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Europe is beautiful; from its centuries-old castles and bridges, to its cobblestone streets and waterways, you can go anywhere in Europe and find beauty wherever you go.
There are certain cities, however, which are more romantic than others.
Welcome, then, to the February edition of the Carnival of Europe, where bloggers across the world write about what they consider the Most Romantic Places in Europe.
From Paris and Venice, to London and Santorini, take a look at their choices and decide for yourself which you deem the most deserving to be called the most romantic place.
France
The Louvre Museum in Paris, France. ©Bram Reusen
Of course, when you say romance, Paris always comes to mind. Jun Baris of Galang Pusa went there two years ago, and he couldn’t forget his memories of a golden summer in Paris. In his photos post, you could see how beautiful and romantic this city of light can be in the warm glow of summer.
Even during rainy season, Paris can still be beautiful and romantic, though, as Marlys and Mike of Easy Hiker can tell you. They took a walk in cold, drizzly, romantic Paris, and followed the trail that couples usually take, along the Avenue des Champs-Élysées to the Jardins des Tuileries.
Bram Reusen of Travel. Experience. Live also stayed with his girlfriend for four days in Paris. It wasn’t his first time in the city; it was actually his third. But for Bram, “Paris is always a good idea.” They were there during winter, but they found it magical, too.
Italy
The Fontana di Trevi in Rome.
Bypassing the obvious choices of romantic destinations in Italy, Jackie Smith of TravelnWrite finds Tuscany as most romantic, specifically Cetona.
This small hamlet, she says, is surrounded by lush valleys and hillsides, and when the Tuscan sun sets, you will understand why this place is a favorite destination of Romans seeking refuge from the stresses of city living.
For Laura Orange of Travelocafe, however, Rome is romantic too! She and her husband spent one evening in Rome, back where it all began. The Eternal City was their first honeymoon destination and they had always wanted to come back. When they were given 16 hours to explore the city again, they took the chance to hit the streets, and saw how romantic Rome was during nighttime.
Shawi Cortez of Cheap Travel for Women have chosen two cities in romantic Italy: Naples (not just for its pizza!) and Capri, where in her dream-state, she remembers basking in their beauty.
The most popular choice as the most romantic city, however, is Venice. This city of water has captivated even the well-traveled among us.
Mary of The World is a Book, for example, felt awe at seeing how charming Venice can be, especially when she and her husband strolled and wandered aimlessly along its streets and bridges. Check out how she describes The Romantic Charm of Venice.
Venice is said to be the most romantic city in the world.
Oriana of The Travel Gene asks, is Venice still romantic? She had seen the horde of tourists invading the city, and wondered whether Venice was losing her charm.
However, she did say that yes, Venice can still be romantic. There are so many places in the city that are yet to be discovered by the masses, from quiet courtyards and narrow alleys, to small bridges and unoccupied gondolas on small canals.
Violy Vallester of Vivi’s Random Ramblings also calls Venice a romantic city. She calls it a Mecca for hopeless romantics, remembering that everywhere she went, she found “beauty, history, and romance.”
The Balkans
Wonderful sunset in Makarska, Croatia. ©Andrea Anastasakis
No matter how beautiful Venice may be, however, Kyle and Jamie of Couple of Yuppies begged to disagree. For Kyle, Rovinj, Croatia is the most romantic city you’ve never heard of. For him, Venice lacks charm, and it is overrated, to boot. Rovinj, on the other hand, has all the charms of Venice (it’s a historic Venetian settlement) without the crowd.
Jamie agrees. She is convinced that Rovinj beats Venice as the most romantic travel destination. She cites the food (even the mushrooms tasted delightful!), the architecture, the seaside, and the surrounding islands as something that definitely makes this small city deserving of the title.
Andrea of Rear View Mirror cites the Balkans, too, as having a lot of romantic destinations, specifically citing the stunning Balkan sunsets in Croatia, Montenegro, and Slovenia.
The beauty of Santorini.
And speaking of the Balkans (which includes Greece, of course), one shoo-in as the most romantic place is Santorini. I went there during the early spring of 2012, and I couldn’t have found a more perfect place and time to be.
The unbelievable beauty of Santorini, sans the horde of tourists that usually invade it during the summer season, brought much-needed solace to me, who was then recovering from a broken heart. Santorini again made me whole.
