7 Epic Locations for Digital Nomads in Portugal

Last Updated June 24, 2023|| · ·

Moving to Portugal has been quite the topic of discussions between digital nomads recently. It might be because of the D7 visa, friendly tax, or maybe because it’s crypto-friendly.

Whatever the reason, it’s worth checking out the different digital nomad locations in Portugal to see if it’s a place you’d like to have as a base or stay more long term.

Well, in this post we’re going to take you through some of the more popular hub spots for expats and digital nomads in Portugal. It will help you figure out where to move to first and to see all the different options.

We’ve even included a local Facebook group, a housing option, as well as a coworking space for each location to help you make your decision easier!

Let’s get to it!

This is what the every day life looks like for Portugal digital nomads - coffee, laptop, and sunny skies

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The Best Locations for Digital Nomads in Portugal

#1 Lisbon

Jo sitting at a viewpoint in Lisbon overlooking the red roof tops and the ocean

Lisbon is a popular hot spot for digital nomads in Portugal! Not only is the city beautiful but it is also a city full of other nomads and an expat vibe.

Lisbon has lots of great coworking spaces and affordable housing compared to other parts of Europe if you do some digging.

There are also plenty of great cafes to work from. Delicious restaurants and bars to spend time at after work. Sports and fitness groups to stay in shape and meet other people. It’s the capital city so there’s plenty going on.

Even though there’s so much to do Lisbon actually isn’t that big of a city and it is easy to get around. The public transport is great and connects the whole city together. On top of that, public transport is also fairly inexpensive and single-use tickets, as well as long-term passes, are available for purchase.

One of the things we love the most about Lisbon is the vibrant colours and the artsy look the city has to it. Both through old architecture and modern art – especially in the Alfama district.

The Alfama district also offers some of the best viewpoints in Lisbon. Even if you end up living in a different part of town, you’ll probably find yourself in Alfama exploring the cafes, hidden streets, and searching for the best Pastel de nata.

Through Facebook and Meetup.com you’ll find several groups specifically for Lisbon-based digital nomads. These groups often organize events, including both casual get-togethers and more formal workshops on topics like SEO and productivity.

Through these groups you can also search for accommodation (i.e. in the FB group Accommodation for digital nomads in Lisbon) but if you’re wanting to have that sorted before you go, you might want to check out Selina’s Secret Garden Lisbon.

For a cheaper alternative, check out Booking and search for stays that are LONGER than 1 month. This usually gets you a great discount (up to 50% off).

Summary of Lisbon Portugal:

#2 Ericeira

Dom and two friends at Lapoint cowoking and coliving space in Ericeira

This little gem of a surf town is located on the west coast of Portugal and it takes roughly 50 minutes to get from Lisbon to Ericeira. Ericeira is not only one of the most beautiful beach towns you’ll see on the west coast of Europe, it is also one of the best places for surfing in the world!

On top of surfing, there are so many things to do in Ericeira. There are plenty of day trips to do from Ericeira as well so when you’re not working you’ll always have stuff to do if it’s in the town or a road trip somewhere new.

You can go on a day trip to Sintra, Lisbon, or Cascais, or you can hang out on one of the beautiful beaches in town! Praia de São Sebastião is probably our favourite.

In terms of digital nomads, there is a small well-established community and a bunch of different coworking spaces in Ericeira.

During our stay we stayed at the Lapoint Surf Camp. You can read our full post about our stay here: An Exciting Week Coworking and Surfing at LaPoint Ericeira.

It was such a cool experience and the fact that Lapoint has added a coworking space to their camp just shows the demand for it.

The expanding digital nomad community in Ericeira is continuing to grow because of the great work-life balance you can find in this little surfer town.

There are also a few great coworking spaces in Ericeira right in the heart of town. Joining one of these is great if you’re looking for a quiet place to work. Also the social aspect of it and the people you can meet.

The Salt Studio and Kelp Coworking Space are the best options when it comes to coworking spaces in Ericeira.

You’ll be only a few minutes from the beach and right in the heart of everything. We’re sure you’re going to fall in love with this little town!

