# Best places in Algarve for year round living?



## simply

Hi, 

I'll be doing a serious looking around trip this year so I'm trying to nail down some key areas to check out. 

I'm most intrigued by Porto so far.
A larger city and more north than I was originally thinking but it seems to have it all.
I'll have some questions on that later. 

The Algarve is one area I'm interested in but could use more info on.
Mostly for weather and landscape but I'm looking for a nice city or town that has most things for full time living and isn't too touristy.
Does this exist in the Algarve?
What areas should I look at?

Thank you


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## canoeman

Well it does but as soon as you mention a city or town then your choice of options reduce dramatically, your the only one that can really assess and I'd say visit during the holiday season and off season to see, you can easily cover the Algarve in a few days to get an impression, me I'd look at Tavira and Vila Real, further west I like for holidays but wouldn't want to live in them. 

You've choice below Porto, Coimbra, Caldas de Rainha as a couple, I've not mentioned others as you seem to want a town environment?


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## Micksantacruz

Or inbetween Try Sines on the west coast a lovely coastal town.


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## simply

I'll be looking for an appartment that is hopefully fairly central and not requiring me to drive everywhere.
A small town would be fine but not a house in the country side. Is a house what you were going to recommend for the Algarve? 

I will be looking at the silver coast area around Coimbra, etc. I should be able to check them all out with a rental car. There is pretty good info in the forums on those that I've been reading but not much about the Algarve.

Sines does look like a nice option.
Being close to Lisbon could come in handy sometimes.
Is it less touristy?
Does it have good grocery stores, shopping, restaurants, bit of diversity?

Too bad there is barely any google street view in Portugal. I love being able to walk around cities virtually. 

Thanks


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## canoeman

No I wasn't going to recommend a house, it's the towns I was referring too.

Be aware that most coastal resorts around the Coimbra area effectivly close down out of season and it's a short season, with the exceptions of F de Foz and going north Aveiro, Vila Conde, Povoa Vazim, V do Castello, Ancora


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## Waterdog

Surprised that Lagos hasn't featured?

Yes there is some holiday trade but it has the air of a British county town & 'stays alive' during the winter months

Moreover, aware of the need to control late night drinking & noise, this week they have just passed a law requiring all bars to close by midnight.

Needless to say local opinion is split over this decision!

Is this a first in Portugal?


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## steve01

> The Algarve is one area I'm interested in but could use more info on.
> Mostly for weather and landscape but I'm looking for a nice city or town that has most things for full time living and isn't too touristy.
> Does this exist in the Algarve?
> What areas should I look at?


Just to get back to the original question
Algarve weather - the best in europe, 300 days sunshine, mild winters, very occasional wet / windy/ cool weather - maximum a couple of months of the year with the other 10 being superb.
Portugal really doesn't have what most other countries would call cities with the exception of Lisbon and Porto.
The algarve doesn't have any, Faro and Portimao are the largest and are really just very large towns.
The Algarve overall is small about 3- 4 hours from West to East.
It really has 3 component parts.
1.The true west coast, Sagres - Alijezur - beautiful, sparsely populated, can be much windier than the South coast. 
2. The mountains - a line of hills/mountians run virtually all the way from East to West from around 20km back from the coast to join up to the next region - alentejo.
Can be a huge variety of micro-climates here, much cooler in the evenings, again with the exception of a few towns, Loule, Silves, Monchique, Sao Bras, sparesly populated with much forestry and agriculture.
3. What most people really think of as the Algarve - The South Coast.
Main towns are from West to East, Sagres, Lagos, Portimao, Lagoa/Carvoeiro, Albufeira, Vilamoura,Faro, Olhao and Tavira.
Anything smaller than that is unlikely to meet your criteria.
All of the main towns in the algarve really to some degree on tourism - no two people seem able to define what touristy means, so i'll assume cheap. tacky, drunks etc - in reality only Albufeira is like that, and only a small area of the centre of town.
The rest is relatively upmarket, more good restaurants, or at least a good choice, golf courses and beautiful beaches.
Tourism is only really busy July / August here , so the rest of the year is just lovely - in my view so is July/August, plenty happening and easy to avoid if you're not interested so long as you don't live in the centre of town.
Most of the Algarve tourism is familly / middle class based, from all nations - not remotely like the tourism in Spain (see Albufeira in August)
Its a great place to live/retire, with a great climate, and some of the worlds friendliest people.


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## simply

That was awesome Steve. Thanks!

Nice to hear some posative things on the area that would be my top pick as far as climate goes. 

You are correct on my definition of touristy.
I don't mind a little touristy if it's catering to the right clientele. It can be quite a benefit actually. 

I guess my choices are fairly narrow based on size.
I will take your word for it though. It sounds like you understand what I'm after.


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## johnmichael

Everything is subjective - I guess. I live 10 minutes north of Albufeira - in the countryside surrounded by orange groves. No where is very far in The Algarve unless you're way out west and want to go to Spain. The towns are small and the countryside is everywhere. Albufeira is a very touristic town roughly in the middle of The Algarve- It's tacky in its centre and hence to be avoided unless you want a full english breakfast with fish and chips in the evening washed down with a pint of english beer. If you want an apartment in a seaside town with most amenities including a fantastic long beach, cliff top walks, restaurants open all year, banks, Saturday market and all on the flat - no hills to wear you out walking around. Step straight off the sidewalk onto the beach. Fishing boats and a local wetlands bird santuary are right there. This town was built by and for the Portuguese tourists coming down from Lisbon - hence lager swilling young "people" are scarce. Have a look at Armacao de Pera - 15 minutes west of Albufeira. Remember everything is subjective.


