Socialising in Portugal: Meeting people as an international resident

With friendly and welcoming communities all over the country, socialising in Portugal is a pleasure. Here’s how to meet like-minded people.

Portugal is an extremely welcoming country. New residents should have no problems building a social life and finding people with shared interests. In this article, we look at socialising in Portugal, and how to go about building a network of friends and contacts.

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Starting online: Groups and forums

There’s no need to wait until you move to Portugal before you start putting feelers out. Facebook is packed with expat groups. These include groups that cover all of Portugal, or specific areas such as Madeira, the Algarve or Lisbon. In addition, towns popular with international residents tend to have their communities on social media. Finding them is as simple as typing search terms such as “Tavira expats” into Facebook’s search box.

Simply “lurking” on these groups is enough to get a good idea of an area and to find out about events and happenings in the vicinity. Of course, you’re free to take it further, contributing to discussions and perhaps making direct contact with people. All the usual warnings about online safety and potential scams apply.

Before social media became ubiquitous, forum sites were a key place for overseas residents to meet online. While much of this interaction has now moved to Facebook, sites like ExpatForum and BritishExpats continue to thrive. Even Mumsnet has a “Living Overseas” section.

As well as providing an alternative for those who shun social media, forum sites often provide a home for more detailed and less superficial discussions. They’re particularly useful if you’re keen to gather detailed information about an area you’re considering moving to. Forum members can be generous with their time and are often more than willing to share detailed insights on the places they call home.

Considering your location

When choosing where to live in Portugal, it’s well worth considering just how much socialising you plan to do. Many new residents are attracted to the idea of “off-grid” living, or tempted by rural locations where they can get more property for their money.

The downside, for more extroverted people, is that socialising doesn’t come as easy. Meeting fellow English speakers may mean heading for a local town or city where expats are known to congregate. This is plenty of socialising for some but could leave a hole for those used to meeting others “down the local” regularly.

Similarly, it’s wise to think about the concentration of international residents in your chosen area. “Integrating with the locals” is the plan for many new arrivals and is an honourable intention. However, the reality is that the language barrier alone may keep that integration at superficial levels for a good while, regardless of how friendly those locals are! A friendly nod and “boa tarde” before you return to reading a book may be enough to sustain some, but not others.

There’s a wide spectrum of socialising available in Portugal. Moving to an expat-heavy area packed with Brits feels a little different to moving to a very friendly new UK town. Moving to a hamlet with nothing but a local bar filled with Portuguese speakers is – obviously – very different. Most people search for something in the middle.

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Heading for the bar

Plenty of socialising in Portugal revolves around the local bar, and many new residents make their first friends over a beer or several.

It’s perhaps worth issuing the same kind of warning often given to new university students: Those people you meet on the first week won’t necessarily end up being the people who become lifelong friends. Take time to understand the dynamics and the cliques.

There can be some truth to certain unfavourable expat stereotypes. Those intentions to integrate with the local community, learn Portuguese and live a healthy expat lifestyle are sometimes derailed by €1 bottle of Sagres and regular English breakfasts. That’s fine if it’s the life you’re seeking! However, if you’re moving to Portugal with loftier lifestyle goals and a desire to meet kindred spirits, you’ll probably need to venture further than the bar with English menus.

Following your hobbies

 A great way to find like-minded people is to focus on your hobbies and interests. Nature lovers will be able to find beach cleans to join, there are often art and writing groups and – needless to say – golf, tennis and football clubs abound too.

Joining group Portuguese classes is another great way to meet the kind of people who are truly keen to integrate into their new country.

By focusing your socialising efforts on activities that interest you, you’ll meet others with the same passions, and keep yourself away from excessive wine and expat gossip, both of which can prove compelling, despite the best of intentions!

Clubs and societies

Heading back online, it’s worth looking for more formal routes to socialising in Portugal. The Meetup website is home to many groups that meet in person, especially in cities such as Lisbon and Porto. As well as general groups, there are those for all kinds of demographics such as mums of toddlers and expats from various countries.

Googling “clubs and societies Portugal” will also provide you with plenty of options, ranging from sports clubs to volunteer organisations and amateur dramatic groups.

The two main English language papers: The Portugal News and The Portugal Resident are also rich sources of information on groups and meet-ups.

Socialising in Portugal is what you make it. If “England in the sun” is what you’re searching for, there are places you’ll find it. However, to settle for that is to miss out on the opportunity to truly embrace a new culture and meet people with similar passions and outlooks on life. Make the effort to connect with groups and clubs, and life will be richer for it.