Want to find a part of Portugal’s Algarve with beautiful beaches and easy access to city services? Why don’t you think about moving to Portimao? This article is for people who are considering moving to Portimao and want to know more about the area. After reading it, put Portimao on your shortlist!
One of the best things about Portugal’s Algarve is that it has a lot of different places to stay and things to do in a small area. This is very clear in the area around the city of Portimao.
The Portimao area has a working city, a busy marina, and a few beach resorts nearby. All of these things are easy to get to, so you can enjoy the city’s conveniences and the village’s quiet life in the same morning.
How it works
Portimao is a small city on the western end of the Algarve. About 50,000 people live in the municipality all the time. Like the rest of the Algarve, this area has a lot of good weather. There are over 3100 hours of sunshine yearly; summers are hot, and winters are mild.
Portimao makes the most of its location by the sea for food and fun. Most of the best-grilled sardines in the Algarve can be found in Portimao, and the marina is a popular place to fish, travel, and do water sports.
How to get there
Portimao is about an hour and a half from Faro Airport. You can get there by taking the main highway (the A22) or the slower N125. The city also has a train station on the main line between Lisbon and the Algarve. There is also a small airport usually used for parachuting trips instead of passenger flights.
Five areas to consider relocating to in Portima
Ferragudo
We’ll start our tour in Ferragudo, a seaside town just east of Portimao. From the other side of the marina, Ferragudo looks out at the city and has a friendly, low-key vibe. There is a pretty village square, many places to eat, and many of the cobbled streets typical of the Algarve. Only 2,000 people live here, but many come from other countries.
Even in the middle of the summer, you can find quiet beaches here. There are a few along the river estuary with water that is sometimes surprisingly warm. Ferragudo is a good choice for people who want to live like they’re in a village but still be close to the city and marina.
Property Choices
From €180,00, you can get a small apartment or townhouse. Villas on their start at €450,000.
Portimao City
Some people will be glad to hear that Portimao isn’t a big part of the tourist trail in the Algarve. Portimao has the feel of a real Portuguese city, even though there are some popular fish restaurants for tourists, mostly in a pretty square near the river called Largo da Barca.
Despite its tiny size, the city has many facilities. Aqua, a big shopping mall, opened in 2011, and the area is full of retail parks, hardware stores, and other useful places.
The riverfront in Portimao is wide and pretty. The rest of the city is mostly a high-rise sprawl that isn’t very pretty. But a good thing about this is that there are a lot of cheap places to live, especially in older apartment buildings.
Property Choices
Apartments that are small and old start at €95,000. From €165,000, you can get an apartment in a newer building.
The Marina and Praia da Rocha
There are several beaches in the Algarve, but Praia da Rocha is unquestionably one of the best. It’s split in half. On the east side, a big area of soft sand and many sports facilities, like volleyball courts and banana boat rides.
The marina is at the far end of this part. This is the most expensive part of Praia da Rocha, with expensive restaurants and the beautiful No Solo agua beach club. A lot of people go to the marina. In addition to servicing individual vessels and fishing fleets, the port periodically welcomes cruise ships and ferries to Madeira and Tenerife. However, the latter service was not operational at the time of writing. A group of nice, modern homes has been built as part of the marina.
Praia da Rocha’s western part, Praia dos Três Castelos, has cliffs and beautiful coves. Behind the beach area is a “strip” for tourists with a casino and hundreds of restaurants and bars. The area has a lot of apartment buildings and high-rise hotels.
Property Choices
Most of the homes in this area are apartments, and there are many new complexes with pools and other condo amenities. One of these starts at about €180,00 for a two-bedroom apartment. There are older buildings that are less expensive, and there are also newer buildings that are very expensive.
Praia do Vau
When the Rocha tourist strips end, Praia do Vau starts. Here are more beautiful cove beaches and a nice walk along the cliffs. During the off-season, this area does feel more “closed.” Most of the property here is on holiday apartment complexes, even though a lot of people live here all year round.
Property Choices
Most homes here are condos, and two-bedroom ones start at about €220,000.
Alvor
Alvor is a small resort town that is a good middle ground between the busy Praia da Rocha and the quieter Praia do Vau. It’s the sort of place where families come back every year.
It is home to about 6,000 people, has a lot of bars and restaurants, and has a large beach and a nice area where a river meets the sea. There is also a swimming complex, a castle, and several churches. The place where Alvor is is a big plus. It’s just as easy to get to Lagos as to get to Portimao for people who want more and more things to do.
Property Choices
Alvor has a wide range of homes for sale, from villas and townhouses to apartments. For about €295,000, you could find an apartment with two bedrooms.