Best romantic weekend city breaks in Europe for couples in 2024

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February is quick approaching, which implies Valentine’s Day on the 14th. The celebration of affection may be an excuse to depart the extraordinary behind and jet off to swoon-worthy locations throughout the UK and Europe to woo the one that you love on a romance-filled city break – not that you just want a big day to try this, after all.

From a basic lover’s retreat to Paris to a unusual weekend in Amsterdam, a mountain sojourn à deux in the French Alps or a back-to-nature break on a wild Welsh island, this is how one can make recollections throughout your time away plus, – maybe most significantly – the place to remain.

Best for beachy escapism: Comporta, Portugal

All lime-green paddy fields, pine-backed sand dunes, wildflower meadows and cork tree forests, this sequence of mellow, beachy villages an hour south of Lisbon in Portugal’s Alentejo rank extremely in the country attraction stakes.  Comporta’s lengthy sands, together with fairly Praia da Comporta, may be explored on foot or by horseback, guided by Cavalos na Areia. The important village has a clutch of hippy-chic design outlets to discover  – together with Rice for baskets and Lavanda for mushy linens – whereas in close by Troia, resident bottlenose dolphins may be noticed gliding by means of the Sado Estuary, with eco-experts Vertigem Azul.

Where to remain

Sublime Comporta has A-frame cabana suites and villas with all-white decor, billowing gauzy curtains, driftwood touches and egg-shaped bathtubs set in dappled woodland. At its bohemian restaurant, Sem Porta, Chef Hélio Gonçalves serves a riot of native dishes in an atmospheric former rice barn.

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Best for fashionable surroundings: Copenhagen, Denmark

Copenhagen combines canals, cobbled streets, brightly-coloured homes, a skyline zig-zagged with twisting spires, world-class design museums and extra inventive New Nordic eateries than you shake a stick at. No matter what will get your hearts racing, the Danish capital’s received it lined.

Appealingly straightforward to navigate – by foot or by bike – highlights embrace Tivoli Gardens for fairytale kitsch and retro funfair rides, and the ultra-stylish Danish Design Museum. Foodie couples will probably be in heaven too, whether or not you’ve managed to bag a reserving at The Alchemist, Rasmus Munk’s 50-course eating expertise, otherwise you’re simply tucking into Hart Bageri’s double-baked croissants.

Where to remain

The 87-room Manon les Suites, near the lakes and central sq., was created by the workforce behind Ubud’s Jungle Fish “no beach” seashore membership. It serves up tropical thrills with its foliage-wreathed swimming pool, giving the texture of a dip in the forest, surrounded by dangling crops in terracotta pots and Balinese penjor poles.

Packed with heaps of historical past and heritage, from 2,000-year-old steamy, columned Roman Baths to curves of honey-hued Georgian structure, Bath does supercharged romance with aplomb. Lovers can ‘take the waters’ whereas having fun with skyline views from the spring-fed rooftop pool at Thermae Bath Spa, step again in time on the Jane Austen museum, or decide for fowl’s eye views from the highest of Bath Abbey’s tower. For trad diners, there’s Afternoon Tea on the Georgian Pump Room, whereas for Twenty first-century British aptitude, Beckford Canteen has partitions dressed in jade inexperienced Wedgwood cabbage plates, Czechoslovakian pendant lights and a menu that includes the likes of pean and mint soup and rarebit with pickled onions.

Where to remain

In a main location on Bath’s Royal Crescent, the 45-room Royal Crescent Hotel has a beautiful spa – the spotlight being the 12m rest pool which sits by Bath stone brick partitions and arching cathedral-style home windows. The swankiest bedrooms have ornate plasterwork, chandeliers and 4 poster beds, and a brand new garden-bar-dining expertise, Montagu’s Mews, gives relaxed eating with subtle seasonal menus.

