In need of a little romance away from the bustling crowds, city lights and sounds? Head to one of these romantic small towns in Europe for a holiday you (and your partner) will never forget…
1. Bruges, Belgium
Bruges is often cited as Europe’s most romantic little town – and it’s not hard to see why. Whether you visit in Summer or Winter (or in between), its impossible not to fall in love with effortlessly romantic Bruges.
2. Hallstatt, Austria
This little hidden gem is the perfect winter escape you’ve been looking for. The small lakeside town in Austria is just a short drive from Salzburg but feels a world away from reality.
3. Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic
Just a couple of hours drive south of Prague one will find the impossibly charming Cesky Krumlov. It’s the perfect place to escape reality for a few days and enjoy true Czech hospitality that you just won’t find in the busy capital!
4. Cinque Terre, Italy
It’s no secret this would have to be one of the most romantic picks in all of Europe. Sure, it’s ‘been done before’. But one look at that picture and you know why… it’s hard to beat! Cinque Terre is in fact an area made up of a few little towns – giving you more than one reason to visit!
5. Wroclaw, Poland
Lesser known Wroclaw is a perfect choice for travellers looking to get off the beaten path and enjoy a town less frequented by crowds of tourists. It is also home to oodles of charming and colourful architecture with each building distinct from the next! Sure, Wroclaw is a large city itself – but the old town of Wroclaw won our hearts and subsequently a place on the list.
6. Tallinn, Estonia
The capital of Estonia feels like a real life fairytale. Tallinn’s old town is perfectly picturesque but as you scratch beneath the surface you will soon find quirk and plenty of it. Be sure to stop by the apothecary and pick up some unicorn horn powder or the self dubbed “cure for a broken heart”.
7. St Moritz, Switzerland
Although it is packed with avid ski enthusiasts during the winter, St Moritz is a true hidden gem in the warmer months. There’s a great variety of hiking in the area and the small Swiss village seems as if it could pass as a ghost town during summer – making it the perfect escape for couples.
8. Positano, Italy
There is nothing quite as magical as waking up to a pastel pink sky lighting up the colourful homes on the Amalfi Coast. Positano is hands down the most romantic town in the Amalfi and a great place to base yourself to explore the area.
9. Delft, Netherlands
When you think of romantic towns in Europe you might not immediately think to the Netherlands. Famous for Amsterdam, the Netherlands is full of lovely smaller towns to discover such as Delft. This small town is just a short train or tram ride from The Hague.
10. Colmar, France
With a strong German influence just over the border into France, Colmar is a romantic dreamboat if ever there were one. This town is best enjoyed in the summer time when the flowers are in full bloom and the sun is shining through the clouds.
11. Perast, Montenegro
The Balkans are quickly becoming one of the most sought after holidays in Europe. Thanks to its relative affordability and incredible charm, Montenegro is one of the most popular countries to visit in the Balkans. While Kotor is the most visited town in tourist numbers, the secret is to travel 30 minutes by car along the Bay to the charming town of Perast, the most romantic town in Montenegro.
12. Lake Bled, Slovenia
Lake Bled hardly needs an introduction… especially if a picture tells a thousand words. There could quite possibly be nothing more romantic than a visit to one of Europe’s most stunning lakes, rowing a boat to the island and climbing the stairs to the church once there.
With all the due respect – neither Wroclaw nor Gdansk, both of Poland, are not small towns.
Don’t forget Strasbourg in France.
See other beautiful places on my website.
Beautiful post and such an inspiration to follow!! have been to Bavaria and fell in love with the place instantly …. keep up the great work
hi, i am totally hoping you can help me decide about my summer travels. We will be staying in the Austrian Alps and renting a car, where we will explore Hallstet, Zell Am Zee, Innsbruck etc for a week. i am not sure if the best bet is to take the following week and divide that between Salzburg and Vienna, or to attempt Bavaria or Cesky or Lake Bled. or more than one. Or, fly into Vienna, spend a few nights there, go to the Alps, explore there, do Salzburg on the way back for a few days and one… Read more »
Regensburg, Gent, Utrecht, Turin.
A w Krużewnikach byli?
I think you definately need to add Granada, Spain on this list!
Quite a few beautifully romantic small cities in Croatia too! Seen a sunset from the top of the Motovun, Istria f .e.??
no. 1 Gdansk, Gdansk, Gdansk – romantic Old Town visit for a romantic Valentine’s day
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Nice list!I have really enjoyed it and I am glad that I have visited some of them! But I would expect also to see at least one village from Greece, like Santorini or Monemvasia! But, ok! Probably on the next list!
I totally agree with you… and there are view more in Norway and Sweden…
Wroclaw, romantic? You have to be effing kidding me. It’s kinda dull. Gdansk, I wholeheartedly agree with though.
I would definitely put Visby on Gotland island in Sweden on this list. It’s just incredible!
Then Bonifaccio on Corsica/France would beat many of these towns.
