How about visiting the oldest operating bookstore in the world? Livraria Bertrand in Lisbon (Rua Garrett 73, Lisbon 1200-203, Portugal), opened its doors as far back as 1732! Established by a Frenchman living in Lisbon, this store has had a long and incredibly interesting life, from changing owners to devastating earthquake and being a popular gathering place for such litarary geniuses as Alexandre Herculano. It moved to its current location in 1773, which is still unbelievable.
The store’s plan is interesting with 6 successive corridors ending with a small but cosy cafe with a Fernando Pessoa wall mural, where you can savour a good coffee and your recent hunting trophies. Most books are, naturally, in Portuguese (despite being a tourist attraction, the store is definitely oriented towards the local public), but there is an English section in I believe the second corridor. The general fiction is meh, but there is a noteworthy Pessoa-dominated (but not just) shelf of Portuguese poetry translated into English. I chose a new bilingual (original and English translations) edition of Pessoa’s poetry book. The prices for books in this touristy section, however, were a bit too much for Portugal (18 euros for my book). But then again, where else in Lisbon can one find such types of books that are more reasonably priced? (Please tell in comments if you know!)
Overall verdict – a must see literary attraction in the Chiado area of Lisbon. Treat yourself to visiting the oldest bookshop in the world and don’t forget to ask them to stamp your book with their famous stamp!
