Moving to Portugal, I really didn’t know what to expect. Sure, we traveled for over two years and spent about six months in Europe, from Porto, Portugal, Croatia, Rome, Paris and more. I had some idea of how European life worked as we always did Airbnbs during our travels. This meant I cooked in many European kitchens, shopped at local grocery stores and “lived” that life to some degree.

However, moving in permanently is a bit different! Those quirks in your Airbnb that you don’t worry too much about become real issues after months and years!

Moving here, I pictured ocean views, cobblestone streets and custard tarts at every café. And yes, all of that exists. But once you settle in, you start to notice the little things—quirky, uniquely Portuguese details that you’d never expect until you live here day to day.

Here are some of the things we’ve learned, laughed about and adjusted to while making Portugal our home. Nothing deal breaking or crazy, but some funny quirks you probably don’t know!

1. Screens on Windows Don’t Exist in Portugal

This one weirded me out a little… No screens on windows? They’re not a thing here. At least not that I’ve ever seen!

If you want fresh air in your home, you’re also inviting in flies, mosquitoes and the occasional gecko. It’s just part of the deal. Some people resort to makeshift solutions—magnetic screens, sticky Velcro or simply perfecting the art of swatting.

Remember also that A/C is also not a thing for most, so things get tricky when it’s really hot! Or when you have a neighbor who smokes.

But, honestly, after a while, you get used to it. I still ask myself, “Why don’t they just have screens like in the U.S.?” and I just laugh. It’s one of those quirks that makes Portugal… Portugal.

2. Houses are Made of Stone in Portugal

Forget drywall. Portuguese houses are built like fortresses, with stone, cement and tile everywhere. It’s amazing for longevity (some homes stand strong after hundreds of years), but it comes with quirks.

• Hanging a picture isn’t just grabbing a nail and hammer—it’s an ordeal with a drill. My husband had to buy a stone drill just to get our photos and art on the walls! It’s serious business and a huge mess. We’ve hung shelving in our house, and you must use a wall anchor to expand with the screw. We had a shelf fall out of the stone without one!
  
• Wi-fi signals don’t travel well through thick stone walls, so routers and boosters become your best friend. We have had to get creative with this, and you’ll find boosters everywhere. We just visited an Airbnb in Braga that had separate wifi for the living room and bedroom areas due to the stone construction.
  
• Acoustics are wild. You’ll hear echoes in your home that make it sound like you’re living in a castle. We’ve stayed in a few houses in Portugal, and it’s not unlike what I picture castle life to be… cold stone steps, hard to hear others in the house sometimes, etc!
  

The upside? These houses stay cool in the summer. They are cooooold though in the winter….

3. Central Heating Is Rare

Most homes in Portugal do not have central heating. In fact, winters can feel colder inside your house than outside. Stone walls keep the summer heat out—but they also hold in the winter chill.

My husband hates this! In fact, it may be his least favorite thing about living in Portugal. We have a wood burning fireplace and we order wood by the ton and enjoy a fire nearly every night. There are also pellet stoves for sale in hardware stores that are a good option.

Our first winter here, I thought, “How bad can it be?” Let’s just say I became a connoisseur of portable space heaters, cozy slippers and layering hoodies. I do NOT go without slippers in the winter as those floors are cold! Growing up in Colorado, I don’t consider myself a lightweight, but the humidity and cold make it bone deep.

Locals will laugh and say, “Portugal doesn’t get cold,” but when you’re living in a 10°C/50°F stone house in January, you’ll disagree.

4. Remodels Must Keep Up the Facade

In Portuguese cities, if you remodel an old home, you’re required to preserve the original facade. That means keeping the same windows, the same size doors and the overall historic look. I like this initiative to keep the classic looks of the city, but it is tricky if you want to remodel one of the hundreds of houses that desperately need it.  

It’s also why Lisbon’s and Porto’s streets are so charming—you’ll see colorful tiled exteriors and wrought-iron balconies, even if the inside has been completely modernized.

This rule preserves history beautifully, but it can also make construction complicated. Picture a sleek, minimalist apartment tucked behind a 200-year-old tiled facade. It’s quirky, but it’s also why Portuguese cities feel timeless.

5. Family Property Purgatory

This one blows my American brain every time: Way too many properties sit in limbo because of inheritance disputes.

Our rental home is not in a dispute, but will forever be locked to a family. The grandparents gifted it to the grandkids, but the mom collects the rent and they will never, ever sell. That’s good for us in a way—we love our rental house! However, we would love to buy something some day and many properties sit and decay because no one can pay the taxes or families don’t agree or they can’t even find the owners anymore.

Imagine a house passed down through generations, with ten different cousins owning a share. If even one heir doesn’t agree to sell, the property just sits—falling apart year after year. Add in the fact that many banks also own foreclosed properties and release them slowly into the market, and you end up with a lot of abandoned-looking homes in prime locations.  

