Portugal - Lisbon Escape to the Continent

On a July day in 1497,

an explorer set off from this very point to the Far East

and discovered a trade route that would transform this country

that I'm standing in into a world superpower.

Find out who he was

and where I am in just a moment on Escape To The Continent.

On today's show we're helping a couple find

an apartment with a view in one of Europe's most historic cities...

The view's quite nice, with the red rooftops and things.

..and I'll give them a sound of what it's like

to live in such a vibrant place.

Mournful, "Ah, ah, ah, ah...!" all night long.

HE CHUCKLES

Today I'm in Lisbon, the second oldest city in Europe

and, of course, the capital of Portugal.

And this elegant construction behind me is the Tower of Belem,

a 16th-century fortress built to commemorate that epic journey

by Vasco da Gama, who found the first direct route

around the bottom of Africa to the Far East,

and in doing so, established Portugal as a world superpower.

Now, Portugal lost its monopoly on the spice route in the 17th century,

but this is a great reminder of its heyday,

and, of course, its maritime heritage.

The city of Lisbon is Europe's westernmost capital,

and lies in the southwest of Portugal.

It sits on the north banks of the Tagus River estuary,

which flows out into the Atlantic Ocean,

where you'll find Lisbon's stunning sandy beaches.

In the eighth century,

the Moors, who were medieval Muslim inhabitants of North Africa,

began their occupation of Lisbon

and their influence can still be found at the Castelo de Sao Jorge

and around the streets of the Alfama district.

It's easy to see why Lisbon city centre

is home to a tenth of the Portuguese population,

who are drawn to the alternative art scene and the vast array

of shops and cafes that this ancient city has to offer.

So, let's find out what's attracting our buyers

to the cultural and commercial heart of Portugal.

Today's house hunters are James and Anne

and they've been partners for ten years.

Anne works in London and owns a home in York,

whilst James bases himself in West Yorkshire.

So, arranging to spend time together hasn't always been straightforward.

Quite a lot of the time we've been, sort of, living this life

where we've been apart during the week and only together at weekends.

Which is limiting in some of the things you can do.

But this routine is about to change,

as Anne, who works in community development,

will be relocating to Lisbon for a new job,

and civil servant James, who has only visited the city once before,

will remain in the UK - but plans to make regular trips

to the Portuguese capital to be with her.

So, I already do quite a bit of home-working,

and I'm hoping that we can get set up in Portugal,

that it would be possible to do that.

Anne's been visiting Lisbon for the past four years,

and already has an affinity with the city,

but in order to immerse herself,

she's going to put her linguistic skills to the test.

I've been trying to learn Portuguese now for several months,

and I'm having lessons,

cos I think it's important to be able to communicate.

Although, in Lisbon in particular, so many people speak English.

Anne may well be focusing on getting herself settled in,

but when it comes to finding a home, it must accommodate James, too,

as this Portuguese property will be a joint investment.

My requirements out of the property are probably a bit different.

I'd be less worried about the interior

and more interested in where it was located

and where you can get to from it.

And where you can keep your bike.

One thing, for me, is being able to get out of the house

and either take my bike for a cycle on the coast

or go for a bit of a run around.

And finally, we need to establish how much they want to spend

on a property that meets with their criteria.

Our maximum house price would be £300,000.

Our house hunters want to find property

located in the centre of Lisbon -

and now they've arrived here,

we're meeting up at a spot overlooking the city,

to learn more about what they're hoping to achieve

with this continental move.

James and Anne, thank you for bringing me to Lisbon -

what an amazing day and an amazing view!

Yes, it's lovely, it really is!

Good choice of city to live in.

I think so, too.

What brings you here?

I've got a new position starting in January this year, so for work.

And is it a full-time move,

are you going to be living here the whole time?

Well, we're both buying the property

but I will be living here most of the time and James some of the time.

Right, so the idea is that, James, you will be coming to visit?

Well, I'll still be working in the UK,

but hopefully spending as much time as possible,

when work allows, out here with Anne.

You want to move here because you love the city, or...?

