Guimaraes to Live or Only to Visit? | What You Need to Know

[@paulogarciadesousa]

I’m probably partial towards Guimarães, as the heart does have its reasons, but I think there’s a couple of additional features that would endear it to people looking for that charming-yet-amenable vibe: The Pousada de Santa Marinha (great bar and fireplace lounge for those long winter nights), the Santuário da Penha (the restaurant at the top of mountain has got a stunning view of the valley and the city) and, for those looking for affordable recently built housing, the neighbourhoods slightly up the mountain slope. Just off the top of my head, there’s probably more stuff that I’m forgetting right now. Anyway, great content! What’s next on the menu? Amarante?? You’ll love the old town and the river beaches!

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Pousada de Santa Marinha is where we got one of the high shots. That pool up there is very nice! Thanks for the additional mentions here. Great stuff from you always as well. Paulo, FTW! - Josh & Kalie

[@ladyloquitavida148]

Paulo, Thank you for your added information! 👍 We'd love to know more about the new homes that you referenced. Are they detached homes? Are their any homes with yards? (We have 2 medium sized dogs) Thank you for your help! 👌

[@paulogarciadesousa]

@@ladyloquitavida148 , unfortunately, no: They’re all blocks of flats, not individual houses. The layout of each block deliberately follows the slanting disposition of the hills, so they’re not too tall and aesthetically adjust to the lay of the land. There are no individual yards, as far as I know, only common greens and trees. It’s been a while since I last saw them, so things might’ve changed. If you’re looking for a detached house with a yard, your best guess in Guimarães would be some old solar (manor) or something similar, but you’d have to be prepared to pay a hefty sum on making it comfortable by today’s standards. If you don’t mind living in an even smaller town (but not entirely devoid of charm), you might want to check out Vizela (about 15 min drive from Guimarães) or even Felgueiras or Lousada. The urban fabric is fairly dense and seamless in that area, so you never get the feeling that you’ve left town, in a manner of speaking!

@@paulogarciadesousa Have to disagree here. There are quite a few detached houses 5m from the city center for sale. I live in one of those neighborhoods, 1m away from a big shopping mall, 1m from a Mercadona, 1m from a new Lidl, 5m from the city center, 1m away from the highway and i live in a very quiet "cul-de-sac" place (for reference look up "Silvares"). It all comes down to price (for buying consider starting at 200k for a 3 bedroom). Also, there are a lot of new projects ongoing, both houses and apartments.

[@ladyloquitavida148]

@ Muito obrigado! 👍

[@vibrantly50]

We just went to Guimaraes for three nights and stayed at the incredible Villa Margaridi! If you are looking for a cooler climate yet, not as rainy as Porto and a feel of being in like Tuscany - with the hills all around - with a small town, relaxed feel - this town would suit you!

[@CarlosPT-hb6zb]

I choose Guimaraes 30 years ago to live with 3 children, prefering over Braga or Porto, because this fantastic city (not so small as you say...) has everything for families: work; fantastic schools (private or public); dozens of different sports to learn and pratice for me and children; culture (the density of festivals and culture clubs is attonishimg); dozens of restaurants of all specilities; motorways to everywhere (in 10 minutos you can arrive to Braga; in 20 minutes to Porto; in 25 minutes to beach); a good public hospital; etc etc

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Thanks for sharing, Carlos. Small isn't a bad thing. It's a preference thing. - Josh & Kalie

[@CarlaBosco]

Hi Carlos, is there an expat community in Guimarães? We’ll be moving there in the summer with our kids (9 and 11) and I would love to connect with other parents and learn more about schools in the area.

[@michaelbrohl1625]

Cute, quaint, and mellow. Love it. My kind of place.

[@NunoMeneses]

You have lots of festivals in Guimarães which are really worth. Jazz, dance, theater, rock, etc. Lots of nature in Guimarães too.

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Thanks for the additional information, Yellow Beanie! - Josh & Kalie

[@moward301]

You have knocked it out of the park again! The information was rich in details. You are helping so much by being eyes and ears for future expats. I appreciate you guys and what you do! ❤👍🏽

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

🥳🙌 Glad to know! Thanks for the feedback, Mo. Glad we can be that for you. - Josh & Kalie

Transportation in Guimaraes in mainly by BUS. There's a City Bus that goes around the municipality limits and then Buses to many destinations, Braga, Porto, Vila do Conde, Lisbon, Coimbra, and many others. There's also a direct Bus to Porto airport that takes around 50m, costs 8€ (taken it many times...). Train you can go to Porto (it's a parallel line from Braga that intersects in a station called Lousado), but also has direct trains to Lisbon (Intercidades).

