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Planning a scouting trip to Portugal takes serious preparation. This isn’t just a vacation—you’re on a reconnaissance mission to figure out if Portugal is right for you, where you want to live, and potentially even secure a property.
This comprehensive guide will help you make the most of every precious moment of your time in Portugal.
The Three Critical Questions Your Scouting Trip Must Answer
When you arrive in Portugal, you’re here to determine three fundamental things:
1. Do I even want to live in Portugal? This isn’t something you can answer from YouTube videos alone. You need to experience daily life, the culture, the pace, and the reality of living here—not just the tourist experience.
2. Where do I want to live? Portugal has incredible diversity from north to south, coast to interior. The location you choose will dramatically impact your cost of living, lifestyle, and happiness.
3. Can I find a property to rent or buy? This isn’t essential for everyone, but it’s critical if you’re applying for certain visas. For the D7 visa, for example, you need a Portuguese address before you can submit your application. Even if you’re not visa-dependent, securing housing gives you certainty and peace of mind.
The Biggest Challenge: Figuring Out Where to Live
Let’s be honest: Portugal is a complicated country to move to. Getting visa appointments is challenging. Understanding which paperwork your specific consulate requires can be frustrating.
But the single biggest issue? Figuring out where you actually want to live.
I receive countless emails from people with vague ideas: “I want to live somewhere walkable, with a farmer’s market, near the beach, and safe.” While these are reasonable requirements, they describe dozens of locations across Portugal—and these locations are dramatically different from each other.
Why “Near the Coast” Isn’t Specific Enough
Most places in Portugal have municipal markets—it’s still part of the culture. Most places are remarkably safe, especially compared to the US. And if you look at a map, you’ll see Portugal is bordered by coastline along its entire western edge and southern tip.
But there’s a world of difference between:
- The Algarve (southern coast): Warmer winters, higher cost of living, more expats, more English speakers, more touristy
- Northern coast (near Porto): Cooler, wetter winters, lower cost of living, more authentic Portuguese experience, less English spoken
The climate differences are substantial.
The cultural differences are real.
The cost of living can vary by 40-50% or more.
You need to do your homework and create a shortlist of specific towns and regions before you arrive.
How Much Time Should You Spend in Portugal?
For most visitors from the US, UK, Canada, and similar countries, you’ll enter on the Schengen visa, which allows 90 days in every 180 days.
Even those with EU/EEA or Swiss passports should spend no more than 90 days in Portugal before registering for residency.
But that’s your maximum timeframe.
Realistically, most people have 1-2 weeks for their scouting trip. If this is your situation, you need to be extremely selective about which locations you visit. Quality over quantity is essential—rushing through too many places will leave you exhausted and without meaningful insights about any of them.
The more time you can spend in each location, the better: two days in a place gives you far more insight than four hours ever could.
The Research Phase: Do Your Homework Before You Go
Start With Comprehensive Resources
Portugalist is your best starting point, especially our where to live guides.
You’ll find detailed guides to every major location in Portugal, covering cost of living, climate, expat communities, amenities, and lifestyle factors. I’ve been running Portugalist since 2016, and hundreds of thousands of people have used it to plan their moves.
Watch Walking Tour Videos
One of my favorite research tools is walking tour videos on YouTube. Look for videos where someone simply walks through a city for hours with a camera. These aren’t polished tourist videos—they show real streets, real neighborhoods, everyday life.
Watching just 30 minutes of a walking tour gives you an authentic sense of what daily life looks like in that location. You’ll see the architecture, the street life, the condition of sidewalks, how people interact, and areas that don’t appear in tourist content.
Creating Your Scouting Trip Itinerary
You may have a list of locations spread across Portugal, or you might want to focus on one specific region like the Algarve, Madeira, or the Silver Coast.
Popular Locations to Consider
Some of the most talked-about locations for expats include:
- Braga (north)
- Porto (north)
- Coimbra (central)
- Aveiro (central)
- Caldas da Rainha (Silver Coast)
- Lisbon
- Setúbal (just south of Lisbon)
- Cascais (near Lisbon)
- Tavira (Algarve)
- Lagos (Algarve
Planning Your Route
Flight considerations: Most international flights arrive in Lisbon, though some arrive in Porto and occasionally Faro. Lisbon’s central location makes north-to-south trips slightly awkward—you can’t easily do a straight line from one end to the other.
