This thread's purpose is to discuss and vote for Europe's most romantic destinations.
The criteria to take into account are the atmosphere, the scenery, the beauty of the buildings, the quality and atmosphere of local restaurants, the friendliness of the locals, the weather, and above all whether you would want to take someone on a date there.
My personal top 20 would be:
Other potential candidates: Verona, Siena, Barcelona, Madrid, St Petersburg, Edinburgh, Cambridge, Oxford, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Dresden, Salzburg, Colmar...
It's more difficult to rank places for their romantic character than for their sightseeing value because romance depends on a lot of subtle factors that make the atmosphere particularly pleasant in addition to the beauty of the place. For example it is undeniable that St Petersburg is far more interesting than Bruges for sightseeing, but Bruges is cute, cosy, has excellent food, romantic canals, and a kind of Disneyland atmosphere. In contrast St Petersburg is crisscrossed by very big boulevards with a lot of traffic and has the Russian mafia - two elements that really kills the romantic feeling of the place. That's also the reason I woudln't list the city of Naples itself anywhere near the top 100. The presence of organised crime, the ubiquitous petty crimes, and the dirtiness of the city are very strong mood killers. The Amalfi Coast, Capri and Procida have been spared those problems though.
Oxford and Cambridge are almost just as cute and snug as Bruges, but are too serious and intellectual places to feel truly romantic. Whenever I am there I feel more like thinking about sciences than above love. Edinburgh is just too dark and gloomy to be romantic in any other sense than 19th-century literary romanticism (which is not what the ranking is about). It's an extremely beautiful city, but the mood just isn't one of cheerful, light-hearted romance.
Barcelona and Madrid have a lot of sightseeing, but very dispersed and both cities are too big and sprawling for a romantic stroll. Both also lacks a proper river. The same criticism also applies to Brussels.
Prague and Budapest are nice enough from a sightseeing point of view, but they are not the perfect dating places for a number of reasons. Eating goulash with beer in a tavern is not exactly my idea of the perfect romantic dinner. Besides I have found the locals working in the tourist industry not very accommodating, and sometimes too prone to cheating unsuspecting tourists to make a few extra cents. That is the kind of behaviour one expects and usually finds in touristy developing countries like Egypt or Thailand. Spain has long been like that too, and Madrid still is to some extent. Having to constantly be on your guard and argue about money can be very nerve-racking, and that is why I did not give a higher ranking to Prague, Budapest or Madrid.
German cities have been badly disfigured by WWII and still haven't recovered from their antebellum charm. Strasbourg could be considered the best preserved German city, although it is now French. That factor played in its advantage for the romantic side since it is definitely more romantic to hear French around than German. Alsatian cuisine has also benefited from the influence of the French culture and culinary savoir-faire. The most beautiful city in Germany is Dresden, but the mood isn't so cheerful (still a lingering post-communist, post-industrial atmosphere) and the food is far from the best in Europe.
Vienna is the nicest and most romantic German-speaking city though. Even if major German cities had not suffered so much from the war, I doubt that any could beat Vienna for its unique charm and atmosphere.
What in your opinion are Europe's most romantic spots ?
The criteria to take into account are the atmosphere, the scenery, the beauty of the buildings, the quality and atmosphere of local restaurants, the friendliness of the locals, the weather, and above all whether you would want to take someone on a date there.
My personal top 20 would be:
- Amalfi Coast
- Rome
- Florence
- Venice
- Paris
- French Riviera
- Cinque Terre
- Santorini
- Seville
- London
- Lisbon
- Vienna
- Stockholm
- Strasbourg
- Dubrovnik
- Amsterdam
- Copenhagen
- Bruges
- Prague
- Budapest
Other potential candidates: Verona, Siena, Barcelona, Madrid, St Petersburg, Edinburgh, Cambridge, Oxford, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Dresden, Salzburg, Colmar...
It's more difficult to rank places for their romantic character than for their sightseeing value because romance depends on a lot of subtle factors that make the atmosphere particularly pleasant in addition to the beauty of the place. For example it is undeniable that St Petersburg is far more interesting than Bruges for sightseeing, but Bruges is cute, cosy, has excellent food, romantic canals, and a kind of Disneyland atmosphere. In contrast St Petersburg is crisscrossed by very big boulevards with a lot of traffic and has the Russian mafia - two elements that really kills the romantic feeling of the place. That's also the reason I woudln't list the city of Naples itself anywhere near the top 100. The presence of organised crime, the ubiquitous petty crimes, and the dirtiness of the city are very strong mood killers. The Amalfi Coast, Capri and Procida have been spared those problems though.
Oxford and Cambridge are almost just as cute and snug as Bruges, but are too serious and intellectual places to feel truly romantic. Whenever I am there I feel more like thinking about sciences than above love. Edinburgh is just too dark and gloomy to be romantic in any other sense than 19th-century literary romanticism (which is not what the ranking is about). It's an extremely beautiful city, but the mood just isn't one of cheerful, light-hearted romance.
Barcelona and Madrid have a lot of sightseeing, but very dispersed and both cities are too big and sprawling for a romantic stroll. Both also lacks a proper river. The same criticism also applies to Brussels.
Prague and Budapest are nice enough from a sightseeing point of view, but they are not the perfect dating places for a number of reasons. Eating goulash with beer in a tavern is not exactly my idea of the perfect romantic dinner. Besides I have found the locals working in the tourist industry not very accommodating, and sometimes too prone to cheating unsuspecting tourists to make a few extra cents. That is the kind of behaviour one expects and usually finds in touristy developing countries like Egypt or Thailand. Spain has long been like that too, and Madrid still is to some extent. Having to constantly be on your guard and argue about money can be very nerve-racking, and that is why I did not give a higher ranking to Prague, Budapest or Madrid.
German cities have been badly disfigured by WWII and still haven't recovered from their antebellum charm. Strasbourg could be considered the best preserved German city, although it is now French. That factor played in its advantage for the romantic side since it is definitely more romantic to hear French around than German. Alsatian cuisine has also benefited from the influence of the French culture and culinary savoir-faire. The most beautiful city in Germany is Dresden, but the mood isn't so cheerful (still a lingering post-communist, post-industrial atmosphere) and the food is far from the best in Europe.
Vienna is the nicest and most romantic German-speaking city though. Even if major German cities had not suffered so much from the war, I doubt that any could beat Vienna for its unique charm and atmosphere.
What in your opinion are Europe's most romantic spots ?
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