13 Romantic Cities To Visit With Your Partner That Aren’t Paris

Are you over Paris? Do you want your romantic trip to be somewhat more original? Take your couple-travel to the next level with this list of must-visit cities for anyone with a romantic bone in their body. The world has much to offer, often in rather unexpected places.

  1. LONDON While being practically the “anti-Paris,” London actually has much-understated romance hidden away. Obviously, there’s the river Thames, full of large bridges to cross and romantic cruises to take. There are also plenty of neighborhoods offering narrow streets, pretty cafés and secret bars, plus the whole city is bursting at the seams with art, culture, music and shopping opportunities. Even the grayest and most miserable of days won’t be boring in London, which is good, cause there are plenty of gray, miserable days. When the sun is out, though, London’s parks and botanical gardens become absolutely vibrant and beautiful.
  2. REYKJAVIK Iceland’s capital is within easy reach of both mainland Europe and the east coast and is small yet insanely hip. Expect lots of snow for most of the year, but that doesn’t stop the city from having a very active live music scene, bars that are open till dawn and lots of opportunities for romantic walks along the cheerful narrow streets. You can also go whale watching, enjoy the Northern Lights or go on easy day trips into nature from the city center. If you need more convincing then you should probably go ahead and look up Iceland’s obsession with hot springs, saunas, and heated swimming pools.
  3. AMSTERDAM Okay, so most people come here for the legal weed, which is great, but Amsterdam is also decked with utterly twee canals, beautiful old streets, unique architecture, cute little cafés (not just the weed kind) and a whole load of museums that make even rainy days exciting. If that’s not enough, the Dutch are obsessed with flowers, so everywhere you go will feel like your birthday. Amsterdam is also a big cycling town, with plenty of bike lanes, perfectly flat roads and lots of places that will rent you bikes for the perfect romantic ride.
  4. BARCELONA Pretty beaches, beautiful parks, winding alleyways and awesome seafood are just some of the things this city offers in terms of romantic experiences. This is a city that comes to life at night, so if you like to eat late, party all night or just take a long walk along a beautiful moonlit seafront, you’ll feel right at home. Head to the Gothic Quarter, which, although not as dark as its name would imply, is the perfect place to get hopelessly lost for a while. If you are a goth, though, you really want to be looking up some of the city’s cemeteries for your romantic stroll.
  5. BANGKOK Hot, crazy and full of both modern skyscrapers and ancient temples, Bangkok also features a river you can walk along or sail on, hundreds of awesome markets and an endless array of air-conditioned malls to enjoy when the weather gets too hot. It might not be the first city that springs to mind when you think about romance, but spend one evening watching the sunset on the river and you’ll quickly change your mind.
  6. BUDAPEST Well-stocked patisseries and cruising on the Danube river might be enough to sell you on Hungary’s capital as a romantic destination, but let’s not forget this is also spa country. Hot springs and couples’ pamper treatments are everywhere you go and they aren’t even that expensive. To top it off, the city itself is furnished with pretty old buildings and plenty of cool neighborhoods to get lost in.
  7. VENICE Well, duh. Canals, gondolas and a whole city designed for couples to stroll around, enjoy waterside cafés and restaurant and generally explore this old, utterly charming and slowly sinking marvel of the classic world. Seriously, every couple should visit this place at least once. It ought to be a law.
  8. EDINBURGH They call Edinburgh“Venice of the North,” so you may be forgiven for thinking it might have plenty of canals. It doesn’t. What it does have is a massive fairytale castle, steep, cobbled streets and locals with a decidedly sexy accent. It’s usually cold and grey in Edinburgh, which just makes the whole experience of sipping smoked whiskey by a raging fire feel cozier. Summer is festival season, so if you go in August, you can also enjoy some of the world’s best (and worst) theater performances.
  9. TOKYO Seriously, is there anyone who fails to see the romance in Japan’s crazy capital after watching Lost in Translation? Literally everything you lay your eyes on in this city is beautiful, the food is amazing, and looking out of your hotel room window on the 30th floor will make you feel like you’re living in the future. For selfie-ops worthy of your wedding album, go during cherry blossom season.
  10. BERLIN Grey, often industrial Berlin doesn’t exactly scream “romance,” but then Wim Wenders and Nick Cave gave us one of the world’s best cult films, Wings of Desire, in the ’80s so there’s really no excuse not to fall in love with (or in) this city. Like most European capitals, it does have pretty old buildings and hip little neighborhoods, but it also has massive, well-kept parks, buzzing nightlife and, perhaps surprisingly, really good food. If you’re at all edgy, alternative or, let’s be honest, cool, then you’ll definitely enjoy Berlin’s version of romanticism.
  11. ISTANBUL East meets west, Europe meets Asia, tradition meets modernity, etc. etc. There aren’t too many cities in the world where you can stroll through a huge spice market in the morning, enjoy a traditional Turkish music and belly dance show for dinner, then dance ’til dawn at a techno club. Also: river ferries are a thing and the journey is just as magical as it sounds.
  12. SAN FRANCISCO You don’t need to leave the States to find romance. The best thing about San Francisco is that you can go there and feel like you’re visiting several different countries in one day. Take a walk through Chinatown, visit a taqueria in the Mission or take a cable car to watch the seals by the pier—it might all seem obvious if you actually live there, but to anyone else, this is the stuff of romance. Also, fog is pretty beautiful, when you think about it.
  13. LAS VEGAS Can’t make it to the real Venice? No problem. Vegas has got your gondolas right here. Also, light shows, ridiculous buildings, amazing stage shows and bars with breathtaking views across the entire city. Vegas has been a favored destination for dirty weekends away for decades and there’s a good reason for that. Also, unless you’re a heavy gambler, it’s hella cheap.
Writer, artist, intrepid traveler and lover of cats, cheese and techno music. Preferably not all at the same time.
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