The 28 tram
I'll be honest there are about 100 other blogs that will answer this question better than I can, so this is not a comprehensive list.
Lisbon
Personally my favorite because it's near an international airport that has flights back to the US. Also lots of things to do, activities and events. Medical care is good and you can almost always find someone who can speak English somewhere. The biggest con is that it's $$. My rent has gone up every year since we've moved here and our landlords are good, they could get way more than we are paying for our place when we leave. It's also very hilly so be prepared for that.
Porto at Night
Porto
I LOVE the weather in Porto, this midwestern girl loves the cool/cloudy/rainy type weather. Porto also has the second biggest airport in Portugal so that's a plus. You can find people who speak English and has more of what a large town can offer events and activities. The cons are again like Lisbon hilly, though not quite as pricey.
That covers the big two cities in Portugal. Now for some of the smaller towns, you'll notice I won't cover the Algarve and that's because I haven't ever been so I can't give a first hand account.
Setubal
Nice little sea town near(ish) Lisbon, it's about 45min south but does have a direct train line from Lisbon to Setubal. It's flat, which is fantastic! The biggest downfall for me is that it's "so close yet so far" from Lisbon.
Aveiro waterway
Aveiro
I LOVE this town. In my perfect world I would live there. Right off the AP line (train that runs from Porto to Lisbon). Flat and beautiful. There is a college there as well and fantastic seafood and close access to Costa Nova which is beautiful.
Coimbra
This is a big college town. They also have a medical school here, hence better medical care and more English spoken. It's also right on the AP line so that makes it easy to get to Porto or Lisbon. It's hilly and HOT in the summer.
The huge beaches in Figueira
Figueira da Foz
This is where we are moving! We've made quite a few friends that live there and love the beach town. There are amazing boardwalks along the beach for miles and it's flat. It does have some con's; train service is not great, it's doable but not great. Coming from Lisbon or Porto you have to change trains to get there which is fine if they are running but if they aren't it's more of a problem. The train system was once described to me as "the trains are always on time......when they come." :)
This is by no means a comprehensive list, just a few highlights and my favorites.
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