Portugal has quietly become one of Europe’s most sought-after second-home destinations for the rich and famous.
Princess Eugenie reportedly owns a villa worth Dh18 million; Formula One champion Max Verstappen recently bought land to build a home; and Cristiano Ronaldo is rumoured to own the most expensive property in the country. Hollywood couple Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander relocated to Portugal in 2017, and even Prince Harry and his wife Meghan have a home in Praia da Gale.
There’s little doubt that Portugal has become one of Europe’s hottest destinations for royals, celebrities and ultra-high-net-worth individuals looking for a holiday home or luxury property investment. But what is it about the country that has made it such a magnet for the rich and famous? Beyond its sunshine, coastline and laid-back lifestyle, one quality in particular stands out: discretion.
A royal retreat
After first dividing her time between the UK and Portugal in 2022 because of her husband Jack Brooksbank’s work, Princess Eugenie has increasingly made the country a home from home. That connection deepened in August, when she chose to give birth to the couple’s third child, daughter Adelaide, in Lisbon.
They bought a Dh18 million (about US$4.9 million) villa in Discovery Land Company's CostaTerra Golf and Ocean Club in Melides near Comporta – dubbed the “Hamptons of Europe”. The 292-hectare property also includes a wellness spa, an equestrian centre, a private 18-hole golf course and direct beach access. Brooksbank currently works in marketing at Discovery Land Company.
The CostaTerra estate is located on the Alentejo coast between Comporta and Melides, about an hour’s drive south of Lisbon.
Sharing her love of Portugal on the Table Manners podcast in 2023, Eugenie said: “This is why Portugal is the dream because I can go to the supermarket in my exercise gear and my hair piled on my head and not mind. Not care. No one cares.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have also put a spotlight on Portugal this year after Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, shared photos of the family in Portugal on Instagram. This includes enjoying the beach at Praia da Gale, shopping at homeware shop Caju in Carvalha and dining at the popular O Melidense restaurant in Grandola.
Likely inspired by Prince Harry’s cousin, Princess Eugenie, the couple bought a house at the CostaTerra Golf and Ocean Club in 2024 for a reported Dh31.
When it was announced earlier this month that the couple planned to relocate to Britain for an "extended period of time", People magazine reported that they would "maintain their home in Montecito, California, and their vacation property in Portugal while establishing a private, non-royal home base in Britain."
The lure of tax breaks and lifestyle
According to the 2026 Prime International Residential Index study by real estate firm Knight Frank, the number of ultra-wealthy individuals - those with a net worth of more than €25 million (Dh107 million) - has increased in Portugal by almost 50 per cent over the past five years.
Factors such as quality of life and climate play a major role in attracting overseas residents, along with the introduction of golden visas and the 2009 Non-Habitual Resident regime, which offers tax benefits to attract highly skilled professionals. Available for a one-time, non-renewable period of 10 years, it allows eligible local employment income to be taxed at 20 per cent instead of rates up to 48 per cent or more.
The incentives appear to have worked because, according to the report, in 2021 Portugal had 1,462 ultra-wealthy individuals, a figure that had increased to an estimated 2,187 by 2026.
One of those super-rich residents is rumoured to be Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo and his wife Georgina Rodriguez. Spanish magazine Semana reported in January that the Al-Nassr captain had splashed €25 million (Dh107 million) on a 54,000 square foot home in the exclusive Quinta da Marinha residential development on Portugal’s Cascais coast, which would make it the most expensive private home purchased in the country.
Portugal’s discreet luxury
Although based in Monaco, Formula One driver Max Verstappen and his partner Kelly Piquet have also bought a plot of land on the Pinheirinho Comporta luxury development on the coastal strip south of Lisbon, with the intention of building their own home.
The development’s website describes Pinheirinho – which has a championship golf course and a spa – as a “place where landscape and lifestyle blend in peace, from the golden coastline to the towering pines”, while inviting prospective residents to “lose yourself in that dreamy space between sun and shadow”.
Stars of Hollywood, music and fashion have also been flocking to Portugal over the past decade, drawn by the slow pace of life and anonymity that the European country offers.
Shoe designer Christian Louboutin, who has been visiting Comporta since the 1990s, opened a 13-room boutique hotel there in 2023. Called Vermelho – Portuguese for “red”, in homage to his shoes’ signature soles – the property reflects his long-standing connection to the area. Meanwhile, A-listers such as George Clooney, Nicole Kidman – who applied for Portuguese residency in 2025 – and Scarlett Johansson have reportedly invested in land or property on the Alentejo coast, Melides and Lisbon, respectively.
Although she is no longer based there, Madonna still owns the 18th-century Moorish Revival mansion she bought in Sintra in 2017 for €7.5 million (Dh32 million). The Material Girl singer moved to Portugal with her family after her son, David Banda, joined Benfica’s youth football academy and lived at the 16,000 sq ft property, known as Quinta do Relogio, until 2020. The sprawling home has four bedrooms and seven bathrooms.
Other stars have settled in Portugal and made it their permanent home. Actors Fassbender and Vikander moved to Lisbon in 2017 and welcomed their two sons in 2021 and 2024. The Tomb Raider actress has described the 3,000-year-old city as very “Williamsburg-ish”, comparing it to the New York City neighbourhood that’s famous for the gentrification it underwent from its industrial past.
Whether visiting on holiday or investing in a second home, those drawn to Portugal should not expect its carefully guarded celebrity enclaves to become the next playground for jet-setters and influencers. Preserving their sense of authenticity, after all, is part of the appeal.
“People are touched by authenticity and we need to keep it that way,” Louboutin told Bloomberg in 2024. “Don’t expect Melides to become like St Tropez. It’s not going to happen.”
