Feira da Ladra

The Feira da Ladra is documented in Lisbon from the thirteenth century and has been in Campo de Santa Clara since the 1880s, running every Tuesday and Saturday from early morning until mid-afternoon. The name means thief's market, and the usual explanation is the obvious one about provenance, though ladra may instead derive from ladro, an old word for bug, referring to what came with second-hand goods. What is sold runs the full range: genuine antiques and azulejos at the upper end, old books, records, cameras, brass and colonial-era objects in the middle, and at the lower end tables of used clothes, cables, phone cases and household clearance spread on sheets. It occupies the square and the streets around, with the Pantheon dome on one side and São Vicente on the other. Haggling is expected, prices start high for visitors, and pickpocketing is a real problem in the crush.

What you actually see

• The spread - antiques and azulejos through to clearance goods on sheets.
• The setting - the square between the Pantheon and São Vicente de Fora.
• The continuity - a market recorded in Lisbon since the thirteenth century.
• The two days - Tuesday and Saturday only, morning to mid-afternoon.

When to go

Tuesday and Saturday only. Go early - the best material sells by mid-morning and traders pack up in the afternoon. Two to three hours.

Honest expectations

Pickpocketing is common in the crowd - carry nothing loose. Prices quoted to visitors are inflated; haggling is expected. Much of what is sold is junk. Genuine antiques and tiles may be of questionable provenance; buying old azulejos is a legal and ethical question worth considering.

Nearby

The National Pantheon and São Vicente de Fora are on either side of the square.