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When in love, is there anything better than to escape reality for somewhere unashamedly romantic? What it’s for doesn’t really matter – a first dalliance, a getaway from the kids, Valentine’s Day, a marriage proposal or a honeymoon. The most romantic holiday destinations are different for everyone, from remote idyllic islands to buzzing European cities. Here’s my lineup of the best holidays for couples in search of romance.
The best romantic holidays for couples
- Paris, France
- Iceland
- Zermatt, Switzerland
- Kotor, Montenegro
- Scottish Highlands
- Ibiza, Spain
- Orient Express
- La Palma, Canary Islands
- Cook Islands
- Saint Lucia
- Maldives
- Seychelles
- Kyoto, Japan
- Punakha, Bhutan
- Botswana
The most romantic holiday destinations in Europe
Europe is a rich banquet of romance right on your doorstep. With a quick flight, ferry or train you can immerse yourself in romantic getaways and tailor made holidays for couples.
Paris, France
- Learn more: Paris travel guide
An obvious place to start and an admitted cliché, but where there’s smoke there’s fire. Few cities can evoke an innate sense of passion and romance like Paris. Stroll along the moonlit Seine and kiss under the Eiffel Tower. Get lost in the lanes of Montmartre and set pulses racing on a night at the Moulin Rouge. The possibilities for romance are endless.
And then there are the hotels – from boutique bolt holes to grand chateaux and Belle-Epoque suites. For intimacy and Parisian style, splash out on the Maison Proust, if only for its gorgeous, glamorous indoor pool.
Iceland
- Learn more: Reykjavik travel guide
The black beaches, bubbling thermals and volcanic landscapes of Iceland are a canvas for cultivating romance. It was where I took my girlfriend on our first trip away. Fly into extraordinary Reykjavik for a night. Take a day trip to soak in the Blue Lagoon (touristy but worth it) and then hit the road.
The 828-mile Ring Road takes in the extraordinarily diverse but always stunning Icelandic coast. It’s a mesmerizing and romantic road trip that offers plenty of unique places to find solitude amid the beauty of nature. There are many operators running small or private guided tours if you don’t want to drive, but these aren’t what I’d call romantic.
There are lovely hotels and homestays en route, but I’ll always remember the quirky Hotel Ranga for its outdoor hot tubs. Perfect for gazing out over the Northern Lights with a glass of bubbly in hand.
Zermatt, Switzerland
- Learn more: Zermatt travel guide
High in the Swiss Alps, Zermatt oozes romantic getaway vibes. Its hotels are a case in point, with luxury and intimacy at the top of the menu. I love the hip and modern Omnia, but for something more affordable the Swiss Alpine Allalin is just about perfect.
Zermatt is accessible only by train. Make the grandest entrance by flying to St. Moritz and then taking the Glacier Express. Taking just under eight hours, it’s one of the world’s great train journeys.
The “window to the Swiss Alps” wends over 2,000 metre peaks, past sparkling glaciers and through ancient forests. En route, it traverses 91 tunnels and 291 bridges along a UNESCO World Heritage Line.
Kotor, Montenegro
- Learn more: Kotor travel guide
Bypass the crowds in neighbouring Croatia and let the under-appreciated magic of Montenegro’s Adriatic coast wash over you. Mediaeval Kotor Bay is a dream tucked away amid the limestone cliffs of Mount Lovćen in a spectacular fjord.
Set yourself up in the Porto Montenegro marina. The Regent Porto Montenegro is my current pick, although the new SIRO Boka Place opening in May 2025 looks incredible. From here it’s just a quick speed boat ride into Kotor Bay.
Flying past idyllic chapels set on tiny islands, below vineyard-laden slopes to a long quayside lunch in the sun is surely the epitome of how to do romance right.
Scottish Highlands
- Learn more: Best places to visit in Scotland
Hit the Highlands and get lost in the dream of Scotland. Rugged and remote, its boundless scenery seems to reach right into the past and pull you along with it. For an intimate getaway without having to travel far, the Highlands are unmatched.
Don your hiking boots, rent a car or ride the famed steam train from Fort William to Mallaig. However you immerse yourself, you’ll be treated to mountain glens swathed in wildflowers, shimmering lochs and magnificent castles.
Lunches fireside in cosy pubs, dinners in grand hotels with waiters dressed in black tie, four poster beds in wood-panelled rooms all await. For unbridled romance, stay at Inverlochy Castle.
Ibiza, Spain
The White Isle is incredibly versatile. Ultimate party island, hippy hangout, luxurious wellness retreat – it has something whatever your idea of romance may be. On the coast you’ll find day-long lunches at blissful beach bars and night-long parties in the world’s biggest clubs.
Head inland however and you’ll find peace and solitude in the bucolic settings of the island interior. Book into the small, romantic agrotourism Hotel Can Sastre just a ten-minute drive from Ibiza Town. Wander countryside paths through slow-paced villages and forests of orange and olive trees. Retreat poolside for sundowner cocktails and make the hard decision: early night or dance the night away.
Orient Express
Learn more: Prague travel guide
It may be trite to say the journey is the destination, but when you’re aboard the world’s most famous train, it’s undeniably true. From London, the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express network reaches out to some of Europe’s most romantic destinations. Budapest, Prague, Vienna and multiple cities across Italy offer perfect romantic weekend escapes.
The route to Prague is my favourite. It starts with a glamorous evening aboard the Art Deco Belmond British Pullman before transferring to the Orient Express in France. Spend your day dining and watching the wold go by as you cross Germany’s forested hills and river valleys. In Prague, maintain the old world amour with a night at The Mozart.
