Beachfront Villas in Europe

Europe's finest beachfront houses are defined by how they meet the sea: steps cut into the rock below the terrace, a jetty for the tender, a cove reached through the garden. Our European collection spans the coastlines where such houses are most prized, and most rarely available.

On the French Riviera, that means houses above Pampelonne and Plage Paloma, the wild headlands of Cap Lardier near La Croix-Valmer and an island estate off Cannes. In Italy, the granite coves of the Costa Smeralda, the bagni of Forte dei Marmi and the cliffs of Praiano. Corfu's north-east coast, from Kassiopi to Nissaki, faces the Albanian mountains across water as still as a lake. Croatia brings the Elaphiti islands off Dubrovnik and the Habsburg-era villas of Čikat Bay on Lošinj. Further afield, the collection extends to Marbella's Golden Mile, the Ria Formosa lagoon in the Algarve, Elounda's Mirabello Bay and Montenegro's Boka Bay.

June and September are the most rewarding months: the water is warm, the coast is quieter and the best tables are far easier to secure.