Portugal has once again claimed the top spot as the world’s best place to retire – and for good reason. But if you’d rather skip the busy resorts, there are plenty of peaceful corners where you can enjoy sunshine, community and great value. Here are four idyllic retirement spots away from the crowds.
Portugal has cemented its reputation as a top place to live after being crowned the world’s most attractive retirement destination for foreign expats. The country topped the 2025 rankings in the Global Retirement Report, published each year by international visa and residency specialist Global Citizen Solutions. The report compares 44 countries that offer passive income routes to foreign retirees, assessing each across 20 areas covering procedure, citizenship and mobility, economics, taxes, quality of life and safety and integration.
Mauritius was ranked second best place to spend your retirement, followed by Portugal’s Iberian neighbour, Spain, in third. The remaining top 10 rankings include Uruguay, Austria, Italy, Malta, Slovenia, Latvia and Chile. Now consider that Portugal is the seventh most peaceful country in the world. This is according to the Global Peace Index 2025, which ranks 163 independent states and territories according to their level of peacefulness, covering 99.7% of the world’s population.
All of this means choosing Portugal as the place to spend your golden years is a decision to make. The trickier next step is choosing where to live in the country. The well-trodden, touristy areas need little introduction, so here are four less-trodden options where you can be close to nature – real gems that might not be on your radar.
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1. Inland Loule – the Golden Triangle’s quiet neighbour
Want easy access to the Golden Triangle, with its world-class golf and amenities, golden beaches and international cachet, but prefer to live in more rural surroundings?
In which case, head 15-20 minutes inland into the hills behind the bright lights of Vale do Lobo, Quinta da Lago and Vilamoura. There you’ll find the charming market town of Loule and, set amongst the surrounding countryside and olive groves, a choice of pretty villages.
Increasing numbers of foreign residents, deterred by the lack of availability and prices in the Golden Triangle, are discovering this area and how much further their money goes there.
“The inland hills offer the perfect compromise – proximity to the lifestyle and amenities of Quinta do Lago and Vale do Lobo, but at a more accessible price point,” said Filip Malmstrom, CEO of ReCo, a local estate agency.
So where to head? Villages such as Vale Formoso, Ferrarias, Fonte Santa, Santa Bárbara de Nexe and Goldra are attracting foreign interest. Buyers have a choice of spacious villas on large plots, traditional homes and townhouses. Those located on a hillside have stunning panoramic views stretching to the sea.
Typical of the current market, ReCo is currently selling a modern three-storey townhouse with a roof terrace and private pool. Rated ‘A’ for its energy, the stylish home features underfloor heating, a central heating and cooling system and a low maintenance garden. This leaves the owner plenty of time to enjoy the attractions of the local area.
2. Salgados – a pocket of nature in central Algarve
Away but not too far from busier resorts, Salgados is a peaceful beach community set around a protected lagoon and golf course. It offers the best of both worlds – an idyllic natural setting and easy access to lots of amenities. The towns of Pera and Gale are both five minutes’ drive, while Faro Airport is only 48km away.
Nature lovers and golfers will feel immediately at home. The salt marshes and wetlands of the Salgados Nature Reserve are home to wildlife that includes more than 60 species of waterfowl, not forgetting the turtles. Fill your days with strolls along boardwalks or trails that wind through pretty sand dunes, soothing dips in the clear sea at Salgados’s uncrowded beach or a round at the championship Salgados Golf Course.
Retirees who enjoy fine dining are well catered for in Salgados. Five Michelin-starred restaurants are within an easy drive with a further 11 restaurants featured in the Michelin Guide in the surrounding area.
For more energetic types, waterparks are all just a short drive away, while nearby Gale beach is home to a popular surfing and paddleboarding school. There are three new notable developments in Salgados. Flamingos Salgados offers apartments that look out over the salt marshes and Atlantic coastline. “It’s about buying into the local lifestyle,” explains Alda Filipe, Regional Director and Partner at the developer Kronos Homes. “The incredible natural beauty of the Salgados area delivers a unique type of serenity. At the same time, it’s conveniently close to a wide range of recreational activities and quality dining experiences, so buyers here can experience the peace of nature while having everything they could wish for nearby.”