You have a few options:
- Fly into Lisbon, travel to the north, work your way back south
- Stay near Lisbon initially, then do a southern trip, then a northern trip
- Focus on just one region per trip
Tip: Skyscanner.net allows you to add ‘Portugal’ as a destination rather than just Lisbon. This allows you to see all the flights to Portugal rather than just one airport in Portugal. You can also search across a whole month, which is perfect for finding the cheapest flights.
Travel times: Portugal is compact. You can get from Lisbon to Porto or Lisbon to Faro in about 3 hours by train or car, making it feasible to cover significant ground.
The Biggest Mistake: Visiting Too Many Places
Don’t try to see everything. Spreading yourself too thin leaves you burnt out and without deep knowledge of any single location. It’s far better to thoroughly explore 3-4 places than to superficially visit 10.
Narrowing Down Your List: What Matters to YOU
Before you finalize your itinerary, get specific about your non-negotiables:
For Families
- Schools: Do you need international schools? Private schools? High-quality public schools? International schools drastically narrow your options—they only exist in major cities and popular expat areas.
- Kid-friendly amenities: Parks, activities, safety, community
For Older Adults
- Healthcare: Do you need a top-tier private hospital nearby? How far is acceptable? What specialists are available?
- Accessibility: Walkability, elevation changes, accessibility features
For Everyone
- Car-free living: Do you need excellent public transport? This limits you mainly to Lisbon, Porto, and a handful of other cities unless you’re planning on staying put most of the time.
- English speakers: How important is it to have an English-speaking community and services?
- Climate preferences: Can you handle cold, damp winters? Do you need year-round sun? The further south, the better the winters.
- Authenticity vs. convenience: Do you want an authentic Portuguese experience or a more international environment?
These aren’t things you discover when you arrive—these are filters you apply during research to create your shortlist.
Understanding Property Costs Before You Go
Visit Idealista (Portugal’s main property portal) or other property sites and search for rentals and sales in your target locations. This research is invaluable:
For Renters
Look at actual rental listings to see:
- What does €1,000/month get you in different areas?
- Are there enough options in your price range?
- What neighborhoods have the best value?
If Cascais shows rentals starting at €2,500/month for a basic apartment and that’s beyond your budget, you can cross it off your list before wasting time visiting.
For Buyers
Speak to a mortgage broker before your trip.
Get a calculation based on your income or expected income in Portugal. Know your budget ceiling.
This is crucial because you don’t want to fall in love with an area, move there temporarily, and then discover a year later that you can’t actually afford to buy property there. Even if you’re not buying immediately, understanding property prices helps you evaluate long-term affordability.
What to Do When You’re on the Ground in Portugal
Priority #1: Look at Property
Whether you’re renting or buying, seeing properties in person is invaluable—and often essential.
For most visa applicants: You need a Portuguese address for your application. This usually means a one-year rental contract (Airbnb or hotels typically don’t count). Your scouting trip is the ideal time to secure this.
While you can do this remotely through an agent who conducts video calls, nothing replaces seeing a property in person. You’ll notice things on video tours that no video captures: natural light, sounds from neighbors, the actual condition of fixtures, the feel of the neighborhood at different times of day.
For buyers: Seeing properties in person is even more critical when you’re making a major financial commitment.
Working With a Buyer’s Agent
If you’re buying, strongly consider working with a buyer’s agent—especially since many don’t charge you directly (they receive commission from the seller’s agent).
Why a buyer’s agent instead of just walking into real estate offices?
A regular estate agent represents the seller. Their job is to sell you the property, not to point out its flaws. They’ll show you their listings and leave it to you to evaluate whether it’s a good purchase.
A buyer’s agent works for YOU. They will:
- Show you properties from multiple agencies
- Point out potential issues you might miss (mold, illegal constructions, poor building quality)
- Help you understand the Portuguese property market
- Identify red flags specific to Portugal (like properties without proper licensing or potential moisture problems)
- Negotiate on your behalf
As someone who hasn’t lived in Portugal yet, you don’t know what to look for. A good buyer’s agent brings that expertise.
Looking at Schools (If You Have Kids)
Schools will dictate where you live unless you’re homeschooling. Use ranking tables and read reviews during your research phase, but visiting schools in person is highly recommended.
You’ll get a feel for:
- The actual facilities and environment
- The community and parent culture
- Whether your children would thrive there
- Practical logistics (drop-off/pick-up, after-school care, location)
This is another area where paper research only gets you so far.
What NOT to Waste Time On
Opening a Bank Account
A lot of people think they should open a Portuguese bank account during their scouting trip. I strongly recommend against this unless you have abundant time.
