Some extra info: sea water temperature is cooler in Lagos (also more windy) and in Tavira the sea water is much warmer. In summer nights Lagos sometimes is (too) windy; on the other end in Tavira the summer night tend to be warmer (and sometimes hotter!). Tavira has a some other plus: less tourism than Lagos and the time to get to Seville in Spain is half the time as from Lagos…
Loved the comparison. I have read that one charm of Tavira is it has retained the charm of a Portuguese village and isn't too touristy, at least as far as the Algarve goes. As a 63-year-old hoping to make the move in a couple of years, I guess I would lean toward Tavira verses Lagos. I am really attracted to Porto, but the weather there does turn me off a bit. Keep up the great work.
They say that Tavira has as many churches as there are days in the month. It is the most beautiful city in the Algarve. You must visit Ilha de Tavira beach, it is one of the best beaches especially for those with small children. You can take the boat from the pier, which is within walking distance. Tavira is part of the Ria Formosa nature reserve that begins in CACELA VELHA and ends in Faro on Ilha de Faro or Faro island.
Excellent overview - I'm sure a lot of people looking at the Algarve (myself included!) have those 2 cities on their radar and this is super helpful! The car issue and lack of public transit is a big one...I'm all for water taxi-ing between towns if that's a good option! If you are trying to lose the automobile ownership mentality, need to have good alternatives to get around.
I’m with you! FYI there’s also a train along the coast. Based on my internet search looks like service every 60-90 minutes. Not great but could be an option for that weekend trip to another town. PLUS the eastern train terminus at Vila Real de Santo Antonio is very close to the ferry that brings you to Spain. Again, may have to plan this trip but appears to be another car free option.
The trains are absolutely an option. We've taken trains from Faro to Lagos and Tavira and a bus to Loulé with ease, but our returns to Faro was very much dictated by the schedule so you lose that friends of choice in a sense. - Josh & Kalie
I have been to both places and Lagos has a better temperature in the summer with the cools winds. The big problem I found with Tavira is the mosquitoes, because of the nature water area. I couldn’t eat out at night as a result. In addition, Tavira is being majorly developed so it won’t be long before it’s a tourist haven and bang goes your calmer pace of life during the tourist season
Long distance bus to Faro and westerly beyond, Spain and Lisbon. Train to the western Algarve. All terminals within walking distance of river. It’s got best of all worlds.
Its interesting to hear your views on Lagos and Tavira. I have lived in the Lagos area for over eleven years now. As an older person I would agree that you need a car in both places. Tavira in my opinion has been the 'Sleeping Beauty' of the Algarve It was extremely quiet and relatively poor re.shops etc when we first moved here. Lagos for me was better placed ,being very close to the main highway north to Lisbon and an hour from the airport in Faro etc..Plus the train to Lisbon Tavira is out on a limb ,it is equidistant from the airport. but main interests and city type facilities will be over the border in Spain.. Lagos has more facilities for ex-pats with kids with more than one International school and English speaking educational facilities right across to the west coast.The whole Algarve is about tourism. main source of income. The Government is trying to encourage shops and restaurants to keep open in the winter .( They used to close end of October and not re-open until March/ April giving the place a dead feeling during the winter) . So be aware Tavira is much quieter then than Lagos, which stays open in the main. It's great that digital nomads are moving here and giving the area a much needed younger ex-pat,. but do remember 'its not your country of origin' and will not provide the things you are used to ,like fast food , fast reliable internet ( altho that's now a lot better ) home deliveries etc ,It's another life to be respected for what it is If not being able to grab a takeout ,or coffee as and when is big deal.. Its not for you..
