One thing we’ve learned after helping many clients relocate to Portugal is this that finding a home is important, but finding your people matters just as much.

Moving to a new country can feel exciting and disorienting in equal measure. New systems, new routines, new places and sometimes, not many familiar faces. At Fox Real Estate, we’ve always believed that relocation isn’t only about visas, contracts, and keys. It’s also about helping people build a life, and a community once they arrive.

That’s why we make a point of bringing people together.

Recently, we took this idea beyond Lisbon and hosted our first community lunch, at the beautiful Praia da Areia Branca, minutes from Lourinhã (home to a cool dino park that’s worth a visit), respectively 20-minute drive from Peniche and 30-minute from Caldas da Rainha, on the Silver Coast. We were joined by a small group of clients we’ve worked with. Some we helped secure visas, others we supported in renting or buying homes in the region.

No presentations. No speeches. No agendas.

Just a relaxed lunch (on us) at Pizzeria da Praia, good conversation, and the kind of easy connections that tend to happen when people share a similar journey. On that day, we had a strong representation from our LGBT+ clients which was great. By the end of the afternoon, phone numbers had been exchanged, stories compared, and plans were already being made to meet again, this time without us organising it.

Which, frankly, is the best possible outcome.

When people think about relocating to Portugal, Lisbon, Porto and the Algarve usually come to mind first. But increasingly, newcomers are looking slightly off the obvious path, towards the Silver Coast of Portugal, a stretch of coastline running between Lisbon and Porto that offers space, authenticity, and a very livable pace of life.

The Silver Coast is made up of mid-size towns and small cities such as Leiria, Coimbra, Nazaré (where you can spot the 100 foot waves) Caldas da Rainha, Aveiro, Óbidos, Lourinhã, Ericeira (surfing capital of Portgual) and Mafra to name but a few; each with its own identity, local life, and year-round communities. The region is known for its dramatic Atlantic beaches, green landscapes, and cooler, more temperate climate compared to southern Portugal. Add to that more affordable property prices and growing international communities, access to international education and it’s easy to see why so many people relocating to Portugal are choosing this part of the country.

At Fox Real Estate, we’ve seen this shift happen in real time.

Portugal offers many things that draw people here: space, light, food, wine, coastline, and a slower rhythm of life. But what often makes people stay is the sense of belonging they create once they arrive.

If we can help make that part a little easier, by connecting clients who are starting new chapters in the same places, then we’re doing something right.

More of these moments will follow.

And yes, lunch will probably be on us again ;p