Why? Money laundering regulations have gotten much stricter. Banks are increasingly reluctant to open accounts for non-residents, especially those from outside the EU. You might spend days going branch to branch, and even when you find one that will help you, the process can take several hours.
The reality: A bank account is something you can research and arrange remotely. Unlike apartments or schools, you don’t need to experience a bank in person to evaluate it.
Save your precious scouting trip time for things that genuinely require boots on the ground.
(Check out our discount codes to see how much money you could save).
Getting Your NIF Number
Your NIF (Número de Identificação Fiscal) is your Portuguese tax number. You need it for opening bank accounts, renting property, buying property, and most official transactions.
Theoretically, you can get one in person during your scouting trip. But you’ll likely need a fiscal representative (someone living in Portugal), which often means hiring a lawyer. You’ll need to schedule an appointment at Finanças (the tax office), which can be challenging.
The better option: Use an online service. Numerous companies will obtain your NIF remotely for €70-300, delivering it within a couple of days. This is money well spent compared to burning half a day of your valuable trip time standing in tax offices.
(Check out our discount codes to see how much money you could save).
Experiencing Daily Life in Portugal
Visit Supermarkets (Seriously!)
One of my favorite things to do in any new country is explore supermarkets. It’s genuinely revealing.
See what’s available and what’s not:
- Product selection and variety
- Brands you recognize vs. local options
- Prices compared to your home country
- Quality of produce, meat, cheese, etc.
- Whether items important to you are available (Ranch dressing, for example, is nearly impossible to find in 99% of Portuguese supermarkets)
Go with a shopping list and actually cook a meal if you’re staying in an Airbnb. This gives you real insight into:
- What it’s like to shop in Portuguese supermarkets
- How much refrigerator space you actually have (European fridges are much smaller)
- What ingredients are affordable and fresh
- What you might need to learn to make yourself
Track All Your Spending
Keep detailed records of every expense:
- Restaurant meals
- Grocery shopping
- Uber/Bolt rides
- Gas (if you rent a car)
- Coffee stops
- Activities and entertainment
When you get home, compare these costs to your home country. How much was that tank of gas? That Uber ride? That grocery shop?
This won’t give you a complete picture (you won’t encounter property taxes, utility bills, or healthcare costs), but it provides a baseline understanding of daily expenses.
Meeting People Who Can Help
Professional Contacts
If you’re using a lawyer, accountant, or tax advisor for your move, you don’t need to meet them in person—any good relocation professional works via Zoom these days.
That said, many people value meeting in person to build trust and rapport. If time permits, these meetings can be valuable for asking detailed questions and getting personalized advice.
Expat Meetups and Community Groups
Try to attend at least one expat meetup. Post in Facebook groups or local forums announcing you’ll be in town and ask if anyone wants to meet for coffee.
Even better: Find meetups relevant to your specific situation:
- Parents’ groups if you have kids
- Retiree groups if that’s your demographic
- Digital nomad meetups if you’re working remotely
- Special interest groups (cycling, hiking, book clubs, etc.)
Talking to people who’ve already made the move is invaluable. They’ll share:
- Things they wish they’d known before moving
- Realistic assessments of their location
- Practical tips for integrating
- Honest feedback about challenges
- Recommendations for services and resources
You’ll get a range of perspectives—some positive, some negative, all informative.
Speak Portuguese (Even If You’re Terrible)
I strongly recommend speaking as much Portuguese as you can during your scouting trip—not just “olá” and “obrigado.”
Why? Your scouting trip is a simulation of real life.
If you struggle to communicate and realize you need much better Portuguese skills, that’s incredibly valuable feedback. You now have months to improve before you actually move.
Important note: If you’ve been using Duolingo, be aware it teaches Brazilian Portuguese, not European Portuguese. Many people discover during their trip that locals are correcting their accent and vocabulary. It’s far better to learn this early and switch to European Portuguese resources.
Tip: Practice Portuguese is a great place to start, or check out these great courses that focus specifically on European Portuguese.
Where to Stay During Your Scouting Trip
Apartments and Houses Over Hotels (When Possible)
I strongly recommend staying in residential properties—Airbnb apartments or houses—rather than hotels, especially for longer stays in each location.
Why?
You need to experience what Portuguese housing is actually like.
If you’re coming from the US or Northern Europe, Portuguese buildings will feel different. They’re older, smaller, often lacking insulation, and may have quirks you’re not used to. Better to discover this during your scouting trip than after you’ve signed a lease.