Summary of Ericeira Portugal:

#3 Lagos

By Alya from Stingy Nomads

A beautiful red sand beach in Lagos in the Algarve region in Portugal

Lagos in the Algarve region is a great place for digital nomads. It’s a beach town situated in the south of Portugal that offers great weather, many outdoor activities, and good infrastructure.

The landscape and the scenery around the town are spectacular: rugged cliffs, sandy beaches, hidden caves, turquoise blue sea, and stunning lookouts.

Lagos is not a big place, it’s easy to get around without a car. At the same time, it has everything one needs for comfortable living; supermarkets, shops, many cafes, restaurants, and bars, a couple of co-working spaces (e.g. Mar d’Estorias, Giramar Apartments), a big gym, and a couple of beautiful sandy beaches.

There is a big mall with many international shops in Portimão, a larger town 20 km away from Lagos.

Being a popular holiday place Lagos has plenty of apartments for short and long-term rent. For digital nomads, it’s better to arrive here outside the peak season which is July and August when everything is fully booked and rental prices increase significantly.

There are hostels and hotels in Lagos that offer special off-season prices for long-term guests which makes the Lagos cost of living very affordable. Olive Hostel Lagos is a great place to stay for a couple of weeks or a month while looking for more permanent accommodation. 

Lagos is a perfect town for digital nomads that like outdoor sports activities like surfing, kayaking, cycling, hiking, sailing, etc. Just outside the town, there are places for mountain biking, rock climbing, and windsurfing. 

The population of Lagos is truly international and many people speak good English. It’s easy to get around even with a very basic knowledge of the Portuguese language. The Digital Nomad community in Lagos is quite active; there are weekly meet-ups and events that are announced through the FB group that anybody can take part in. 

Summary of Lagos Portugal:

#4 Armacao de Pera

By Dean and Laynni from Routinely Nomadic

Palm trees along the water in Armacao de Pera in Portugal

With beautiful scenery, amazing weather year-round and a very low cost of living (by European standards), the Algarve region of southern Portugal is an ideal base for digital nomads.

And, while there are many great choices in the Algarve, those looking for someplace a bit quieter, more authentic and slightly off the beaten path will love pretty little Armaçao de Pera.

There is a wide range of things to do in Armacao de Pera, not least of which is exploring the many different beaches – from long, flat walking beaches to tiny, picturesque rocky coves.

Following the coast to the west you’ll find some of the most stunning cliff walks in Portugal, as well as many untrodden inland trails that you will usually have all to yourself.

Meanwhile, its tremendous scenery is combined with a full complement of grocery stores and restaurants, making quiet, unassuming Armacao de Pera the perfect blend of natural attractions and urban convenience.

Essentially a summer beach town, Armacao de Pera has high speed internet and a wide selection of hotels and long-term rentals, most of which are vacant and heavily discounted outside the July/August high season

Eugenia’s Algarve Seafront (AirBnB) is just one example of a terrific value apartment looking out onto the ocean.

Armacao de Pera also has easy access by bus to the main commercial centre of Portimao and the Faro airport. Nomad Escape runs digital nomad coworking retreats and those looking to settle in the area long-term should check out the Algarve Expats Facebook group.

Summary of Armacao de Pera Portugal:

#5 Portimao

By Alice from Adventures of Alice

Tropical trees by the harbour in Portimao in Portugal

Portimao is the largest city in the western Algarve, in Portugal. It is a popular holiday destination located on the right of the bank of the Arcade River just before it reaches the ocean. 

Portimao offers plenty of amazing views, a stunning coastline of gorgeous beaches, easy transportation and it is an amazing place to visit. There are plenty of things to do in Portimao, but as Portugal is one of the top beach destinations in Europe, I would highly recommend a trip to the top beach in town – Praia da Rocha Portimão. 

Praia Da Rocha is one of the most popular beaches in the Algarve and is only a 6-minute drive from Portimao. The sand continues for 1.5km and you can walk up the cliffs for some absolutely stunning views of the bay below coupled with Portugal’s signature red and yellow clifftops. 

