The most frequently bought item in Fatima is the religious souvenir.  Although this is what most people buy while there, visitors should know that this does not mean that everyone is buying the same thing.  In fact, in order to cater to the needs of many tourists, a number of whom come to the area more than once, the shops of Fatima have created a wide selection of religious paraphernalia to choose from.  Much of this consists of items which directly relate to the historical visions of the Virgin Mary as they appeared to three peasant children in the beginning of the twentieth century (see http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g18... for more information) and some of it is less specific to those children’s visions and more generally related just to the Virgin Mary.

Even those travelers who are not especially interested in picking up religious items may find it fun to stop in the little stores which sell them just to get a look around.  These tend to be small stores, crowded with items, many of which as somewhat gaudy (for lack of a better term) and travelers often find it entertaining to the senses to merely window shop at these stores.  An example of one such store is Remembracao de Fatima.  The Artigos Religiosos do Santuario store is the most well known of the stores.