Hotels are fine for quick overnight stays between locations, but for places you’re seriously considering, spend at least 2-3 nights in a residential property.
Stay in Residential Neighborhoods
Try to stay in residential areas rather than tourist centers. Obviously, this isn’t always practical, but if you can book an Airbnb in a regular neighborhood with a supermarket, cafés, and local life—not downtown tourist land—you’ll get a far more realistic sense of daily living.
Staying in touristy areas gives you a distorted view. Residential areas show you what your actual daily routine would be like.
Getting Around: Driving vs. Public Transport
Driving in Portugal
Renting a car allows you to:
- Cover more ground efficiently
- Visit smaller towns not well-served by public transport
- Experience driving on Portuguese roads
- See what parking is like (spoiler: challenging in many historic town centers)
- Understand the cost of gas and tolls
You’ll also discover that European cars are smaller than many people expect, and parking spaces are correspondingly tight.
Driving in Portugal isn’t as scary as some people claim, but there are Portuguese driving habits to get used to. Better to experience this during your scouting trip than be surprised after you’ve moved.
Public Transport Reality Check
If you’re considering car-free living, seriously test the public transport system.
Train travel between major cities is excellent. Lisbon to Porto, Lisbon to Faro, Lisbon to Coimbra—these routes have good frequency and modern trains. However, the train map does only cover part of the country.
There are also good bus connections with Rede Expressos, Flixbus, or other companies. But these mainly cover long distance coaches.
Local bus connections between smaller towns are challenging. You’ll encounter:
- Difficult-to-find timetables (often not online or accurate on Google Maps)
- Infrequent services
- Limited evening and weekend service
Don’t just assume public transport will work—actually try to use it. Attempt to get from one small town to another by bus (or local train if in specific regions like the Algarve). See how long it takes. Check if Uber or Bolt are available (and actually pick you up) in smaller locations.
This real-world testing is essential if you’re planning to live without a car.
Phone and Data Considerations
Make sure your phone provider offers roaming in Portugal, and check the costs. EU residents can usually roam freely, but visitors from the US and other countries may face expensive charges.
Consider getting a local SIM card from providers like MEO, NOS, or Vodafone. Many have stalls at the airport, or you can visit shops in town. This ensures you pay local rates and avoid returning home to a massive phone bill.
Having reliable data is important for:
- Navigation (e.g. Google Maps)
- Translation apps
- Researching on the go
- Staying in touch with contacts
- Booking Ubers
- Looking up property listings
Should You Take Multiple Scouting Trips?
Some people accomplish everything in one trip—they choose a location, find a rental property, meet professionals, and return home ready to move.
Others need multiple trips:
- Trip 1: General exploration of different regions
- Trip 2: Deep dive into their top choice
- Trip 3: Property hunting and finalizing decisions
Both approaches are valid. Don’t pressure yourself to decide everything in one trip if you’re not ready.
The Schengen visa allows 90 days in every 180 days, so you could theoretically take two long trips or several shorter ones within that timeframe.
In fact, that is a good way to get a more accurate feel for Portugal.
Experience Different Seasons
If possible, visit during both summer and winter. Portugal’s weather varies dramatically by season, and this affects quality of life significantly.
For example:
- Porto in summer: Warm (sometimes hot), lively, full of tourists, vibrant outdoor life
- Porto in winter: Grey, damp, cool, quiet, more authentic but can feel dreary
- The Algarve in summer: Very hot, crowded, expensive, beach-focused
- The Algarve in winter: Mild outdoors (15-18°C), but houses are often cold inside due to poor insulation and lack of heating
Experiencing both seasons helps you understand whether you can genuinely be happy living there year-round, not just during the pleasant months.
Final Thoughts: Making Your Scouting Trip Count
Your time in Portugal is precious. You’re not on vacation—you’re on a reconnaissance mission that will shape one of the biggest decisions of your life.
Prioritize activities that require physical presence:
- Experiencing properties and neighborhoods
- Visiting schools
- Feeling the atmosphere and daily rhythm of locations
- Testing public transport
- Meeting people and building connections
- Trying daily life activities (shopping, cooking, commuting)
Handle remotely what can be handled remotely:
- Opening bank accounts
- Getting your NIF number
- Most initial consultations with professionals
Your scouting trip should answer the fundamental question: “Can I actually see myself living here, in this specific place, day in and day out?”
If you return home with clarity on that question—whether the answer is yes or no—your trip was successful.
Have questions about planning your Portugal scouting trip? Get in touch with us. We’re always happy to help!
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