Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and people react one of two ways. They are either romantics at heart or they hate Valentine’s Day (whether they are single or not). Traveling to romantic places without a partner (or worse, with one you don’t like) can be depressing. I have traveled all over the world, to some of the most romantic cities in Europe while being single. Being a traveler at heart, I’m never going to be sad on any trip, but there are a few places I’ve experienced as a single that I really want to experience again with my husband. Re-experiencing Barcelona, Italy and the Greek Islands in a more romantic, less tourist view are some of my upcoming travel goals.
Barcelona, Spain
A friend and I planned a Mediterranean cruise that left from the Barcelona port, so we decided to add 4 days to the beginning of the trip to see the city of Barcelona. We were both looking forward to a sunny beach and warm weather after surviving our first German winters living in Berlin and Cologne respectively. We got far more than good eats and sea breezes in Barcelona. Barcelona is located in the Northeastern corner of the Iberian Peninsula, shared by the countries of Portugal and Spain. Even though Barcelona is located in Spain, their official language is Catalan (Spanish as second language) because they are found in the province of Catalonia.
Even though the romance of this city oozes down every small pedestrian street or through the maze of the marketplace, the most in your face example is the mural titled, The World Begins with Every Kiss. This 26 foot tall mosaic tile mural was put up in 2014 and has become a landmark for the city, showing a zoomed in picture of two people kissing, romantically. I visited before 2014, but I look forward to kissing my own love in front of the massive mural on a future trip.
One thing I have been excited to share with my husband in Barcelona is the art and architecture of Antoni Gaudí. Hubby is an artist in every sense and I have loved watching him appreciate the masterpieces of his artist idols when visiting the French and Dutch art museums, but next has to be Gaudí in Barcelona. As you walk through the city, you feel his presence and vision everywhere. My favorite was visiting Casa Batllo, also known as the House of Bones. Experiencing this building, with no straight lines (Gaudí didn’t find straight lines in nature so he didn’t use them in his art), you feel like you walked back into a different age. Some compare the colorful, reflective glass seen from the outside to Claude Monet’s Water Lilies, but I don’t see it and I’ve walked through Monet’s water lily gardens! Park Güell is another must see of Gaudí’s work in collaboration with Eusebi Güell and was his home for many of his adult years. Finally, Gaudí’s most impressive and still unfinished work is on the facade of the church, La Sagrada Familia. The cathedral features etchings of every story in the bible, Gaudí’s tribute to the holy family is still not finished, but said to be completed in 2026. After seeing all the eclectic works of Gaudí throughout the city, his work on La Sagrada Familia takes a complete turn back to tradition.
La Rambla is Barcelona’s most famous street. A mile long, pedestrian boulevard that is lined with boutique shops, bakeries, candy stores and relaxing cafes. La Boqueria is Barcelona’s oldest marketplace dating back from 1217. In this huge marketplace, everything from the produce, meat & seafood can all be purchased for your weekly shopping, as well as places to enjoy a snack, meal or drink. I remember buying delicious fruits from this market, but made a mental note to rent a place with a kitchen in the future so I can cook and prepare meals with the delicious ingredients available.
Barcelona may sound like a city holiday, but it also lies on the Eastern coast with access to beaches and the sea. Barceloneta is the beach area most convenient to downtown, but has the vibe of Carnival all year long. Down by the beach is also a great area to enjoy seafood meals, traditional tapas restaurants and my favorite drink in Barcelona, sangria. The food is all so fresh and delicious, just remember that the Spanish eat dinner very late. Tapas and drinks are often bustling around 8:00 p.m. and dinner is served even later at 10:00 p.m. My family typically eats very late for American standards, but Spanish dinner is even late for us. Complete your Barcelona experience by booking a Flamenco dancing show to enjoy on the last night of your trip. This is an especially romantic style of dance and goes great in a candlelit spot with a glass of fruity sangria on a warm night.
