Golf springs to mind when you mention Portugal - thanks to the first-class resorts on the established Algarve coast. But look a little closer and you'll see that Portugal's Silver Coast is an affordable alternative, with fantastic beaches, old houses for renovating and promising capital growth.
PRICES FOR PORTUGAL PROPERTIES FROM £27,300
key facts
- Population: 1.6 million
- Capital: Lisbon
- Approx. exchange rate: £1 = €1,45
- Visas: None required
- Time difference: GMT
- Flight time from UK: 2 hours
- Major airports: Lisbon, Porto, Faro
- Dialling code: 00 351
The Market: Golf and greenery
Portugal, the third favourite second-home destination for Brits after Spain and France, can thank the game of golf for much of its continued growth in the property market.
The game has had a similar effect in the southern region of the Algarve as it has had in Spain's Costa del Sol. The prestigious 'golden triangle' of the three top-notch Quinta do Lobo, Vale do Lobo and Vila Sol golf resorts have put the Algarve on the international golfers' radar and given rise to a growing number of £1-million-plus villas - celebrity DJ Chris Evans has a £2-million property there - and a strong rental market. Apartments in the central Algarve now start at approximately £70,000 - but can be much higher - while in the eastern part, around up-and-coming Tavira, studios are selling for around £50,000. Vilamoura and Albufeira are well-established holiday resorts with fantastic beaches and a variety of property options.
Away from the Algarve, the Silver Coast in central Portugal is becoming a new property hotspot. Located between Lisbon and Porto and sometimes called the Lisbon Coast, it is less developed for tourists than the Algarve but offers fantastic beaches and unspoilt towns. Now that the A8 motorway links Porto with Lisbon, this region, with property that caters for all types of buyer, is set to open up.
For an apartment on a high-end leisure and golf development there is the flagship Praia D'El Rey resort or the newer CampoReal. Historic old towns such as Obidos, Leiria and Coimbro and their environs harbour bargain renovation properties, many for well under £30,000, or villas for between £50,000 and £100,000.
Back on the coast are the tranquil resorts of Nazare and Figueira da Foz, and gorgeous Sao Martinho do Porto beach.The stretch of coast that runs north from Porto to the Spanish border is known as the Green Coast.
Considerably cheaper and less-developed than south and central Portugal, with seafront apartments starting at around £30,000, take note that the weather is wetter here.
