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Visiting Portugal

A
#1
Hi Everyone:
My wife, Nancy, and I will be visiting Portugal for the purpose of finding out if we want to live in a new country.  We are currently living in California.  We will be arriving on September 1, 2021.  We will be bringing our two small dogs on this vacation.  Our goal is to stay in each specified town for 2 weeks.  We start with Lisbon and drive to the Algarve area.   The total time will be approximately 3 months.  Both of us are up in our golden years (over 70) and Portugal, through my reading, has shown to be a Paradise country where we can have a wonderful life with peace and tranquility.  We are retired from the health field (I am a Pharmacist and my wife is a nurse).  We are leaning to retiring in the Algarve area.  I was born in Argentina and speak Spanish fluently.  We are both looking forward to making new friends and we hope that the procedure to establish residency would not be a difficult one.  We are extremely excited on beginning this wonderful discovery adventure.
Abe P.
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JohnnyPT
#2
Hi Abe, I hope everything goes well on your trip. If you have any questions, please post them here on the forum, there is always someone willing to help you  :)
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A
#3
Thanks,  JohnnyPT
will do
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A
#4
If you're from California along the coast you might find the weather in Vila Nova de Gaia / Porto more comfortable. Cooler than other areas.

We're currently in Vila Nova de Gaia and the weather is wonderful. Cool in the mornings/nights and pleasantly warm in the day. 

Generally there's a breeze coming off the Duoro river and ocean that cools everything down.

Lisbon, Braga, Coimbra, Viana Costelo are warmer. 

Central Portugal, Porto/Gaia, are very pleasant.  Worth checking out if you're not locked in other areas further south.

Great seafood!!

check out some stock photos from the internet

some stock photos of Porto and Gaia
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A
#5
Andrew
Thanks for the information.  Photos you attached were great.  Worth looking into Porto and Gaia.
Abe
A
#6
Abe,
I guarantee you need to check out Gaia and Porto, but Porto is old and Gaia is newer.  From my apartment it is 10 minute walk across the bridge into Porto or minutes by metro.  Between the metro, trains, Uber, and Bolt, we don't need a car.

Good luck!
A
#7
andrew
thanks for the information
abe
H
#8
How do you get a status if you want to stay longer than 3 months.

I’m retired and from California. Choosing between Turkey and Portugal. I have all plans set fir Turkey. Nothing yet for Portugal (Porto).  Any suggestions as to where in Porto?

Thank you
JohnnyPT
#9
Hi, Welcome :)

You should apply for a visa to Portugal in your home country:

Visas:
https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=950421

Best Regards
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