I do love the city, and I like the excitement

of coming to live somewhere that's different from the UK.

Where in the city would you like to live?

Cos obviously there's lots of different districts.

I'd like to live somewhere in the old town of Lisbon

but most important is that it's convenient for me to get to work.

So, near a metro or walking distance.

What sort of apartment are you dreaming about?

What I'm dreaming about is one of the old-style apartment blocks,

with big windows, the azulejo tiles, the wooden floors...

-Those are those beautiful blue tiles that you see everywhere.

-Absolutely!

Absolutely. Very Portuguese and traditional.

James, what are you looking for in the property?

Well, I think one thing I'd quite like is a large sitting area,

where I'd be able to look out over a bit of a view of the city.

-OK, so we've got lovely properties, so let's go and see them.

-Excellent.

With a budget of £300,000,

Anne and James are looking for a city centre apartment

which would give Anne a short daily commute.

It should have a large living area, a minimum of two bedrooms,

a place to store James' bicycle and ideally some outdoor space,

and they'd like this in an elevated position with views over the city.

We're going to be tempting them with three potential properties,

the last of which will be out mystery house.

So, with Anne's job transfer to Lisbon due to start

in just a couple of months, the pressure is on

to find her and James an apartment they can call their home.

Our house-hunt begins in the desirable western district of Lapa,

which is knows by Lisboetas as "The Special Quarter".

For Anne, living here would mean a commute

of less than ten minutes' walk from our first property.

-OK, so this is the building that your apartment is in.

-Excellent.

Do you know this area? This is very close to where you work.

It is very close to where I work -

but I haven't been down THESE streets,

these streets are new to me.

What do you think about the neighbourhood?

I think the architecture's lovely,

and it's got a nice, quiet feel about it.

I think my only question, at the moment, is whether it's too quiet.

-So, the house is from the 1930s...

-Mm-hm.

..you've got the centre of the second floor here.

-Shall we have a look inside?

-I'd love to.

The block is only made up of three apartments.

The one we're looking at has Irish owners,

who completely renovated it seven years ago -

and as our buyers aren't interested in doing any work themselves,

I'm hoping that it's got the sort of look they might be after.

Step into the sitting room.

Very nice, it's got lovely windows.

With Juliet balconies, yes.

Not quite as big as I was hoping for.

Yeah, it's a fairly small apartment,

-it's about 90 square metres, all told.

-Mm.

-But I like the way it's been done up.

-Yeah.

It's actually in great nick, it's these lovely floors throughout,

and actually all the paintwork is immaculate.

-And...

-Excellent.

-..there's heating.

-Excellent.

Yes, cos a lot of the apartments in Lisbon don't

and it actually gets colder in the winter,

so you've got three months where you're like, "Brrrr".

So, gas heating throughout, which is actually a real bonus.

I think it's probably slightly smaller than we'd imagined

for the living room, but it's still quite a good size

and I like the walls not being straight,

I think that adds character to it.

These windows are facing east, so you get very early morning light,

-but all the light is in the other half of the house.

-OK.

So, let's have a look at the kitchen.

Through this central hallway,

into another, sort of, eccentrically-shaped kitchen.

Uh-huh. But it's quite sizable as a kitchen.

This would have been a balcony space out here

that they've sort of put in windows, so it's like a winter garden,

a small one. They use it as a wash room.

Cos this is the sunniest part,

this gets sun all day cos it's south facing.

Ah, of course. No, it's perfectly functionable.

Is it something you can imagine using, is it big enough?

I think it is big enough.

I mean, you could put a table and chairs out there

and reconfigure the space and the use of it

but I think it is big enough.

I think the kitchen's perfectly fine for us,

we weren't looking for a big kitchen.

Erm, we do cook, so we will eat in.

In the area it's in,

that's what you might expect for a budget.

This apartment might be smaller than our buyers were hoping for,

which means that it could be a tight squeeze to fit in James' bicycle.

Thankfully, there's more space down the hallway,

where there's both a handy shower room and a modern bathroom

that would act as the en-suite to the master bedroom.

