Alicia Vikander feels "safe and calm" living in Portugal with her husband Michael Fassbender and their two children.

The Ex Machina star, 36, has opened up about the couple's decision to split their time between homes in London and Lisbon, revealing Michael, 48, wanted to be closer to nature and "live another kind of lifestyle".

Alicia told Grazia magazine: "My home is where my family is ... I loved it here [in London] and called it home. My husband had been here for 13 years and with the amount we work, a lot in big cities, he just wanted to be in nature and live another kind of lifestyle.

"I think 16 other friends moved around the same time."

The actress went on to explain living in Portugal has been beneficial for the family because they get to spend time at the beach and enjoy an "outdoors" lifestyle.

She said: "We're on the beach every weekend and our kids are in the waves. Here you have culture, and there it's very outdoors, it's very beautiful and safe and calm."

Alicia also loves Portuguese food, adding: "I'm a custard tart fan and I love sardines. They have a sardine festival in Lisbon, and our entire home smells like sardines, so thank God I like them."

The movie star grew up in Sweden and admits she's unlikely to ever move back there, adding: "I don't think I'll live there again, it's been a long time.

"But the one big thing I admire is that education is free, which is huge. And you don't pay much at all for childcare in Sweden.

"It's crazy, I have a sister who lives abroad, and you can't work because childcare is so expensive. She would save money by being at home with a child."

Alicia previously admitted the couple and their children are "like a circus family" because they are constantly on the move - admitting they have learned to juggle their working commitments so one of them is always around for their kids, but they are rarely in one place for long.

Asked about balancing work and family life, Alicia told The Observer magazine: "It's gone pretty well, actually. We've been together almost 10 years and we tend to not work at the same time. We're more like a circus family, always on the move."

She went on to explain she appreciates having a spouse who understands the demands of the entertainment industry, but also relishes having friends whose careers are away from Hollywood.

She told the publication: "Most of my friends are not actors or in the industry at all. That has definitely been really wonderful sometimes, because this industry can be quite overwhelming, and it's been nice to have a life that is very much away from that.

"But obviously having a partner and a husband who knows it more than anyone, and who knows me better than anyone - it's nice having someone who understands you and the situation you're in and shares it."