The 5 most underrated places to buy in Europe right now

Everyone knows Lisbon. Everyone's heard about Barcelona. The Côte d'Azur features in every lifestyle magazine. But Europe is vast, and some of the most compelling places to buy property right now are the ones that haven't yet appeared in the Sunday supplements. Here are five we're watching.

1. Abruzzo, Italy

Ninety minutes east of Rome, wedged between the Apennines and the Adriatic, Abruzzo is one of Italy's best-kept secrets. Village houses and farmhouses that still come up for well under €150,000, a rugged mountain landscape, pristine coastline, and none of the tourist crowds of Tuscany. The region has excellent road and rail connections to Rome, and an emerging short-term rental market driven by hikers and ski tourists.

The catch: limited international airport access, and the renovation of older properties can be more complex than it appears. But for those willing to invest the effort, the value is extraordinary.

2. The Peloponnese, Greece

While everyone focuses on the islands, the Peloponnese peninsula offers some of Greece's most dramatic scenery — Byzantine ruins, medieval towns, olive groves — at prices that make even Crete look expensive. Mani, Nafplio, and the areas around Monemvasia have been quietly attracting European buyers for years. Prices remain well below comparable island locations.

3. Słupsk region, Poland

Poland doesn't feature on most buyers' radars — but it should. The Baltic coast near Słupsk and Darłowo offers some of Europe's most affordable seaside property, with a growing domestic tourism market and improving infrastructure. Prices per square metre are a fraction of comparable Western European locations.

Best for investors comfortable with an emerging market dynamic and a longer investment horizon. The EU infrastructure investment story for Poland remains compelling.

4. Braga, Portugal

While Lisbon and Porto dominate Portugal's property headlines, Braga — one of Portugal's largest cities — has been quietly transforming. A thriving university city with a booming tech sector, beautiful baroque architecture, and prices well below Lisbon. Direct train connections to Porto and its international airport make it genuinely practical as well as affordable.

5. Valencia, Spain

Valencia has been generating interest for years, but it still hasn't priced itself out of reach. Even in good central areas it remains clearly cheaper than Barcelona for a city with comparable climate, cuisine, architecture, and infrastructure. The Turia river park, the City of Arts and Sciences, and sandy beaches within city limits make the quality of life argument easy to make.

Valencia was named World Design Capital 2022, and the city has significant ongoing investment in its cultural and urban fabric.