Do you really need to learn European Portuguese if you’re coming to Portugal? The short answer is yes. Even if it’s only how to say please and thank you. How far you go beyond the basics in Portuguese will depend on many factors but if you’re planning to spend anyRead More →
If you’re wondering whether it’s difficult to drive in Portugal, you’re not alone. When I first moved here, I was nervous about it. I hadn’t driven for years, and never on the right-hand side of the road. In reality, some aspects are easy to get used to quite quickly. OthersRead More →
Eating out in Portugal is usually a very enjoyable, relatively straightforward and affordable experience. Even so, knowing what’s standard practice for ordering in Portuguese restaurants, cafés, bakeries and bars will help you order with confidence and avoid leaving with a nasty taste in your mouth. Find out when to eat,Read More →
If you’re looking for the best way of transferring money abroad or between different currencies, you’ll find there are lots of options available and just as many different charging and commission levels. In terms of the rates you could be paying, some of these are outrageously expensive, notably banks andRead More →
You don’t need to go far to find calçada Portuguesa (Portuguese pavement, or sidewalk) in Portugal. It’s a prominent feature all over the country from the pretty shopping streets of Loulé and Faro in the Algarve to Queen Saint Isabel at Coimbra University and the zig-zag patterns in Santa Cruz onRead More →
Guest post by Tim Leffel, author of A Better Life for Half the Price: How to thrive on less money in the cheapest places to live If you move to a country that has a lower cost of living than where you live now, you can easily live a richerRead More →
If you’ve ever dreamed of moving to a country where life is considerably cheaper than where you are now, you should read Tim Leffel’s book, A Better Life for Half the Price, now in its 2nd edition. Travel writer, author and experienced expat Tim Leffel has identified 19 countries whereRead More →
It’s not just the British who love complaining about the weather, the Portuguese do their fair share of grumbling when it feels as though it’s been raining forever. No one really minds a day or two of rain. After all, we all know how necessary it is in the schemeRead More →
Before I go any further, I’d like to stress that the receptionists at my local health centre are usually very patient with my inadequate Portuguese and do their best to understand and help me. This is a welcome change from my first experience of the Portuguese health care system inRead More →
