Americans Are Flocking to This Hidden Gem in Portugal
Americans Are Flocking to This Hidden Gem in Portugal
Expatsi Tours is launching its next trip to Portugal and Spain this September. We’re returning to Braga, a fan favorite city, as part of the Portugal leg to see whether our future expats might want to move there. So what’s so great about this town?
Charming Public Spaces
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Braga is a mountain town of 200,000 people with a great public university and charming series of public squares and gardens where the town hosts festivals and events.
Loaded with Culture
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The city is full of art and options for music and theatre and a large public market offers fresh local food. This central market offered fresh produce, seafood, and a food court for locals looking to get a meal in while shopping.
Affordable Rent + Mild Weather
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Braga has mild weather and four distinct seasons. The average two-bedroom apartment costs about 800 euros, or $862.
A Deep Sense of History
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The Shrine of Bom Jesus do Monte is a jaw-droppingly beautiful UNESCO World Heritage site. You can take a Bolt or Uber to the top for views of the city, while fitness enthusiasts can hike to the shrine’s summit, one stair at a time.
Quality Healthcare for Diverse People
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Crime is very low in Braga, and high quality public healthcare is available for residents. Many people speak some English. There’s a diverse population with a large Brazilian community.
Easy Train Access
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Braga is about 45 minutes away from Porto by train, and 50 miles from the border with Spain.
Attend a Q&A Session
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Our next group trip to Portugal is in September. Check out our scouting trip page to attend a Q&A session or book your trip with us.
Jen, our founder and Expatsi Tour planner, shares her views on what makes Braga special over on YouTube:
Jen Barnett is the co-founder of Expatsi, a company that's helped thousands of Americans on their moving abroad journeys. She created the Expatsi Test, an assessment that recommends countries for aspiring emigrants based on lifestyle data. Jen has an MBA from Emory University with concentrations in marketing and innovation. Prior to Expatsi, she created Freshfully and Bottle & Bone—two businesses in the local food space—and spoke at TEDx on being brave. She lives in Mérida, Yucatán, along with her husband and co-founder Brett, pitbull mix Squiggy, and two rotten cats. How can she help you move abroad?
Brett Andrews is an expat influencer and co-founder of Expatsi, a company that's helped thousands of expats on their moving abroad journeys. Brett and his partner Jen developed the Expatsi Test to recommend countries to move to, based on factors like budget, visa type, spoken languages, healthcare rankings, and more. In a former life, he worked as a software developer, IT support specialist, and college educator. When he's not working, Brett loves watching exploring new countries, reading unusual books, and pondering the wisdom of The Big Lebowski.