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Thanks for the additional commentary, Humberto! We appreciate you. Hope we did your city justice. - Josh & Kalie

@@ExpatsEverywhere Fantastic video, great insights, almost a local 😃 only the match missing! Next time we will do it with more time and go to some nice hidden gems…

[@alexandracastro9619]

Hi! Girl from Guimarães here! Yes it's a bit tough to find housing and live in the main historical area that you've shown. A very few % of Guimarães people actually LIVE there. We have a small downtown and a very big number of suburbia that is connected with fairly sparse/nature areas between them. The city is extremely cultural with usually lots of festivals and activities: International Jazz, Music, Art, festivities, cultural clubs, etc. The tech and textile companies are all around those suburbia areas too. We have lots of green spaces and park areas for families. We also have another big Shopping Mall (bigger than the one you've shown) in one of those suburbia areas. Being born and raised here, you really need a car most of the time. A lot of us don't go inside the historical downtown that often too in our day to day. It's sometimes just a way to somewhere else we want to go or you just want to relax on your down time. Hope that helped!

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Thanks, Alexandra. Wished we could have linked up. What you said is really valuable. The core of our would really prefer not to move to a new country/city and have the same suburb life that they left. We imagine the bulk would want to move and live in a place different and fair more historical than the whole of the US. - Josh & Kalie

[@dianag.castro3657]

@@ExpatsEverywhere Alexandra said it all☺️ Thanks for the nice vídeo, best of luck on this new chapter of your lives ☺️

[@terrisokolow7796]

What a beautiful little town! Great video again!

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Thank you very much! It is so pretty. - Josh & Kalie

[@vodcome]

Neat little town…. Worth visiting Once again… nice video, good info 👍 I just love the architecture

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Worth visiting 100%. Thank you. - Josh & Kalie

[@JenShea]

Obrigada Team Expats Everywhere. I didn't know very much about this town and I think it looks like a great city. I'm partial to being close to the water, but this looks like a great place for people who aren't interested in seeing the ocean every day!

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

You're welcome, Jen. Thanks for watching. It's definitely worth a visit for tourism if nothing else. - Josh & Kalie

[@verapinto2743]

Minha cidade Guimarães é maravilhosa linda aqui Nasceu Portugal 🏰💯👌🇵🇹🙏😘❤

[@joaomonteiro1562]

É mesmo!

[@geechen1025]

Very charming architecture. Another great video! Thank you. =)

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Really charming for sure. We agree. Thanks for the support! 🙏 - Josh & Kalie

[@elizabethreynolds6874]

So beautiful! Thank you Josh & Kalie! 💓

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

It is indeed. Thank you too, Elizabeth! 🥰 - Josh & Kalie

[@pinheirokde]

Heeehehe maybe you get the "love" between Braga/Guimaraes, a train conneting the 2 directly would make total sense since they are mostly the same town but ;) the love is strong. The love/hate between Braga/Guimaraes is part of its charm. The people from Guimaraes are amazing in heir defense of their city. Love them booth.

[@TomBarman]

Eu sou de Braga e a minha namorada de Guimarães! 🤣

[@pinheirokde]

@@TomBarman isso é amor hehhehe ;)

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Love it! - Josh & Kalie

[@TomBarman]

@@pinheirokde ;) yeap

[@dickielarue1451]

I've been to Guimares several Time's...Love the History of the City...Many good restaurants and cultural activities...I also enjoyed the nature outside of the city where hiking and biking is a wonderful way to explore...I eventually chose Ponte de Lima as my home in the North...The access to the Braga train station gives me the AP train to Lisboa...Guimares does not have AP train...If you do not have a car like We do...Strategies need to be considered when living in the Interior of Portugal...Food for thought...You will get more Bang for your buck living outside the city Centers...Braga is 30 minutes from Ponte de Lima and gives me the thing's I need and like in a short time frame...I.M.H.O. there is so much to Portugal then Oporto, Lisboa and Algarve...Blessings and Positive Energy from Monte Estoril today...🇵🇹✌🤘🤙

[@mca112]

Just don't have now the AP train, but soon will be restaured...