The United Kingdom
For a lot of people, London doesn’t usually come to mind immediately when you say “romantic.” For Michaela Hall of Awe Inclusive, however, London is a definitely a romantic city for both singles and couples.
As a single girl (or guy), you will find London the perfect place to blend in and flirt about, and as a couple, it’s also the perfect place to be. Its rainy weather, after all, encourages a lot of hours spent indoors, and what’s more romantic than cuddling with someone you love?
Catherine Iblan of Seeking Felicity also agrees. For her, London is not your typical romantic city. It’s not like Paris, Bruges (where I celebrated Valentine’s Day 2012!), or Praha, but walking along the River Thames at night more than makes up for it!
The Lake District, England, on the other hand, is the choice of Ryan and Kindra of Love and Adventure for the most romantic place in Europe. According to them, its haunting beauty has inspired numerous artists and poets. Anyone who will see its winding roads and misty hills will definitely count it as a favorite destination!
The UK is also included as one of the most romantic places according to Mhe-anne Ojeda of My Comings and Goings. She says, Hello Europe: Hello Love, because for her, the UK, along with France, Finland, the Netherlands, and Sweden are romantic destinations, even for singles or unattached travelers like her.
Austria
Outside the Hofburg Palace, Vienna. ©Cathy Sweeney
Austria was in my itinerary during my 70-day solo backpacking trip in Europe, and I loved it. It seems that other bloggers do, too. Cathy Sweeney of Traveling with Sweeney, for example, enjoyed romantic Vienna a lot with her husband.
When she thinks of Vienna, she says, she thinks of romance, of quite walks and cozy tête-à-têtes, of waltz dances and the sound the vintage trams make on the cobblestones. It was indeed the perfect place for her romantic husband to celebrate his birthday!
Laurel Robbins of Monkeys and Mountains feels the same about the country. For her, however, she prefers romantic Innsbruck, where she and her husband strolled hand in hand, marveling at the historic buildings and enjoying the cake and coffee that Austria is well known for. She highly recommends Innsbruck as a romantic getaway!
For Debbie of European Travelista, Salzburg is romantic, too, and if you have seen the Sound of Music, I’m sure you will agree. However, for her, romance, European style, also includes other cities like Lucerne, Switzerland and the castles and small villages of Bavaria, Germany.
These places, according to her, “have the glamour, enchantment and fairy tale feel to them” that bring out her most romantic side.
Czech Republic
Lovely, lovely Prague at dusk. ©Kay Rodriguez
If I had not written about Santorini, I would have chosen either Bruges or Prague to write about. I loved these cities! Apparently, Kay Rodriguez of The Kay Days agrees too. She sees Praha as a winter fairy tale, and I couldn’t agree more.
Her description of the City of a Hundred Spires brings back memories of my time spent there walking on the Charles Bridge and watching the “sunlight sparkle across the waters of the gorgeous Vltava.” Praha is definitely one of my favorite cities in the world!
Spain
Seville is so romantic! ©Cat Gaa
Spain, the country of music and wines, of poetry and sensuous dances. For Cat Gaa of Sunshine & Siestas, no city there is more romantic than Seville.
She started out by telling about her tale of finding love in this romantic city, and indeed, who can resist the charms of Spanish hombres? Based on her personal experience, Cat shares her romantic ideas for Valentine’s Day in Seville.
The Netherlands
Finally, Brandy Bell of It’s One World, Travel shares what she sees as a romantic city: Amsterdam!
Amsterdam Romancesterdam, you might say, but for Brandy, nothing’s more romantic than bicycles for two, going to the museum of the tortured artist Vincent Van Gogh, or yeah, enjoying the Venice of the North’s cafe culture. Try it, if you dare!
Norway
Trondheim in winter. © Anne-Sophie Redisch
For Regin Reyno of Regin’s Travels, however, it’s not Paris, Venice, or Rome (because he hasn’t been there yet), but it’s Trondheim which he chooses to be his most romantic city. He has five criteria for a place to be romantic: solitude, convenience, cleanliness, elegance, and nature, and all these he found in this beautiful Norwegian city.
So there you have it, 25 bloggers have shared their choices for the most romantic places in Europe. Seeing the pictures and reading about all these destinations, which European city is the most romantic for you?
