Where to stay
The Portuguese property market has been affected by a considerable increase in tourist demand in recent years. In major cities such as Lisbon and Porto, and in tourist regions such as the Algarve, it is more difficult to find accommodation to rent or buy.
You can begin by looking on the Internet: there are many sites that provide reasonable coverage of what is available in the main cities, both to buy and for long and short-term rental.
The most popular websites are:
ERA era.pt/
REMAX remax.pt/
Century 21: century21.pt/
Astrolabio: astrolabio.pt/
Idealista: idealista.pt
Uniplaces: uniplaces.com/
Another good way to go about it's to check the accommodation sections in the most widely read national newspapers such as Jornal de Notícias, Correio da Manhã or Público for the main cities; in some specialist advertising papers, such as Jornal Ocasião and in the local press if you intend to live in a smaller city.
If you are a student, you can also find accommodation in a student residence (Residências Universitárias e Colégios Universitários). Generally speaking, these can be found all over the town or city that you want to study in. Many times, staying in the student’s residence is the cheapest and simplest choice.
You can find more information in the website SPRU-Sociedade Promotora de Residências Universitárias: spru.pt/
It is also possible to find news about rental housing facilities for young people, see for example the Programa Porta 65 Jovem: portaldahabitacao.pt/web/guest/o-que-e-porta65jovem
What if you don't have a place to stay when you arrive in Portugal? For the first few days you can stay in a hotel, a B&B or a youth hostel (Pousada de Juventude): Rede de Pousadas da Juventude em Portugal (Network of Youth Hostels in Portugal): pousadasjuventude.pt/.