So, you've got a lovely sort of suntrap,

this is directly south facing,

and outside, this little balcony area is quite big,

and actually quite a big space here.

This is by far the brightest room.

-Yes.

-Then you've got one other bedroom.

-This is obviously the back of the house, which is quieter.

-Yes.

But the view's quite nice, with the red rooftops and things.

Well, let's step out of the balcony...

This is your outside space, I'm afraid - not massive.

So, were you hoping for a garden?

Erm, we're not expecting a garden,

but it's nice to have somewhere where you can get the air

and feel a bit of the outside.

So, does this fit the bill?

Erm, I think it matches my expectations

of what might be possible in Lisbon.

OK, so what do you think this is on the market for?

I think, given the location it's probably something around 290?

I might guess slightly less than that, 270,000.

Well, actually, this is on at just under £242,000.

It's less than I'd have thought.

So, it gives you a benchmark of how much you get

-in the posh bits of Lisbon.

-Yes.

Falling comfortably under budget, this second floor apartment

is located in a quiet area and comes with two bedrooms,

one of which has a south facing balcony,

offering spectacular views of the city.

There's a separate kitchen and living room,

and to cater for those cooler winter months,

it has central heating built in.

Shall we go and explore some more of Lisbon?

-Let's do that.

-Follow me.

The next property we're viewing is in Alfama,

the oldest district in Lisbon.

In the early 19th century Fado music was born here.

Once described as the Portuguese blues, songs can be heard

at a number of Fado bars and restaurants dotted around.

-Do you know this part of Lisbon, Alfama?

-I know it a little bit.

This is drenched in Fado, this area.

We thought it would be better than the "um-cha, um-cha" of the clubs.

I agree with that. I definitely agree, that's right.

Mournful, "Ah, ah, ah, ah...!" all night long.

HE CHUCKLES

Well, that's definitely part of the factor of living here.

-It's a beautiful spot.

-It is beautiful.

Well, I think this part, Alfama, is lovely,

-so I'd be quite interested to see what you two think.

-Excellent!

Follow me, it's down here.

This district is also next to the quayside,

where Lisbon's cruise ships dock on the Tagus River,

and the apartment we've lined up

is just a 4km commute away from Anne's work in Lapa.

The apartment I want to show you is the one here on the top,

these three windows.

They're beautiful, with the tiles on the outside - really nice.

This is not such a quiet road,

but, actually, up there with the double glazing you barely notice it.

-Yeah.

-Let's have a look.

-Excellent.

The Portuguese tiles are just the sort of traditional look

our buyers asked for.

However, the architect owner has given the interior

of this apartment a more modern feel.

This one's for you, James, a big open space.

-Yeah, it's great.

-It's a good room.

-It's a goodie, isn't it?

So, to the front of the house, lots of sun.

Over there you can see the cruise liners coming in, that's the river.

-Yeah.

-Yeah, that's close.

And these three big Juliet balconies

with the lovely blue wrought iron period details outside.

But a very contemporary space inside, so nice lifted ceilings,

and then the original floorboards have been restored.

-This is much more like the thing we were imagining, I think.

-Yeah?

What they've done, they've redesigned the whole space

because this is about 14 square metres, just this room.

It was lots of little rooms before.

-They've moved the living space where it's nice and bright.

-Yeah.

I think it gives us the sort of space to have a sitting area, relaxing in,

-and also an office on one end of it, maybe.

-Yeah.

OK, so, let's move through into the back of the property.

Down the hallway are two bedrooms...

and two bathrooms...

and at the far end of the property is a third bedroom,

which comes with its own modern en suite, with a roll top bath.

This back room is obviously the master bedroom.

Yeah, it's quite big, actually.

And you have got these big MDF shutters,

so you can completely block out all the light and the sound.

And quite a nice view over the tiles.

-Yeah.

-The little houses.

-Yes.

-So, just to warn you, you are next to a Fado club.

-OK.

It might be something you need to acquire a taste for.

I think so! I'll get some good earplugs.

There's double glazing and the shutters, you know, is very good.

Does it have heating?

