Bizarre,
Suggest you go to "East Portugal" and look for yourself as only you will know if it;s where you want to live by experiencing it and getting the answers to your own questions. As the East is inland and near Spain then it;s as far from the Atlantic Sea as it''s possible to get so maybe not the best choice for "near water".
Good luck.

 

cheers. I was looking for remote mountain villages thus east, and I was hoping near river or lakes for morning walks. I plan now to be there for several weeks and explore, but was hoping for more concrete tips

 

There are couple of dozen so called "Schist Villages" encouraged by a government agency. As I'm not permitted to - simple interweb searches will reveal them for you, you'll can also find which have public transport and when this transport runs and availability of accommodation for the public. Normally people would spend time in the area looking for themselves to see whichever places fit their personal criteria as other people's opinions are subjective and only you can decide if it's what you want.

 

The Schist villages are located in the center of Portugal and get their name from the type of local stone they were built with hundreds of years ago. They are now protected to preserve their historic character.
They are located in isolated areas, tipically away from public transport and other infrastructure. There'll be streams and rivers nearby, but not major ones.
Beaware you may not find all you requirements (public transport, lake & water, etc.) near most of these villages.
You could start by doing an online search in portuguese for "aldeias de xisto" as this will give you more results.
You can do same search on Youtube, to see what they look like. There are many videos of them. Then you can calculate distance from nearest town, city, or airport to your favourites.
As they are isolated, you'd be stuck without a car.

Q: Are there any facilities which will help us find the right spot, and arrange lodging?
A: No. There is none. You can search the portal www.idealista.pt for property sales & lettings in those areas, but since these villages are very small, it's difficult to find anything for rent. You may have more success with AirBnB because old village houses are not vey confortable for long lets, but may be more suitable for holiday lets. Most AirBnB owners will be open to long lets for lower rent.

Suggestion: you could rent something more confortable in the nearby towns (Lousã) and take short trips to the old villages. In all senarios you'll need a car, public transport in rural areas is either unrealiable or non-existent.

Away from the schist villages there are many other old villages that may interest you, such as:
Along the Douro Valley, in the middle of vineyards and with a train line running along the river.
Around Serra do Geres in Minho district, with excellent walking trails. Villages and places on the Peneda-Gerês Long Distance Path

Villages on the water edge in the center of Portugal, only 1:30 hours to Lisbon & airport, along the banks of the huge lake formed by the river ZEZERE and near major towns with all services & amenities. Look for these villages:
Dornes, Ferreira do Zezere, one of the most beautifull old villages, surrounded by a vast lake.
Pombeira, Ferreira do Zezere, hiden away from cvilization but not far from it.
Lago Azul Portugal, Ferreira do Zezere, a new resort with confortable modern housing & holiday lets, breathtakingly beautifull.
Bairradinha, Ferreira do Zezere, old village on same lake, old charm & very very quiet.

The best way to find long term accommodation in villages & rural areas, is to ask at the local café and leave a card with your . Something will turn up as half of all houses are empty and folks will spread the word someone is looking for accommodation.

All the best!

 

There are 27 schist villages, 5 of them are located in the municipality of Lousã. Others are located around Fundão.
For more info about all schist villages Email: [email protected] they may be able to direct you to accommodation.

Video of the schist village Candal, in Lousã:

You can check for accommodation there in the platforms idealista.pt and AirBnB under: Candal, Lousã.


Check this tiny schist village, Casal de São Simão, in Figueiró dos Vinhos. It has a river beach and spectacular trails all around.

 

Many thanks for detailed answer

 

Now that I read through again, and based on my searches till now, I understand the only way I can stay in such remote village is having a car, and renting a place for long term, probably need to renovate and furnish, definitely what I did not have in mind, and Airbnb where it exist, will be expansive for long term.
So if I stay in a big villages or even cities, and just take short trips (rent a car), are there facilities for short term expats? I mean not Airbnb and definitely not hotel, a place which is from one hand cheaper, and from the other hand enable me to meet people like minded to exchange information.
My main interest is art and artistes communities

 

Short term rentals in Portugal are the same as holiday-lets, and can range from a few days to a few months. They are always fully furnished and equipped (including kitchen utensils and bed linen) and are d through AirBnB (the largest choice) but also through other online platforms, and social media groups.
Most AirBnBs in rural areas are not very busy outside the peak summer months of July to September, and if you the owner they may be interested in renting it for a few months at less than half the price d on AirBnB, because it'll be better for them to get 3 or 4 months fully booked than just a few nights here and there.
Another possibility is renting a room in someone's house, but you might have to share a bathroom and kitchen, and when people have a room to let they usually are looking for longer term than just a few months. Rooms start at around 250 Euros per month in rural areas and can be found by word of mouth, or social media, but there are not many on offer.
I have another suggestion: you could try the Youth Hostel Association, they are for everybody, not just youth, and are state owned and have many hostels around Portugal. They are very cheap, have double rooms, always clean, have communal kitchens for guests to cook if they wish. The disadvantage is that most are in towns, not remote areas. There's one in Lousã which is closest to the schist villages.

Check all hostels in Portugal here: https://www.pousadasjuventude.pt/en/hostels/

This is a very good one in Geres mountains, natural park, with wild horses roaming free, stone villages (not schist but granite) and lots of trails: https://www.pousadasjuventude.pt/en/hostels/pousada-do-geres/

This one is in Serra da Estrela mountain, the highest in Portugal, with snow in winter, rocky trails: https://www.pousadasjuventude.pt/en/hostels/pousada-da-serra-da-estrela/

This one is in Serra d'Aire natural park, many villages all around, about 1 hour from Lisbon: https://www.pousadasjuventude.pt/en/hostels/pousada-de-alvados/

Another cheaper suggestion is to do house-sitting & pet-sitting for people that go away from their homes and need someone to look after home, gardens, pets, etc. Usually free accommodation in exchange for service, or they may even pay a small fee. There are agencies for this and also through local expat FB groups.

There's also Workaway Volunteer and work in Portugal - low cost travel abroad - Workaway!
it's an agency for working in exchange for food and accommodation.

Let me know what you think, I may come up with more ideas.

 

Long term residential lets are typically for 1 year minimum and most are unfurnished. See flats for long term residential lets currently available in the town of Lousã:
https://www.idealista.pt/arrendar-casas/coimbra/lousa/lousa/

See rooms in flatsharing currently available in the town of Lousã: https://www.idealista.pt/en/arrendar-quarto/coimbra/lousa/lousa/

Holiday-lets and short-lets are always furnished and equipped with everything ready to move in, the majority of owners them in AirBnB and similar platforms. They can be booked from a few nights to a few months.

I found this page for holiday lets available in the schist villages: Book in Xisto

Please be careful and don't confuse Lousã in the Coimbra district, with Lousa in the Lisboa district.