For a more resort-style environment, there are the Westin Beach Resort and Marriott Residences Resort. Properties come fully equipped and furnished, making it easy for buyers to start enjoying their new apartments straight away.
3. Salema – things get wild out west!
Retirees looking for a truly authentic community surrounded by an untamed coastal landscape should set their SatNav to Salema. Deep in the western Algarve, between Lagos and Portugal’s most south-westerly town of Sagres, it’s a working fishing village where the local catch is offloaded from colourful boats onto the beach. Cobbled streets and whitewashed fishermen’s cottages complete the full authentic offering.
Salema also falls within the Southwest Alentejo and Costa Vicentina Natural Park, meaning the landscape inland is equally exhilarating.
Besides exploring the great outdoors, time on the beach and soaking up the local atmosphere, golf is close by at the upmarket Parque da Floresta resort. The neighbouring fishing town of Burgau is somewhere to visit too, while the historic maritime city of Lagos, with its old town, boutique shopping and quayside is only 30 minutes’ drive away. For access from abroad, Faro Airport is only 75 minutes away.
“The western Algarve offers a unique connection to the power of nature, courtesy of its excellent surfing conditions, blended with the serenity of the South West Alentejo and Costa Vicentina Natural Park, which is one of the most beautiful coastlines in Europe,” said Alda Filipe at Kronos Homes. “The invigoration of learning to surf, the salt tang in the air, the incredible sunsets and the breathtaking natural beauty provide the ultimate foundation for relaxation.” She added, “Salema is all about calm, authenticity, and unspoiled natural beauty, even during the summer months – something which is drawing buyers further west as they rediscover the Algarve’s quieter, more genuine side.”
Kronos Homes has developed Salema Beach Village, which includes two- and three-bedroom villas, all with large terraces and balconies. The properties hug the hillside that overlooks Salema’s beach. On-site facilities at the development include a swimming pool with a children’s pool, playground, padel courts and a snack bar. All homes are sold fully furnished.
4. Caldas da Rainha – the seductively simple Silver Coast
Head north up the motorway from Lisbon and after an hour or so you enter a whole other world to Portugal’s busy capital and touristy Algarve. You’re on the Silver Coast now, a place where life happens at a traditional Portuguese pace.
Far less developed than most of the Algarve, you won’t find sprawling international communities focused around tourist amenities or resorts with heady nightlife. Instead, traditional towns and fishing villages go about their business as they have for centuries. It’s this, along with the unspoilt coastal scenery – typified by sweeping white beaches, towering cliffs and sparkling lagoons, that attracts foreign expats, who relish fitting in with the uncomplicated and affordable way of life.
Caldas da Rainha is one the main towns in the Silver Coast and is a convenient gateway for some of the Silver Coast’s most desirable spots. Just 10 kilometres (10 minutes) from the coast at Foz do Arelho, a fishing village with beach at the entrance to the Obidos Lagoon, its municipality extends to the edge of the equally wondrous bay at Sao Martinho do Porto (20 minutes). The fortified medieval town of Obidos is 10 minutes away. Half an hour in opposite directions along the coast are the large fishing towns of Peniche and Nazare, the latter known for its gigantic waves.
For retirees who do enjoy a round of golf, the Silver Coast’s two flagship course are close-by at Praia D’el Rey and Royal Obidos. Both are low-density resorts with luxury hotels and spa facilities, that offer opportunities to own homes by the fairway.
Caldas is an old thermal spring town with a history for pottery production. It’s well amenitised for year-round living and regular markets, beautiful architecture and a busy calendar of cultural events. The villages in close proximity to the town, which offer a peaceful rustic lifestyle, are equally as popular with resident foreigners as being in the town itself.