[@NationalSafetyInc]

My wife and I just got back from Guimaraes. We were there for 4 days right before Christmas and stayed at the Villa Margaridi. The owner, Jose and his family, traces back 14 generations of his family owning the villa which celebrated it's 1,000th aniversary (yes, 1,000th. It dates back to 1021). His has turned an outbuilding that used to store grain, dried fruits, nuts, potatoes and wine into a beautiful Airbnb. He will give you a tour of his gardens that were based on the Versaille gardens. I won't tell you more so as not to ruin the tour for you but I will say that the 300 year of Camellias are worth the trip, especially this time of year as they are just starting to flower. He also produces a vinho verde branco and a vinho verde tinto that are 100% organic and very good. If you decide to visit I can't recommend Villa Margaridi enough. You'll thank me for the recommendation. I agree that I don't think we could live there either but it is a must see if you are in Portugal. We weren't able to take the cable car up as the morning we were going to do so the "mountain" was in the clouds and mist and we would have missed the view which is the main reason to go there in the first place. Absolutely LOVED the old town area, especially this time of year with the Christmas lights and decorations up. I reminded me of a Charles Dickens Christmas. My wife and I moved here to Portugal this past August and live in Aveiro. When are you guys coming down to check out Aveiro? Smaller than Porto but big enough to be referred to by some as the city that's a town. There are 78,000 people that live here but we rarely go for a walk without running into someone we know. It is extremely walkable with beautiful canals with the Moliceiro boats, Ovos Molles, the Mercado that's open everyday, the salt flats and the beach that's only 6 miles away. Let us know when you're ready to explore the "little Venice of Portugal"!

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Hey Rob, thanks for sharing! Your trip sounds amazing. We were in Aveiro not long ago but didn't have time to do an episode on the city. We hope to do more of these in the spring. 😁 - Josh & Kalie

[@Yasin_Affandi]

Thanks for this wonderful video n thanks for showing Guimaraes, Portugal.

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

You're welcome, Yasin. What was your favorite thing about Guimaraes?

[@Yasin_Affandi]

@@ExpatsEverywhere I have to watch it again once more to determine my fav part. Thank u. 😀

[@nikim8287]

Looks beautiful! Thank you both for what you do

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

It is very beautiful there. You're welcome. 🙏 Ami and G have been a huge part of our city guides in this whole series so we have to thank them as well. 😊 - Josh & Kalie

[@nikim8287]

@@ExpatsEverywhere Absolutely! Thanks to Ami & G too 💫 You all make a great team.

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

@@nikim8287 🥰 Thank you. They're the real MVPs.

[@cbliss5816]

Thanks for the overview, guys! You give great info. We are planning to visit Guimaraes and Braga soon. I guess we will be taking the bus in between! :)

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Thank you, thank you! We appreciate the support. Let us know what you think of both. We need to link up soon. Yeah?! - Josh & Kalie

[@cbliss5816]

@@ExpatsEverywhere definitely --let's do it! :-)

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

@@cbliss5816 We're game starting next week for sure. 😁 - Josh & Kalie

[@flavial.7215]

It seems a great place to visit and to live! I was checking here, definitely very affordable outside the city.

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Let us know what you think when you go. - Josh & Kalie

[@teodoro1007]

Of course I went first to Street View & looked for graffities (where all the mugging starts). I found not a single one. Nice town, the "cradle of Portugal" deserves at least a visit. Thumbs up. Greetings.

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Thanks for the message, Teo. Yes, it 100% deserves a visit and many people that live in Porto make day trips there to do something different and enjoy the various sites around Guimaraes. - Josh & Kalie

[@alvafaleiro]

I am portuguese, living in Caldas da Rainha but i have to admit that you are wrong, the north it is richest then the south and center, the most part our industries and our innovation is in the north, special in Braga, Viana do Castelo, Porto and Aveiro regions (distritos).

[@jmlmo35]

You're absolutely right !

