On one of my recent travels, I stumbled upon the most magical place. Known as “O Mundo Fantastico da Sardinha Portuguesa,” this bright and colorful circus-themed store sells only one thing - sardines!
According to the New York Times, sardines account for “40 percent of Portugal’s fresh fish production, or about 100,000 tons a year.” So it makes sense that they have managed to turn the fish into a fun tourist experience!
Despite selling fish, the store is actually marketed more as a souvenir shop. In addition to attracting people with colorful displays and circus music, they sell cans marked with different years so that people can buy them with their birth years. (At first, I thought the years indicated how old the fish was!) It’s also a nice place to take fun pictures for Instagram! The staff are dressed in circus-like attire with top hats and they have a sardine throne that you can pose on.
I thoroughly enjoyed this fun little detour during my exploration of Lisbon. Feel free to check out my review of the store as well!
Has anyone else found any fun, wacky, or weird places during your travels? Did you pick up any interesting souvenirs? I’d love to hear about them!