The Secrets to Finding a Rental for a Trial Run in Europe

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Find an affordable and flexible rental in the hill towns of Italy.©grafart/Isotck

You’ve made plans, set tentative dates…you’re almost ready to take off on your three- or six-month European tour…the next step is a roof over your head.

But the short-term rentals offered online can be sickeningly expensive. Fully furnished and ready to go they may be, but with prices often multiples of those you’ll find on the ground, there are better ways to look.

Plus, Internet offerings are not always in places you want to go. They reflect the popularity of certain spots with European vacationers, and you’re looking to live like a local and try out daily life…

Italy is among the lowest cost, and most desirable destinations in Europe. It scores well in International Living’s Annual Global Retirement Index, and if you want to try the Old World, it’s among the best places to start. My husband, Bryan, and I learned a lot about how to find short-term rentals when we first arrived in 2006, and they are tips you can take continent-wide…if not globally…

We found our first apartment in the town of Ascoli Piceno in the La Marche region by walking the streets and looking for rental signs on doors.

Sure, we had searched online and had visited a local rental agency, but we came up empty with both. The Internet listings were all out of our price range, and the rental agency wanted a minimum two year contract and an unbelievable amount of deposit money upfront. So we took to the streets, wandering the cobbled lanes of the centro storico and calling the phone numbers listed on the “Affittasi” signs affixed to doors.

Renting Short-Term in Spain

By Glynna Prentice

Spain is Europe’s playground. Many northern Europeans either keep a home on one of Spain’s coasts or rent there regularly every year. The coast can be a good place for a short-term stay even if you aren’t the beach type, as the climate tends to be great, English is widely spoken, and there are plenty of short-term rentals (which can be hard to find inland).

Most short-term rentals in Spain are listed at a daily or weekly rate. July and August are high season in Spain. Go outside these months and you’ll beat the crowds and have more rental options. But don’t expect listed prices necessarily to drop. Spain attracts tourists year-round, so owners—especially in the sunny south— are always hopeful. Show up in person, or contact owners/ managers fairly close to your arrival date, and they may well be open to a lower rate. Don’t hesitate to negotiate.

To enjoy shirt-sleeve weather in the depths of winter, try Alicante, on the Costa Brava. This Mediterranean city retains its Spanish charm and is remarkably affordable. In central Alicante both the beach and shopping are easy walking distance, as is the main train station.

In Alicante proper, you can find short-term rentals starting in the €600 range (about $780). As in most beach destinations, there are neighborhoods where the locals live, and then there are tourist areas. “Locals” areas—often some ways from the beach, but near amenities like shopping—can be cheaper. If you want tourist-style perks, such as sea views, a pool, or a large villa, you’ll pay more—sometimes substantially more.

We found a furnished apartment just a few minutes from the main piazzas in a 300-year-old building on a quiet lane. No lease, no fuss, and total flexibility for just $600. Plus, they were the best landlords we ever had. They invited us to partake of barbecues in their rustic taverna, to accompany them to their country property to pick fruit from their orchard, and helped us with the necessary permesso di soggiorno paperwork. We were lucky to find them. And we learned an important lesson: In Italy, it is often about tenacity, or who you know. Or both.

This is a valuable tidbit to start with if you want to find a short-term home in Italy without forking out an arm and a leg or getting tied into a lease that restricts you.

In the small towns you will find homes at lower prices.”

Sure, you might be new to the country, but you have surely interacted with a barista or two. If not, start right away. They are fonts of information and know all the happenings in the neighborhood. Ask friends, B&B owners, or anyone else you may know. Word of mouth is one of the most common ways of finding a rental.

And look in off-season destinations. Consider staying in a seaside town in autumn; there are lots of properties that are in demand in the summer and then go unrented the rest of the year. Prices are down, and availability is high. Look for cities that have a year-round local life to enjoy, though: for example, Gaeta or Nettuno in Lazio, Lerici in Liguria, Civitanova Marche (Le Marche), and Sorrento or Agropoli in Campania. Even the Amalfi Coast has good possibilities at negotiable prices for a few months’ rental in the off season. Conversely, Rome, Florence, or Bologna will have more space available in the summer months when the universities’ academic year is finished and the hordes of exchange students have gone home.