[@leesantos2733]

I’m a Portuense as well🙋🏻‍♂️.. There’s no doubt the whole north of Portugal and a couple other towns in the center of the nation are indeed more productive…In many ways without this region the rest of Portugal perhaps would not survive…

[@ppietrap3876]

Official statistics say that GDP per capita and purchasing power are lower in the North. Having more industry doesn’t mean that people living there are more wealthy on average.

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Hi Álvaro, unfortunately, the regional GDP shows that the North is the lowest per capita GDP of all regions in the country. That's not to say everyone is poor or unhappy but it could be an indicator as to why the cost of living is marginally lower than other areas. Check out the 4th column of this link. www.portugalglobal.pt/EN/InvestInPortugal/RegionsofPortugal/Pages/TheRegionsofPortugal.aspx - Josh

[@alvafaleiro]

@@ExpatsEverywhere Probably, it is the average because of Trás os Montes that is more poor. But Braga and Guimarães are rich for the Portuguese standards.

[@nextgenownage]

Thanks for this was nice to watch. Born and raised in London England but stay here alot since it's only 1hour 50min flight from London and flights can be as cheap as £15 one way with Ryanair. We just recently released a video there for mission impossible 7.

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Thanks for sharing. - Josh & Kalie

[@cleaningtime8156]

Another Great and very informative Video, thanks Guys you look like TV Stars on Video, Love watching your Videos . Angelo

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Thank you very much. It all comes down to Ami and G with how they produce and shoot. Kalie and I are just along for the ride. 😅 - Josh & Kalie

[@diogorodrigues747]

AQUI NASCEU PORTUGAL Thank you!

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

You're welcome. Thanks for watching. - Josh & Kalie

[@bac907]

We’re considering the far north of Portugal for retirement. Any information on Viana Do Castelo? Thanks.

[@droops63]

So, looks like Guimarães is about 30 kilometers or so (19 miles?) from Porto. How long did it take to drive there? In my mind, being that close to a city like Porto would make Guimarães a suburb. I mean, I live in a suburb of Washington DC and I'm like 64 kilometers (about 40 miles) from downtown DC. The spacing and distances sort of confuse me.

By car, 35m via highway. Train 50m.

[@droops63]

@ Thank you. In my world, that would be a suburb of, and fairly close to, Porto.

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Us too, John. It's not as "close" as things in the States. We took the bus from Braga and not Porto. It took 50 minutes with several stops. It should be around 25 minutes by car from Braga. It's an easy day trip. - Josh & Kalie

[@ppietrap3876]

City scale is completely different, urban organisation is also quite different, in the sense that Guimarães, Braga and some other small cities have important economic/industrial fabric organised around those cities, so no one would consider Guimarães a suburb, even if there are some people commuting between different towns.

[@jmlmo35]

Porto to Guimarães = 55 kms.

[@brianwhite1189]

Nice video! Definitely have this on my list of places to visit in the north. Now, what is the story of Josh wearing a flag like a cape while walking around the town?

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Very good question, Brian! A viewer (Miguel) asked us out for lunch and wanted to do a flag trade. I need to get him an American flag when we can. He said since Guimaraes is the birthplace of Portugal, it's only right for us to incorporate the flag into the video. We said..."Deal!" We tried to use it for the opening shot but didn't love it as the flag was straight out of the packages and creased so we went with a nice draped (caped) look. 😅 - Josh & Kalie

[@brianwhite1189]

@@ExpatsEverywhere You wore it well!

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

@@brianwhite1189 Thank you. 🙏🙇

[@suevialania]

Living in the North west, Provínce of Minho, i think is better, to stay in Braga and visit Porto, Viana do Castelo, etc

[@joaoteixeira2386]

Its not better to stay in Braga. Guimarães is much more beautiful and atractive. It's much better to stay in Guimarães or Viana do Castelo than in Braga which is not an interesting city at all.

[@suevialania]

@@joaoteixeira2386 Guimarães is around Braga? Right? Like Sintra is around Lisbon! Both are very nice!!!

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Thanks for your opinion. - Josh & Kalie

[@florenciajerez8108]

I'm living in Porto and the prices of rent are getting too insane.. I'm considering getting a remote job again and moving to Guimarães but Im a bit scared of getting bored..I guess I need to visit and feel the vibe. In the video it seems very beautiful

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

We'll have an interview about Guimarães in the coming weeks too. - Josh & Kalie

[@Maj00w]

This is very helpful. Thank you for making such an informative video! What do you think about Penafiel?

