15 Bucket List Places for a Romantic Escape

When was the last time you stopped the clock on this crazy thing called life to celebrate the fact that, in a world full of billions of people, you found each other? You culled through all the noise and the nonsense and, somehow, found one another.

If that’s been on your mind lately, we have a list of 15 different destinations you can travel to if your only goal is to get swept away all over again. From the obvious choices to the lesser-known considerations, we’re absolutely confident that any one of these cities will give you a new lease on love.

Paris, France

This isn’t a cliché. No article about romantic travel destinations can exist without mentioning Paris. It’s a city that has a lock on love. Here, the skies are truly pink. People still picnic in parks. Friends and lovers roll out blankets and sit by the river with nothing more than cheese, bread, and a bottle of wine… They’re all… living. They work hard, but they also know when to stop and smell the proverbial roses — whether or not they’re in the Jardin des Tuileries.

Paris is for lovers. You can stay in any arrondissement and sense that feeling in the air. But, since this is a travel article and we need to be more specific than all that, the best suggestion for first-time lovers in Paris is to stay in Le Marais or the Latin Quarter.

In either of these neighborhoods, you can hold hands in a multitude of cafés, walk along the river as she shares some of her secrets with you, whisper in quiet corners of ancient bookshops, savor decadent meals, and then return home to your lovely Airbnb, filled with wonderful memories of a few free and easy days in the City of Love.

Venice, Italy

Venice has a similar sense in the air. She’s an ancient city with so many secrets, you can’t help but feel how wise she is. The trouble is, in the summer, she swells with tourists. To make this a truly intimate and romantic getaway, come in the winter, instead.

You’ll have all those cafés to yourself. You’ll get to know the locals better. You can dip in and out of ancient churches and cathedrals and get a better sense of the holiness of this place. Few things on earth can form a tighter bond than that, no matter your religious persuasion.

Best of all, if you happen to be coming from London or other parts of Europe, the best way to arrive in Venice is via the Venice-Simplon Orient Express. It’s a chart-topper on our list of 24 must-take train trips, and you’ll see why when you look at the pictures.

Galway, Ireland

It’s a terrible oversight not to consider Ireland a romantic country. Instead, it’s taken on this sort of rebel persona. And, while that may be true, that dew-filled air is very much saturated with love. Think of all the great poets and writers that have emerged from this land, as well as the musicians and playwrights.

Sure, Dublin and Cork City may be a bit on the rowdy side. But you need a balance of romance and rowdiness in your life. After you’ve enjoyed the fruits of those bustling cities, come to Galway. Rent a small Airbnb in Salthill so you can overlook the harbor with ease.

Then, walk or drive into Galway at night, where the rain dapples the pedestrian-only Quay Street, and the musical notes from all the live Irish music sessions fill the air. Pull up a barstool, tap your feet to the reels and jigs, and then cry your eyes out when a local stands up (out of the blue) and sings a ballad that’ll pierce your heart and make you cling tighter to the one you love.

Edinburgh, Scotland

The same goes for Scotland. It doesn’t put a spotlight on love the way Paris and Venice do, but its potion is just as potent. Edinburgh is enchanting, especially at night when the light reflects off its misty cobblestone streets and barely peeks into its numerous secret passageways.

If you can swing it, stay a night at The Witchery. It’s consistently rated as Scotland’s most romantic hotel, and you can easily see why. The moment you step inside its doors, which just so happens to be the entryway to a 16th-century building, you’ll feel as though you and your lover have stepped through a portal.

Like Paris, you can easily wander the streets of Edinburgh, even without a solid game plan. Visit Edinburgh Castle to see how kings and queens used to live. Walk the Royal Mile to the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Stroll the Royal Botanic Gardens. Then, you can seal it with a kiss at a whisky distillery before re-entering your secret lair at The Witchery.

For more on how to enchant your stay, this magical guide will show you the ins and outs of this most magnificent city.