Many places across this great, wide world can claim syrupy sunsets and star-spangled skies. When it comes to pouring on the love endorphins, however, not all destinations are equally romantic.
And while places like Paris and the Maldives tend to rise to the top of the romance spectrum, there are plenty of spots around the world to consider when you’re exploring the world in a decidedly loved-up way.
As always, check for travel guidelines and closures before planning your trip.
Get Romantic in the Rockies
Rocky Mountain (love) highs await when you take a road trip from Denver to the beautiful mountain resort of Beaver Creek in Colorado, where ski-in/ski-out The Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch makes for an epic year-round base for uber-romantic adventuring.
Set the theme for your escape with a couples massage or the Miner’s Mineral Mud Wrap treatment at the hotel’s spa, where the coed grotto pool has exposed stone and beam decor that sets the scene for decompressing.
During the winter you can take a moonlit, snowcat-drawn sleigh ride up the mountain to Zach’s Cabin for a cozy dinner à deux of Alsatian fare.
In the summer, wine tours with a hiking guide lead you into the meadow at Larkspur Bowl, carpeted with wildflowers and golden thickets of aspen trees, for a degustation (wine, cheese and charcuterie included) at Beano’s Cabin.
Idyllic Island Time Awaits
Into the ocean? What’s more seductive than swimming together under the inky night sky in warm Caribbean waters cast aglow by bioluminescence?
Island Routes can take you on an after-dark cruise to one of the brightest bioluminescent lagoons in North America, located just east of Montego Bay, Jamaica. There, you can slip into the warm water together and create Tinker Bell trails all around simply by swaying your body.
The coastline around Port Antonio, on Jamaica’s northeast coast, is a particularly beautiful place to road trip together; it’s riddled with romantic nooks. Pull over to enjoy a romantic swim at Frenchman’s Cove and Blue Lagoon, among many other scenic spots.
Montego Bay’s most uniquely seductive restaurant takes waterside dining to new levels. Book in advance at The HouseBoat Grill, moored in a marine sanctuary. After arriving aboard a six-person launch (it’s a quick, minute-long trip from the parking lot to the houseboat), dine together on lobster and other seafood specials on the boat’s upper floor Moon Deck while tarpon and snook splash around below you under the sunset colors and stars.
Couple Up in Canada
With a compact and pedestrian-friendly downtown, scenic Victoria is considered one of Canada’s most romantic towns. The capital of British Columbia is home to Butchart Gardens, a renowned botanical garden and favorite date spot that flowers with blooms in the spring and summer (don’t miss a stroll under the tunnels of roses) and twinkles with fairy lights during the winter months.
Cozy up together over tiny sandwiches and pastries during afternoon tea at The Teahouse at Abkhazi Garden. Its seasonal four-course tea menus feature locally grown produce, and the vibe is intimate.
Scenic seaplane flights over the Gulf Islands with Harbour Air will have you gasping at the beauty below.
And a road trip less than an hour north of Victoria takes you to the Saanich Peninsula. Enjoy tastings at vineyards and cideries that are popular engagement and wedding spots, including Blue Grouse Estate Winery and Sea Cider.
Fall for French Polynesia
Sleeping inside an overwater bungalow at The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort is a guaranteed wow experience but hardly all that will impress you when it comes to romance in French Polynesia’s most legendary lagoon.
You can get a bird’s-eye view of Mount Otemanu and the many shades of blue of the lagoon during scenic flights with Tahiti Nui Helicopters, during which you’ll touch down at the viewpoint at Mount Popoti for a Champagne toast.
And the most romantic meal of your trip might very well be at Lagoon by Jean-Georges — Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s waterfront restaurant that has incomparable views of Bora Bora’s famed peak, Mount Otemanu.
Private boat tours with Lagoon Service can bring you to a secluded motu (islet) for a different kind of sunset dinner to remember, too.
Discover the Allure of the Andes
Surrounded by the towering mountains of the Sacred Valley to the north, the cobblestone plazas of Cusco, a beautiful town in the Peruvian Andes, have timeless romantic allure.
See if your destinies are aligned during a traditional coca leaf reading — a pre-Inca practice you can find offered all around town. During the reading coca leaves are thrown toward a sacred mountain and laid out before you to foretell your fate.
There’s something truly mystical about walking hand in hand around the ruins at Sacsayhuamán, a pre-Columbian temple complex on the outskirts of town where towering stones create an awe-inspiring architectural puzzle.
And for an incredible day trip, Vinicunca — aka the Rainbow Mountain, thanks to its striated coloring — is just 62 miles north of Cusco. It’s an incredible place go horseback riding together, or take a guided hiking tour with Chacras Travel Peru.
Amorous Adventures in Zambia
If adventure is your love language, Zambia is calling.
Seeing one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World at Victoria Falls is a heart-racing moment to experience together that goes far beyond your basic waterfall viewing.
Along roughly the midway point of the Zambezi River, along the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe, the cascade cuts a gargantuan watery curtain that led local tribes to name it Mosi-oa-Tunya — the smoke that thunders. The waterfall is so powerful that columns of spray are visible from miles away.
Plan your visit to the falls during a full moon and you might experience a nighttime lunar rainbow, also known as a “moonbow.” Water droplets shimmer with the moon’s radiance for an intoxicating scene.
Other romantic things to get up to in the region include a guided canoe trip along the Upper Zambezi River to spot crocs and hippos, a helicopter tour over Victoria Falls, and a sunset ride on the Royal Livingstone Dinner Express Train — a steam train that makes scheduled hourlong runs, fine dining included, to the Victoria Falls Bridge.
Make It Mythical in Greece
Greece’s most storied isle is legendary for its sunsets, thanks to the contrast cast by rays that glow golden on the island’s iconic white buildings and deep blue surrounding sea. But the romance on Santorini plays out 24/7.
During a sailboat tour around Santorini’s volcanic caldera with Caldera’s Boats, you can bask in a marine mud bath together during a stop at volcanic hot springs.
Catch the sunset with a glass of local Greek wine at a wine bar or restaurant in the stunning clifftop village of Imerovigli.
Bathe together in the crystalline waters of the Aegean Sea at the black sand beach at Amoudi Bay, accessed by steps down to the shoreline from the village of Oia on Santorini’s northwestern tip.
Or channel the color of love on the Red Beach, where the crimson-hued sands are shadowed by towering red cliffs.
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