Rome & the Amalfi Coast, Italy
My parents came to Europe for one trip while I lived in Germany, so I planned a great itinerary to show them the best Germany has to offer. But I also knew that this would be the last time my mom was willing to take a trip outside of the U.S. so I wanted to take her to the motherland, Italy. You know what’s less romantic than seeing Italy without a lover? Having to do it while your mom and step-dad are all over each other… yuck! The most romantic Italian activity must be a gondola ride in Venice, however we visited Rome and the Amalfi coast, so we were too far south and thankfully spared that torture.
Making a romantic wish at the Trevi Fountain and taking iconic photos on the Spanish Steps are the popular, yet predictable bucket list ideas. What about sharing a picnic in a quieter spot of Villa Borghese or Pincio Terrace, both gardens that offer relief from the heat and the crowds. Seeing the historic sites of the Colosseum, Pantheon and St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City are all must do activities when in Rome. Fun fact, Vatican City is its own country and not actually located in Italy, though it is surrounded by Italy. It’s one of the smallest countries, just over 100 acres, but Europe is famous for these small geographic wonders. Some couples might enjoy taking a vespa ride around the city to see all of these sites on their own time, rather than an organized tour… when in Rome, la dolce vita.
Other romantic Roman attractions would be to take a boat ride on the Tiber River, enjoy a sunset at a rooftop bar or even sign up for a cooking class, food tour or wine tour to enjoy some quality time. I thought I’d experience something very Italian and signed up for an olive oil tasting tour, where you visit two different olive farms, see how the oil is made and taste samplings of bread dipped in the most extra virgin strains. This was also the day I learned that I have an olive allergy and had quite the reaction for consuming so much of it and at such potent strengths. My dislike of eating actual olives has spared me from learning of the allergy and small amounts of olive oil in cooking or baking does not bother me. But after that tour, I had to spend the evening dosed up on antihistamine pills and cream. Travel tip: always bring a small amount of OTC meds and first aid kit. It’s not that you can’t find these items in Europe, you certainly can, but who wants to track down things like allergy meds in a foreign city with a rash from head to toe? It’s better to be prepared, but in a lean packing friendly way, no need to pack a whole medics kit.
Despite my olive fiasco, the food in Italy was some of the best ever. Spend some time researching restaurants and making reservations ahead of time, especially when traveling in the most popular months. Typically food closest to the train station and main street are all tourist traps. If they translate the menu into numerous languages and have pictures, its really a tourist trap! Real travelers know to walk down the side streets and in the case of Rome, look in the cellars. Only in Rome will you find a hole in the wall, family owned restaurant where you get the best homemade pumpkin ravioli in a brown butter sage sauce. Due to my parents’ age and Italy being the second week of walking to exhaustion through Europe, I hired a private tour guide to take us by car to see some of the outskirts of Rome and it was the best idea. It was expensive and luxurious, especially to be in an air conditioned Mercedes van, but worth every penny to allow us to see the countryside we never could from Rome. The best part was that the private guide took us to both lunch and dinner during the tour, and it was the best food we had on the trip. One was a family style restaurant that asked you if you wanted red or white wine and that was the only option for the meal. That was fine by us, because we ate every pasta, chicken, beef and seafood dish they brought to our table. At the second restaurant we had a small menu of about 6 choices for the day. I tried pasta in squid ink and it was delicious, but I wouldn’t suggest wearing white when sampling anything made with ink.
On another trip to Italy, I had the opportunity to spend a day exploring the Amalfi coast. The UNESCO World Heritage Site is wrapped in a landscape of mountains and cliffs, all opening up to beautiful backdrops against the blue water on the coastline. The three most popular towns to visit are Positano, Ravello and Almalfi, each one more picturesque than the last. Everywhere you go you will smell lemon and see these huge lemons, larger than you thought could naturally grow. Lemon cake, muffins, tarts and especially limoncello are in every store, bakery and cafe on the Amalfi Coast. Enjoy the free samples and start drinking limoncello after meals on warm evenings. The best times to visit the Amalfi Coast are on the fringe months of May, June, September and October and avoid July and August due to the hot and humid weather and the hordes of tourists on summer vacation.
As much as I see planning an Italy trip with the whole family, from canals of Venice in the North down to the historic sites of Rome, I see hubby and I exploring the Amalfi Coast ourselves, Renting a car, checking out a few towns and booking a boat day on the water are all wonderfully romantic ways to see this part of Italy with your love.