Rent? Check. Transportation? Check. Walkability? Check. Vibe? Check. Weather? Check. Another awesome video guys! Thank you so much, I appreciate all you do!!!👍🏽❤
Thanks, Mo! We appreciate that feedback. We've gotten some negative feedback about our energy levels (true story we were tired and saw it too after the video was already edited 😂) and that maybe the video is too surface-y. Maybe it's just that we can't please everyone, but we're glad to please you! 🙌 - Josh & Kalie
@@ExpatsEverywhere No one has an upbeat energy all the time, it's inhuman. Plus travelling is EXHAUSTING. I don't think you guys should have to live up to anyone's "energy expectations." The important thing is quality content which you guys hustle to provide. Great job! Thank you! Ignore the ignorant noise. ❤👍🏽
@@moward301 Thank you very much. We appreciate that you know. Real recognize real. We trying our best and will certainly fail from time to time but hope to limit. We basically shot all 4 videos in a week and only now have the knowledge and wisdom of how each other works so that we can improve our workflow as a team. The hustled cranks up again tomorrow when we move on to Alentejo. Thanks for your massive support. - Josh & Kalie
Lagos has a good night life, shopping is good, I have a place near the train station on the beach, I love it there my mother is 92 and she never gets enough of Lagos
Having lived by the ocean my entire life I’m totally a fan of Lagos and the beach vibe/lifestyle (definitely over Albufeira). I’ve also visited during winter and Lagos felt a bit desolate, which is typical of a beach/resort towns that normally boom during summer months. Totally different vibe in winter than what you probably experienced now but I’d say that is fairly typical for most of the Algarve.
We'll be expating to Portugal in October. Your videos have been extremely helpful for us as we decide where we want to check out and ultimately live. Keep up the great work. Thanks!
That's so amazing to hear, Pizpor. We're really encouraged by it and so happy for you all to be coming to Portugal. Keep us posted on where you go in Portugal. 💪 - Josh & Kalie
Nice cities! Faro is the bigest city and the capital of the Provínce of Algarve! And is in the center of Algarve, and ... the airport, train station, boats, buses, etc
Thanks for covering this. Tavira was on my list as potential candidates to eventually settle in. When you guys are done with the Algarve, do you have plans on doing a video on Setubal?
You're welcome, Richard. We're going to see how the vote falls to be honest. Right now we're frantically trying to figure out our logistics for getting to Évora. - Josh & Kalie
@@ExpatsEverywhere Setúbal is connected by train to Évora. If you come to Setúbal, look me up if so inclined. I write ✍️ a lot about this little city and am one of her biggest boosters :)
Thanks for the great video, is there any cities in Algarave that have a metro system or do we need a car for all of the cities in Algarave? Thanks so much.
That's right. The point we were trying to make is that compared to Lagos, there's not a beach in the town itself. It's a 3 km walk to the closest beach. - Josh & Kalie
I stayed in Faro but visited Tavira on my last visit to Portugal, and liked Tavira a lot. It has the historic charm and a cohesion you don’t always find in beach resort towns. Plus close to Spain and one of my fav cities, Seville!
Hello again …I can’t say the dynamic duo and a half anymore, as there are 4 of you now…😜 I put Tavira on my check out list now that you’ve been there. This older soul appreciates the flatter areas. Thanks again 😁
😁 We've lost count how many there are of us and how to count our team. 😂 Pincho is feeling left out. Thanks for sharing your take and let us know what you think of Tavira when you scope it out. - Josh & Kalie
Thanks a lot - you guys validated some of the research/impressions I had formed, but for our initial move, we'd still prefer being close to an airport with flights to the US - though Tavira sounds like a nice area to retire in. BTW, don't know if you got there, but the whole Rio Formosa barrier islands chain looks gorgeous! Also, what I've read is that the tourist hordes tend to go west after landing in Faro ;-) One potential benefit of the Algarve is the fresh fruits and vegetables - grown in abundance in the area - here in Virginia fruit and vegetables are mostly crappy (after coming from California). Mentioning that because it seems like a common comment about life in Portugal - cheap fresh organic produce.
Yes, very true. Loulé might be a great options because it's not far from Faro airport. Yes, we've heard the same thing from locals and expats that live here. Tourists tend to hit Faro and head west. - Josh & Kalie
To go to the beach in Tavira you cross the river by boat it's only a few minutes and the sea water is at least 4 or 5 degrees warmer than Lagos and is much less windy than Lagos too.
Tavira sounds perfect for my lifestyle. Big cities are a nice place to visit, but... You know. BTW you both did a great job showing what I think are the two big contrasts for small coastal communities. Big cities I assume would be a totally different story, especially farther inland, like Coimbra. Each one's different in it's own way I assume. I just started reading Rick Steves's book on Portugal, and he absolutely gushes about Sagres, so hope you can hit that one while you're down there.
