The Algarve sits at Europe’s southwestern tip, roughly on Great Britain’s longitude and Delaware’s latitude, kept mild year round by Gulf Stream currents. That gives the region Europe’s sunniest climate with little heat or humidity thanks to steady coastal winds.
Getting there from the US takes about six hours to Lisbon, often from Boston given the strong Portuguese diaspora, then a three hour drive south. Britons and Irish travelers also arrive by ferry with cars in tow.
The British connection runs deep. Portuguese and English royals intermarried from the 14th century onward, and Prince Henry the Navigator, namesake of the Algarve motorway, was half British. During World War II, Portugal under Salazar let US forces use Azores bases despite official neutrality. Afterward, British families settled along the south coast, bringing golf courses with them, followed later by The Beatles and their fans in Albufeira.
Unlike Spain’s Costa Brava, hilly terrain kept the Algarve from overbuilding. And since locals have learned English in schools for generations, it remains the region’s common language for daily business, from real estate to a bottle of Coke.
My Take…
Okay, so the Algarve. Sitting pretty at the bottom left of Europe, same latitude vibes as Delaware, basically sunbathing in the Gulf Stream like it personally arranged the weather. Little humidity, constant coastal wind, Portugal’s answer to always being the chill friend at the party.
Click on the link below for the full article:
https://www.liveandinvestoverseas.com/countries/portugal/an-easy-overseas-move-for-americans/
