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Expat Exchange - 5 Best Places to Retire in Portugal
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5 Best Places to Retire in Portugal

By Betsy Burlingame

6 of 6 slides

5) Lisbon, Portugal

Lisbon, Portugal

Famous Pasteis de Belem in Lisbon

If you're a city person, Lisbon should not be overlooked. An expat in Lisbon discussed how she met locals and learned the language, "in my experience, restaurants and cafes [in Lisbon] afforded me the opportunity to meet new people, develop friendships, and practice speaking the language. At nearly every turn, I was able to find people willing to speak English with me and to offer useful help in developing the ability to speak Portuguese. For my part, I have not made any attempts to join expat communities. Instead, a little humility and lots of hard work trying to learn the language has opened doors to friends and families in the local community. All this began by trying to frequent the cafes and restaurants that had employees and clients who were willing to communicate."

Read More Articles about Living in Portugal

About the Author

Betsy Burlingame Betsy Burlingame is the Founder and President of Expat Exchange and is one of the Founders of Digital Nomad Exchange. She launched Expat Exchange in 1997 as her Master's thesis project at NYU. Prior to Expat Exchange, Betsy worked at AT&T in International and Mass Market Marketing. She graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University with a BA in International Business and German.

Some of Betsy's articles include 12 Best Places to Live in Portugal, 7 Best Places to Live in Panama and 12 Things to Know Before Moving to the Dominican Republic. Betsy loves to travel and spend time with her family. Connect with Betsy on LinkedIn.

First Published: Nov 04, 2014

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