Hey John, we really appreciate your words here and how you viewed this. It's amazing to think that Portugal is the size of Indiana but the variety here from town to town is outstanding and you wouldn't get that uniqueness in such a small state in the US by example. We've heard great things about Sagres. Nick from Algarve Addict spoke to me the other day about Sagres and it's a place that we would like to visit but its geographical proximity makes it hard for us. - Josh & Kalie
@@ExpatsEverywhere Sagres is TINY Its charm is that in history it was known as the 'End of the known world ' Henry the Navigator had his school there for sailors who went out and 'discovered' most of the world we know today. in their tiny ships. There is a fort or two. and one street with a restaurants etc. One supermarket. It's a surfers village really. We go there to enjoy a beer and the sunset which is famously spectacular.
Thank you for showing us these two cities! We’ve been to Lagos and really enjoyed the beaches and it is like you said hilly. Tavira seems cute but I can see what Josh is saying, maybe short term rental may be the way to go.
Looking to retire from teaching in US and possibly teach at an International school in Portugal to help with the transition. These videos are perfect because I'm still in process of narrowing my choices of where I will apply to work first. I'm older (56) and want a slower-paced, smaller town location. The most important factor - I do not do cold winters well at all. So your trip south is of high interest.
Thanks for sharing, Sylvia. International teaching is pretty awesome in our opinion. 😁 The south would be good if you don't like cold winters. We don't think that the northern part of Portugal is that bad, but it's all relative and houses can get cold. - Josh & Kalie
I haven't been to Lagos, but, I've been to Tavira 👍🏼 and like it a lot. Ideas for perhaps next places: Altura, Praia Verde is a nice beach🙌🏼 Monte Gordo, Praia de Monte Gordo💯. Nice work on this comparison, curiosity has been piqued for Lagos.
Thanks for sharing! You've been a long time subscriber of ours and we appreciate it! 🙏 Next up for us is Alentejo. 2 days in Beja and then our base is going to be Évora. - Josh & Kalie
Thank you! We were hoping that we balanced us talking with showing you all footage of the area. Unfortunately, we couldn't get the drone up in Lagos as it was too windy. No drone in Faro because of the proximity to the airport. - Josh & Kalie
there is a beach in tavira actually, and you don't need a car to get there, the beach is in an island so you have to go downtown to buy a boat tiket (arount 1,5 euros per trip).
I know this video is old, but he mentioned needing a car to go to the beach. There’s a furry for just a few euros right there in the old town that will take you to Tavira Island. It’s a fantastic beach with restaurants.
What a sweet little fur baby. Thanks, we’re both seniors looking at going to Portugal next year for a couple months, feb and march but like a less touristy and less crowded area but close to the Spanish border. We’re considering Tavira as a possibility. We both enjoy walking and the arts. Does Tavira have art galleries?
Thanks for sharing a bit about you both. Alentejo might also be a place you want to consider depending on if you'll have a car or not. There are some cute towns near the Spanish border too. Tavira has a few galleries, yes. - Josh & Kalie
Much appreciated! This is what G and Ami were really brought on to help us with (among other things 😁). We'll have a mix of Josh and G editing stuff just due to volume really. Thanks for the encouragement. - Josh & Kalie
I never owned a car in Lagos :) the public buses are cheap and they are reliable. Lagos is a backpackers town, that’s why everyone is so layed back, that vibe is still pretty much intact.it’s an open town,full of hidden gems. The night life is amazing. A welcoming town to everyone. 💙 thank you for this
Thanks for sharing! You're welcome. We really enjoyed our time in Lagos. We could see ourselves coming back down from Porto for a bit in the rainier months. 😁 But for now, there's more of Portugal for us to explore. - Josh & Kalie
I am a Beach Guy, this is perfect. How are the 5 of you and that sweet puppy doing? I'll bet all of you are wishing you had a funny guy, and Artist, and a bad ass driver right about now! Much Love, Your future driver, Rich
😁 Hello Future Driver! How's your paperwork coming along? We're doing well. Pincho's paw is doing much better after he broke those two toes. The 4 of us are coming to the end of our time in the Algarve. Our last video, which was actually the first one that we filmed, just went live. We have our energy back after a fast paced and hot week. - Josh & Kalie
I'm Portuguese and in Portugal there are always events happening everywhere, even in winter, with the highway system you can go anywhere quickly and enjoy everything a little, this is the best in Portugal. Nothing is boring. Lets hope covid finish soon
Com a estrangeirada toda a vir para Portugal ... no final do verão está tudo com o cu em casa de novo! Se ficassem lá nos países deles faziam-nos um enorme favor!!! Americanos então.... não valem 1€!!!
