, tourist city centers are rarely known for their concentration of bookstores.

Lisbon, however, was the exception. In fact, it has the highest concentration of bookstores per capita. You can’t walk more than a block or two in downtown Lisbon without stumbling across some kind of bookstore. Some are giant, some tiny, but all have that sense of deliberate curation that makes a great bookstore sing. As a tourist, this is the kind of place I want to be in a – you can keep all your library themed cafés and bars, just give me a city full of books and parks to read them in.

One day into Lisbon

My first taste of this delicious literary culture was on our first full day in the city. At the urging of our concierge, we decided to wander through Belem and hit up LX Factory on our way back to our hotel. And literally one hour into our rambles, I saw a cute family – mother and two daughters, laid out on the grass across from the Tagus, deep into a book each. (This cemented my conviction that Lisbon is the European SF – “windy reading picnic by the water” is one of our favorite things to do here at home.)

A quick note on The Colours of Death: this urban fantasy explores a Lisbon in which a Gifted population lives ostracized from the rest. The story’s protagonist is of Angolan descent, and it explores themes of inclusion and government corruption. I was already thinking about Portugal’s colonial history, but reading this felt like a unique lens into intersectionality of colonial othering and fifty years of dictatorship, with a sprinkle of magic and mystery. I’m not sure I’ll read the rest of the series, but it made me look at Lisbon in a slightly different way as I walked its streets.

What more can a girl ask of a city-focused table at a bookstore?

Historical stores beget historical stories

Well, a bit of history, as it turns out.

Lisbon is home to the world’s oldest continuously operating bookstore, Livraria Bertrand. (I have heard a bit of skepticism about this claim. To those skeptical, I say, take it up with Guiness.) Of course, I had to visit… twice… and acquire a big ol pile of books while there. Given how high my Portuguese fiction TBR had gotten, I decided to focus on nonfiction this time.

My first pick was A People’s History of the Portuguese Revolution. We were there over Freedom Day, which made me realize I had no idea from whom the Portuguese had gained freedom. A People’s History was a bit of a speedrun on the Carnation Revolution, the year of confusion that followed, and the ultimate resolution into the capitalist democracy of today. This was a bit of a tough read in the moment, as it pre-supposed familiarity with the “usual” historical telling. But once I was done (just in time for the Freedom Day celebrations!) I had gained such a different perspective on the why of modern Portuguese politics and economics. The perfect read for the moment – and honestly, a nice way to close out the “open thread” of the dictatorship first picked up in Estoril.

If A People’s History was the tale from the citizen perspective, Queen of the Sea lavished its attention on Lisbon’s neighborhoods and quirks. By this point in the trip, I’d spent quite a lot of time and attention exploring different areas and learning the different periods. Queen of the Sea was a lovely synthesis of all those stories and eras, brought to life in the buildings and streets. In many ways, a perfect literary endcap for a trip filled with new stories.

A bookstore for book lovers

Beyond the great book selection, there are a few other points about Livraria Bertrand I’d like to highlight: the book stamp, the Almanac, and the café.

First – the book stamp. If you buy a book there, they will stamp it to “certify” that you bought it at the oldest operating bookstore in the world. The stamp is free and ends up usually on the first page of your new book. For me, a perfect way to make a literary souvenir even more special.

Second – the store publishes its own almanac yearly! And you better believe I got a copy. What will I do with a slim Portuguese almanac? Who knows. But I can’t help but love a bookstore that keeps that kind of independent press spirit alive.

Third – the bookstore has a lovely café in the back! I actually got to spend a good hour or two there, nursing a cup of rooibos and a queijada and turning the pages of my latest local reading acquisitions. Unlike so many other cafés, I saw only readers around me – not a remote worker around. Lovely tea, sweet pastry, and the sound of pages turning made for a perfect mid-trip rest afternoon – one I’d recommend for any reader going to Lisbon.

City by city, shelf by shelf

It’s funny, because Lisbon doesn’t usually come up on those lists of cities for readers – but I had an absolutely wonderful time wandering through the shelves of its many bookstores. And those bookstores, with their carefully curated selections, let me learn so much more during my trip than I may have otherwise. It’s the perfect kind of travel serendipity – and I hope every one of you gets to have that experience as you travel as well.

Incredibly, we’re going from one trip to another, as I will shortly be in Peru. Expect to see some Peruvian reads soon. And until next time – stay cozy, and stay curious!