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## Sonho

Sure, everything is subjective.  We have a house in Carvoeiro, which we use for holiday but have lived in as FT residents also. I find the village itself to be quite touristy and tacky as well, but the surrounding countryside is wonderful, the weather can't be beat, cliff walks are fab and the people are nice. It is an easy place to live. In July and August, we can get away from the crowds and always find a quiet beach. Our house also feels removed from it.

I miss having a city nearby but in a pinch can run up to Lisbon or over to Seville for some bigger city energy.

Otherwise, you can find anything you need and you can always find someone to communicate with, even if you don't speak Portuguese.


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## Patchwork

We are arriving in Alvor 1st Feb for a month in order to take a long hard look at the Algarve from retirement point of view. Would anyone like to meet up for coffee/lunch/dinner as we would love to hear your points of view....especially as to the best places? Please pm me contact details


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## Sonho

Waterdog said:


> Surprised that Lagos hasn't featured?
> 
> Yes there is some holiday trade but it has the air of a British county town & 'stays alive' during the winter months
> 
> Moreover, aware of the need to control late night drinking & noise, this week they have just passed a law requiring all bars to close by midnight.
> 
> Needless to say local opinion is split over this decision!
> 
> Is this a first in Portugal?


Yes, I would say so.
Save our Lagos Nightlife update | Lagos 365 News

There is a loud outcry about corruption and conflict of interest.


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## Jeff TT

Subjective is the key word for sure when talking about the Algarve, firstly I love the place so will have my own bias thoughts I guess. The tacky bits are very few compared to say holiday resorts in the UK and would consider most visisters to the area are not part of that scene, that said the strip in Albufeira is sadly an area albeit small that mostly attracts lager swilling Brits ( embarrassing) old town Albufeira is a very different place and still is a nice place to wander around on a warm evening. 
The area west of the Algarve shopping centre is my favorite the small but uber friendly town of Guia is a delight, and is close to all including stunning scenery in the nearby inland mountains.
Jeff TT


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## Straykitten

*Porto - the northern jewel of Portugal!*

I live in Porto and would concur with the first view that it appears to have everything - it does! It's beautiful, friendly and has some of the coolest bars and cafes I've seen - some were recently featured in the NY Times. If you prefer to experience the real Portugal, this is the place to go - not the Algarve. Yes the weather is way better in the south, but Porto and more so it's neighbouring city (separated only by the Douro river, which flows between them), Vila Nova de Gaia have miles and miles of blue flag beaches.

If the beach isn't your things, there's heaps and heaps of history and cultural attractions. number one must be the Port wine caves, where you can take a tour of one of the famous wine-houses, e.g. Sandeman, Burmeister, Taylors or Croft, to name but a few, and sample their delights. Actually you can combine a tour of a wine caves with a short boat trip up the Douro river for only €10 - less for large groups.

Free concerts in the parks, streets and avenues are common. There's always something on. There is also a fantastic flea market scene going on in the city. The nightlife in Porto is amazing. People pour into the popular street, Galeria de Paris, which is filled with lots of quirky and cool bars - the namesake being the most famous. But this is just one example - there are lots of interesting places to go, from superchic champagne bars to retro-styled disco bars. The art aesthetic is big in Porto. Hipsters are a go-go here; writers, artists and poets are celebrated professions here! As a result, Porto attracts an eclectic mix of foreigners - many of them working as English language teachers and translators. Socialising is cheap, cheap, cheap! 

Apartments are also way cheaper in Porto - you can get a good 2-bed apartment in the historical city centre for about €400 per month. But you can find much more space for your money if you're prepared to drive 10mins or stay on the more suburban and sprawling (Vila Nova de) Gaia side of the river.

There are two English international schools in Porto, as well as a German and a French one. The English ones are expensive - approx 700-900 per month! My son goes to a state school where they offered him free extra tuition in Portuguese - I think the state schools have to provide this service. He's now fluent in Portuguese. Wish I was!

Porto is unique. I was goiung to post some links here, but as I'm a new member I'm not allowed. But don't let that stop you looking!

Google 'Porto NYT' (New York Times) to find articles about why Porto is the place to visit - they listed it one of their top destinations for 2013! They also ranked it as a top wine destination. Although it's aimed at tourists, it's still relevant to residents. After all, living here year-round means you can take advantage of all this wonderful city has to offer every day!


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## canoeman

And don't forget the Francesinha


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## Straykitten

*MMMmmmmmmmm*



canoeman said:


> And don't forget the Francesinha


How could I have forgotten?! Perhaps because I'm trying to watch my waistline for the summer! lol Ohhh, now I want one!!! :decision:

Actually there were so many things I forgot to add the first time round that I could write the same amount again on more of Porto's wonders!


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## canoeman

The Book Store for another maybe a new post on Porto


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## jddalocecuba

hi,,im from canada,looking for a not so expensive place apartment or house close to the beach in portugal,where do you suggest?


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## jddalocecuba

maybe albufeira or portimao?


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## jddalocecuba

anybody?


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## jddalocecuba

or maybe vila real


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## MrBife

jddalocecuba said:


> maybe albufeira or portimao?


Yes ! Or absolutely anywhere else that you like the look of.

Honestly this is like me saying to you where is a good place to look for an apartment in Canada ? OK Portugal is a bit smaller but in its way just as varied - come on over and find somewhere you want to spend your time - life is short.


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## Strontium

jddalocecuba said:


> hi,,im from canada,looking for a not so expensive place apartment or house close to the beach in portugal,where do you suggest?


Varadero


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