Best for basic romance: Paris, France

Synonymous with romance the world over, Paris, with its boulevards, classical monuments, pavement cafes, atmospheric bistros and late-night jazz bars, by no means fails to enchant. Make for Saint-Germain-des-Prés to walk by means of the tree-lined Jardin du Luxembourg and for sultry nightcaps at Bar Joséphine, an attractive spot with Romanesque frescoes on the partitions and punchy vodka, Champagne and St-Germain cocktails. Architecture followers can ogle the Arc de Triomphe, Grand Palais and Montmartre’s cobbled streets and windmills, to not point out the Eiffel Tower, which sparkles golden every night. Best of all? Fuelling up on the world’s finest patisserie – don’t miss Pierre Herme’s macarons and chocolate-pistachio escargots from Du Pain et des Idees.

Where to remain

Hotel Rochechouart sits in the arty Pigalle neighbourhood, nearby of Sacré Coeur. From its engaging crimson and gilded Art Deco facade to its earthy-toned bedrooms and revamped Le Mikado membership – the place DJs spin disco and funk on Friday and Saturday – the vibe is belle epoque hedonism at its finest.

Best for arty quirk: Amsterdam, Netherlands

An engaging compact city, crisscrossed by canals lined by crooked townhouses, and a bunch of world-class museums, Amsterdam fits arty couples right down to the bottom. A roll name of masterpieces may be discovered in The Museum Quarter, with Rembrandts on the Rijksmuseum, Warhols on the Stedelijk, and Sunflowers on present on the Van Gogh Museum. Pootling alongside the waterways by bike or floating alongside them by boat is one other nice solution to move the time, as is visiting the indie boutiques and Albert Cuypmarkt in stylish De Pijp. It’s value taking time to settle in for a pint at a standard ‘bruin café’ (brown cafe, these homely spots are a bit just like the Dutch equal of an old-school neighbourhood pub) to finest expertise the gradual attraction of the city’s gezellig– or convivial – environment.

Where to remain

Spread by means of 25 historic canal homes in Nine Streets, Pulitzer Amsterdam’s playful bedrooms have bar carts, peaked gable-inspired headboards and loos with Le Labo toiletries. Top suites are further whimsical; one has a ebook archway, one other,  a wall hung with trumpets. Plus there’s fashionable Dutch grub at Restaurant Jansz and a cute courtyard backyard.

Best for mountain attraction: Megeve, France

Set in the guts of the Mont Blanc massif, this trad wintersports resort is a favorite for powder-mad couples. The area has 400km of pristine pistes and snow-topped mountains to admire (ski season runs from mid-December to mid-April), in addition to a picturesque medieval centre filled with artisan outlets, together with ski favorite Allard and perfumier Mizensir whose fragrances are impressed by the pine-filled mountain air. Slopes apart, lovers can clop by means of the village sq. by horse drawn carriage, or dine on the likes of Flocons de Sel, the place Chef Emmanuel Renaut serves up dishes impressed by his love of the Alpine area, or farmhouse-chic La Ferme de mon Père which has vaulted lounges and the likes of truffle risotto and conventional ‘taste Tatin’ apple tart on the menu.

Where to remain

Recently renovated, plush Beaumier property L’Alpaga has chalet-style bedrooms with velvet headboards, botanical art work and wood-panelled touches, to not point out breathtaking views straight onto the slopes, and one Michelin-starred restaurant La Table de L’Alpaga.

Best for music lovers: Vienna, Austria

Wandering by means of Vienna’s winding lanes and arcade-lined courtyards, previous Baroque palaces and Spittelberg’s superbly preserved Biedermeier interval homes, is massively atmospheric. Its wealthy musical heritage – Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert all hail from the city – may be skilled at this time at a slew of world-class musical venues, together with house of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, the Musikverein, and the ritzy Staatsoper opera home. Art-wise, Klimt’s The Kiss sits on everlasting show in the Upper Belvedere palace. One of the city’s further particular methods to discover? When the moon is full, uncover the meandering Danube by lantern-lit canoe; the surroundings of the Old Danube is much more lovely when bathed in light moonlight.

Where to remain

Combining Nineteen Twenties Parisian opulence with modern Viennese-meets-Scandi sensibility, Hotel MOTTO’s luxurious bedrooms have golden lamps and brass cocktail carts. At glass-domed Chez Bernard, dine on Austrian meets north African dishes below hanging planters, or the roof terrace is an interesting spot for Grüner Veltliner toasts.