Thank you for the video! It would be great though if you added temperature in videos in Celsius as well. Do you guys have a video about which towns are ok for biking in Portugal? And also the best places for swimming
We got better at this as the project went on. 😅 We aren't bikers so we wouldn't be the best to give that advice. Sorry. As far as swimming goes, what kind of swimming are we talking about? In the ocean or pool? - Josh & Kalie
Lagos is also near to surfing beaches. I remember going here as a backpacker 20 years ago and surfed at a beautiful beach, but can't remember the name!
@@ExpatsEverywhere You can surf from the beach in Praia da Luz ( fifteen mins from Lagos) and the west coast beaches are 20 mins + away for superb surfing
Thanks for watching them again. Honestly, the best thing to do to check current rents would be Numbeo and Idealista for the size of place you're looking for. Those two site should put you in the ballpark. - Josh & Kalie
@@ExpatsEverywhere I actually got to see a walking video with Olhão. Gorgeous! He did Albufeira too. He does have a Loule one I haven’t seen yet. They’re really great for my visualization as they’re filmed from the perspective of the walker. I just have to imagine the warmth of the sun and the amazing smells. Can’t wait! ❤️❤️
Hmm, good stuff. It's funny, I've seen videos of both of these towns, but you all add information and perspectives that I haven't seen before. Strange question: how "Portuguese" does the Algarve feel? I get the impression that the region is fairly different from the rest of the country.
The Algarve of the beaches is a bit diferent from the rest of the country alright but the good things is that there is a other side of the Algarve not that far from the beaches, search for Silves for instance
Thanks, John. It still feels Portuguese for sure. Over the whole, people are nice and accommodating. The levels of tourism here compared to other places certainly changes things, right? Each region and town in Portugal varies from each other, however, Algarve feels Portuguese nonetheless. Language, laidback culture, food.... - Josh & Kalie
Our exploration of the Algarve has wrapped up really. We leave tomorrow for Alentejo and we've filmed everything already, but we'll look at how to integrate that into our future productions. To be honest though, in any of the cities we've talked about, they have major hospitals. - Josh & Kalie
Thank you for another very good video. I always seem to miss your live streams due to other obligations, but have a couple of questions. Hopefully, you can answer here or in the next video. 1. How are these cities accepting of people of color? G may have some thoughts in particular. Are there any differences town to town? 2. Are there residential areas in Lagos that are a little away from the beach? The best of both worlds is to live within easy access to beach, but not too close.
You're welcome. It's a shame that you've missed our Live streams but let's see if we can answer these here. 1. They seems fine, although, we weren't there over a long period of time to be able to tell. Over the whole, Portuguese people are very welcoming and color-blind in a sense. Now, speaking honestly, there might be more problems with an individual Portuguese person and another person based on nationality rather than race. 2. In Lagos, you can get away from the beach into a more residential area, sure. There are also some incredible villas looking out over the water but they're not right down in the city of Lagos. - Josh & Kalie
nope, no car for the beach. For euro 2.50(in 2023) you get a round trip on a shuttle boat from the tow center out to the beach, it takes 10 minutes, plus its fun
I've wintered in both towns nd you've done a nice job reviewing both. If you want a bigger town then Faro should suit you better. It's got beaches, and international airport and and nice railway link to Lisbon.
