Breathtaking medieval towns, rolling vineyards, plenty of sunshine and affordable homes – offering all of these things, it’s little wonder interest from UK buyers in Aude in the south of France has shot up, according to latest research by Rightmove Overseas.

Aude, officially a department in France’s south-central Languedoc-Roussillon region, recorded the tenth strongest rate of growth in searches on the UK’s leading property portal during November, beaten only by destinations in Germany and Poland.

A highlight of Aude is the beautifully preserved fortified town of Carcassonne, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The region is accessible from the UK by train, by flying to either Carcassonne, Beziers or Montpellier or even driving is viable.

Aude resident Alexis Goldberg, who writes for the FranceBuyingGuide.com, said: “I’ve loved every minute of living in this beautiful pocket in the south of France. Doing up a character home with my husband has been immense fun and the local people and lifestyle have just added to the overall experience.” Alexis will be available to talk about life in France at The France Show at Earls Court (January 13-15), where she’ll be on the Overseas Guides Company stand.

Aude’s increased popularity was part of a wider rise in interest for France last month. Shameem Golamy, Head of Overseas at Rightmove said: “The big news this month is that there are more searches for French property on Rightmove than ever before. The news this year that the French government chose not to tax owners of holiday homes an extra 20 per cent seems to have finally percolated through to buyers.”

If you’re planning to buy property in France, and need to transfer a large sum of money, remember to use a currency specialist to exchange your pounds into euros. For more information, contact Smart Currency Exchange.

To understand the full step-by-step process to buying a property in France, collect The Overseas Guides Company’s ‘France Property Buying Guide’