Living outside Porto city centre

Hi all

I am thinking of renting an apartment outside the city centre - in a suburban or residential neighbourhood - close to the metro or other public transport.

What is the availability of rental accommodation in the wider Porto region?

Or in other centres in northern Portugal like Braga?

Any advice, tips or shared experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

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.