Where to live in Spain as retiring expats?
After over 6 years of full-time travel, this is the year we settle in Spain and work towards permanent residency.
Question is: where to have our base in Spain?
The answer is difficult. We did a lot of reading and went back and forth a few times over what is most important to us, modifying our shortlist multiple times.
Different people will have different criteria. With that in mind, here are ours
A) What we’re looking for in choosing our base in Spain.
- We prefer mid-sized cities, with the convenience of city life and nature in proximity.
- Public transport is important to us.
- We want to be within 3 hours of a major airport with accessibility by train.
- We like mountains and the sea but don’t need both (although a location close to both would be perfection for us).
- We don’t want to be in an overly-touristed or high-expat location. Lissette and I both speak Spanish in varying degrees and want to integrate into the local community.
- We’d like to be in a place of interest to tourists for the sole reason we’d like to run an Airbnb or be involved in tourism one day (although, as per above, we prefer a spot not over-touristed ex. Barcelona).
- Cost of living is important to us. We’re moving to Spain to retire, not work.
- Temperature. We know the south will be very hot in summer, the north cold in winter. I’m ok with heat, Lissette prefers cold…We know compromises have to be made.
B) What we know we don’t want:
- We want Spanish to be the main language. As mentioned above we both speak Spanish and don’t want to be dealing with Catalan or Basque and, having lived in Quebec, don’t want to be dealing with separatist issues in our new home.
- The other thing learned from our prior experience (living in Croatia): we don’t want to be in a place that dies when the tourists leave. We want to be in a vibrant Spanish city not dependent on tourism. So no seasonal beach towns. ie. we want a “real”city.
With the above criteria in mind, below are the 6 cities on our list, along with perceived Pros and Cons based on our reading.
Malaga
I’m 99% sure Malaga won’t be our future base.
Malaga is the gateway to Southern Spain (more specifically the Costa del Sol) with flights from all over Europe as well as a few to North America and the Middle East. That´s a Pro. It has lots of nearby beaches, lots of expats and tons of tourists (many coming in on cruise ships). Temperatures are hot, but moderated by Mediterranean breezes. It is a busy, bustling place and is relatively inexpensive as a place to live (compared to cities like Madrid, Barcelona and San Sebastian). As an indication, the average 3 bedroom apartment is listed at about 775 Euros/month in Malaga (outside the center). Malaga also has a metro system.
Cons: very touristy and a preliminary look at apartment rentals on Idealista (which is the most popular real estate site in Spain) indicates that many apartments are rented only outside tourist season. Malaga attracts many expats (mostly Brits) but most come here to work, they’re not retirees. Another con is the architecture: Malaga (along with most of the Costa del Sol) is a hodgepodge of unattractive apartment buildings. It’s not the Spain that attracts us.
Yet I’ve read a few people who knew all the above about Malaga but ended up seeing a whole different side of the city. They fell in love with it. So we’ll spend a few days looking around – besides which Malaga has a few very interesting highlights (the Castillo de Gibralfaro and the Moorish Alcazaba being at the top of the list).
Update: We didn’t like Malaga, rating it a 2/5 as a place to live (for us). More here: Could we live in Malaga (Spain)? Our Impressions and highlights
Granada
Granada is near the top of our list of potential future bases.
It has a beautiful old town (it’s famous for the Alhambra, one of Spain’s highlights) and proximity to mountains and sea. There’s lots of beautiful nature surrounding Granada. It is a smaller sized city with a relaxed pace of life. It is also very affordable, with the average 3 bedroom apartment listed at less than 700 Euros/month. Granada is touristy but tourists come here short term with culture (and not beaches and partying) in mind. Granada does have expats but they make up a small percentage of the population.
Cons. Granada gets very hot in summer, just like Seville. There is no moderating effect from the sea. Also, Granada has a small airport with expensive domestic flights. It is 90 minutes by bus to the airport in Malaga or 1 hr 20 min by high speed train.
I know of a few other bloggers happily living in Grenada who have only good things to say. I know there are some negatives but the more I read the more I think we would be happy there.
We’re intending to give Grenada 5 days to get a good feel for the city.
Update: We liked Granada and it is definitely a city on our shortlist. We´re giving it a 3 ½ out of 5 for now. More: Granada (Spain) as an expat – could we live here? The Pros and Cons
Jaen
I have no idea really what to expect of Jaen – but Norah (a friend of a reader of the blog) has been very helpful is giving us advice on Spain and invited us to visit her.
Jaen looks like a pretty, small-sized city. Although overshadowed by nearby Granada and Seville, tourists come to Jaen for its cathedral, hilltop castle and the largest Arab baths in Spain. Jaen is also known for its olive oil (it produces 60% of Spain’s olive oil).
It’s historical center is dominated by a large cathedral. It is a hilly city with steep, narrow streets and (like Granada) views of close by mountains.
Cost of living is low, you can find a 3 bedroom apartment in the center for 650 Euros. Jaen is on the train lines and it takes 3 hours to Malaga and 4 hours to Madrid.
