Supermarkets in Portugal: Chains, Hours and Tips (2026)

Supermarkets are one of the easiest ways to save money in Portugal, whether you’re filling a holiday-flat fridge or settling in for good. The big chains open seven days a week and sell Portuguese wine, cheese and tinned fish at local prices. Here’s how the chains compare and how shopping works.

Quick answer: the main chains are Continente, Pingo Doce, Lidl, Aldi, Mercadona, Intermarché and Auchan. In DECO PROteste’s 2025 price survey, Continente was cheapest, with Pingo Doce just 1% behind. Most supermarkets open every day, including Sundays, but the main chains close on Christmas Day and 1 January. Bags cost extra, and drinks bottles and cans with the Volta logo carry a 10-cent deposit.

The main supermarket chains

Portugal’s two big home-grown chains are Continente and Pingo Doce, alongside German, French and Spanish rivals.

• Continente: owned by Sonae. It trades as Continente, Continente Modelo and Continente Bom Dia, from huge hypermarkets to smaller town stores.
• Pingo Doce: owned by Jerónimo Martins. Some larger stores have a restaurant or takeaway counter.
• Lidl and Aldi: German discounters with a smaller range, mostly own-brand goods and weekly special offers.
• Mercadona: the Spanish chain opened its first Portuguese store near Porto in 2019 and had more than 70 by autumn 2026. It reached Lisbon in 2025 and planned its first Algarve stores, in Portimão and Faro, for late 2026.
• Intermarché: French-owned, part of the Os Mosqueteiros group, with stores across the country.
• Auchan: the French group’s hypermarkets were called Jumbo until 2019. Auchan has since bought Minipreço, the chain of small neighbourhood shops, and has been switching them to the Auchan and My Auchan names, so you may still see either sign.
• El Corte Inglés: the Spanish department store, in Lisbon and Vila Nova de Gaia, has a supermarket and a Club del Gourmet section for upmarket food and wine.

Which supermarket is cheapest?

The consumer group DECO PROteste tracks daily prices for a basket of more than 200 products at nine online supermarkets. For 2025, it named Continente the cheapest, but the gaps between the big names were small. In the last four months of 2024, Pingo Doce came out on top, so the lead changes hands.

Chain	DECO 2025 index (cheapest = 100)
Continente	100
Pingo Doce	101
Auchan	102
Intermarché	103
Minipreço	104
El Corte Inglés	110
Lidl, Aldi and Mercadona	Not included

The survey compares online shops, and Lidl, Aldi and Mercadona weren’t in it, so there’s no like-for-like ranking for them.

Opening hours, Sundays and holidays

Most supermarkets open every day, Sundays included, from around 8am or 9am until 9pm or 10pm. Hours vary from store to store, so check the chain’s store finder or Google Maps before a late trip.

• Public holidays: most supermarkets open, sometimes with shorter hours. See Portugal’s public holidays.
• Christmas: in 2025, the main chains closed between 5pm and 7pm on 24 December and stayed shut on Christmas Day.
• New Year: on 31 December 2025, most closed between 6pm and 8pm, and Continente, Pingo Doce, Lidl, Aldi and Intermarché were closed on 1 January.
• Easter Sunday: in 2026, Lidl and Mercadona closed, Pingo Doce opened until 2pm and most Continente stores until about 1pm.

If you’re self-catering, stock up the day before a holiday.

Bags, loose fruit and self-checkouts

• Carrier bags: since July 2021, shops can’t give away checkout bags of any material, paper included, so you pay for each one. Bring a foldable bag.
• Fruit and veg bags: thin plastic bags for loose produce are still around, but the government plans to phase them out from 1 January 2027.
• Weighing: in many supermarkets, you weigh loose fruit and veg yourself on the scales in the produce section. Choose the right product number, then stick the printed label on the bag. If you can’t see a scale, ask a member of staff.
• Self-checkouts: common in larger supermarkets and hypermarkets. They take contactless cards and phone payments.