Interestingly, it does.

You can just about see these little squares.

-It actually has heating elements IN the walls.

-Really?

The radiators are in... Have you never come across that?

So it's a variant on underfloor heating, it's in-the-wall heating.

Yeah.

-A great deal of thought has gone into this apartment.

-Yes, it has.

And it looks like they've got quite a lot of storage space in there.

Yeah - and, actually, talking of storage...

..one of the great things about this house is it has so much storage.

-This is all storage. This is storage.

-Gosh.

This is a guest toilet.

But - look at this, James, this is for you.

ANNE LAUGHS

-Yes.

-It's a bicycle store.

-Yes.

-That's incredible.

-Especially made for bikes.

-It's incredible.

-It's incredible.

-I thought you'd like that!

-Yeah.

And the kitchen...

Oh, yeah, that's a nice, modern kitchen.

An extremely modern kitchen bringing in lots of light.

-You've got the drying balcony there.

-Uh-huh.

-Through those doors.

You've got a nice skylight here.

Then they've punched through this hole, so you've got the dining room

-through there so you can see through to your guests.

-Oh, that's good.

Yes, it's got some interesting tiles on the floor.

Yes, these are actually handmade in Alentejo,

which is south of here, in the countryside.

The owner had them made specially in these colours.

Is it something you could imagine working in, living in, cooking in?

I probably could, if I could get my head around it.

There's quite a bit of space, actually,

I could rattle around when I'm here on my own.

Yeah, it's a nice, contemporary space. I like the rooms.

It's great that despite being a noisy area,

both Anne and James are so positive about this property.

It's nice to come back into the sunshine. It's a lovely, big flat.

-It is.

-OK. So, how much do you think it's on the market for?

-I'm going to say 310.

-And I'm going to guess 300,000.

In this case, James is closer

because it's actually just under £299,000.

It's a lot of apartment in, I think, a great area.

That's right!

Valued at just under our buyers' maximum budget,

this contemporary designed flat has three double bedrooms,

a large living and dining area,

a kitchen with traditionally-designed floor tiles,

in-built wall heating

and a good storage area that could accommodate James' bicycle.

OK. So, that's one done.

-Excellent.

-OK.

-Moving on.

Both of our buyers are eager to familiarise themselves

with the Portuguese capital - particularly Anne

who will be mainly living here on her own.

So, we've arranged for them both to meet expat Celia,

who has lived here for over 30 years

and is part of an English-speaking theatre group.

-Hello. Lovely to meet you.

-This is our personal tram.

-It is!

-Shall we get on?

-Yes.

We're jumping on one of the early 20th-century designed

red sightseeing trams, which take a picturesque route

around the city centre

and will take us towards one of Celia's favourite spots.

-Would you say this is a good time for Anne to move here?

-Yes.

I think it is a good time, actually.

It's sort of finding itself in a new way now.

-Is the food good?

-I think it's wonderful -

and it's all home-cooked,

freshly bought that day from the market.

It couldn't be better. Just irresistible!

What advice have you got about learning to settle in into Lisbon?

Move around. Walk around. Get on a tram - that's what I did.

What about the language?

How important is it to learn, master, Portuguese?

I'd like to say it was very important,

-because I think you lose so much without it.

-Yes.

But having said that, I think it's more difficult to learn it now,

because so many people speak English.

To make real, seriously good friends,

-the language schools here are very good.

-What about outside Lisbon?

Are there lots of things to do outside of the city?

-James is a keen runner and cyclist.

-Oh, yes!

Even in Lisbon -

they've just recently finished cycle paths right along the river.

With the tram journey complete,

Celia has invited us to join her at a rooftop bar

so that our buyers can get more of a sense of what it's like

to live here in the city.

This is our moment to pick Celia's brains, really,

-about the pluses and minuses of being here.

-Mm-hm.

-What about the minuses?

-Minuses...

-What are the downsides of Lisbon?

Er, bureaucracy's not great.

Sometimes the attitude in shops and post offices can be a bit...

I would say unfriendly, almost,

but that's probably the first time you go in there.

