After three years in Viana do Castelo, our family is leaving northern Portugal. It’s not the people, the culture, or the cost of living. The real reason is the humid cold: long, wet winters in old houses that aren’t built for them, and kids who kept getting sick for months at a time. In this video, we share the honest story and what we’re thinking about next.
Filmed: May 2026
Where: Viana do Castelo, about 45 minutes north of Porto
How long we lived there: 3 years
English level: B1–B2 (natural, unscripted conversation)
What we love about Viana do Castelo
We love Portugal, and we have so many amazing memories here. Viana do Castelo is a beautiful part of the world, sometimes even magical. Our 100-year-old house has a view of the ocean and the river, and a garden that flowers all year round.
We’ve also built a real community: Portuguese, Brazilian, and Argentinian friends, a church family we love, and kids who went from homeschooling to Portuguese schools and now speak the language well. That’s what makes this decision so hard.
The weather in northern Portugal
Summers here are beautiful but short, so we treasure them. Winters are cold, long, and rainy, and the weather can be dramatic. We’ve experienced all four seasons in one day, been caught out in hail, and broken more umbrellas than we can count.
It’s not just a slow drizzle like Calvin grew up with in Vancouver, Washington. Storms roll across the Atlantic and hit the coast with strong, driving wind all winter long. We later discovered this region is one of the rainiest places in Europe.
The bigger issue is inside. Many older Portuguese houses aren’t built for winter, and it can get as cold as 15°C (59°F) indoors. Our house only got heating, a pellet stove, this past year. Camille grew up with long winters in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, but with a wood-burning stove that kept the house toasty warm. Here, the cold chills you.
The real reason: our kids’ health
When we first moved, we signed a two-year lease, and it rolled into a third year. Then, for the second winter in a row, our son developed a cough at night that lasted more than two months. This past winter, our oldest son had it too, and our daughter was stuffed up for months.
We went to the doctor many times and did allergy, mold, and asthma tests. The doctor’s conclusion was the climate: the combination of humidity and cold, which our kids’ systems just don’t handle well. It’s not only the humidity or only the cold. It’s the humid cold, especially in older homes without good heating or ventilation, where moisture builds up and mold is common.
Kids get sick everywhere. That’s part of life. But when they’re sick more of the year than not, we don’t think that’s okay. That’s the main reason we’re leaving.
If you’re thinking of moving to northern Portugal
Our biggest piece of advice: visit in the worst season, not the best one. We decided to move here within about a month, after a visit in August, when everything is beautiful. If you can handle a place in its hardest season, it only gets better from there.
From our experience, it’s also worth asking about heating, ventilation, and any signs of damp or mold before you sign a lease, and considering a newer home if your family is sensitive to humidity.
Starting over is hard
Three years is the longest we’ve lived in one place, and this is the most roots we’ve ever put down. The thought of starting over, with new schools, new friends, and a new community, isn’t fun. We’re thinking carefully about our kids’ ages and what’s best for them, not just picking up a backpack and going.
But sometimes we’re our own worst enemies, worrying about what might happen or what others will think. We believe you have to take risks when you think something could be the best decision.
What’s next for our family
Honestly, we don’t know yet, and we need to be out of our house in three months. We’d love to stay in Portugal, maybe in the warmer, drier south. We’ve also talked about going back to a nomadic life, returning to Central or South America, or accepting an invitation to go back to the US.
Our kids have their own opinions too. Our oldest worked hard to learn Portuguese and doesn’t want to learn another language. Our youngest wants to move to Italy for the food, and he’s not worried about learning Italian at all.
Whatever we choose, it needs to be warm and dry. We’ll keep you updated.
English you’ll hear in this video for my Intermediate English Learners
This is a natural, unscripted conversation, so it’s full of real-life English expressions.
| Expression | Meaning | From the video |
|---|---|---|
| on a whim | suddenly, without much planning | We settled in northern Portugal on a whim. |
| tough it out | continue through something difficult | We would tough out the weather a few more years. |
| get caught out in | be outside when bad weather suddenly starts | We’ve gotten caught out in the hail. |
| toasty warm | pleasantly warm and cozy | It was always toasty warm all winter long. |
| a cold snap | a short, sudden period of cold weather | There was a cold snap, and our youngest started coughing. |
| stuffed up | having a blocked nose | Our daughter was stuffed up for months. |
| kick (an illness) | get better from a sickness | Why can’t they kick these quicker? |
| put down roots | settle and build a life in one place | This is the most roots we’ve put down. |
| be your own worst enemy | cause your own problems, often by overthinking | Sometimes we’re our own worst enemies. |
| first world problems | small problems people have when life is generally good | We’ve got a lot of first world problems, folks! |
Try it: Have you ever done something on a whim? Write one sentence about it.
Learn English with real conversations
If you enjoyed hearing natural, unscripted English, you’ll love our real-life conversation books. They all come with free audio, so you can hear exactly how Americans really speak.
More from our life abroad:
Visiting Doctors Around the World
Advanced English Conversation: The Nomadic Life
Our Portugal house tour
Two years in Portugal
Curious about life in the US? Watch our most popular video: American Culture Explained by Americans
FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Viana do Castelo?
It’s a coastal city in northern Portugal, about 45 minutes north of Porto, where the Lima River meets the Atlantic Ocean.
What is the weather like in northern Portugal?
In our experience, summers are beautiful but short, and winters are cold, long, and very rainy, with strong Atlantic storms, wind, and sometimes hail.
Are houses in northern Portugal cold in winter?
Many older homes aren’t built for winter, with little heating or insulation. In our 100-year-old house, it got as cold as 15°C (59°F) inside.
Most (but not all!) newer homes are built with better methods of keeping the cold out. One good signal to look for is an A or B rating on the Energy Certificate.
Is mold common in northern Portugal?
In our experience, yes, especially in older homes with poor ventilation, where the humid cold creates moisture problems.
Are you leaving Portugal completely?
We found a new place in southern Portugal that is warmer and drier and more sunny! More updates to come in the future.
Your turn!
Have you ever left a place you called home? And if you live somewhere warm and dry, invite us to your country and tell us the best things about it in the comments on the YouTube video! Thanks for reading and watching!