Hello Josh and Kalie, I do enjoy your videos, thank you for them. Would you be able to advise how and when is the best time to start looking for rent in/close to Lagos or any other place you would recommend in Algarve near water? I need T2 apt.or house in July-August, 2022. Thankyou! Nata
Hi Nata, thank you. How long do you need the apartment for? Are you getting a visa to live in Portugal? There are a lot of questions here to advise you properly. Would you like to email info@expatseverywhere.com so we can help you better? - Josh & Kalie
Access to rental cars is pretty good. Off peak prices are pretty good. Different places around Portugal can be humid and it varies if homes have A/C or heating. Newer homes tend to put in some form of A/C and heating. - Josh & Kalie
Great info and great skin color! 😊 Since I’m kinda of big city person, Josh, how does Tavira compare w/Faro in a “city” sense. My sense is Faro feels bigger due to airport, fast trains to Lisbon, many hospitals, etc. But would you say Faro “feels” more like a city that Tavira or are they kinda equal…in your humble opinion? Thanks.
Thank you! For both compliments. This is Josh btw. You know, it's like we said with the two Faros video, there's the old city of Faro and that in a sense compares to Tavira's old city but Tavira is nicer and larger. As far as which is bigger or feels bigger, that would be Faro. Faro has more amenities that make it feel like a city. Neither place gives off a "city" vibe. The feel of the city happens in Porto and Lisbon in our opinion. Faro has 61k population and by comparison in the US if it's a place with 61k, it feels similar in the sense to how the new part of the city is developed and laid out with new construction, grocery stores, and other shops. One difference might be that in the US and Canada, there are many places that don't have shops and restaurants on the ground floor of buildings and here in Portugal (Europe), it's the norm. That in a sense gives off a more city feel, but by no stretch of the imagination would I call Faro "urban". - Josh & Kalie
@@ExpatsEverywhere Just pick a boat right in the center of town and enjoy a 15m sail to the so call Tavira Island (not really an Island but an isthmus, a long one BTW, with an ocean beach of several KMs). As a matter of fact, if the weather is ok, I encourage you to try.
I didn't realise rents were so high. I own a big T1 with an underground garage in the Torraltinha area of the Lagos. I got a real deal in late 2011. It's a great town. It is a lot hotter than 70s F in summer. Where did you get that idea? It can get up to 40 degrees Celsius, sometimes more. It is always over 30 in summer. I have always said that the only two places worth living on the Algarve are Tavira and Lagos. Lagos has got a much better nightlife. It is dead in winter. And it is cheap if you know where to eat etc. No need to get pulled into tourists prices.
@@ExpatsEverywhere I have lived in Lagos since 2011. The average summer temperature is far higher. 70s F must be the year round average. Summer is far hotter every day.
Hi Michael, sorry. We don't have enough time down here to do it all, but from the train, Portimão certainly looked like a place worth checking out. - Josh & Kalie
Thanks so much again for all this information, and so helpful. The way you are going, by the end of the series, I will have surely decided where to live based on what you cover in each area. One question: So what happened to the apartment in Porto? oNw you are renting on a monthly basis here?
You're very welcome. The apartment in Porto is now being rented by one of you guys and we've moved some stuff into storage at a friends place in Porto. We're attempting to do monthly rentals on the tour, however, that's proving difficult. In Alentejo, it's been a mess trying to find a decent furnished rental so we're having to go the Airbnb route about 35 min outside of Évora city. The logistics have been challenging. - Josh & Kalie
@@ExpatsEverywhere Have you looked at hotels/BnBs in the area that might appreciate a longer rental and give you discounted rates in exchange for a shout-out/sponsorship on your video?
@@amitmazumdar4284 Yes, and it has failed miserably. 😂 A lot of people don't get it. There's also been the tourism problem of the past 2 seasons so that also leads to reluctance. It's a great idea and one that we would love to take advantage of, but it's not us...it's them. HAHA - Josh & Kalie
I don't know Lagos, but they obviously didnt actually go to beach in Tavira. Its a 5 min boat ride (& only a few euro) from centre (& miles of beach). Also train access from Tavira all across Algarve & very cheap!
