Iberian Peninsula, Western EuropeYear-Round (best Surf in Fall/Winter)Digital NomadBackpackerAdventure Seeker
Portugal figured out the remote-work thing early — Lisbon’s coworking scene, cheap-by-Western-Europe living, and a train network that makes a car unnecessary. It’s just as good broke: hostels, surf camps, and a backpacker circuit running Lisbon-to-Porto-to-Algarve. And the surf isn’t beginner stuff everywhere — Nazaré produces some of the biggest rideable waves on the planet, and Ericeira is a genuine World Surfing Reserve for a reason.
📌 Quick Facts
Best time to visit: Year-round destination; best weather May–Sept, biggest swells (Nazaré) Oct–Feb
Currency: Euro (EUR)
Visa: US passport holders don’t need a visa for tourist stays up to 90 days in any 180-day period (Schengen rule). For longer remote-work stays, the D8 digital nomad visa requires proof of roughly €3,280/month in foreign income, health insurance, and a Portuguese NIF number.
Language: Portuguese
✨ Top Experiences
Watch the record-breaking big waves at Praia do Norte in Nazaré (spectator sport for most of us)
Surf the reef and beach breaks of Ericeira, Europe’s only World Surfing Reserve
Work from a coworking space in Lisbon’s Cais do Sodré or Príncipe Real
Ride Tram 28 through Lisbon’s Alfama district
Explore Porto’s Ribeira riverside and cross into a port wine cellar in Vila Nova de Gaia