In this episode we share what we didn’t expect about life in Portugal. We talk about things that surprised us most about daily life and social culture in Portugal and things we thought were going to be easy, but turned out to be the complete opposite. Also we share the number one thing that made us fall in love with Portugal even more – which are, funny enough, total different things for the both of us 😂. Lastly we share what we would warn ourselves for before moving to Portugal, if we could go back in time.
Enjoy listening and don’t forget to rate the podcast and leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform, like Spotify – it will help more hearts find our little corner of the world.
With love, April Betts & Anna Jirina.
About From Lisbon With Love
Welcome to From Lisbon With Love! A podcast about real stories of love, laughter, and life in Lisbon — from women who have left it all behind. We share real stories about moving to Lisbon, starting over and figuring life out along the way. We talk love, dating, friendships, breakups, healing, growing, all of it. Basically, the stuff we usually talk about over coffee ☕️ or vinho 🍷. If you’re thinking about moving to Lisbon, already here or just love honest conversations with heart: you’re in the right place! Learn more about our story here.
Life in Portugal
If you have to believe social media, life in Portugal is perfect. It’s always sunny, the people are really friendly and welcoming, the architecture is breathtaking, there are many beautiful beaches, the food is amazing and it’s one of the safest countries in the world. Also Portugal is still one of Western Europe’s most affordable countries with lower housing, transportation and dining expenses (although this is rapidly changing in cities like Lisbon and Porto). Besides that, the Portuguese culture emphasizes a healthy work-life balance, prioritizing family, coffee breaks and enjoying life outdoors, rather than “hustle culture”.
Although we agree on many points and we absolutely love life in Portugal, there’s also another side to it: something you don’t see on Instagram and where most people know nothing about. If you’re curious to know what life in Portugal is really like, definitely listen this episode we made about the cost of living crisis in Portugal.
Things we didn’t expect about living in Portugal
After living in Portugal for quite some time, we discovered some unexpected things where no one could prepare us for. Even though we did a lot of research before moving here, your reality will always be different than the stories you’ve heard. Curious to our biggest expectation versus reality moments in regards to life in Portugal? We’re sure you’ll enjoy this episode!
One of the things we didn’t expect about life in Portugal are the extremely humid winters (since we’ve moved here it has been raining a lot in the winters) and the fact that it takes sometimes really long for things to get fixed. Not only in your house, but also in public places, like parks and train stations where escalators and toilets are temporarily broken (which is Portuguese for forever).
Also something we didn’t know is that Lisbon is a ghost town in August, since all the Portuguese are enjoying their holiday in the Algarve. Another thing about life in Portugal is that garbage gets picked up really late – usually at midnight or later. And did you know that most stores and places like the post office close for two hours during lunch time? This is something that we really needed to get used to. But on the bright side: places like the vet and farmacies are usually open during the weekends, which is very beneficial!
Why we moved to Portugal
Just as any other country, Portugal has it’s pros and it’s cons. As always you’ll need to take the negative things we speak about with a pinch of salt, because we absolutely love living in Portugal and we have zero regrets. Curious to know why we chose Portugal? In this episode we share the full story about why we moved to Lisbon.