We don’t have high hopes for Jaen as an expat base but since we are passing through in this direction we’ll stop and have a look (2 days) while also meeting Norah.
Update: We didn’t have any expectations of Jaen but liked the city. Still, It is not the ideal starter base in Spain. We gave it a 2/5 for now. More: Andalusia’s underrated city: Jaen. And tips for foreigners working towards Spanish residency…
Alicante
I would say that Alicante is among the top options based on our reading. A mid-sized city on the coast, it is lively and international, affordable (about 650 Euro for a 3 bedroom apartment just outside the center), and 2 hours by train from Madrid. You can get around the city by tram (something we really like). Weather wise, summers are hot and winters are mild. Alicante’s Airport is the 5th busiest in Spain and has flights to destinations all over Europe.
Cons. There are a lot of expats living in Alicante. I have nothing against expats but I think we want to integrate into Spanish life and having too many expats around makes it too easy not to integrate. There’s also a lot of tourism in the summer which can be overwhelming.
Otherwise, I can’t see much wrong with Alicante on paper. We’ll just have to see how we feel about it when we visit.
Update: We didn´t like Alicante at all. A 1 out of 5 for us. For those considering Alicante as a place to live in Spain…
Valencia
I originally didn’t have Valencia on this list because they speak Valencian (a dialect of Catalan) in Valencia. As stated above, we both speak Spanish in varying degrees and we’re coming to Spain to speak Spanish. We don’t want to be learning Catalan, Valencian or any other language.
What changed my mind was speaking to Glenn, a reader who I met in San Miguel de Allende (Mexico) last year. He’s just moved to Valencia after going through the same Spanish non-lucrative Visa experience we’ll be going through.
Anyway, he loves Valencia and says everyone speaks Spanish (according to him only older people are unilingual in Valencian).
Pros of Valencia: Beautiful city with a mix of old and modern, vibrant, great beaches, nature all around. Good food, great café culture. Like Alicante, summers are hot (but not as hot as Granada or Seville). It has an airport with flights all over Europe. A bit more expensive for rent than Alicante but still much cheaper than Barcelona, Madrid and San Sebastian. There’s a metro which is great for getting around.
Cons. I haven’t come across any negatives in my reading.
Update: Great city that has made it high on our list. A 4 out of 5. Valencia (Spain): could this be the place we choose to live in Spain?
León
Leon is not a place that attracts expats. Which also makes it interesting to us.
Leon is a beautiful and historic city in the northwest of Spain, an easy 2 hour trip to Madrid on the high-speed train. It’s a cultural destination (part of the Camino de Santiago) as well as a foodie destination. So it attracts tourists. It’s a lively city with many bars and restaurants and you get free tapas with drinks. Its climate is cooler than other parts of Spain and is quite cold in winter (which would make Lissette happy). Leon is also one of Spain’s cheapest cities.
Cons. No beaches anywhere close. I’ve also read that people in Northern Spain are not as friendly as those further south (don’t shoot me. That’s just what I’ve read).
Note: our friend Patti who’s a bit of an expert on the Camino de Santiago is very high on Leon and recommended we check it out.
Update: We got to know Leon very well because Covid struck when we were halfway through our scouting trip. We ended up being in Leon for 4 months. Impressions: nice city but we couldn´t see ourselves living there.
2024 Update
It´s been 4 years since I wrote the above.
After being stuck in León for 4 months due to Covid, we went back to Canada to apply for our Spanish non-lucrative Visa. In October of 2020 we came back to Spain and ended up in a small seaside town called Nerja.
I wrote about that here (the title is a great summary of why we chose Nerja): Why we chose Nerja as our new home in Spain (and why it’s perfect for the times).
After 2 ½ years in Nerja, we moved to the beautiful inland city of Antequera. We felt Nerja was too small, was culturally boring, wasn´t well connected by public transport and – post Covid – that it had too many expats and tourists.
Antequera was the complete opposite and we mostly loved it. But after a year we decided that it wasn´t our forever place and that we wanted to move on.
More reading: Living in Antequera (compared to Nerja)
In 2024 we moved to Granada. So in a way we feel we´ve come full circle. While we really liked Antequera, we needed a slightly bigger city that was more cosmopolitan and more ¨happening¨ than Antequera. Granada is all that. I touch on that here and talk about the challenges of finding an apartment in Granada here.
Our Spain-only blog Mapping Spain covers the subject of ¨Where to live in Spain¨ in much more detail. There you´ll find more detail on the above as well as coverage of many other towns and cities.
Also don´t forget to join our Mapping Spain Facebook Group, a private group covering all aspects of life in Spain.
Related: What’s it like living in Nerja? The Pros and the Cons
Related: We’ve moved! A new start in Spain (and in our lives…)
Great! I’m looking into moving to Granada. Location, people & amenities
This is so so helpful! I was in Gandia last year but didn’t find it that interesting. Moved up to Valencia and liked it a lot. However, I’m curious to visit the other cities you mentioned … and your descriptions are very good. I will check out Malaga and Granada sometime this year to see if I could envisage myself living there.
