# How to get the feel for Spain overall, and specific areas



## flyingmonk (Mar 8, 2021)

Hi, I'm an American living in Germany but am looking to start planning for retirement (~15 years) and want to figure out what country to retire to. Spain and Portugual are interesting as I'd like to stay in Europe but would like better weather and lower cost of living would be nice. What I've been thinking about now is how do I get a feel for what it is like to live in these countries.. When I moved to Germany, I already knew it a bit, had spent a few months here, etc., and kinda knew what I was getting into. Spain and Portugual are a bit more unknown to me and I'd like to learn more about what it is like to live there. Are there any books/blogs/resources that would be good to learn about this? Any other advice to learn more about what it would be like to live there (not looking for the basic info about visas/healthcare/etc) would be appreciated.


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

Best thing to do is to spend as much time in both countries, in various locations, for holidays, especially out of the main tourist seasons. Then in your lead-up to retirement, spend extended time in each, such as 3 months over a winter, to get you are real feel for what the place is like when tourists are gone and and you are actually living rather than just staying.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

flyingmonk said:


> Hi, I'm an American living in Germany but am looking to start planning for retirement (~15 years) and want to figure out what country to retire to. Spain and Portugual are interesting as I'd like to stay in Europe but would like better weather and lower cost of living would be nice. What I've been thinking about now is how do I get a feel for what it is like to live in these countries.. When I moved to Germany, I already knew it a bit, had spent a few months here, etc., and kinda knew what I was getting into. Spain and Portugual are a bit more unknown to me and I'd like to learn more about what it is like to live there. Are there any books/blogs/resources that would be good to learn about this? Any other advice to learn more about what it would be like to live there (not looking for the basic info about visas/healthcare/etc) would be appreciated.


This might not be a bad place to start Books or novels about or set in Spain


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## Max Rigger (Aug 2, 2020)

Our retirement timeline is about the same, I have the advantage of being to Spain a lot of times.

What sort of place do you want to live in? Thats a good question to ask yourself. Me, I love mountains (working offshore I see enough ocean) so I'll be buying a place up in the hills. Which hills?, there are a lot of mountainous regions in Spain so I need to visit each one. Do you like rural, village, town or city living? I want semi rural. Do you want a pretty even all year round temp? I like seasons to change, also love snow. Start to sort out these variables and it helps you focus.


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## Chopera (Apr 22, 2013)

I would pick either Spain or Portugal (it doesn't matter which) to begin with and start learning a bit of the language (e.g. with apps like Duo Lingo, it doesn't have to be too intense) and then try to spend the occasional fortnight in language schools in various parts of the country. So if you have chosen Spain you could spend maybe a fortnight doing an intensive Spanish course in Granada one year, then a fortnight in Valencia the following year, etc. Most intensive language courses involve just studying in the mornings, and the school organises cultural events in the evenings and at the weekends. It's a good way of getting to know an area quite quickly, as the teachers are ususally locals who are happy to talk about the area. And since you are combining learning with exploring, it feels like a productive use of your time, even if you end up moving somewhere else.

At least this is what I did when I started looking into moving to Spain 20 years ago (and I'm still here).


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## NickZ (Jun 26, 2009)

If you're working in Germany I'd ask your coworkers where they've been in both countries. The same way there are very English tourist spots there are those aimed at the German market. It's likely someone you know has personal experience. 

Also to add on to what Joppa mentioned in normal times it's fairly easy and cheap to just hop a flight and spend a long weekend. 

I wouldn't count on a lower cost of living. Cost of living is very much tied to your choices. Parts of Spain are likely to be more expensive than Germany. The € means goods prices are similar. The nice weather areas with large expat communities are often aimed at well off expats .

The sort of area that will be cheaper may not appeal to you. Inland? Rural?


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

flyingmonk said:


> Hi, I'm an American living in Germany but am looking to start planning for retirement (~15 years) and want to figure out what country to retire to. Spain and Portugual are interesting as I'd like to stay in Europe but would like better weather and lower cost of living would be nice. What I've been thinking about now is how do I get a feel for what it is like to live in these countries.. When I moved to Germany, I already knew it a bit, had spent a few months here, etc., and kinda knew what I was getting into. Spain and Portugual are a bit more unknown to me and I'd like to learn more about what it is like to live there. Are there any books/blogs/resources that would be good to learn about this? Any other advice to learn more about what it would be like to live there (not looking for the basic info about visas/healthcare/etc) would be appreciated.


Some of the earlier posts on my blog (link below) might be of interest. I live in a small rural town with few other foreign immigrants, and over the years have come to feel more and more at home here. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else now, big cities are great for a visit but I couldn't live in one.


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## conildlf (Jun 13, 2020)

flyingmonk said:


> Spain and Portugual are a bit more unknown to me and I'd like to learn more about what it is like to live there. Are there any books/blogs/resources that would be good to learn about this?


Youtube has many walking tours on it lately (ie people walking around a city for 2+ hours) which you can really see what a place looks like. This seems to be a new trend since Covid.

Use google maps.

Also, search youtube for "Living in (insert city)". Many times people who are living in different cities have channels where they talk about exactly that. A lot of fluff, but a decent place to start.

Of course the only way is to spend a minimum of a month in a city that way you get at least somewhat of a feel for what life is like ie grocery shopping, gym location, restaurants, people, etc


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## JosephUpshaw (Mar 11, 2021)

flyingmonk said:


> Hi, I'm an American living in Germany but am looking to start planning for retirement (~15 years) and want to figure out what country to retire to. Spain and Portugal are interesting as I'd like to stay in Europe but would like better weather and lower cost of living would be nice. What I've been thinking about now is how do I get a feel for what it is like to live in these countries..
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
> moving with Chalets for sale in Spain - buy Spanish holiday lodges


My first time in Spain was rather quick. I just saw a couple of well-known all over the world places and moved home, to the USA. But then I started to go here every year. And, finally, it is my home for half of a year. Thanks to the professional approach to the home choice, I live the best season here, and the other time in the US.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

JosephUpshaw said:


> My first time in Spain was rather quick. I just saw a couple of well-known all over the world places and moved home, to the USA. But then I started to go here every year. And, finally, it is my home for half of a year. Thanks to the professional approach to the home choice, I live the best season here, and the other time in the US.


How does that work with visas?


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## JJ_Gav (Feb 2, 2021)

The Schengen visa-free tourist entry allows you to spend 90 continuous days, for a total of 180 per calendar year, which effectively makes it possible to spend half the year there provided there's a break every three months. Worth noting that entry can be denied at the discretion of the immigration officer you get at the border, though this doesn't seem to be common.


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