Hi, Muire. I think we explained this somewhere else in the comments. Our comment was in wide regard to the beach access of Lagos (in town beach) compared to Tavira (45 min walk away from town or as you said a paying boat ride). If you consider Tavira to have a beach, we respect that. We do invite you to check out Lagos and tell us which on has a beach town vibe. - Josh & Kalie
In short, YES. Car rentals locally can be quite reasonable. There are a few good, local car rental agencies. If you're living down here, talk to other locals and expats for the best deals. We're talking under $30 per day. - Josh & Kalie
😂 We will certainly be using it more. It's a funny one for us to play with and we hope that you all play along and let us know which cities you would live abroad in. - Josh & Kalie
@@shinyshinythings 😂 no joke, that’s the way I felt about the word cringe-y when my middle schoolers used it but it grew on me too. Expat That was a silly phrase take actually came up when Kalie and I traveled with 4 other teacher friends around Europe one Christmas break and we just basically used it as would you live/work here for a bit. It stuck with us. 😂 Hope it grows on you and doesn’t grow in cringe 😬 - Josh
We're having a hard time figuring out where to put food into these videos because they aren't really vlogs and when we stop for lunch in a place, it might seems jarring to just jump into a restaurant in the middle of giving a city overview. Thanks for the feedback, we'll give it a think. Since we've been down here we've mainly eaten at Portuguese restaurants. By local food spots, do you mean owned by locals or Portuguese food? The only chain I think we've been to is 100 Montaditos. - Josh & Kalie
@@ExpatsEverywhere Thanks for even considering it! I do mean Portuguese restaurants / fare (including anything regional...like the wines Kalie 😋) as you happen to stop and have a bite. Cheers!
@@DarthFurball You're welcome. We are putting some of this stuff on Instagram as well because what we're eating in the city that we're staying in doesn't always fit in the context of the video. We'll try to cover some of the foods we eat in the vlog. We've already included some local dishes we ate in Loulé. We unfortunately didn't capture our meal from Lagos, but it was a nice restaurant up from the main touristy square. - Josh & Kalie
I don't mean to be critical, however I want to explain why I didn't care for this video and have enjoyed many of yours in the past. Giving personal opinions is one thing, but having said that Lagos may only be for particular young people like yourselves who enjoy the beach life and not too family friendly, and then Tavira may be for the older souls. Now, I am 60 and I can take either one of those towns and enjoy it to my advantage, but I don't want to be considered an old soul...lol. I think most people will see for it themselves where they would want to live, however, giving some guidance is well appreciated, so thank you. Also, forgetting the wife's name here..sorry, you are a pretty woman but try to look at the camera more instead of always looking to your husband, it's just nice to see your face looking at us. I trust that I will see more of you guys...and thank you for what you do!
Thanks, Maria. We understand. To us an old soul is someone that likes a slower paced life and stuff that stereotypically generations older than them would like. Next up for us is Alentejo - Josh & Kalie
😂 We're heading to Alentejo next. Make sure you're voting on our community tab. You all are informing us there best on what content you wanna see. - Josh & Kalie
Is a T2 what we'd call a 2-bedroom in the States? BTW, this is interesting...I was in Faro, Tavira (and Faro) back in 2009. I didn't realize that Tavira was bigger. Maybe it's because it feels 'smaller' that I had the impression that it was. Charming place.
Hi Steven, basically, yes. T is the number of bedrooms (aka room with a window) and if you see a + it'll be another room or space of varying size that could be used for a variety of things but obviously if you own it, it could become a "bedroom". - Josh & Kalie
If you feel comfortable taking a scooter or motorbike on whatever kind of road, then yes. Why not? Are you asking about safety? It seems very safe. - Josh & Kalie
We haven't seen ebike shops stick out nor have we seen many people riding them, but they're available. There is a massive Decathlon in Faro. - Josh & Kalie
Lagos and Tavira for vacation, I don't want to need a car and doesn't seem like enough to do...couldn't live there all year. The weather sounds amazing! I am a NYC girl...I need a city more activity and noise. Me...no I would NOT #expatthat. :) But will definitely visit. BTW, you guys look great..very tan and glowy! Love it. Keep up the good work we appreciate you doing all the legwork! Ha Ha...but you guys aren't suffering. Hi Cia!
Thanks, Simona! We get the sense that on a holiday, using the trains and buses would be fine, but over the long-term,, a car is necessary. Thanks 😊 We got a lot of sun, while walking around and filming, and Kalie is trying to not peel. This week it's been cooler and more overcast. We appreciate the encouragement. Let's see how the next region goes. One more video about Algarve this Sunday. - Josh & Kalie
We talk to locals off camera for sure so we try to use some of the information they share with us in the videos. The focus on the channel for us however is from a foreigners perspective. - Josh & Kalie