I too am Canadian but have been living in Paris (France) for several decades. I do not wish to retire in France, nor do I wish to return to Canada. Sunshine makes all the difference, as does friendly people and other things that Spain offers, which is why I would like to eventually retire there.
Thank you for the comment Juliet. That’s how we feel as well 🙂
Did you investigate Cartagena or Malaga by chance? My checklist is similar to yours and prefer the beach nearby.
Great blog!
Are you still in Nerja? Or have you found another base in Spain? I ask, in part, because your criteria for choosing a place to live are very similar to those of my husband and myself, and I can’t help wondering how your search has unfolded.
About us: I’m a retired scientist/academic originally from NYC, and my husband is a retired physicist from London, but we lived for decades in the San Francisco Bay Area before moving to Amsterdam four years ago. I speak French fairly fluently, and can understand a lot of Spanish, but only if spoken slowly. My husband’s skills in Spanish are even more limited, unfortunately. So we’re definitely looking for places that while authentically Spanish also include a reasonable year-round expat population. We expect to keep Amsterdam as our home base, so our search is really only for the long Amsterdam winter: November through April. (In this way, we’re being typical of many Dutch.) We’ll want to find a rental for those months initially, and if a place really suits us, we’ll look into buying something (and perhaps rent out our place during the summer months, when we would be back in Amsterdam).
Since we live in a (wonderful) city, our focus for the winter months is on nature, sunshine and warmth. Our ideal place would be on the coast, in a beautiful village or town that retains its Spanish character (limited or no high-rise buildings), with cafes, tapas places, weekly markets, shops and services, access to hiking, and a very social and inviting local population, including expats.
We’re heading down to southern Spain in just over a week and will spend a month driving around. Nerja and Frigiliana seem to fit all our criteria, which is why we’re focusing on that area first. We’ll also spend some time in Malaga, Estepona and Cadiz, but are open to recommendations for other places. (Cadiz is the only place we’re considering not on the CdS — but it’s within easy reach of Sevilla, for both periodic city/culture fixes and direct flights to Amsterdam.)
Any suggestions for places not on our list?
Thanks!
Kimmen
Hi Kimmen!
We’re actually planning on making a move sometime over the next few months. I won’t mention where because I don’t want to jinx it, we’re working on our plans. But it won’t be on the coast.
I think for a part-time winter destination, Nerja is great. Estepona is as well (haven’t been, but we had a couple that we knew here who moved there). So I think you’re on the right track with the places on your list. Since you have a car, you might want to also visit Almuñécar. Lots of people say good things about it (we’re planning to visit over the next few weeks). The problem with the CDS are all those communities lining the coast with ugly apartment buildings. As I say, I think you’re on the right track with your list.
Best of luck!
Frank
I am an Asturian living in Orange County California. I may be biased but Asturias offers natural beauty (It is known in Spain as the natural paradise of the country), the closest mountain range to the sea of all continental Europe (Picos de Europa, 28 km. from the coast) mid-size cities, good transportation, history (The cradle of Spain), incredible food, very low cost of living, raw nature with bears and wolves roaming on the wild and the most important of all: the people. The only negative may be the rain (It does have 40 tonalities of green in its landscape) and the cold in December – March. It is been untouched by mass tourism and still retains the old way of life that many visitors are looking for. I hope it helps.
Thank you Luis! We just moved to Spain and have started a website on (only) Spain. One of the things we’re doing in interviewing people living in different parts of the country to highlight lesser-known regions. Example on Galicia. I’m wondering if you’d be interested in participating on an interview on Asturias? Would love to hear from a native Asturian 🙂
Well done. Great to have others opinions.
We’ve been to all the places mentioned and really dislike all!
Smaller places are far more friendly with far less noise crime and stress!
Sorry can’t tell you were we live😎
I recently traveled through parts of Spain and fell in love with Salamanca. I hear it’s more expensive to live there but I believe it would all the amenities you are looking for.
Thanks Mico. Someone else also mentioned Salamanca. I know it’s a beautiful place…but what makes it a good place to live? I’d be curious.
In any case, we’ll have to visit one day.
Thank you for taking the time to comment!
Hi,
thanks for your interesting blog. Since years I (German) am living in Chiang Mai/Thailand, what is generally a very nice place with lovely nature around. Unfortunately the air from January till May is super bad because they burn the forests and fields. Also I am missing beautiful cities with old building. So we decided to go back to Europe in the future.
The requirements of the area are: good sized city with beautiful buildings and an international airport nearby, not too hot in summer and not a long time freezing cold in winter, beautiful surroundings and affordable prices.
My first thought was Portugal. But after chatting with some expats the idea died because all of them said, that it´s very wet and cold in winter because the near Atlantic Ocean.
