For a true coup de foudre, the seductive French lifestyle is a winner. 

Culture, heritage, architecture and cutting-edge design combine perfectly in Italy, the European country with a languid Mediterranean lifestyle.

Portugal is a favourite for family-focused holiday homes where active outdoor fans of all ages are spoilt for choice.

From flamenco to fiestas, Andalucían white hill villages to Barcelona’s Las Ramblas, Spain offers up a treasure trove of beauty and cultural highlights.

With a modern infrastructure and a reliance on traditional hospitality, Austria has arguably the most year round appeal of all the Alpine countries.

The Channel Islands are a group of islands in the English Channel clustered off the coast of Normandy in France. 

Between the Balkans and central Europe, Croatia shows off architectural and cultural legacies from ancient Rome, Venice and Vienna.

Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean, at the heart of busy air and shipping routes linking Europe, Africa and Asia. 

Germany is home to majestic architecture and historical splendour within cities that fizz with youthful creative energy which offer a free-spirited lifestyle.

A little bit of Britain in the south of Spain, Gibraltar is a self-financing, self-governing British Overseas Territory with a can-do, business-friendly economy. 

Greece is the cradle of Western Civilisation, a place of outrageous myths filled with Gods and giants where daily life is based on simple pleasures.

Ireland is a place of music and myths, of quiet rural beauty and, on occasion, monstrous rainfall with a justifiable reputation as one of Europe’s most welcoming countries.

Monaco is the second smallest country in the world but it offers excellent schools and a secure, sophisticated and healthy lifestyle.

Montenegro is one of Europe’s newest countries, created in 2006 from the former Yugoslavia.

Switzerland with its winning combination of natural beauty and economic stability has proved a perennial favourite for international property purchasers.

Whether it’s an apartment in London or a country estate in Scotland, property in the UK has proved of great interest to investors and holiday home purchasers.