For food shopping there is a small local shop about 20 minutes’ walk from the mill and supermarkets in Ponte de Lima.
In Viana do Castelo there is an excellent indoor shopping centre with many good quality clothes stores including a Zara with price tags quite a bit lower than in the UK! A rainy day can be spent very pleasantly wandering around the shops here as it is usually fairly quiet, especially during the week. For parents there is even a crèche available for children aged 2 and over. There is ample parking available in the lower levels.
If you are looking for local markets then you should start in Ponte de Lima as it boasts the oldest market in the country, held every other Monday for more than 800 years. It is well worth a visit even if you are not planning to buy anything. You will see people from all the surrounding areas converging on a huge range of stalls offering everything from agricultural implements, baskets and wine barrels to fresh fruit, cheese and bread, shoes, hats and t-shirts. Go in the morning to see the animal market – you might even see someone wandering through the market with a live goat over their shoulders!
Further afield, Barcelos has a well known Thursday market which sells a large range of locally produced ceramics alongside other handcrafts and local goods. Up on the border with Spain, Valenca’s narrow streets and colourful shops provide a good day out too, particularly if you are looking for linens.