From Sleepy Village to Lively Town: My Portuguese Adventure
My backyard swimming pool has changed a bit. In 2010 my partner Kevin and I took a leap of faith and moved to central Portugal. Soon we were swimming...
With hundreds of kilometres of coastline, mild weather in many regions, friendly people and a warm, relaxed lifestyle, Portugal is a great place to live either part-time or full-time. This is modern Europe—with all its culture, history and First-World amenities—but with a pace of life that belongs to an earlier era.
Portugal has long been popular among Europeans as a holiday and retirement destination and it’s gaining popularity among Australians, as well.
Portugal is part of the Schengen Zone. This zone, which includes most of mainland Europe, has a uniform policy for tourist visits. As a tourist, you can stay in the Schengen Zone—including Portugal—for 90 days out of every 180 days. That’s nearly three months. Many people choose to stay within this limit and live part-time in Portugal, coming once or twice a year for several months.
Short-term rentals suitable for a stay of 90 days or less are readily available in Portugal’s coastal areas, such as the Algarve, as well as in cities popular with tourists. These include Lisbon and the surrounding area (including the beach towns of Cascais and Estoril), Porto, Portugal’s second city, and the university town of Coimbra. Short-term rentals generally cost significantly more than long-term rentals—as much as double what the same property would rent for long-term. But short-term rentals come fully furnished, and rent tends to include all utilities and services.
You can find short-term rentals through property management services, as well as from online direct-from-owner services like VRBO.com and Airbnb.com.
If you’re looking to live long-term in Portugal, you can either rent a property or buy. Rents in smaller cities and in the interior can start as low as $500 a month. Rents in the Lisbon area start at about $860 and up…a bargain for a European capital. Long-term rentals can come furnished or unfurnished; in some cases, “unfurnished” may mean without appliances.
It always helps to speak at least a bit of the local language. Speaking some Portuguese will help you integrate better into the local community and is much appreciated by locals. However, you’ll find a surprising number of Portuguese speak at least some English. (And if you speak some Spanish, that helps too, especially in the larger cities.)
Weather in Portugal, particularly along the coasts, is pleasantly mild. Northern coastal Portugal enjoys a generally cool (though seldom cold) and humid climate. Temperatures increase and humidity drops as you head south. Weather in the Algarve, Portugal’s most southern region, tends to be hot and dry, with average temperatures of 24 C in July, the hottest month, and 12 C in January, the coldest.
Portugal enjoys one of the lowest costs of living in Western Europe. A couple can live on a budget of about $2,900 a month in Lisbon, the capital, and on about $2,250 a month in small cities and the interior.
My backyard swimming pool has changed a bit. In 2010 my partner Kevin and I took a leap of faith and moved to central Portugal. Soon we were swimming...
My partner, Jonathan, and I moved to Portugal in April 2017 with our slightly bonkers rescue dog, Angel, and our grumpy rescue cat, Biscuit. We were seeking a more...
Recently, an old friend from school mentioned that a classmate of ours had moved with his wife to Portugal. “I think they’re in Porto,” she said. That definitely got my attention…
The winter sun is toasty warm at the bayside outdoor cafe. Fisherman bring in the morning catch as steaming cups of coffee arrive, along with...
It’s often said a place has something for everyone. That’s not always true. But in the case of Portugal’s capital, Lisbon, you can bet on it. Whether you’re...
My husband Keith and I sit at our neighbourhood cafe, enjoying a coffee and ice-cold bubbly water. Our Maltese, Carson, appreciatively sniffs the fresh...
Little villages of colourful houses sit among the rocky, green hills of the island. Small farms, which grow fresh fruits and vegetables for the locals, spread out from the top of the hills on down to the sea shore creating a natural patchwork effect.
I’m going to be completely honest: I’m a little hesitant to write this. I’ve discovered a gem of a destination that has completely captured my soul…and I’m not sure I want to share it with the world. But my experience here has been too incredible to keep a secret. So I’m going to let you in on the spellbinding European country of Portugal—and, more specifically, its second-largest city, Porto.
Portugal’s Atlantic coast is often overlooked in favour of its neighbour’s more famous stretches of coastline. But one town in particular along Portugal’s coast charmed my family and I when we spent some time there.
When Tom and Laine Berning first decided to give overseas living a try, they knew exactly what they wanted: “Good public transport, a lot of culture, walking neighbourhoods and excellent-quality food.” says Laine. They did their research and...