Best Places to Retire: Lisbon, Portugal and Beyond

Belem Tower, a popular Lisbon site.

Retiring to Lisbon, Portugal is increasingly popular among many Western and Northern Europeans. In the eyes of many Portugal has become one of the best places to retire because it offers one of the lower costs of living in Europe, but is fairly modern and well connected into the global economy. Lisbon, which is the political and economic seat of the country and the largest city, also carries a long and fascinating history for those with such interests. Some might argue, that it was here in Lisbon, that the early beginnings of globalization first emerged as the Portuguese began to open up the world with their technological advances.

At its peak, Lisbon was the center of a large Portuguese empire that stretched from Brazil to India and to China. In the 1400’s, Prince Henry the Navigator promoted the advancement of navigation techniques and world exploration, leading to Vasco da Gama’s journey to the Indian subcontinent and Magellan’s journey around the world and the birth of a global Portuguese Empire.

The city of Lisbon lies on seven hills.

Today, retired expatriates living in Lisbon find themselves still living within this historical context amidst the city’s architecture, museums, and lifestyle. For the more trendy, a Lisbon retirement will not be a disappointment. Metropolitan Lisbon has a population of nearly 3.5 million people. The population of the city proper itself is about 600,000. The surrounding cities (part of Metro Lisbon) of Estoril and Cascais are known for their nightlife with restaurants, bars, music and entertainment that will take you into the wee hours of the morning.

Portugal Retirement: The People of Lisbon

Portugal as a whole has a population of nearly 11 million people. Today, this population is becoming increasingly cosmopolitan in nature (particularly in the Lisbon area) due to the continued in migration of people from around the world – many from former colonies. As a result, one will find younger Indians, Brazilians, Africans, and Chinese immigrating to the country in search of work and life abroad. Portugal’s growing economy has made it one of the best places to live abroad for many of these people.

Add to that mix, an increase in the number of Europeans who have chosen a Portugal  retirement and you have an interesting blend of people broadening the base of Lisbon’s ethnic population. A large number of pensioners from the United Kingdom have decided that Lisbon is one of the best places to retire abroad.

Most of the population are Roman Catholic, but a variety of smaller religious groups are being established as more people immigrate to the country. The official language of the country is Portugeuse.

Portugal Retirement: Activities in Lisbon

In recent years, Lisbon has been experiencing a rebirth, partly in response to the expansion of its tourist industry. Combined with its long and rich history, there are a wide variety of activities available to anyone selecting Lisbon for their retirement destination. This makes Lisbon one of the best places to retire in Southern Europe.

Lisbon at night showing off its nightlife in the background.

For the history minded retiree, Lisbon offers a large number of activities of historical interest. Museums include the Gulbenkian Museum with it lush gardens, Renaissance paintings, and historical artifacts from Mediterranean history. St. George’s Castle and Cristo Rei (Christ statue) are commonly visited attractions. St. George’s Castle is a fort dating back toearlyh Roman times. The Belem neighborhood offers the Belem Cultural Center, the former Royal Palace, and Coach Museum for glimpses of history that date back to the 1400’s. If you venture outside of the city, a short train ride away, lies the town of Sintra that offers a wide range of historical architecture, gardens, palaces and castles that is now in UNESCO ‘s world heritage list.

For the more naturalist pensioner, Lisbon possesses offers a zoo (Jardim Zoologico), one of the largest aquariums in the world (Parque das Nacoes), and the Lisbon Botanical Garden.

Retirees can get around relatively with a Lisbon retirement by using the metro system which consists of trams and buses. Moving around the city, there is no shortage of places to do your shopping. If an atmosphere of Lisbon past is your preference the old commercial area of Lisbon offers many small shops along the road that’s ideal for casual sight-seeing and shopping. If you are a mall addict, of course there are over a half dozen major malls to visit. The Centro Comercial Colombo is one of the largest that you will find in all of Europe, and Portugal clearly strives to be one of the best places to shop.

If you have already decided that Lisbon is the best place to retire, you may choose from large supermarkets or smaller open markets. The Mercado da Ribeira is a large farmers’ market that offers a wide variety of produce.

The Bairro Alto sits on a hill top and is a popular nightlife spot.

For dining out, depending on your budget, you may dine at world class restaurants or enjoy a more affordable meal at any number of smaller local restaurants where meals are much lower in price. For nightlife, Bairro Alto offers a wide venue of nightlife activities up on one of the hills of the city. Or down near the ocean, the docas area offers continuous nightlife activities.

Portugal Retirement: Beyond Lisbon

If your preference is for a less urban setting, there is no shortage of small rural town settings throughout the country. One area that has been popular with tourists and expatriates is the Algarve. This is the southernmost part of the country. Faro is the capital city of the region.

The Algarve is a popular tourist and retirement destination and now accommodates a number of expatriate communities. For many, the beaches of southern Portugal, combined with a Mediterranean climate, and a low cost of living makes this part of the country one of the best places to retire in Europe.

Although of the shadows of Lisbon, the retiree will not find the Algarve to be lacking. Because of its tourist economy, retirees have the option of low cost housing in small towns and cities or paying a princely sum for villas overlooking white sand beaches.

Portugal Retirement: Summary

Since the mid-1900’s, many Brits and Northern Europeans have discovered Portugal to be one of the best places to retire in Europe. While Lisbon definitely offers a wide range of amenities for the retiree, those who opt for a less urbanized setting will find the Agarve a reasonable alternative.

(Photos by: Wax115, PaulosImao, NunofDuart, and BrokenArts)

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