Head inland for grand walking or to the glorious coast from this very pretty cottage with a private garden, suitable and safe for dogs

A sleek, light-filled, beautifully designed, minimalist space for 4 with wrap-around views from the living room and pool

A 17th-century townhouse sitting on a quiet side street with lots of original features and a west-facing patio screened by vines and lemons

Come for glorious walking countryside and warm fuss-free Sally, who gives you freshly baked scones when you arrive and beautiful bedrooms

An elegant, super central bolthole for two (or three): stroll everywhere, hop on a vaporetto, sit in piazzas drinking cappuccino, live like a local

A flawlessly restored palazzo in the oldest part of town opposite an ancient monastery, with peaceful courtyard and a terrace with views

Fall in love with this riverside village, lost in a valley in lower Normandy, and this sunny house for couples or families

Unwind here in the rolling hills with the river bustling along, your own secluded garden and an unpretentious cottage full of character

A large, light-filled house sitting very much on its own in the middle of the peaceful Eden Valley with masses of space inside and out

An enviable hideaway on a cobbled street high on a hill, with stunning views next to Galileo's house, the Villa Bardini and gardens

Romantics will love this small converted hut-on-a-hillside surrounded by pines and olives with stunning views over the old town and the sea

Once a lofty edifice for music recitals, now an original place to stay - with stained-glass windows, a bed on a stage and wild gardens

A traditional stone bergerie high on a hill and surrounded by woods with east-facing views over the valley for stunning sunrises

An elegant house with ancient roots and a shimmering pool – explore the Charente countryside, drive to lovely Angoulême

A beautiful old building with generous windows, arched doorways and opulent interiors in the glorious countryside by a fairy tale château

An 1800s former watermill, now elegantly converted to give B&B rooms plus a self-catering cottage in the Côte d'Opale, superb for walking

A delight to stay in this 1880s croft house on the quieter west coast - fabulous vegetarian and vegan food, thoughtful rooms, lovely owners