The Burrow
Mar 25, 2025
When you think of a holiday home, you might imagine a relaxing spot in the sun, with a pool where you can kick your feet up and take it easy. For many outdoor enthusiasts, though, a holiday home is an excuse to get active and make the most of nature. There’s an increasing demand for summer rentals in areas that can help you stay fit, and it’s important to understand your area before you invest in a holiday home.
As experts in comparing home loans, we wanted to see which holiday home locations are the best for those with active lifestyles, ranking each country on the quality of their hiking, water sports, and snow sports, as well as the level of interest in holiday homes. Each country was assigned a score from 0 to 100, giving us a definitive list of the ideal holiday home hotspots for those with active lifestyles. Looking for your new home away from home, or just curious about which countries placed best? Here’s what our list found:
When it comes to overall scores on our index, Norway received the most points with 80 out of a possible 100. While most people would think of a warmer country as a prime holiday home spot, Norway scores well in all our sport-related categories, making it a great all-rounder choice for outdoor enthusiasts of any background.
Norway ranks in the top five countries for its number of walking trails (147.6 per 100,000 people), amount of coastline (83,281 km), and its variety of ski resorts (3.1 per 100,000 people). Plus, with 2,600 monthly Google searches for holiday homes in the country, it’s one of the European countries with the most online interest in second properties.
With a population density of just four people/square km, Iceland is one of the smallest countries to break into our list, but it manages to pack in plenty of opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts. In fact, when ranking each country on the quality of their hobby experiences, Iceland took the number one spot with a score of 82 out of 100 – beating Norway’s score of 77!
A lower search volume for holiday homes and slightly colder temperatures keep it from securing first place, but with 160.4 hiking trails per 100,000 people – averaging a rating of 4.4 stars per trail – and 3.3 ski resorts per 100,000 people, it’s full of chances to get outside and get active. Finishing with an index ranking of 78, Iceland proves to be an underrated choice of holiday home location.
Canada offers a variety of outdoor experiences, making it one of the best places to buy a holiday home for adventure sports, but its 202,080km of coastline (the most in the world) makes it ideal for ocean swimmers.
Skiers and hikers can also enjoy 10.1km of slopes or 68.8 walking trails per 100,000 Canadians, making it a great choice of country for anyone looking to get more active. Canada is also in the top 10 countries for holiday home search volume, suggesting a bustling property market for potential buyers. It takes a bronze medal in our rankings with a final score of 74 overall.
Since Switzerland is a landlocked country, it lacks any scores in our ocean swimming rankings, but its skiing opportunities more than make up the difference. With a huge 78km of slopes per 100,000 people across more than 350 resorts, skiers are spoilt for choice in Switzerland, giving it the second highest rating for snow sports opportunities in our rankings.
Switzerland is also home to 164.8 walking trails per 100,000 people, making it the country with the second most hiking opportunities compared to its population in the world (only being beaten by Luxembourg). Its final score of 73/100 is enough to earn it fourth place on our list.
On average, Croatia is the warmest holiday home destination in our top five and proves to be a clear favourite for outdoor swimmers. With 5,835 km of coastline along the Adriatic Sea, Croatia offers 23.1 coastal bathing spots per 100,000 residents – the most of any country on our list.
Plus, with 108.2 hiking trails per 100,000 people, Croatia ranks as the country with the sixth most hiking opportunities compared to its population. Scoring 71 points on our overall index, it narrowly beats competition from countries like the USA and France to round out our top five holiday home countries for active people.
One home is expensive enough, so buying a second property can be a major commitment. Some countries can be particularly expensive for renting a holiday home, while others provide a much cheaper alternative.
When it comes to affordable holiday homes for outdoor enthusiasts, Bulgaria is our pick for getting the best of both worlds. With average rent prices of AUD $1,033.56/month and an overall score of 55, it’s the cheapest option to rank about the 50-point threshold on our list. With 4.1 hiking trails per 100,000 people and 354km of coast to make use of, it’s ideal for budget holiday home buyers with an active lifestyle.
If you’re looking for a ski lodge where you can hit the slopes in the winter, Austria scores the highest marks on all our snow sports rankings. For every 100,000 people in the country, there are 4.8 ski resorts, 79.8km of ski slopes, and 28.9 ski lifts.
Similarly to Switzerland, it’s brought down slightly in our overall index by being a landlocked country, but skiing enthusiasts will be spoilt for choice with an Austrian holiday home. Plus, with a much lower search volume for holiday homes than other Alpine skiing countries like Germany and France, you may be able to find better deals with less demand.
A high number of walking trails in a holiday home’s area can greatly boost its value for outgoing people, and New Zealand is a famous destination for hiking enthusiasts. With gorgeous landscapes unlike anywhere else in the world, you can take in the sights on one of 99.9 hiking trails per 100,000 people.
New Zealanders are also some of the most likely to leave their thoughts about their hiking experiences, with 5,516 reviews/100,000 people letting others in the country know all the best trails for walking. Plus, its average trail rating of 4.2 is above the typical score worldwide.
Compare the Market’s General Manager of Money, Stephen Zeller, notes the importance of location when searching for a holiday home.
“For those who love adventure and the great outdoors, owning a holiday home in one of the world’s top active destinations—whether it’s Norway for skiing, Canada for hiking, or Croatia for coastal living—can be a fantastic way to immerse yourself in your favourite activities year-round,” Mr Zeller said.
“Not only can a holiday home provide a personal retreat, but it could also serve as an investment opportunity by renting it out when you’re not using it.
“When comparing different locations, it’s also important to compare your home loan options to find the right deal for you. Consider the affordability of your loan repayments and remember it’s always worth looking around at what’s on offer from lenders.”
Population, land area and density: Worldometers.org
Population figures were collected for all countries (where available), excluding Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Palestine
Avg. monthly Google searches for:
The search terms were combined to get a total search volume, the countries with the highest search volume were ranked higher using Mangools Search Volume
The average price to rent was calculated using Numbeo from the two values of inside and outside of the city. Countries with a higher rent were scored higher as a single for higher quality.
Average temperature: World Population Review
% of native English speakers in country: World Data
No. of walking trails/trail reviews/avg rating: AllTrails
Amount of coastline: City Population
No. of coastal bathing locations: European Environment Agency
Probability of mismanaged plastic waste being emitted to ocean: Our World in Data
No. of ski resorts/amount of ski slopes/no. of lifts: SkiResort.info