Santorini, Greek Islands
Visiting Santorini and sailing the Greek Islands is absolutely one of my favorite trips of all time, despite traveling alone. A friend and I had booked a two-week trip to Greece to see the history and beauty of mainland Greece and to learn to sail on a sailboat around the Cyclades Islands in the Aegean Sea. My friend had a last minute family emergency sending her back to the States, but I’ll never miss a trip and this wouldn’t be my first time traveling solo. I still went on the full trip and made friends as I went, especially in the close sailing quarters of the boat. The island of Santorini (referred to as Thira) is the most well known of all the Greek Islands and probably the most photographed as well.
Tourists arrive by flight or ferry, with a short 45 minute flight from Athens being your best bet. Ferry rides are long from the mainland, 5-8 hours depending on if you are on a speed ferry. Save the ferry rides for between the islands, like going to Mykonos to complement your Santorini trip before flying back to Athens. The summer months of June-August are considered the high season, with the best weather and most tourists. Try May or September for some relief from the crowds, but still warm enough temperatures for swimming and boating activities.
Santorini is made up of 5 islands all located around one of the only active volcanoes left in Europe (I know Iceland has one too, from first hand experience). The volcano lies between Santorini and Thirassia, with views overlooking the Caldera from all over the island. There are even tours of the caldera and to swim at the red and black sand beaches. Perissa beach is a laid back area that is much less expensive by comparison to the rest of Santorini. This is a great place to eat, shop for souvenirs or lounge on the black sand beach.
The two anchoring towns on Santorini are Fira (capital) and Oia. There are additional smaller villages to visit by car, public transportation or by renting ATV’s to explore the island. See the ocean views and exquisite flower arrangements around every corner and cliff of Oia. View the white washed windmills and buildings, Oia castle and the numerous historic churches on the island. In Fira, organize a wine or hot springs tour, splurge on a cave villa or lounge by an infinity pool to soak in the views. Travel photography is popular and readily available with packages available for specific backgrounds or flowy dress scenes. Why not hire a photographer to get a few pictures of you both as a couple, especially if the trip is marking a special occasion such as a honeymoon or anniversary.
I have always loved sunset culture and visiting places where it is a daily event makes me happy. Don’t get me wrong, sunrises are nice too, but I lived in Naples, Florida for a few years and loved going out to the beach on Friday nights to watch the sunset with drinks and friends. Santorini has that feeling times a thousand! The most popular spot to watch the sunset is at Oia Castle, but you’ll fight the crowds for a great photograph of the sunset. The three blue domes is a much less busy area to watch from or if you drive 10 minutes out of town up Prophet Elias Mountain you will be able to see the whole island in addition to the sunset. Skaros Rock and Akrotiri lighthouse are additional places to enjoy the nightly activity. Want to take the work out of seeing the best sunset, book a sunset tour package and leave the work up to the guide. Popular options are catamaran cruise, kayaking or horseback riding while enjoying the sunset. Be prepared to watch the sunset every night you are on Santorini, this is not a one time event, each night is a different experience.
Recently, I have heard travel advisors steer people away from Santorini because of the crowds and the day tourists from cruises and tours, but I disagree completely. There are a million Greek Islands and all of them have so much to offer, but there is something special about Santorini that you can’t get anywhere else in the world. Book just a few days to explore in Santorini before going on to quieter islands of Paros, Naxos or Milos or for those who want to party and dance the night away head to Mykonos next.
I have all three of these European locations on the bucket list for my hubby and I to visit together. One of the things I like the most about Europe is the diversity you get in such close proximity. Even though Spain, Italy and Greece are located in the warm Mediterranean areas in southern Europe, they are still all so different from each other. The cuisines all tend to feature seafood and copious amounts of olive oil, but are completely different from each other, as are the music, art and history of the cultures in each country. Anyone of the countries would make a great honeymoon location or better yet, pick a different one each year to celebrate your anniversary. Start saving points & miles to book those romantic getaways in Europe.
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