LX Factory

The site opened in 1846 as a textile factory, later held printing works and a food company, and was largely abandoned by the 1990s. From 2008 it was reopened as LX Factory: the industrial buildings kept with their brick, iron and concrete visible, filled with independent shops, design studios, restaurants, bars, a co-working operation and a Sunday market, directly under the deck of the 25 de Abril bridge, with traffic audible overhead constantly. The best-known tenant is Ler Devagar, a bookshop in a former printing hall with shelves running the full height of the space, a bicycle sculpture suspended mid-air and a press still in place. Murals cover the walls. It has been successful enough that it is now a standard stop on Lisbon itineraries and prices have risen accordingly, and whether it still reads as a creative district or as a shopping destination is a fair question.

What you actually see

• Ler Devagar - a bookshop in a former printing hall with full-height shelves.
• The industrial fabric - 1846 textile and printing buildings kept visible.
• The bridge overhead - the 25 de Abril deck directly above, with constant traffic noise.
• The murals - street art across the walls of the complex.

When to go

Year-round. Two to four hours. Sunday brings the market; evenings are for the bars and restaurants. Weekday mornings are the quietest.

Honest expectations

Constant traffic noise from the bridge overhead. Very crowded at weekends and prices are well above Lisbon average. Increasingly a shopping and eating destination rather than a working creative space. Parking is impossible.

Nearby

The Museu do Oriente is a short walk; Belém is west along the river.