Idea on where to live?
 

After a very enjoyable trip to the Minho, I had the idea of retiring in Portugal and started occasionally collecting information about living there.
However, when I went on another trip further south last year, I realised that a trip of a week or two was not enough to decide on a possible area to live in.

So I've come up with the idea of spending 3 months in the North, 3 months centrally, and 3 months in the south.

I can see that this may present some problems, for example:
1 difficulty in getting 3 month property rentals
2 bureaucracy issues in changing address frequently

I would welcome any advice on the whether or not this is a reasonable idea, and if it could be made to work.

Re: Idea on where to live?
 

If you are in the country for more than 90 days you must register residency somewhere. If you are here for more than 183 days you must register as a tax resident .
To follow your plan you need to spread it over an eighteen month or two year period - second half of one year, then do a last trip in the following year.

Depending on the time of the year you can sometimes get long term "holiday rentals" on sites such as "Homeaway". Search the properties in the areas you want to visit and check their availability calendars, those with long empty periods may negotiate .

Re: Idea on where to live?
 

You could try doing something like workaway or house-sitting.

Re: Idea on where to live?
 

I don't see any problem with that. If you're funding yourself or are retired, you can get residency (which you need to do after 90 days).

I think it's a good idea to see a lot of the country before deciding, and also to see places out of season too. We did the same, we actually rented for a year and then did various trips around to see where we wanted to be long term. For us, we had the peace of mind when finally buying that we liked living in Portugal, had seen all four seasons, and also that the place we were buying was in the right place for us. 4 years on, we don't regret it.

People often visit somewhere for 2 weeks in the summer, and decide that's where they want to be. But some coastal areas can be completely dead out of season, or packed in season. Similarly, the weather in some places in winter can be very cold and damp, which is hard to imagine in summer when it's been dry for six months and is 25+ every day.

Re: Idea on where to live?
 

Thanks for the replies.

My idea is similar to what captainflack has done.

I would apply for residency in the first 3 months, and thought that a medium sized town would be suitable so as to provide ready access to necessary facilities (healthcare etc).

I'd not heard of Workaway, but did a quick search, and most hosts seemed to be in rural areas. So I would have to find one within a short distance of a town.

I've also not heard of Homeaway, so I'll have to do some searching about that.

Re: Idea on where to live?
 

I take it a big camper van is not your cup of tea? Would certainly let you see a big variety of Portugal.
The only problem I see with your plan is, say you spend 3 months in one area in the winter then move there and only to find it's way too busy in the summer. As for changing documents if you do rent places, I would be more tempted to register in one place then not change your residency documents after that or not register at all.

Re: Idea on where to live?
 

I'd like the adventurous aspects, but there might be practical issues; not being able to register for residency, and not feeling part of the local community, for example.


Is that because there are particular problems in changing the necessary documents?

I've now had a look at some holiday rental websites, but they do not look suitable for a single person.
I've seen on this forum town rentals for as low as 400 Euros a month, which is much less than the holiday apartments.
However, would it be difficult getting a town rental for just 3 months?


Did you rent the same place for a year, or tried a couple of different areas?

Re: Idea on where to live?
 

I pay €375 pm for a modern 2 bed apartment that is fully furnished. Beautiful granite and marble finishes. The entrance hall looks like a small hotel and has 2 elevators.
Only problem is the lack of English speakers but I have come to love it here as I have everything that I need around me. If I fall out the window I will land in LIDL

Re: Idea on where to live?
 

That sounds like excellent value.
Is that because it is not in Lisbon, Oporto, or the Algarve?

Re: Idea on where to live?
 

It may be relatively cold in winter, but surely it will not be as bad as a British winter ??

Re: Idea on where to live?
 

Down to 1C, here in Ourique tonight :eek:

Re: Idea on where to live?
 

Correct. We are about a 5 minute drive from the beaches as well so it would be even cheaper further inland.

Re: Idea on where to live?
 

I've just had a look at a map, and it seems Ourique is in the north of the Algarve.
I thought that the Algarve was the warmest place in Europe for the winter?


Would it be similar prices for all places not within an easy trip to Porto or Lisbon?
Or is there a North/South divide?

Re: Idea on where to live?
 

There is the Algarve, Lisbon and Porto , then the rest.
Lisbon is now one of the " hottest " cities in Europe .

Ourique is not in the Algarve it is in Beja province.

Re: Idea on where to live?
 

Ourique is north of the Algarve in a place called the Alentejo. Not the Algarve at all.

Completely different climate - can be very hot in the summer and also can be very cold in the winter. Not had snow, but quite a few frosts this year.

But love it - much better than the East Algarve, although we loved that too.