A Pied-à-Terre from $676 a Month

By Barbara Diggs

Think you can’t afford to retire in the south of France? Think again. While it’s true that unless you’re fairly wealthy, you should cross places like Cannes, St. Tropez, and most of the pretty medieval villages of Provence off your list. But there are still a number of south of France towns, villages and cities, particularly in the Languedoc-Rousillon region (my favorite), that offer a highly enjoyable lifestyle for a reasonable price.

Try Carcassonne. A stunning ancient city surrounded by thick stone walls and topped with massive fairytale-like castle, it offers a dynamic cultural life, not to mention plenty of cafés, boutiques and artisan shops. But perhaps because Carcassonne is surrounded by the tranquil gentle slopes of Languedoc’s wine country, it has the feel of a large town rather than a small city. Adding to its appeal is that it’s only an hour’s drive from the sandy white beaches of the Mediterranean and has a thriving anglophone expat community.

Through RentaplaceinFrance.com, you can get a renovated, furnished two-bedroom apartment with enormous French windows, exposed wood beams and a private balcony smack in the center of old Carcassonne on a tree-lined cobblestone street for $1,082 per month. (One-month rental and one-month security deposit required.) The site also offers a few contemporary-styled, one-bedroom apartments in Carcassonne’s center for just $812 per month. In a nearby village, there’s a sprawling three-bedroom bungalow for rent that comes with a fully-equipped kitchen, swimming pool, barbecue and a large, lovely garden that surrounds the house for $1,015 per month during low season.

The farther away you get from Carcassonne, the more the prices drop. In Puivert, about an hour from Carcassonne, you can get a bright, spacious three-bedroom house with imposing views of a historic chateau and the Pyrenees mountains, starting from $676 per month. This property is available for a minimum of six months, and a three-month security deposit is required.

For example, the stunning Villa Azzurra in the heart of Sorrento is practically paradise. There are a couple of one- and two-bedrooms apartments in an elegant building just steps from shops and restaurants, but the building is perched on a cliff above the sea for stunning views to enjoy all day long. Prices are around $1,300 a month.

If you prefer a private villa in the hills, Villa Gioconda, outside the port town of Agropoli, sits above the beautiful Bay of Trentova. The spacious four-bedroom home has a delightful kitchen and a rustic-style taverna downstairs, complete with wood- burning pizza oven. Prices are around $2,000 a month.

Both homes are offered through the agency, Summer in Italy, and are available for longer rentals from November through April. (See: Summerinitaly.com; and make sure to try for a lower price.)

If Umbria is more your style, the historic apartment Via Portica 2, brokered by UrbisAssisi, in a lovely lane in Assisi, might be perfect. It has two bedrooms, a modern kitchen, and a balcony just a few paces from the central and lively Piazza del Comune. Rome has history as well as culture, and the agency Rome Sweet Home offers furnished apartments in different sizes all over town, with special rates for monthly rentals from $1,800. Just imagine popping down to Campo dei Fiori for a bit of vegetable shopping and a morning cappuccino, or watching the sunset over the dome of St. Peter’s from your balcony.

Another bit of advice, go to the smaller towns. While Perugia is popular, you will find homes at lower prices with more flexible terms in towns like Assisi, Spello, or Spoleto. The same is true in most regions— the towns outside the provincial capitals or tourist centers cost less but offer good quality of living. You may find it easier to integrate and feel part of the community in a town rather than a city, as well.

And finally, if you can’t be in Italy to find a place in person, check online. Ask on expats forums, check listings sites like VRBO, Wimdu, or Airbnb, but don’t discount Italian sites like GoHome.it when searching. Check into housesitting sites, as well. Interact with the owners directly and negotiate a price for a long-term stay, ask for more photos, and clarify what is included in the rental price.

Editor’s Note: Whether you choose to live on the Mediterranean coast, in glamorous Tuscany or in an Alpine retreat, Italy offers the kind of la dolce vita that can’t be duplicated anywhere else on the planet. And it’s more affordable than you think. Here’s a “road map” on how to begin your new life in Italy soon.