If you are looking for a good coworking space in Portugal my favourite is HUB Ativo business centre & web design. They have private offices that you can rent, with high-speed internet included, secretary co-work space for companies or groups of people that need a room with a table to get down to business. They also have other rooms to suit your specific requirements. 

In terms of places to stay, there are plenty of options and you can even get some accommodation right next to the Praia Da Rocha beach if that’s what you are into, but they are often very popular and fully booked. “Happy moments” is a 4-star accommodation situated 650 yards from the beach it serves breakfast, has queen-sized beds and is a lovely place to stay.

Summary of Portimao Portugal:

#6 Porto

By Victoria from Guide Your Travel

Red roof tops in Porto in Portugal

Porto is an incredible place for digital nomads and is frequently referred to as one of Portugal’s best-kept secrets. Porto is a favourite amongst remote workers for a variety of reasons. For starters, it’s fairly inexpensive, and, like the rest of Portugal, it’s extremely budget-friendly for anyone trying to get a lot of bang for their buck.

The city is stunning, and there is plenty to see and do in Porto. Learn all about the interesting history of this beautiful city. Wander the streets of Porto’s famed old town and see the beautiful ancient buildings.

Of course, you’ll have the opportunity to live in the city of Port wine, which you can try on nearly every street corner. Get to know the Portuguese way of life and food, as well as the enormous community of digital nomads that make Porto their temporary home.

You’ll never be far away from other great places in Portugal due to Porto’s central location. Explore places such as Lisbon, Madrid, or even the wonderful Algarve which is perfect for a road trip.

Porto has a pleasant climate, with temperatures that are comfortable even in the winter. Every digital nomad should spend at least one month in Porto, and after you’ve done so, you’ll find it tough to leave.

Summary of Porto Portugal:

#7 Funchal

Gorgeous views of the Dragon's Tail hike in Madeira.
Hiking on Madeira Island

You may not find Funchal on the map when looking at Portugal. If you Zoom out enough though you’ll find the island of Madeira in the middle of the Atlantic ocean. And there you can find the capital city of Funchal.

Over the past few years, Madeira (and Funchal in specific) has really become a new well-known digital nomad spot in Portugal.

The island of Madeira has some of the best weather all year round and has a growing digital nomad community.

With the combination of city, nature, and how easy it is to get a D7 visa in Portugal, Madeira has really started to gain popularity among digital nomads around the world.

Funchal has a few great cafes you can work from along with Cowork Funchal which is a big co-working space right in the heart of Funchal. You have everything you need there with an outdoor working space and private offices, meeting rooms, and shared workspaces inside!

Being in Funchal, you’ll be able to connect with nomads easily through the coworking space, WhatsApp groups, and a Slack channel where all the events are always added. There are weekly meet-ups on Thursdays and group workouts on Saturdays. You won’t be bored in Funchal!

If you love hiking there are a ton of great hikes to do in Madeira.

Some hikes start right in Funchal and others you can get to by car or bus. A lot of hikes are anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour away so everything is really close on the island.

Summary of Funchal Portugal:

Also read: Everything You Need to Know About the Cost of Living in Madeira

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Recap of the best locations for digital nomads in Portugal

Dom sitting and coworking outside in the sun under umbrellas

Now you have quite a few different ideas for places to stay as a digital nomad in Portugal! They all have their own perks and all 7 cities/towns are quite unique and different.

If you love being in a busy city or in a quiet beach town you’ll find an awesome place to call home in Portugal.

This digital nomad lifestyle really amazes us! It’s crazy we live in a day and age you can pack up your laptop, passport, and your suitcase and then move to a place like Portugal and live your dream life. How cool is that?

Let us know in the comments which one of these locations you found to be most exciting, and if you’ve already been living in any of them!

Have fun!

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2 Comments

  1. Luca Arrigo on September 27, 2021 at 10:21 pm

    This is a fantastic article on the Portugal nomad destinations.

    I’ll be visiting over the coming months.

    Thank you!

    Reply
    • redwhiteadventures on September 28, 2021 at 11:36 am

      Thank you, Luca! Can’t wait to hear which destinations you love more 🙂
      – Dom & Jo

      Reply

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