The next idea was southern Spain and there Malaga. The other cities you mentioned are nice – but the weather…. Valencia is another interesting option too. The city is for sure more beautiful, BUT the weather is not so good as in Malaga and, that´s the biggest drawback, the province Andalusia is so much more beautiful and there are so many more cities, villages and nature places to visit. Perfect for one or two day trips. Also it´s easy and quick to drive to Portugal for sightseeing tours. These options are not comparable with Valencia. So I guess we will travel to Malaga soon to find out how is the real life there.
Kind regards from Chris
Hi Christoph,
My mother lived over 5 years in Chiang Mai (she ended up moving to San Miguel de Allende in Mexico) and I’ve also gone a few times. Totally agree about the air pollution. And I understand why after Chiang Mai you’d be looking for some European culture.
Not entire true about Portugal. Lisbon gets 290 days of sunshine, one of the sunniest capitals. The Algarve also gets tons of sunshine. And the Portuguese speak more English.
We prefer Spain and though and we also speak the language so for us an easy choice. And totally agree with you about Andalusia. Lots to see in the region.
Good luck with the search and let me know how it goes! Always nice seeing where other expats end up.
I am so thankful to have stumbled across this, I feel like i am staring at my own reflection! Such an interesting read and I resonate with so many comments that you have regarding specific cities in Spain. It is frustrating to feel the love for a country, people and lifestyle but not quite find the place. Personally I really liked Valencia but have realised that living in a city apartment isn’t want i want either. Now we have a bit more freedom I am looking to concentrate on some areas outside of Valencia accessible by metro and a few working towns such as Velez Malaga and Coin which are not far from Malaga for a culture fix! I am currently in Almeria province at present after being locked-down after a pet sit. The landscape is so dramatic but it’s so over-run with Brits that you could be in Blackpool! Good luck with finding your Shangri-la, I wonder where you will end up!
Thank you so much for your comment Julia!
We are totally in the same boat. And thank you for your mention of Brits in Almeria (we haven’t been) – we don’t want to be in an expat enclave. It’s exactly what we don’t want. We also don’t want to be in a big city anymore. But neither do we want to be too far from any large airport.
For now Granada ticks most of our boxes but it’s not perfect either. Maybe no place is. But when we go back to Spain we’ll hunt around again for a while….
I’m actually writing a post on the subject for this weekend so I appreciate your input.
This is a very informative web page for those interested in retiring to Spain. Our criteria for the place where we would like to live are almost identical to yours. The only exceptions are that we have no interest in running an AirBnB and we are willing to travel a bit more on a train to get to a major airport. We both speak Spanish (spouse is Mexican) and are looking for a mid-size city that is active year-round. Based on a few Spanish vacations, our choice to date has been Valencia which has everything we want except it is hot and humid the summer. For this reason, our next trip to Spain will have us visit Galicia and Asturias and hope to spend time in the major cities there – including Vigo, La Coruña, Gijón, and Oviedo. Based on a lot of reading and house-hunting using Idealista, we would put Oviedo in first place. But, as you know, being there in person is not the same as internet surfing. That being said, I hope you visit Oviedo and even Gijón and post your evaluations on-line. I have visited most of the cities on your list (except Alicante and Jaen) and agree with your comments. Again, your blog could not have been better timed for us. We hope to visit Spain in the spring of 2021.
Thank for the comment Tom, nice to meet people in the same situation.
We just left Spain after 5 months there (most of it in lockdown). We’re working on our Visa and hope to be back in the fall for a further look. We unfortunately missed Gijon and Oviedo on this trip but would like to go back and check them out.
Valencia was our first choice. And then the virus hit. I have to admit it’s changed our priorities and we want to be closer to nature. So when we go back we’ll be checking out a few places along the coast like Nerja, Almeria, Denia and Xabia .
Yes, I’ve found for Spain you really have to visit the different places. It’s hard to strike the right balance. We had lived a year in Croatia, the primary reason being that we had fallen instantaneously in love with Split. Long term though we didn’t see a future in Croatia and live is much easier for us when we travel in Spain…the problem is that there’s no one place that we’ve fallen in love with.
So we’ll try again. Will keep updating this blog with our findings 🙂
Glad you made it back safe and sound. I look forward to your updates this fall. We have also thought of Dénia and Javea (and Gandia and Collera – which are an easy train ride into Valencia). But I think the summers would be too hot and humid for me. They also may be too quiet for us in the off-season. So keep traveling and writing!
You should have a look at Oviedo in Asturias. The weather there is glorious, they have a good regional airport, it’s not as expensive as some of your other choices, there are great ruins and fabulous romanesque churches, etc., etc. As mentioned above, you can also tour Gijon when you are there. I’d be very cautious about southern Spain due to the high temps in the summer. Good luck.
Thank you very much Rich.
We’ve actually been in Leon, stuck here (3 months now) since lockdown. We’ll try to make it up to Oviedo (and Gijon) before we leave Spain.