Then the second or third time you go, then, suddenly,

"Oh... Oh, she's been here before,"

and you might get a smile.

-You have to make an effort to integrate and...?

-You do.

Are there any other sort of clubs or associations to join

-or link in with, at least to start?

-Lots of things.

There's a group which is called the British Historical Society,

which obviously originally was that -

very British sort of expat,

but it's not any more, it's very international.

They organise really, really interesting tours

to interesting places in Portugal.

How about the weather? Is it always this sunny?

-Ha, ha! You wish!

-THEY LAUGH

No. It can rain - and rain and rain.

I mean, last winter really was pretty bad.

I didn't think we were ever going to get to the end of it.

-Still warmer than the UK?

-It's a lot warmer.

But there is this problem that most houses are not heated,

and so whereas in England you can go inside at Christmas

and be in a short-sleeved shirt,

here you'll be in your polo-neck jumper with a scarf on indoors.

I'd just sort of be interested in the opportunities

and the positive side of living in Lisbon, as you see it.

There are so many different aspects to life here.

It's beautiful. And if you remember to look at what the city is,

instead of just driving past it, it's constantly beautiful.

Huge number of places to go, things to see, theatres,

concerts, you name it.

There's a huge number of things to do in Lisbon.

-Are you sold?

-I am sold.

THEY LAUGH

-Here's to Lisbon.

-Lisbon.

-Yes. Cheers.

Some helpful advice from Celia -

but before James and Anne consider laying down their roots in Lisbon,

there are some important practical points they should consider.

Firstly, the buying process is done in two stages,

and typically a 10-40% deposit is paid at the first stage

to secure the property.

After completion,

one of the biggest costs to consider is the property transfer tax

called IMT, which is similar to stamp duty

and is set on a sliding scale depending on the property price.

Lastly, if you choose to cash in on the profitable tourist trade,

remember that non-residents are obliged to pay tax

on any rental income.

All of the properties we've shown Anne and James so far

have been really in the centre of Lisbon,

and that's sort of limited how much of an outdoor space option

we can give them.

So, for the mystery house, we have got outside space,

a lovely big balcony and fantastic views.

Something that's quite difficult to achieve in the city centre.

Let's hope it works.

The final destination for our house-hunt

takes us 5km outside the city centre, to eastern Lisbon,

around the modern development known as Parque das Nacoes.

This was once an industrial wasteland,

but the site was completely transformed

for the World Expo in 1998.

-Now, I'm sure you're not surprised to be here...

-Correct.

..because any trip of Lisbon property wouldn't be correct

without having a bit of Expo.

-That's true.

-You know the area?

-I know it a little bit.

It doesn't feel like you're in Lisbon,

but then you do get the benefits of the water

and the wide boulevards and things.

It's completely different - this is why it's the mystery house.

Well, it's a world away from anything else I've seen in Lisbon so far.

-It has a slightly unreal feel to it.

-Yeah.

Well, you're not actually living right on the waterfront here.

The property I want to show you is a little bit further away,

so, let's go and see the property.

Expo is now one of the largest redevelopment projects in Europe,

with a desirable riverside residential neighbourhood

as well as bars, restaurants and shops.

The flat, traffic-free lanes around here make bike riding

the best form of transport, which will appeal to keen cyclist James.

Anne's journey to work would take around 45 minutes by bus

from our final property, which lies on the south side of this district.

What are your thoughts about this sort of block?

I think it's hard to say about the block until you see inside,

cos it is about what's inside rather than what's outside.

Not sure quite what it would be like

living in such a large block of flats.

This might not be the period property

that our buyers had in mind, but being only seven years old

it does have some useful purpose-built features,

including underground parking, where James could store his bike,

a video entry system,

and a lift that we're taking to get up to this fourth floor apartment.

-Well, this is the big selling point.

-It is.

As you can see, here we've given you what we haven't managed to give you

in any of the other houses, which is outside space.

And a good view of the river.

An amazing view of the river, yeah.