Best for wild-at-heart nature: Anglesey, Wales

Wales’ largest island, off the northwest coast and separated from the mainland by the dazzling Menai Strait, this windswept isle is likely to be finest recognized for tongue-twister pub trivia favorite Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch village. Far extra attention-grabbing, nevertheless, is its 125-mile shoreline – all rolling dunes, wildflower-topped cliffs and mudflats teeming with birds – a lot of which is a chosen Area of Outstanding Natural Beaty. Beach picks embrace the stretching sands of Red Wharf Bay, Porth Dafarch for rock pooling and Rhosneigr for windsurfing. As properly as over 100 historical monuments, together with Bronze Age burial chambers, there’s medieval fortress Beaumaris Castle and stately house Plas Newydd to discover. Another spotlight? A stroll by means of Newborough Warren’s dunes to tidal island Llanddwyn, the place high-drama lighthouses and the ruins of the Church of St Dwynwen, the Welsh patron saint of lovers, await.

Where to remain

An abundance of turrets and towers on the shoreline, Loire Valley-inspired Chateau Rhianfa has fairytale beauty – a panelled banqueting corridor, grand lounges with interval furnishing, and 27 characterful bedrooms – plus killer views throughout to Snowdonia.

Best for set jetters: Dubrovnik, Croatia

With its Unesco world heritage listed Old Town, riot of Baroque, Gothic and Renaissance monuments and whitewashed terracotta-roofed buildings which tumble right down to the teal waters of the Adriatic Sea, Dubrovnik is as good-looking as they arrive. Couples can play Game of Thrones bingo – the city had a starring position as King’s Landing, with the likes of Fort Lovrijenac doubling up because the Red Keep and the Fifteenth-century Rector’s Palace as Qarth – as they stroll the historic partitions. Aside from seen-on-screen beauty, different highlights together with the cable automotive whizz to the highest of Mount Srd, lazing at Banje seashore, and wandering alongside photogenic stone alleyways draped in tendrils of sizzling pink bougainvillea to encounter candlelit seafood eating places. For one thing a bit totally different, the fascinating Love Stories museum options sentimental objects which carry to life real-world romances.

Where to remain

Soak up the views at calming cliffside retreat Hotel Bellevue Dubrovnik, which appears to be like out to Miramare Bay. As properly as restful rooms – some with balconies – there’s an unbelievable spa and freshwater pool and Michelin-recommended Vapor restaurant for blowout superb eating.

Best for tradition: Oslo, Norway

Ringed by mountains and the ocean, this straightforward to navigate city gives city tradition – on the likes of the brand new MUNCH museum and National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design –  and pure magnificence, due to its waterways, fjords and parks. These embrace Frogner Park, house to 200 Gustav Vigeland bronze and forged iron sculptures. As properly as loads of hopping cocktail spots – together with Norway’s first bar courtroom, Posthallen Drinkhub, which has 10 venues below one roof, and Svanen, the place Aquavit Negronis are served in atmospheric old-apothecary surrounds – couples may also flip up the warmth, by embracing Oslo’s booming sauna tradition. At Bjorvika’s  Oslo Badstuforening, made out of recycled driftwood, there’s a hatch for straight into the fjord dips, whereas Kongen Marina’s “Miami Vice”-style seashore membership brings collectively palm bushes, DJ units and a glass-domed floating sauna. Eco-minded lovers can even recognize the general public transport system; it’s set to go all-electric by the tip of 2023, with fjord boat journeys already powered by electrical energy.

Sure, a former electrical HQ won’t sound horny, however new child on the block Sommerro, a part of the swish Preferred Hotels & Resorts portfolio, has remodeled Oslo Lysverker’s previous HQ right into a whirl of Art Deco pizazz, with a beautifully-restored swimming pool, Vestkantbadet, and Thirties-style brasserie, cocktail and jazz bar Ekspedisjonshallen.

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