Since you’ve been in Leon for a while, are there smaller towns just outside Leon that are nice in terms of livability? I’ve lived in various states in the US, and I love Texas (lived there most of my life) and I am really enjoying central Arkansas. We live in a gated community that is mostly rural, with a 20 minute drive to Hot Springs, 30 minutes to Benton, and 50 minutes to Little Rock (lol, I pretty much pinpointed where I am). I do like warm weather, but I don’t mind a little cold as long as it is not for several months at a time, nor do I care for a lot of snow. Leon has been an interest to me for a few years now, and I am not particularly fond of living in a city, so that’s why I’ve asked about a smaller village just outside of Leon.
Hi! We were stuck in Leon during Covid lockdown so we didn’t get a chance to travel around at all. Lots of nice cities in the region (like Burgos) and we have a reader on our Spain-only blog Mapping Spain (you might want to join) who has just written about a small town called Haro in La Rioja. Likes the town and wanted to get away from the extreme heat of the south and all the expats. That interview should be published tomorrow.
But otherwise, no, not personally familiar with smaller towns in the region.
I am danish and I have visited everyone of these cities and lived in some of them. I would reconsider Sevilla, if not, i would choose Valencia. Valencia is a lively city, great food and big enough to absorb the tourism. The climate is close to the best Spain has to offer (the interior can get pretty cold in the winter), you have beach access and ferries to the Balearic islands. Valencia and Alicante has similar things to offer, the difference is that Valencia is more lively, has a lot more variety. Forget Jaen. It is a rundown place struggling with poverty (nice people though). About Granada. The center is beautiful, great for postcards, but there are too many tourists all year which affect the cultural life. (The “albayzin” neighbourhood is basically one big Airbnb). The winters can get colder than you might expect there because of the mountains, and when it come to food and going out I would take Sevilla over Granada any day!!! Malaga, as you mentioned, is a tourist nightmare, I would remove it from the list (great climate though). Leon would be a very different choice. The people are different in the north and the winters are much harder. Really it is a matter of preference. However, if you are looking for an authentic spanish experience, I would reconsider Sevilla. The culturel life of Seville is unique, the food is so good if you know where to go, and I met so many wonderful people there. Only in the Cadiz region have I experienced something similar. I agree the city center has too many tourists, but the city has so much more to offer, many, many spectacular places that the tourists never reach. I agree, the summers are hot, you will have to learn to live like a local (siiiiiiesta!!) and you have no direct beach access, but I actually prefer that, beach tourism creates many many problems as you also have noticed. For beaches ,the Cadiz region has many hidden gems. Personally I really like the Cadiz region but the cities there are smaller and more laid back.
To sum up, for me it would be a choice between Valencia or Sevilla, both great cities.
Hi Martin,
Thank you very much for your comment, it’s very helpful. We’re actually in Leon in lockdown (have been here for 2+ months now).
We’ve visited all the places I’ve mentioned in this post and the places at the top of our list are Valencia, Granada, or (as you say) Seville. Prior to lockdown we were sure Valencia was the place but I find myself struggling with it now and find myself preferring a smaller city. I think with the virus I’ve just changed priorities and being in an urban center just doesn’t have the appeal it did. We’re not in a rush to choose so I think we might go have a look at Nerja and smaller municipalities near Malaga.
Unlike in Croatia where we absolutely fell in love with Split (we lived there a year) when we saw first saw it we haven’t had any place in Spain that’s really jumped out at us. We’re happy to be in Spain and our time has just confirmed that we want to settle here. But as far as a particular place all have had pluses and minuses…and none have really excited us as a base. So I think we’ll have to explore more and also go back to the places on the shortlist and spend a bit more time. But I’m also open to any suggestions you have. I’ve had a few people mention the Cadiz region so I’m curious about that…and smaller and more laid back are fine.
Hi!
I keep reading your blog since I landed in Split a year and a half ago. Your description of the places is very accurate and similar to what my husband and I have experienced regarding Split living as expat (I am not exactly an expat, I am a croat who returned to learn my mother tongue). Rene and I are based in Spain. First two years in Madrid (too busy, too expensive, too much of a city). After that we made a research around Spain to find another base. First stop was Salamanca, lovely inland city, very affordable bad hit by extreme weather peaks, I mean too hot in summer and too cold in winter. Next stop was Tenerife (too little, too turisty, too far away from Europe and depending on flights to connect with the penninsula). We also checked Granada, too hot in summer and too cold in winter, very packed up architecture, narrow streets uphill and downhill. Friendly people and beautiful landscape all around. The beach is only 40 minutes away and Sierra Nevada is also near if you fancy winter sports. Free tapas with drinks. We also checked Santiago de Compostella (rainy weather and Galego dialect); Barcelona (same as Madrid, expensive, Catalan language, touristy and not safe). We looked up Valencia and didn’t like the language issue. Finally we are in Malaga Province, Mijas. We don’t live in Malaga city but in a smaller town by the coast only 15 minutes from Marbella and from Fuengirola. I cannot think of a better place to be in Spain. We can enjoy city life, golf, beach, trekking and peaceful home all at the same time. Airport is only 35 minutes away. What I mean, to live in Malaga doesn’t exactly mean you live in the city, you can chose within the province some lovely inland cities like awesome Ronda or Antequera, Mijas Pueblo, Casares, Estepona, Marbella, etc. I would advise you to check on all those before making a final decision. But nothing has to be final, you can always move from one place to another if you do’t feel happy.
