For the past four years my husband, Clyde, and I have lived in Portugal , enjoying the gracious people, stunning scenery, and affordable, safe living.
We lived among rural farmland on the Silver Coast near the city of Caldas da Rainha and now live in the tourist hub of Vilamoura , in the southern region of the Algarve. Never have we felt unsafe in any way. The Global Peace Index rates countries worldwide for safety and Portugal came in at number six in for an overall peace safety rating.
The U. State Department rates Portugal as a Level One which means that normal safety precautions should be taken. Common practices like not leaving valuables in a parked car, keeping track of your wallet, purse, backpack, and luggage in crowded areas, and exercising caution in larger metropolitan areas like Lisbon should be observed.
Masks are no longer mandatory in most public spaces, apart from medical facilities and pharmacies where they are still needed. Beaches were packed and safe. Other tourist hubs like Lisbon and Porto also received plenty of tourists who enjoyed the history, sights, and Old World charm of this tiny European gem.
Portugal is home to over , foreigners from the U. Everyone is accepted and welcomed here. The Portuguese people really do welcome foreigners with open arms. And because this is Europe there are people of all skin colors, hair colors, and ethnicities. My husband and I have lived in other countries besides Portugal, where we did stand out and sometimes were taken advantage of since we were looked at as being rich, compared to the locals, but in Portugal, this has never been the case.
