What is the best place in Europe for a second home?

Published on 8 October 2026

There is no single best place in Europe for a second home: it depends on how long you will spend there, where you travel from and what your budget is. But if the goal is a house by the sea, with good weather much of the year, within three hours' flight of Europe's major cities in season, with legal certainty and surroundings that will not deteriorate, Menorca is one of the strongest options in the Mediterranean.

Experience in property investment shows that most poor decisions are not about price but about not having defined the criteria first. These are the six worth applying.

Which criteria matter when choosing a second home?

Access. Door-to-door time from your city, including in low season.
Climate and useful season. How many months a year you will want to be there.
Price per square metre and purchase costs.
Annual holding costs, including non-resident taxes.
Legal certainty: land registry, notary, guarantees when buying off-plan.
Stability of the surroundings: whether the landscape and quiet you buy today will still be there in twenty years.

The first and the sixth are usually the most underestimated.

Which places meet these criteria best?

Applied to the western Mediterranean, the results are fairly clear. The French Riviera stands out for access (Nice airport handled 15.23 million passengers in 2025) and year-round life, but at very high prices: PAP put houses in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat at €38,884/m² in July 2026. Mallorca stands out for connections and services, with 33.8 million passengers through Palma, but also for density. Ibiza combines very high prices with heavy summer tourism.

Menorca does not win on connections, but scores highly on everything else: 2,632 hours of sunshine a year and a 17.2 °C average according to Spain's met office (AEMET), house prices around €4,900/m² in Es Mercadal (RealAdvisor, October 2026), the protection of an island declared a Biosphere Reserve in its entirety since 1993, and the Spanish legal framework.

How much does access matter day to day?

Far more than it seems at the time of buying. A second home reached on a two-hour direct flight gets used many more weeks a year than one requiring a connection and a ferry.

In season, Menorca has direct flights to many European cities, including several UK airports: in 2025, half of its 4.2 million passengers flew on international routes (Aena). In winter, flights concentrate on Barcelona, Madrid and Palma. If you mainly plan to use the house from April to October, Menorca works very well; if you will travel often in January from northern Europe, expect a connection.

What protects a long-term investment?

Scarcity and legal certainty. In the Balearics, foreigners made 32.3% of home purchases in Q2 2026, according to Spain's Land Registrars, a sign of steady international demand. In Menorca, new sea-front supply is limited by planning and by the island's Biosphere Reserve status.

Legally, Spain provides a notary, a Land Registry and, if you buy off-plan, the developer's legal obligation to guarantee deposits with a bank guarantee or insurance (Law 38/1999, first additional provision). We explain it in Buying a new-build villa in Menorca as a foreigner.

Four destinations against the six criteria

Criterion	Menorca	Mallorca	Ibiza	French Riviera
Access (passengers 2025)	4.2 M; direct to Europe in season	33.8 M; direct all year	9.1 M	Nice: 15.23 M; long-haul
Climate	2,632 h of sun, 17.2 °C (AEMET)	Similar	Similar	Similar, milder winter
House prices	~€4,900/m² (Es Mercadal)	€7,565/m² Calvià (pisos.com)	Over €7,000/m² in all 5 municipalities (idealista)	€38,884/m² Cap Ferrat (PAP)
Purchase costs (new build)	VAT 10% + AJD 1.5–2%	Same	Same	VAT 20% incl. + ~0.7%
Stability of surroundings	Whole-island Biosphere Reserve	Tramuntana protected; heavy pressure	Heavy pressure	Highly urbanised coast
Winter life	Quiet	Lively	Reduced	Very lively

When should you NOT choose Menorca for a second home?

Menorca is not the answer for every buyer:

If you will travel often in winter from northern Europe, connections add up. Mallorca or the Riviera are better linked.
If you want holiday lets to cover the costs, new holiday-rental homes in Menorca are suspended under Balearic Law 3/2022, and the Tourism Act requires homes to be five years old.
If you want urban, cultural and social life all year, Nice or Palma offer much more.
If you are a UK or US resident planning long stays, remember the 90-days-in-180 rule and the 24% non-resident tax rate; see British and American buyers in Menorca.

From Europe to one street in Menorca

If the six criteria lead you to Menorca, the next step is choosing an area. The north coast has the lowest density and the strongest natural landscape. Coves Noves, in Es Mercadal, is a residential area beside Port d'Addaia, about 20 minutes from the airport, with a residents' club and Son Parc golf course nearby.

That is where the LLUM villas are being built: four detached houses with a building permit granted, 353 m² of indoor and terrace space, four en-suite bedrooms and a 21 m² infinity pool. They can be bought off-plan, turnkey, or through managed self-build; see Buying.

Conclusion

The best place in Europe for your second home is the one that scores highly on the criteria that matter most to you. If connections and city life come first, look at Mallorca or the Riviera. If landscape, calm, a reasonable price for being by the sea and the certainty that the surroundings will stay protected come first, Menorca is hard to beat in the Mediterranean.

If you would like to apply these criteria to a real case, we can send you the LLUM brochure with prices and terms, or arrange a private viewing. Message us on WhatsApp at +34 611 359 567 (ref. VM-CN).

Frequently asked questions

Which is the best country in Europe to buy a second home?

It depends on your profile, but Spain combines good weather, prices still moderate outside the most expensive enclaves, a solid notary and land-registry system and legal guarantees when buying off-plan. In the Balearics, 32.3% of home purchases in Q2 2026 were made by foreigners.

Is Menorca a good place for a second home?

Yes, especially if you will use it between April and October and value calm. It has 2,632 hours of sunshine a year according to AEMET, direct flights to many European cities in season, house prices around €4,900/m² in Es Mercadal and an island protected in its entirety as a Biosphere Reserve.

How much does it cost to keep a second home in Spain as a non-resident?

At minimum: local property tax (IBI), utilities, insurance and non-resident income tax on deemed income of 1.1% or 2% of the cadastral value, at 19% if you live in the EU or 24% otherwise, including the UK and US. Depending on your assets, wealth tax may also apply.

Does buying a second home in Spain give you residency?

No. The so-called golden visa for property investment ended on 3 April 2025. EU citizens can live in Spain freely; non-EU nationals, including British and American citizens, are limited to 90 days in any 180-day period unless they obtain a visa.

Island or mainland coast: which is better for a second home?

An island usually offers more landscape protection and less traffic, at the cost of relying on planes or boats. The mainland coast offers road access and year-round life. If use will be mainly seasonal and you value calm, an island well connected in season, such as Menorca, usually pays off.

This article is for information only and reflects data and legislation in force on the publication date. It is not a substitute for advice from a lawyer or tax adviser on your specific case.

Sources

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