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Awesome! Great question. Our part-time video editor lives there, maybe she could give us a tour that we film, right? ;-) Penafiel is smaller but growing and certainly it's grown in interest among Portuguese. - Josh & Kalie

[@PauloParracho-x9f]

Got 3 Ps for you.. Your english s Perfect❤ Your intentions are Perfect❤ Your image s Perfect❤

[@PauloParracho-x9f]

Love you guys

[@joseaparecidoconceicao7878]

Are you going to visit Viana do Castelo?

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Not on this trip. There's not enough time unfortunately. - Josh & Kalie

[@joaoteixeira2386]

I hate big cities, they have all that i hate in terms of quality of life. Traffic, pollution, trash everywhere in almost all of them, expensive living and much more horrible things in every corner. People are in big cities just because of the concentration of mass jobs and huge job markets. Otherwise i believe 90% of them would runaway from the hell of big cities and go to a better one like Guimaraes. So, when in the video you refer that you prefer big cities it's all said about tastes which i do not agree at all. Guimarães put's any big city in a pocket. It's much better in so many ways and still keeps a very high cultural and artistic scene, full of activities and shows (European Capital of Culture 2012). And still if you want something more Porto is just 30 mins driving, 50 mins train and 30mins bus. This is perfect, because you don't need to live in Porto and get all those bad things (polution, tons of people everywhere, traffic, etc), you can live in a much better place (Guimarães) and if you need big services (airport, big concert, etc) you are just 30 mins away from all without having to suffer everyday there. Guimarães is also so much more beautiful than Porto, Braga by the way. It seems a very poor review of Guimarães, which is one of the most beautiful and pleasent cities in the world. It's not comparable to Porto, Braga... because it's simply much better to live, much more authentic, iconic, clean, planned and on and on. I advise you to check stayclassy vlog about Guimarães to see a fair and close to reality opnion about the city. Btw, they consider the city, like many others, the most beautiful one in Portugal. Tastes, we can't buy them... But if i would be a foreigner like you i understand you prefer something diferent and big. If i would see myself out of Portugal, i would probably take the same decision and would not stay alone in a small town. I would choose a bigger one or to stay near (to avoid all the bad things of living in big towns) a big one.

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Hi João, thanks for your understanding. 😊 - Josh & Kalie

[@PauloParracho-x9f]

❤❤❤

[@1143gmr]

If you like big cities, this video seems biased. You didn't even go to various places within the city.

[@gandsmeyer2957]

can you take an uber from Porto to Guimaraes?

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Depending on availability of course but my app says it'll be €34.75. There's also a bus from Porto to Guimaraes. - Josh & Kalie

[@lisawhytock95]

Going to Penafiel anytime?

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

We don't have any plans yet. We're finishing up our Braga video to have it ready for Sunday. - Josh & Kalie

[@NorCaltoeumom]

Nice map!

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

😁 Thanks! - Josh & Kalie

[@richvangogh]

I can't ExPat That either....boring! I Love Porto Baby!!!

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

It's simply too small for us. Another commenter, Alexandra hit the nail on the head from a local's point of view. Porto FTW! - Josh & Kalie

[@helderfaria9182]

If you guys like big cities then u are in the wrong country.... beaside lisbon all the cities in portugal are small....

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Porto is big enough for us but small compared to where we've lived before. Madrid, Busan, Al-Ahsa, and Singapore. - Josh & Kalie

[@helderfaria9182]

@@ExpatsEverywhere we are a small country with 10 milions but i can ensure that we have everything that we need to have a good life... if u ant to raise a family portugal is the right place, and if u guys are living in porto then u are living in the most beautiful citie in the world😊❤

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

@@helderfaria9182 Thanks. We definitely think it's one of the top cities in the world and we're very glad that we're there. - Josh & Kalie

[@monicateixeira1560]

🇵🇹❤️

[@light-yi2me]

I’m tiered of the word expat🧐 immigrant is the word. In the West we call all people coming for work or to live immigrants thus Immigration offices exist.

[@rusticus6393]

Vimara Peres= Weimar Peterson Vimaranis --> Guimarães= Weimar