Paying

• Cards: contactless cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay work at supermarket tills. See money in Portugal.
• MB Way: Portugal’s popular payment app is linked to a card from a Portuguese bank, so it’s mainly for residents.
• Cash: accepted at staffed tills.
• “Contribuinte?”: the cashier is asking if you want your Portuguese tax number (NIF) on the receipt. Visitors can just say não, obrigado (or obrigada). See Portuguese phrases.

Loyalty cards and apps

Many offers only apply if you scan a loyalty card or app at the till.

• Continente: the Cartão Continente, which you can join in the Continente app. Many discounts are paid as balance on the card to spend on a later shop, rather than taken off the bill.
• Pingo Doce: the Poupa Mais card, held in the O Meu Pingo Doce app, which you register with a mobile number. Some campaigns are only for app or card holders.
• Lidl: the free Lidl Plus app gives coupons and, since early 2026, points in Portugal. If you already use it at home, you can switch the country in the app’s settings.

Tourists can sign up, but for a short holiday Lidl Plus is the simplest. Continente card balance only helps if you shop there again before you leave.

Buying alcohol

• Age: you must be 18 to buy any alcohol.
• Range: supermarkets sell wine, beer and spirits, with a wide choice of Portuguese wine.
• Lisbon’s night rule: since 14 February 2026, shops in Lisbon can’t sell alcohol to take away between 11pm and 8am, or from midnight on Fridays, Saturdays and the night before a public holiday. It covers convenience stores and petrol stations too, so buy earlier. See Lisbon nightlife.

The bottle and can deposit

Portugal’s deposit return scheme, called Volta, started on 10 April 2026.

• What’s covered: plastic and metal drinks bottles and cans of up to 3 litres with the Volta logo, a horseshoe-shaped arrow. Glass isn’t included for now.
• The deposit: 10 cents per container, whatever the size, already included in the price.
• Getting it back: return the container empty, undamaged, with its cap on and a readable barcode. There are about 2,500 machines, many near supermarkets, plus manual collection points. The machine prints a receipt you can swap for cash or a discount, or donate to charity.
• No logo, no refund: during the changeover, some drinks were sold without the logo or a deposit, and these can’t be refunded.

What to buy to take home

Supermarkets often sell the same brands as souvenir shops for much less.

• Tinned fish: sardines, mackerel and tuna in olive oil. See Portuguese tinned fish.
• Olive oil: look for azeite virgem extra, extra virgin olive oil.
• Wine and port: vinho verde, Douro and Alentejo reds, and port. Wrap bottles well and pack them in your checked bag.
• Cheese: vacuum-packed cheeses travel well. See Portuguese cheese. But since 12 April 2025, travellers can’t bring cheese or other dairy, or pork, beef or lamb products, from the EU into Great Britain, and other countries have their own rules.
• Coffee: packs of Portuguese coffee from brands such as Delta and Nicola.

Budget tips

• Own brands: each chain’s own-label range is usually the cheapest option.
• Price per kilo: by law, food prices must also show the price per kilo or litre, which makes comparing pack sizes easy.
• Markets: covered municipal markets are good for seasonal fruit, veg and fish.

FAQ

Are supermarkets open on Sundays in Portugal?

Yes, most open every day. The main chains close on Christmas Day and 1 January.

Which is the cheapest supermarket in Portugal?

In DECO PROteste’s 2025 survey of online prices, Continente was cheapest, with Pingo Doce 1% more expensive. Lidl, Aldi and Mercadona weren’t included.

Do you have to pay for bags in Portuguese supermarkets?

Yes. Since July 2021, shops can’t give checkout bags away free, whatever they’re made of. Bring your own.

Can tourists get the bottle deposit back?

Yes. Return Volta-marked bottles and cans to a collection machine and swap the receipt for cash or a discount.

Can I buy alcohol late at night in Lisbon?

Not to take away. Since 14 February 2026, Lisbon shops can’t sell takeaway alcohol from 11pm (midnight on Fridays, Saturdays and the night before a public holiday) until 8am.

More: Portugal on a budget, Portugal souvenirs and Lisbon’s food markets.

Prices and details change, so please double-check before you travel. Spotted something out of date? Tell us in the groups.