Living outside Porto city centre

Depends on what you mean by "outside". Porto has a very well established public transportation system so it is a good idea to make sure there are regular Metro lines-Bus lines commuting to the place.

Hi, thanks for this.

By 'outside' I mean in the Porto city area but away from the city centre, to avoid crowds, transport congestion, noisy night life and heavy tourist traffic.

I'd like a quiet, safe, residential or family-oriented neighbourhood that is a short(ish) metro or bus ride into the city.  Say up to a 30 minute trip. Great to hear the Porto public transport system works well.

I don't know if you have been here already, but residency system here is different than Australia. There is no strict distinction between suburban/residential areas and city center. For example, Porto as city itself, has only around 300.000 population. So you can still be in the city but in a quieter neighborhood easily as in most places there is not too much people/vehicle traffic. You just need to look around a bit when you come to Porto before deciding a home. Spend some time in different neighborhoods, listen your surroundings. Even only 2-3 metro station away from city center you can easily find very quiet neighborhoods.

Hi, and many thanks for this helpful advice.  It sounds like Porto is a great place to live.  Thank you again for sharing your knowledge.

Hi,
From my side I am living in a house near Santo Ovidio metro station in Vila Nova de Gaia
3 minutes walking to arrive to the metro station + 10 min of metro and I am in the center !
I guess this zone could interest you.
Calm zones you have also the buildings near the sea (foz, matosinhos, leça da palmeira), it is calm the evening.. but mot expensive.