La Palma, Canary Islands
Okay so not strictly Europe, but the Canaries are the southernmost autonomous community of Spain, close to the coast of Western Sahara. They are also wildly romantic and blessed with year round sun. Skip the big names and head for quieter, calmer La Palma.
The capital Santa Cruz de la Palma is a romantic mix of old and new architecture, famed for its wooden-balcony buildings like the Apartamento Playa Nueva. Twisting cobbled streets emerge onto beachfront restaurants serving mountains of fresh seafood. Venture inland to hike rugged volcanic trails to remote waterfalls in the vast caldera of the Caldera de Taburiente National Park.
The most romantic island holidays in the world
Everyone will picture something different as their ultimate romantic getaway. Mine is a picture perfect desert island. Bath-warm waters, powder-fine sands, just enough wildlife and somewhere adult-orientated to stay that makes the most of it all. Here are my favourite romantic island holidays for couples.
The Cook Islands
The ultimate honeymoon destination is about as long-haul as it gets from the UK. Trust me though, it’s worth every mile. Unspoiled and unburdened by the outside world, each island is a dot of perfection thousands of miles from anything.
Rarotonga and Aitutaki are the main islands but both are blissfully tourist lite. You’ll find no branded resorts and no buildings taller than a coconut tree – just a luminous panorama of white sand and blue seas.
Aitutaki is home to my favourite lagoon, crisscrossed by invisible sandbars that make you feel like you’re walking on water. Dive into it directly from your terrace at the Aitutaki Lagoon Resort.
Saint Lucia
- Learn more: Caribbean Islands guide
Among the bounty of Caribbean islands you’ll find no shortage of romantic holiday hideouts. Yet few wear their splendour and beauty more gracefully than Saint Lucia. Romantic settings are in abundance.
Book a room at the incomparable Jade Mountain, one of the world’s most romantic and extraordinary hotels. Lounge in your private infinity pool and gaze out over the Pitons, soaring from ocean to sky. Below, Anse Chastanet’s white sands reach into the Caribbean seas. Book some sun loungers, order some cocktails and let the love blossom.
Maldives
- Learn more: Malé travel guide
It would be remiss not to include the Maldives in a list of the best holiday destinations for couples. Pick any of the now hundreds of resorts occupying their own little slices of paradise and you’ll be rewarded with unfettered romance. My W Maldives for its flawless fusion of privacy and partying. It’s also recently been renovated for 2025.
Fantastically, you can also now do the Maldives on a budget (of sorts.) The island of Thulusdhoo is home to 1,400 Maldivians, some lovely, well-priced hotels and the tourist-friendly Bikini Beach. It offers the best of the Maldives without the outrageous resort prices.
Seychelles
- Learn more: Victoria travel guide
If you think the Maldives are romantic, you’re going to love the Seychelles. Blessed with the same immaculate beaches and luminous Indian Ocean, they’re less manicured and curated. This only makes them more beautiful – in particular the surreal stone formations that dress the coastline with a Dali-esque flair.
Look beyond the main island of Mahé. Instead make for Praslin, La Digue or one of the wilder outer islands. Stay at the Six Senses Zil Pasyon on lush, forested Felicite Island, Treehouse style villas soak in every drop of the extraordinary surroundings while cocooning you in complete luxury.
Once-in-a-lifetime romantic holiday destinations for couples
Some holidays are once-in-a-lifetime deals. Never more so than if you’re planning on popping the question or heading off on honeymoon. From cities seemingly frozen in time to incredible experiences you’ll never forget, here are the best holiday destinations for couples in search of something special.
Kyoto, Japan
- Learn more: Kyoto travel guide
A city that leans into its seasons more than most, there’s no unromantic time to visit Kyoto. If you don’t mind crowds, Sakura season – when the cherry blossoms bloom – is lovely. April is peak time but thronging with people. Try early May instead when temperatures are warm, crowds are thin and the blooms are slowly come to an end.
Perhaps the most romantic place for a little hanami (flower hunting) is Tetsugaku-no-Michi, the Path of Philosophy. Wander its oceans of pink petals at night to soak in one of nature’s most romantic atmospheres. Stay in a traditional ryokan like the exceptional Kyo Yunohana Resort Suisen but note you’ll need to book a long way in advance.
Punakha, Bhutan
- Learn more: Bhutan travel guide
The last great Himalayan kingdom is a country of magic and mystery. It is achingly romantic in its landscapes, traditions and otherworldliness, it’s a place where success is measured in happiness. Yet it also has a racy side.
From the capital Thimphu, travel over the Dochula Pass summit to see the Himalayas laid out before you and on to Punakha. A valley enthralled by the sex-obsessed 15th century Buddhist Monk Drukpa Kunley, almost every building is daubed in huge, often ejaculating, phalluses.
Elaborate and colourful they’re said to protect the building from evil spirits but also to bless couples with fertility. Book a room at Como Uma Punakha and try your luck!
Botswana
- Learn more: Botswana travel guide
The classic African safari has long been a honeymoon staple with good reason. Long days trundling through incredible landscapes deep in the bosom of Mother Nature. Star-filled evenings by candlelight. Desert camps with every mod con. Morning hot air balloon rides through silent skies. It’s one giant ode to oxytocin.
Skip the classic destinations and head for Botswana, which has implemented a sustainable tourism approach that keeps crowds light. No 4×4 traffic jams to catch sight of a disappearing lion here. Instead, silent serenity at the Askiesbos – Samochima Bush Camp with luxurious open air tents and cruises through the Okavango Delta at fantastic prices.
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