Hi everyone, I’m Nick! I’ve been living in the Algarve for the past 23 years and I stay with my family here in São Brás de Alportel. My wife, Manuela, my daughter, Isabella, and my not-so-little dog, Lucky, are my constant companions. Many of you may have already seen my videos and blog posts before, but if you’re new here, welcome! I’m so glad you decided to check out my blog.
I was thinking about what to do this week when I stumbled upon a Switzerland four-day itinerary video online. I’ve always wanted to visit Switzerland, but it’s one of the most expensive places in the world. However, this video gave me the inspiration to create a similar itinerary for my recent trip around Portugal. In fact, a viewer recently requested that I share my itinerary for my 10-day trip around Portugal, so I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to do so.
I’ll be sharing my 10-day route around Portugal, which could serve as a great itinerary for anyone looking to see the whole of Portugal. Additionally, I’ll also be sharing
- a free one-day tour around the East Algarve
- and an itinerary for a tour around the West Algarve.
I’ll be providing Google Maps links, so make sure to check it out below!
Four main areas expats relocate to in the Algarve
I often talk about the four main areas where people relocate to in the Algarve. The first two areas are Lagos and Tavira, with Lagos being the most popular. There’s a great outdoorsy community there, with lots of opportunities for mountain biking, road biking, paddle-boarding, surfing, kayaking, and other outdoor activities. There are also many trendy little restaurants and coffee shops popping up in the area, making it a great place to live.
The second area is Portimão, which is becoming the largest urban area in the Algarve with a growing expat community. There are many Italian, French, American, and other expats living there, making it a diverse and vibrant spot.
The third area is a crescent to the west of Faro, stretching from São Brás de Alportel southwards to Vilamoura and Quarteira. Many expats and foreign-owned businesses are located in this area, and it boasts a great nightlife scene.
Finally, the fourth area is around Tavira in the east, which has traditionally been the haven of older foreigners. However, there’s been an influx of younger people into Tavira recently, bringing new life and vitality to the area. There’s still an authentic Portuguese feel to the town, and it’s a great place to experience Portuguese culture.
I hope you find my Portugal itinerary and area recommendations helpful.
One day WESTERN Algarve Itinerary https://www.google.com/maps/@37.1379538,-8.6934206,12z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!6m1!1s14R_Br7iQLEu6dQBB23JIHDOM2hhe9IQ
One day EASTERN Algarve Itinerary https://www.google.com/maps/@37.121819,-7.7937274,11z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!6m1!1s1A0IR_tMT8QgwAVQRqSfTsdsgT3tUPII
Ten day PORTUGAL Itinerary https://www.google.com/maps/@39.3206631,-9.6016749,7z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!6m1!1s1H5cXQ61LS53_tLytskEsTqqOB_SU90E
Greetings Nick,
My name is Alison. I reside in the East Coast of South Florida,l since 1987. I JUST recently returned from a trip to Portugal (a friend is interested in the Porto area – too cold and damp for me) with original itinerary to include only Lisbon and Porto, but we added 3 days as my intention was to scout out The Algarves with probable relocation targeted for Spring 2024. I have to confess, it’s nearly a crime that I happened upon your YouTube channel today ‘after-the-fact’ of spending 3 days in The Algarves, 3 days in Lisbon and 4 days in Porto. I am an instant fan of The Algarves (knew I would be) and a new fan of yours and want to instantly “Thank You” for the fabulous channel and blogs! I will dive in to ALL right away, and take you up on your offer to contact you with any questions, as I will be moving solo, and will definitely want to meet people. I have contact information from realtors in Logos, Quarteira, Vilamoura and Loule for starters, as I need to see if I am able to purchase an inexpensive small house or a T1-T2 apartment, or if I need to rent first. My lease in Florida is up at the end of March 2024, so I need to step on the gas and get to work on moving logistics.
I have traveled (including beautiful South Africa) all over this beautiful orb we all rent and choose The Algarves for my final chapters in life (I rented an Airbnb apartment in Vilamoura for 3 days I was in The Algarves). I love to wake up to the sun, need to be near the ocean, golf, used to surf and want to take up kayaking and/or paddle boarding. So, basically, I love the outdoors, seafood (no octopus – ha), culture and history.
It’s important for me to remain as physically and mentally active as possible, and I look forward to watching all of your videos (again, sincere gratitude). I rented a car and drove all the way West, then another day all the way East into Spain. As I previously mentioned, I will probably have a plethora of questions during this process.
In the meantime, I will utilize the resources you have graciously provided, and also want to compliment you how well done your videos are. Fantastic! If there are additional avenues of contact information to reach you, please email me. Thank you! I am excited for this next adventure!
Alison
Great stuff Alison, good luck and we’re here when you need us. Get in touch through the contact form.
Hey Nick, we are going to try out your one day Western & Eastern Algarve itinerary, we immigrated to Canada from South Africa in 2000 and are now looking to potentially retire in Portugal early stages yet, we will be there in late August starting in Lisbon and making our way to Lagos for a couple of days – would love to connect if you’re available, so looking forward to our trip!
My wife and I had been watching your videos prior to our visit to Portugal. We spent some time in Lisbon (of course) but as soon as we arrived in the Algarve we knew we’d found our region. That’s when we reached out to Robin to speak more about the specifics that we are interested in. We had a wonderful conversation with him which lead us to a conversation with Nick. We are working our way through the D7 visa maze and hoping that we can obtain it and still qualify for the NHR program. Once we have a firm grasp on those things we will revisit the Algarve and find the perfect place for us to retire.