Great comment, thanks for the feedback Valentina. I like your summary of the different places, some as we experienced / some as we thought from reading.
I think what may be ideal for some may not be ideal for others. We were in both Malaga and Alicante where you have beautiful, peaceful boardwalks on the sea. We were especially impressed with the beach in Alicante and how you can take the tram from the center and be right at the beach in 10 minutes. Fantastic if you like the beach. But it’s not us…just can’t see us living in another block apartment by the sea. And we’re not golfers either.
We like an authentic Spanish city which we why we enjoyed both Seville and Granada. We have Valencia next on the list and then Leon and I think Salamanca (I’m glad you mention it’s lovely. We had a Spanish person recommend it as well). Weather not too much of a factor, we’re from Canada 🙂
And your last line absolutely correct. We can choose a place initially and if not happy we can always move. We already know (we’ve been in Spain now almost 4 weeks) that we would be happy living in this country.
I’m looking forward to finding out where you both decide on. For me, Nerja in the suth of Spain is perfect! But we all look for different things when moving. Wishing you both all the best with your plans.
Thanks Nicola. We considered Nerja but we had people mention it as more of a beach town that gets too busy in the summer / too dead in the winter. After having lived in Split (Croatia) we really wanted to get away from that and live in a city than a beach community. We also thought that long term it would be too small, we’ve always been city people. Just a question of preferences 🙂
This will be an exciting year for you and I am really curious where you will end up. Spain is a great country and easy to live I guess. Actually it would be the second choice for us too – after Berlin. I think we would prefer Madrid though…
i like the look of Jaen. as it’s so coastal it will be hot but cool breezes may offer some relief. For me I really loved Seville and if i was living there I guess I could escape to other parts of Europe from May to August (eg Ukraine). its very handy and easy to get around. much friendlier than say a big town like Barcelona. BUT it does see a LOT of tourists these days. I reckon Jaen is worth considering
Actually Jaen is in the interior and hot. But we’ll check it out anyway, we have a friend we’ll visit there and it’s always good to get a local’s insight. And what you say is exactly what Lissette says – escape to somewhere else in the summer when it’s too hot. And Ukraine exactly what she has in mind 😉
It’s interesting to read about cities from Spain, my country. As I told you once, I’m from Javea, a very beautiful town between Alicante and Valencia. The only problem with this town, it’s that is very quiet in winter… and there are many expats, so is more an international place, I would say. Reading what you wrote, I think I would choose Valencia, it’s a really impressive city; nice weather, very affordable, stunning architecture, great metro system and trams, beach, perfect size (around 1 million, you can go almost everywhere walking), and a good airport with connections to many cities in Europe. Regarding the local language, Valencian, don’t worry… In the city of Valencia more than 90% speak spanish as their first language. Valencian is only widely spoken in the countryside, not in the city.
Thank you very much for the feedback Spanish Guy. All very good information.
Something that I forgot to mention is that there are fast trains from Valencia to Madrid, so It takes only 90 minutes from Valencia to get to Madrid (it’s quite impressive when you think that there are almost 500 kms between both cities). A couple of times for paperwork I had to go to Madrid in the morning and I came back in the afternoon. It’s quite affordable, and now from this year a low cost service is going to start, so I guess that you will be able to get to Madrid for no more than 25 euros.
That IS excellent.
What are your thoughts on Alicante?
I have lived in both cities. Valencia and Alicante are two completely different cities; Valencia is much bigger with a lot to offer regarding sightseeing, architecture, culture, bars and restaurants… Alicante in comparison is quite small (350000 inhabitants), with much less to offer but very comfortable to live. The two things in my opinion that are better in Alicante compared to Valencia are: in Alicante the sea it’s right in the center, I mean, the beach and the promenade is the center of the city… in Valencia the sea is far way, 6 km from the historical center… so I would say that Valencia is more a “river city” (a river that is an impressive huge park of 8 kms, by the way), and Alicante a “beach city”. The second thing is the airport, both are airports with good connections to many cities in Europe… but the airport in Alicante has much more to offer: you can fly to almost every city in Northern Europe, good connections to Eastern Europe as well… and also many flights to Russia. I hope that is was interesting and helpful what I wrote.
Super helpful! Thank you so much for the info.
I have a question a little bit out of topic if you don’t mind.
It is my understanding that you traveled in Asia for a while. I have heard that many move there for retirement due to more affordable lifestyle. Did you ever consider it?
Hi Sandris. You replied to Spanish guy but I’m assuming the question was meant for me.
We’ve spent some time in Asia, mostly Thailand. And we really like it, and it IS cheap. It’s an option, I think there are 2 main obstacles: 1) language and culture. Great for a holiday but long term, will you ever integrate in Thailand? For many it’s too foreign a culture and they will always be outsiders. 2) It’s “developed world” living. Some people have a hard time with that and would rather be somewhere like Spain (where we are). It all depends who you are, if you’re single or a couple, what your financial situation is, and what you’re looking for. I could definitely be a few years in Thailand…but I don’t think my wife could.
