How to choose a destination
Start with three constraints: how many weeks you will use yourself, whether the property can legally be let short-term, and whether you are buying for income or for capital preservation. Ski resorts with 40% occupancy can still work if you occupy peak weeks; a 30-night city cap cannot.
Terrivio currently publishes destination guides for French Alps, Tenerife, Mallorca, Barcelona, Costa del Sol, Algarve, Lisbon, Paris, Lake Garda, Amsterdam, Madeira, Tyrol, Costa Blanca and Gran Canaria. Each page has a calculator with local purchase-cost and occupancy defaults — indicative, not a forecast.
- Year-round sun (Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Madeira) vs seasonal peaks (Alps, Lake Garda, Tyrol)
- Licence available vs licence frozen (Barcelona 2028, Balearics, Lisbon parishes)
- Acquisition costs from ~8% (Portugal, France) to ~12% (Spain resale ITP)
- Honest night caps: Amsterdam 30, Paris 120 on a primary residence, Vienna 90
Typical net yields (indicative, 2026)
Across the 13 countries Terrivio covers, realistic net yields on well-located holiday homes sit around 2–5% after operating and purchase costs. Figures above 5% net usually mean a secondary location, heavy self-management, or a regulatory risk the market has priced in.
Never annualise a peak week. The destination calculators use blended ADR and annual occupancy so a Christmas ski rate or an August lake week does not pretend to be 365 days of revenue.
From this hub to a real listing
Pick a destination guide, sanity-check the calculator, then paste a Funda, Idealista, SeLoger, Rightmove or ImmoScout24 URL into Terrivio. The pipeline applies the country's acquisition costs, tax regime and city STR rules to that exact listing — the step a generic 'Europe yield' spreadsheet cannot do.
How to buy a holiday home in Europe without fooling yourself on yield
- Pick the destination, not the country. France is not Morzine. Spain is not Tenerife. Open the destination page for the place you will actually buy.
- Model annual occupancy, not a peak week. Use the calculator defaults, then stress occupancy −10 points before you bid.
- Confirm the licence before the deposit. If the listing has no registration number, underwrite long-term residential rent or walk away.
- Analyse the real URL. Paste the portal link into Terrivio for net yield, tax and city rules on that property.
Frequently asked questions
Where should I buy a holiday home in Europe in 2026?
There is no single best market. Year-round sun (Canaries, Madeira) supports occupancy; ski and lakes concentrate revenue in fewer weeks; big cities often cap nights. Compare net yield after purchase costs and check the licence, not the brochure gross yield.
What net yield is realistic?
Typically 2–5% net on well-located stock after operating costs and purchase costs. Treat anything advertised above that as a hypothesis to stress-test.
Do I need a licence to Airbnb a holiday home?
Almost always a registration number, and often a local tourist licence. Amsterdam, Paris, Barcelona, Lisbon and Tyrol each cap or ban whole-home short lets in different ways.
How do I calculate yield before I fly out?
Use the free destination calculator for a first pass, then paste the listing URL into Terrivio for country-specific purchase costs, tax and city rules.