This is actually a long-term investment,

if you want to think about it in those terms,

because this whole area in front of us -

it doesn't look very appealing at the moment -

is actually going to be completely redeveloped in the next five years.

This little building here,

the modern building at the other side of the car park,

is stage one of a primary school.

This highway is going to be removed

and it's all going to be just local roads.

And why this is a good long-term investment

is that this is the south side of Expo,

this is the side closest to Lisbon.

Short term, it does mean that you have to watch a building site.

Yeah, I think, sadly,

we'd be more focusing on the shorter term than the longer term.

-Mm.

-I think so.

Having something that was nice now would be more valuable to us.

Well, that wasn't really the start I was after.

Continuing with the tour,

we're making our way to the kitchen next door.

Quite modest.

It is indeed.

-It's quite plain.

-Yes, it's quite Spartan.

All of these properties are thought of, often, as rental properties,

with the very basic kind of fittings and fixtures

that you move in and either do them up

for your own living standards...

Yeah, and that's obviously not really our plan, so...

This flat comes with two good-size double bedrooms

which both have built-in wardrobes.

But somehow I don't think that's enough to sway our buyers.

This is the master.

-It's quite small.

-A little bit.

-And...

-Does have heating, though.

Does have heating - looking on the positive side.

You do have an en-suite.

So there are two bathrooms, even for a small flat.

Yeah, I can see how it would work for rental,

but we're looking for somewhere to live in.

-Yes.

-Which isn't quite the same.

It was always a risk making this the mystery property,

but at least it reaffirms

that whilst there are lots of practical benefits to buying here,

they would rather find a home that they're emotionally drawn to.

So, have you had a thought about how much it might cost?

I would guess 260,000.

I think with the parking and storage it might be more,

so I'm going to say 270.

Right, OK. So actually this is on the market for just over £241,000.

Oh, OK.

For £241,000, this fourth floor property comes with two bedrooms,

which both have en suites,

a living room with an adjoining terrace offering great views

of the Tagus River, underground secure parking,

where James could store his bike,

and, with the area undergoing significant redevelopment,

there's a strong financial incentive to buying here.

OK, not such a grand finale,

but let's find somewhere we can sit

and talk about all the properties we've shown you in Lisbon,

-and draw some conclusions.

-Great.

I think it's no mystery

that the mystery house is not really a contender -

but I'd be very interested to find out which other properties

have charmed James and Anne.

Let's find out.

Well, it's been a long week here in Lisbon.

Because, James, you don't know the city so well -

has it been interesting seeing different neighbourhoods?

It has, yes.

I think I've seen a lot more of Lisbon this time

than I did previously.

And when we look at the houses and think back over them,

is there one that stands out as a clear contender?

I think the one that is a contender is the house in Alfama.

I think it's a really lovely property.

I think the thing that I'm not sure about is how noisy it might be

in the evening, because it is an area with clubs around it.

-Particularly Fado clubs.

-Particularly Fado clubs, yes!

If you go and you sort out

that the sound of the Fado singing is not too devastating,

what might happen in that instance?

Because you've got to start thinking about moving here, right?

I think we'd go back and have another look at the property.

Can you imagine actually living there if it worked out?

I think I could, in that flat, because it was a really nice flat,

and it had plenty of room, and it was finished to a high standard.

Great.

So, has the week focused your mind

on what it is that you do and don't want?

I think it's helped in showing what the money that we have

in our budget will buy.

Well, I hope wherever you end up, enjoy yourself here in Lisbon.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

That's it, that's the end of our first foray

into city living on the show,

and I hope you've enjoyed your tour of the sights, smells,

sounds and property of Lisbon -

and I think we did pretty well in finding that Alfama flat

for James and Anne.

All they have to do is get used to the sound of Fado

as they fall asleep.

And all you have to do is tune in next time for more

Escape To The Continent.

Anne and James decided that the apartment in Alfama

was too noisy for them.

Anne made a number of trips back to Lisbon,

and I'm pleased to say that she managed to find their dream home

in Lapa, the same district as the first property we showed them.

And we wish them the best of luck in their move.

If you're planning to escape to the continent

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