So many decisions to make and what fun you’ll have as you explore your options. I’m a total believer in serendipity but also think that making a major decision is kind of a series of steps until you see your sign. When you find the place that you feel at home, you’ll know it! P.S. Putting in my two bits, I love Granada, Valencia and Leon. I leave tomorrow for a week in Malaga and surrounding areas and the fact that you mentioned it in your short list has me intrigued.
Ahh, thanks Anita! I’m glad you mention Leon because Lissette’s been moaning about the heat in Montenegro (where we are now) and I’m thinking that we’re going to have to look for a base in Northern Spain. So she was fine with Split, but take her to the other side of the Med and suddenly heat is an issue 🙂
Enjoy Malaga and let me know how you find it. You’ll be leaving just as we’re arriving.
I don’t have any recommendations because I visited only those Spanish cities that you excluded from your list. Therefore it will be terribly exciting to follow you this spring.
Buen viaje!
Thanks Victor. So of the places you saw, where would you live?
By the way, tomorrow arriving at your favorite town in Montenegro: Budva. Will be there for 5 nights before taking the train to Belgrade.
Nowhere. Spain is not my country.
I hope the weather in Budva will be good and you try to repeat my favorite route (the long one) from Budva to Sveti Stefan or at least to Rafailovici.
We are in Torino, Italy, right now.
Yes, we like long walks and will be doing it. Thanks Victor.
HI Frank,
I did read from other travel bloggers too about the cockroach or cockroaches problem that they encountered in some part of Spain. I guess besides the high cost of rental that may be prevalent in some part of Spain; that is also one of the problems that one may have to beware of before one embark on the journey there. By the way, I am planning to go to Barcelona to study and to teach. I hope there is no cockroach or cockroaches problem there. Anyway, I am not that keen on Barcelona due to it being more like a concrete jungle though it has some very interesting architecture. But, I guess I would try living there for one year and and then perhaps, check out other places that may be more suitable to be called home.
Congratulations Wendy! You must be pretty excited, people would die to live in Barcelona. It’s supposed to be an expensive but incredibly beautiful city.
Hey Frank & Lissette ~ I don’t know how much of an expert I (we) am but thanks for the vote of confidence. I do love a good long walk. Okay, so you already know how I feel about Leon, I hope you get there and give it a shot before you choose. There was something very special that spoke to both of us and it’s a city we’d love to return to one day. Maybe by train, not our feet. 😉
We have also been to Malaga. We spent 10 days and it was exactly what we needed after spending 3 months of non-stop fairly fast travel throughout Europe. There is a post on the blog, “How to Spend Ten Days in Malaga” The city, I think, is a combination. The beaches were nice, a paved pedestrian promenade that we enjoyed nearly every day. The city does have a tourist population and a high end shopping district, but once you move away from there, you’ll find a lovely historic city. The people were friendly, although I got a brutal scolding from a bus driver 😉 but I couldn’t understand a word he said. I used the wrong door.
As much as I loved Malaga (beautiful waterfront, great food, history etc.,) I think it may not be the place to settle, but well-worth checking out.
We visited Seville, in August, and I thought I would die. I could never live there because of the heat – and yeah, cockroaches?! No thanks. We lived in Hawaii for a year and it cured me forever.
Safe travels, can’t wait to hear where you settle!
Thanks so much Patti. Very nice to hear and I’ll be looking at Malaga differently. I’ve added to Airbnb link to your comment.
Frank and Lissette, very interesting post. So your hunt for a place to call home is almost upon you, exciting times. Spain is definitely a country I could see myself living very happily indeed. Your selected places above all look like good possibilities, I know them all, apart from Jaen and Leon. For me, Valencia and Malaga would be top of the list. I am looking forward to following along and finding out what are your thoughts on each place you visit, and then finally which city will become home for you. Enjoy the search.
Have you been to Malaga Gilda? I’ve gotten a negative impression of the city from various reading but you’re the 2nd person who’s mentioned it as one of their top picks. And which other cities on the list have you seen?
We were in Seville for almost three weeks and didn’t see a single cockroach. Maybe it varies based on the time of year? Anyway, we LOVED Seville and didn’t love Valencia nearly as much. We found that in Seville the locals and tourists were more integrated and the locals were more friendly. In Valencia, the locals and tourists were more separate and the locals seemed annoyed with the tourists (we actually got thanked more than once for trying to speak Spanish). Now, if you are moving there for good and speak Spanish, you might prefer Valancia for the very reason that the tourists seem more segregated. But, as tourists, we preferred Seville and could seriously see ourselves living there someday.
Thank you for the feedback. Curious. We were in Seville in September and October of 2016. As I say we loved it but we did see a lot of cockroaches on the streets at night which we found odd. Maybe they’ve fixed that? But it’s also a very hot city (supposedly the hottest city in Europe) which is maybe the worst thing going against it. But we’ll always keep it in mind if the other places on the list don’t inspire us.