Many thanks to all the bloggers who joined this carnival! Check out the past editions of Carnival of Europe.
Aleah Taboclaon is a location independent writer, editor, and the travel blogger behind Solitary Wanderer. She's partial to slow travel, and prefers extreme adventures like hiking and caving over sightseeing. She likes running (completed one marathon, training for the next!), diving (PADI open water diver), and traveling with her Kindle. Follow her on Instagram and Pinterest!
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54 Comments. Leave new
I have been to 4 Schengen Countries and Prague is my most fave romantic place so far. However, I would love to go back and explore more in The Netherlands.
Can’t help but agree on this list! France is cliché but is definitely tops on this list!
I got inspired with your blog. Can you send me suggestions on the hotel/hostels you stayed at in Europe? Thanks in advance!
Santorini is definitely one of the most romantic places in the world. Amoudi Bay is my favorite attraction in Santorini. We had a great experienced there.
Great selection! I went to Paris many years ago with an ex-boyfriend but haven’t had a man in while so haven’t been able to check out the romantic potential of the other places you mention! I would choose Florence over Venice in Italy for a romantic getaway though.
@ Ken: Yeah, walking along the Danube River is indeed very romantic!
Thanks for sharing. However, you may miss out Hungry as Budapest also very romantic especially you walk along Danube
@ Nisha: You can host a blog carnival in Europe! Just let organizer know. She’s the one who’s writing about Balkan sunsets.
@ Shalu: The UK is interesting too, but I don’t see it as romantic. Good that other bloggers have talked about its romantic nature 🙂
Great romantic places of Europe. UK seems very interesting to me. Although it can be on the cold and rainy side of things but its worth visiting. The Lake District is a great place. Like you mention, Rome seems very nice and attractive.
Ha I saw it late ! Would have loved to join this.
Now I am thinking of running a carnival on my site too, not the same topic though. 😉
@ Dennis: I agree. I hope to have my honeymoon someday there 😀
@ Andrew: Yep, yep! Lots of romantic places in Europe!!
A great collection of destinations, Aleah, and a nice variety of links to follow up on!
For me, Santorini is hands down the most romantic place in all of Europe. All those newly weds who chose to honeymoon there would surely agree 🙂
Great work on this list!
@ Melinda: That sounds wonderful! Especially if you’re with someone special 🙂
@ Laurel: Thanks for joining. I enjoyed reading your entry too. Someday I’ll get there 🙂
Great job of compiling these. Europe is such a romantic place to begin with, but this list has inspired so many new places that I want to discover. Thanks for including me.
I still think the most romantic place I’ve stayed at in Europe was at a simple hotel in the Alps with a balcony looking over the mountains… views, wine, no crowds, perfect 🙂
@ Oriana: Happy Valentine’s to you too!
@ Fifi Leigh: Yes, Europe is all that and more.
it is interesting to travel different countries and check out the ambiance and surroundings in each. the architecture, tours, scenery, streets, window shopping, statues, paintings, sculptures, and just people watching are all artwork…
Such a great collection, and several places to add to my own travel wishlist, too! Thank you for including me Aleah, and a happy romantic February to everybody!
@ Fifi Leigh: I agree about Italy. I really love that country. When I get the chance to go back, I would definitely stay longer there.
@ Ron: I haven’t seen that movie! There are always lots of people in the Trevi. It was a challenge taking a pic with no one in it!
The places I long been dreaming to see. and every time I see a picture of Fontana di Trevi, that scene from an old dolphy movie flashes in my mind! *inggit!
i have been to most of these places. venice is a cute and small city. paris and french riviera are exciting cities. milan, como lake, rome, and the countryside of italy are historical and luxurious areas, filled with scenic beauty. the greek islands are cute, and filled with adventure, as you enjoy a romance on the beach, under the hot sun. i have been to england, but dont remember scotland. but they have their own romance in the green countryside as well as the fun and crowded city environment, filled with art and culture activities.
the other placed posted here, i havent been to, but i am sure they are nice, as well.
