Seaside spots have long commanded a premium in property terms, but do not forget the appeal of river towns - no tourist hordes, tacky souvenirs or blustery sea breezes. Here are four tempting places to live inland by the water:

Totnes (River Dart)

In the high street bohos mingle with country gents while well-groomed women in 4x4s give way to squaddies off to practise soldiering on Dartmoor, 15 miles away. Totnes, a Saxon town, neatly balances past and present. Modern couture shops trade from Elizabethan merchant houses beneath the 11th-century castle ruins. The Dart winds seaward towards Dartmouth, an hour's sail downriver.

On the river quay, the comings and goings of the Dartmouth ferry provide a focus for a place that, even in the 17th century, the local writer Thomas Westcote called “this city-like town”. Mill and granary conversions provide bankside views of the action, though the Georgian properties lining The Plains just back from the water are equally appealing. Between The Plains and the High Street is a tangle of lanes that mix delis and cafés with little cottages. The most beautiful property, High Cross House, is now a museum, a Modernist gem on the Dartington Hall Estate, full of covetable furniture, paintings by Ben Nicholson and ceramics by Bernard Leach and Lucie Rie.

A river cruise reveals Dartmoor, Sharpham vineyard, pretty villages such as Dittisham (summer hideaway of the Dimbleby clan) and Agatha Christie's former home at Greenway, to open as a museum in 2009 amid its 38 acres of gardens.

Property file: Waterside one-bed flats start at about £130,000, and £100,000 away from the river. Two-bedroom flats in riverside conversions cost about £225,000, which, away from the river, will buy a three-bed semi. Castle or country views add at least £50,000. Detached houses range from £300,000 to £500,000.

Durham (River Wear)

The River Wear is something of a bonus for this northeast World Heritage city with its striking cathedral and the buzz of its historic university.

The city, pictured above, has become more cosmopolitan with the arrival of big retailers, better restaurants and the sprucing up of its necklace of old colliery villages. While developers have poured new-builds into the centre, a plentiful supply of older terraced housing gives value and character. The beautiful surrounding countryside is dotted by attractions, such as the Beamish and Bowes museums and Seaham Hall, a luxury hotel, spa and Michelin-starred restaurant.

Transport links are excellent. Newcastle upon Tyne is only 20 minutes away by rail. Frequent train services to London take three hours, to Edinburgh two. The buoyant student rental market has helped prices to rise fractionally over the past year. Quality property sells quickly, especially within the World Heritage area.

Property file: Two luxury townhouses have already sold at the South Street development, despite prices of about £700,000. The Sheraton House project will create 114 flats from a cluster of converted former university buildings (prices to be decided). The Park will offer 52 properties, with three-bed houses from £250,000. Elsewhere, one-bed flats average £125,000 and two-beds £170,000 - the same price as older three-bed houses. Four-bedroom houses average £265,000.

Canterbury (River Stour)

Like Durham, this historic university city is centred on a magnificent cathedral, though Canterbury also has a couple of castles and half a dozen museums. The Marlowe Theatre puts on everything from comedy to opera, and there is also the Gulbenkian Theatre at the university. “All the activities of a big city with the charm of a small bohemian village” is how one local sums up Canterbury's appeal.

The city is surrounded by lovely Kent countryside. On the coast are the Victorian resort of Herne Bay and upmarket Whitstable. Next year improved rail links will reduce the journey time into London to an hour.

Property file: The Old Tannery (first phase due summer 2009) is the big new development - more than 450 homes, a new public piazza and a 60-bedroom hotel in a former drying shed. A riverside walk will link it with the town centre. The Kingsbrook Park development offers houses set between two forks of the Stour, near Canterbury West station; prices are from £175,000. One-bed flats average £120,000, two-bed flats £175,000 and three-bed houses from £240,000.

Newark (River Trent)

This Nottinghamshire market town is a renowned antiques centre. Its 12th-century castle overlooks the river and streets with a mix of period housing. New developments have sprung up along the Trent, centred on various marinas. Back from the river, you will find popular conservation areas such as Millgate and, just outside Newark, the riverside village of Farndon.

Kate Faulkner has no regrets about moving from London. “Newark has property most Londoners dream of,” she says. “The town also has a real market centre with cobbled streets and regular stalls selling local produce. But I can still get to London in just over an hour.” Nottingham and Lincoln are half an hour away by train, East Midlands airport is 35 miles.

Property file: Prices in Newark have more than doubled since 2000. Scholars Mews and The Brewhouse are two conversion projects, offering one-bed flats from £85,000 and two-beds from £130,000 (through Brambles, 0800 0826826). Elsewhere, one-bed flats start at about £75,000, though a central Grade II listed one-bed mews cottage will set you back £130,000. Two and three-bed semis start at £115,000, while a three-storey, three-bed Georgian townhouse with a cellar is on offer for £165,000. Even on one of Newark's premier roads, The Park, a five-bed Edwardian house can be yours for only £315,000.

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