Frank, while in the area, check out Motril. It’s south of Granada and not too touristy. I was thinking about it for a base in the south during winter occasionally.
Thanks Ted. I think you had mentioned it to me previously and had looked into it – but I just thought Granada is far enough from bit airports, and then to take the bus to the coast…I think Lissette would divorce me (she hates those buses!). But it’s a place we would visit when living in Spain, looks beautiful with the sea and snow-capped mountains in the background. Actually looks like some of the coastlines in the Adriatic (I’m in Kotor as I write this. Wow).
But thank you for the recommendation and if you have others keep on suggesting!
I would have thought Granada would be full of tourists, unless there’s a suburb away from them.
Leon I’ve been to, but only overnight. Like Pamplona, though, it’s full of Peregrinos (more than Pamplona) waking people up at unearthly hours, stomping along the streets with those metal tipped poles. Plus it is way too far from an airport and the train was slower than the bus. Can’t think of any others.
The buses aren’t too bad, some are quite luxurious, like Alsa Premier.
Leon is 2 hours from Madrid on the high speed train. We just have issues with buses after all this time spent in the Balkans. And we took Alsa from Lisbon to Seville which was the same thing – 7 hours with no toilet. It’s fine where you’re backpacking but for a long term base we don’t want to be getting around by bus. We want a nearby airport and if it’s further away we want to get there by train.
No, you’re right Granada has tourists. But it’s not the beach/drinking type of tourist that you’ll get on the coast.
I love hiking and I still can’t figure why people need ski poles to walk around.
It’s a commercial con trick. Poles burn up 25-50% of your energy, so you eat more food. The Camino de Santiago Frances is infamous for it. We’re talking many millions of euros needlessly spent, but you can’t tell the CDS crowd anything.
I use a really good one for a third leg to keep keep me stable on nasty trails, will handle a 300lb drop and no flip locks. Most of the time it just hands from my pack – also good for a tepee type cover (pole in middle etc) when stealth camping.
HA! Commercial con trick. Yes, I tend to agree.
Stealth camping? Didn’t know you were Bear Grylls Ted 🙂
Hey Frank, how exciting, you’re moving to Spain! For various personal reasons we got a long-stay visa for France, but keep wondering about the advantages of Spain (warmer people & climate, lower prices, great food & wine). We have been in Seville for Christmas & Kings Day the last few years, and yes, all the expats we know there leave for the summer. We’ve spent a month in Alicante twice, spring and fall. Although there’s always cultural activities, and some lovely venues, I find it a bit small for the long-term. Big plus though is the tram that runs up the coast—we got cards to ride free (€10 per month, but 65+, come to think of it!). Of course, all those towns up the coast are full of expats from the UK, but… Still, it’s a sweet town. And has that great beach!
We haven’t been to northern Spain at all. I wish you luck in your explorations, and look forward to your future blogs on what you find!
Lissette told me that if we ever lived in Spain we’d have to go to Ukraine in summer. The heat would be too much for her. But good to know others think the same way and we’re not crazy going the opposite direction to all those people flocking to the beach!
Thanks for the feedback on Alicante. Size isn’t so much of an issue. We don’t mind smaller sized cities. Question is how much we’ll like Alicante.
We’ll see how it all works out this time around as we have 3 months to find a base and start planning paperwork for the Visa. We might just rent something easy and non-permanent the first year, a place that fulfills the lease requirement on the visa.
Anyway, it’ll be interesting visiting all these places we’ve only read about!
santander, la coruna, vigo…
i personally love malaga, would we be younger, we would move there, a very, very old city…
we have now lived 5 yrs in porto and will probably move to lagos, better for our old bones…
all the best!
Ahhh. Thank you Evina. Very interesting, all cities I know nothing about.
Thanks for bringing us along! I haven’t been to Valencia, Alicante or Leon so I’m curious to hear about your experiences. I’m particularly interested in Leon because I have a general preference for northern Spain (due to weather) and my wife and I will likely be spending considerable time there in the future.
I’ll be honest – I prefer palm trees and beaches. But like you Lissette just doesn’t like it. It’s a whole different side of Spain and I think it’ll be an interesting contrast, and I do like that it’s not a place that expats flock to. And it’s not a city that gets great coverage by bloggers so I’m looking forward to discovering it for ourselves.
Thanks for taking time time comment TJ.
Hello Frank,
As some people mention above, cities in the cantabric region are fantastic: winters and summers are mild, a bit rainy but not too bad, shore and mountains are very close… Both Asturias (Oviedo/Gijón) and Cantabria (Santander) could be great.
If you consider a city like Leon, then Salamanca should also be in your list.
Valencia is also a very nice city, and there is nothing to worry there about the language.
Good luck and don’t hesitate to ask for further information
Very nice of you Jorge. You’re the 2nd person who’s mentioned Salamanca so we’ll have a like while in the area.
Always appreciate people’s suggestions, thank you 🙂