@ Doc Gelo: Just keep on winning those blogging contests, and I’m sure they’ll take you to Europe someday! hehe
@ Cathy: Thanks for participating! Your entry on Vienna really brought back memories 🙂
Happy to part of this romantic series of articles. Thanks, Aleah. I’d like to spend some quality time with my beloved in any of these places. Would love to go to the Balkans next.
hi aleah! you don’t have an idea how i deeply sighed and marveled on this post; great compilation! i just hope i could use this post and the links within whenever chance (read : budget!!!) gives me the green light to bring my family and my feet to those amazing european cities!
@ Kyle and Jamie: Thank you both for contributing. Hope I could visit Croatia someday 🙂
@ Michaela: Thank you. I wouldn’t have thought of the other places mentioned here as romantic too!
Wow! I love this layout and the information contained is great. Right in time for the Holiday of Love! I see some places that I hadn’t thought of as romantic. Thanks for this!
Fantastic list, some super romantic places on here! Big shout out to London and Croatia. Thanks for including us!
@ Violy: Hope you and your hubby will get to visit Santorini someday. It’s a really romantic place, specially during early spring when there aren’t too many tourists!
@ Bram: I spent Valentine’s Day 2012 in Bruges. Love that city. So envious of you living in Belgium!
@Aleah: I actually considered writing about Bruges! But I chose Paris, because I liked my Paris pictures better 🙂
Congrats Aleah! Great compilation!! I’ve been dreaming of Santorini lately.. sana sana sana!! hehe. Thanks for inviting me to be a part of this. 😉
@ Bram: Yeah, Paris and Venice are popular choices. I expected to have Bruges as well, but no one wrote about it. haha
@ Laura: That is so true, and I’m happy Amsterdam and Seville were also represented. I would have liked to see Belgium featured as well!
Thank you for hosting the carnival and for the opportunity to contribute! I love the theme and that you published it just before St. Valentine’s. I see Paris is still the first choice, but I’m happy to see places like Norway on the list too. I totally believe a place is as romantic as one wants it to be and that we can find beauty in every corner.
Thank you for including me in this great blog carnival Aleah (and for featuring my picture ;-))
I see that Paris and Venice are the cities most written about. Surprise! Haha.
Seriously wonderful posts on here. It’s a joy to read 🙂
@ Andrea: It was my pleasure to host, and looking forward to the next one!
@ Mary: It was a lot of work to compile, but it was worth it! Thanks for joining!
Great turnout for the blog carnival and great job in compiling all of these posts, Aleah! Thanks for the opportunity to contribute. I have a lot of reading to do this weekend and some great new blogs to follow.
Thanks for hosting! There are some great romantic destinations covered here. 🙂
@ Mhe-anne: I’m so envious you can go back to these places with hubby in tow! Thanks for joining 🙂
@ Cris: So you’re another boyband girlie? hahaha
I really love this! 🙂 I hope to visit these wonderful places someday with a special someone, and make sure to contribute if ever there will be a sequel to this. Haha. I soooo love Dublin, too, because of Boyzone! ^_^
wooot * wooot* super love the compilation. well written as always Aleah dear. thanks for including my entry too. I will be busy clicking all the links and writing down the places in Europe where to head with my hubby after June!
@ Jackie Smith: Thanks for joining. I loved compiling these, it brought back a lot of memories!
@ Debbie: It took me until 4am, but it’s definitely worth it, reading all your submissions 🙂
Super job! You really went over and above on this list of romantic European spots. Thanks for including me. I’ll be making my way through the list too 🙂
Kudos to you Aleah! This is an amazing round-up. . .thank you for letting me be a part of it. And I plan to slowly visit each of these places thanks to your fellow bloggers. . .armchair travel at its finest.
@ Brandy Bell: Wish I could visit Cat there too. Spain as a whole seems so romantic!
@ Marlys: Venice is very nice, especially in early spring when there aren’t so many people 🙂
Wow, this Carneval certainly has covered every city that could be a romantic destination. Venice is my top romantic destination. I just love that city
thanks for the inclusion, Aleah! I have to agree, Sevilla looks might tempting…. may be coming to see you, Cat!
@ Catherine: Happy Valentine’s! Make sure to visit all of them, these destinations are AMAZING!
@ Cat: Someday, I’ll get there 😀
Thanks for the inclusion! I am 100% biased, but Seville is crazy romantic!
Hi Aleah! Great job in compiling these! Am going through them and making notes on where to visit next 😉 haha Happy Valentine’s Day dear! 😀