When we drive the marginal (the coastal road that overlooks the ocean), we see properties in stunning, unimaginable locations across from the beach that decay and break down with no one to remodel them.

For expats dreaming of buying a fixer-upper, this can be frustrating. For the rest of us, it’s just another quirky part of the Portuguese landscape.

6. House Auctions

Speaking of property: Did you know Portugal has house auctions? It’s a legitimate way to buy real estate here, often at a discount compared to market prices.

We just learned about this in the last few weeks and it makes me excited. We have to save up (a real challenge when you are legitimately addicted to travel and have a hard time saving disposable income versus booking yet another flight), but some day we’d love to try this out.

Locals know how to work the system, but for foreigners it can be daunting—with the legal paperwork, the language barrier, and needing to have financing lined up in advance.  I’m excited we now have a contact that can help us when the time comes.

7. Bread and Meat Like Belle in Beauty and the Beast

Forget the supermarket. The best bread and meats come straight from the local bakery and butcher. There are also frutarias (fruit stands/small fruit stores) that offer up great produce in the city.

Sometimes I feel a little like Belle in Beauty and the Beast walking to the bakery for fresh pão. The loaves are warm, crusty and designed to be eaten that day (by the next morning, they’ll be rock hard).

To be fair, I’m not quite European enough to do this daily… or even often. I do most of my grocery shopping by grocery delivery. With five kids, a college-aged kid living with us and guests often, we are having dinner for 9-14 most nights. I can’t haul that all up the street by hand every day! However, when we can, we love walking down to our local commerce center (every small city has one) to pick up items or grab lunch at the cafe.

The local butcher is always the best place for cut meat to order. You cannot find a good steak (as we consider them in the US) at the grocery store and need to head to the butcher. This can be tricky before you learn the language, but you’ll get there.

No plastic-wrapped mystery packages here—you see exactly what you’re getting, and it’s fresher than anything I’ve ever bought in the U.S. In fact, it’s best to use the same day or freeze as meats go bad faster here. Probably more like a farm with less hormones!

It feels old-fashioned in the best possible way. Shopping becomes personal, not transactional.  Every day, the little Portuguese ladies go out for their groceries and you’ll find them walking the streets. It’s tender in its own way.

8. Laundry Lives Outside

Here’s another quirk: Dryers are rare. Most people hang their laundry out to dry, even in the city. Clotheslines dangle from balconies, rooftops and windows. Not very personal on your personal items. 

Consider how humid Portugal can be and how winter means lots of rain at times, and you’ll soon realize that it’s tough to get laundry dry. Options to help include dehumidifiers, only doing your laundry on rain-free days or risking mold getting on your clothes (yes, it’s real and it’s gross! Everything has the risk of mold in Portugal and should be considered… I’ve lost many an item to mold!).  

Thankfully, we do have a dryer, but it’s spendy. Electricity is REALLY expensive. A bad month for us can be 800 euros or more (nearly $1000)! We have to be careful.  

Most Portuguese and Europeans in general are fanatics about turning off lights, unplugging machines and conserving energy. It’s not just good for the planet, it can save your wallet big time. Our U.S. habits resulted in some serious bills, and I now have to hide the A/C remotes from our daughter to save money! Haha.

9. Water Pressure and Hot Water are a Gamble

Portuguese homes sometimes come with temperamental hot water systems. Gas boilers need to be lit or solar water heaters might leave you with a cold shower after a cloudy day. 

Most homes also operate on portable gas canisters (including our house, which has two large containers of gas). This has to be ordered and takes at least a day to be delivered. If you run out and don’t have a back up, it’s cold showers and no gas appliances (like our stove) for that day.  

Alternatively, during the great energy blackout in Portugal and Spain in early 2025, we at least could cook on our stove by candlelight!

Pair the unpredictable hot water (such as a sudden loss of gas while you are in the shower) with low water pressure in older buildings, and you learn to manage your shower expectations quickly.

It’s quirky and slightly inconvenient, but also a great lesson in gratitude when the hot water flows perfectly. Shower success!

Also note that due to these issues, bathtubs are not very common! We do miss our big, two person tub in our home in Utah.

10. The “Bom Dia” Culture

Here’s one of my favorite quirks: people say “Bom dia” (good morning) or “Boa tarde” (good afternoon) constantly—at the bakery, in the elevator, to strangers on the street. It’s small, but it makes daily life warmer.

It’s culturally expected to say it to everyone, even the guy walking into the sauna. I’ve come to like it. For expats used to rushing through errands anonymously, it feels refreshing.

At the end of the day, no place is perfect and it’s best to embrace the quirks as part of the package! I find it much easier to chuckle over these than let them drive me away from Portugal. We still count ourselves very lucky to be having this experience.

Additional Readings

Four-Year Update on Living in Portugal as American Expats

My Experience Learning European Portuguese: Portuguese Connections School in Lisbon, Portugal

12 Things To Do for Families in Lisbon