You`ve managed to putt together quite a collection…. We have visited Cinque Terre this summer, so that means one down eleven to go 🙂
Yeah, in case you travel from Austria to Italy, go through Slovenia cuz it is worth visiting. It is one of the safest countries in the world so you don`t have to worry about your belongings. The landscape goes from the flatlands of Pannonia, through the Alps (where Bled is) to the seaside in just about 3 hours of drive. In Kras region there are a lot of large caverns; in Postojna even a small train goes through, but Skocijan caverns are even better. There is Bled but also Bohinj (a bit further), I`d suggest seeing Logarska valley and Bovec… Read more »
A) The photos and headings are confusing. Photos should be under the apropriate heading….
B) Gdansk and Wroclaw are niether small or romantic.
Great suggestions, however Gdansk (population of 460,000) and Wroclaw (pop. 630,000) are hardly “small towns” of Europe..
Wow !! Lovely Post.. These all look stunning! May have to take a trip to a few of these…Incredible photos
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I am so fortunately to live in Haarlem and I am proud that Haarlem is on this list. Do visit Haarlem. It is only 20 minutes from Amsterdam by train.
Great post! The smaller towns are what get under your skin. The big cities are great but they tend to blend together after a while. I have two more suggestions: Leuven, Belgium and Granada, Spain
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Amazing post. Such beautiful places. Would love to knock a few of these Romantic cities of my bucket list. Thanks for the great read Brooke.
Cheers
Christine King
Photography, Travel, Lifestyle
http://www.christinekings.com.au
A few people have pointed out the over-enhancing of Porto’s colours and the fact that it is not a small town at all, so I will skip that. But it is indeed a wonderful place – and I love port wine. But I agree with those that seem to be in love with Cinque Terre: it is an absolutely wonderful area (and not just a single town as pointed out above). In fact, I think it’s unfair to other countries to include Italian towns at all in this list. Most of them are stunning. It has to be the most… Read more »
Beautifule places all of them, but you do not need to travel to the other side of the world to find beauty. It is around you everywhere, just open your mind…
Porto is larger than most european capitals, with around 1.8 million people. Not quiet a small town. But quoting your words: “the old town is simply too charming for this destination to not be included.”
Cesky Krumlov is also very nice, and all the others look great. In fact, this is just a tiny tiny example of the european beauty.. there would be na endless list of amazing palces to visit.
Pretty sure this website doesn’t know what a small town is. Porto is rather a large city. Tenby in Wales is probably one of the most charming small towns in Europe. Fact.
Porto & Gdansk <3. Love it!
And where is Reykjavik?! 🙂
Hi Brooke!
Some really nice places you got here, will definitely look into some of them for my honeymoon.
I also suggest you to take a look into a couple of small Portuguese towns: Óbidos and Marvão. Two small medieval towns very well preserved and examples of the magic of old castle walls!
Just google them and look at the image search to feast your eyes on the beauty of these old towns.
Hope you can visit them one day!
Porto <3
Cáceres, in Spain
So many beautiful places to visit!
http://beautifulplaces.org
@ Rosa Pereira: The photo is from Porto (you can see that church in Ribeira in the bottom center), but the colors were somewhat faked (too much enhanced) using some very basic knowledge of Photoshop…
To the editors: Porto *is not* a fishing town!
Agreed. 5 done,7 more to go… 🙂
You´re forgetting Delft, in the Netherlands!!! We call that one, little Amsterdam.
I love that my hometown is in this list, Haarlem is the most beautiful city in the Netherlands. Love all the other towns on this list as well!
Check this video from my hometown Porto…i think the photo is this article is not in Porto.
Porto a small town? This article was surely written by an american.
You are right about the beautiful part though. It is really one of the most enchanting cities I’ve ever seen.
I would definitely add these ones:
Giethoorn (The Netherlands)
Provins (Ile de France, France)
San Gimignano (Italy)
Matera (Italy)
Taormina (Sicily, Italy)
Courmayeur (Italy)
Cadiz (Spain)
most romantic small town in Poland
I would suggest the towns of Varenna and Bellaggio in Lake Como as strong contenders!
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Grande post
Além da
arquitectura, paisagem, etc que faz a sua beleza o Porto tem a sua gente com a sua forma e como acolhem quem nos visitam que completam a beleza desta cidade.
Estamos cá para os receberem.
I’d like to mention that Colmar’s railway station (Gare de Colmar) is almost identical as the one in Gdańsk (Gdańsk Główny) 🙂
that picture of oporto has its colour saturation fully enhanced.. just seems too fake.
Oh my, I enjoyed reading about every single one of these towns SO much. Wish I had a partner! LOL xo
http://lilliemysel.blogspot.com
It is nice that two Polish cities have been included but they are all but small towns having a population of more than half a million inhabitants each.
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How about Csikszereda in Transylvania, or Lillafured in Hungary?
As far as small cities, off the beaten track, I find the picks here very skimpy and cliche. How about Csikszereda in Transylvania, or Lillafured in Hungary?
I have to agree about the 2 Polish cities included in this post. They are extremely lovely and picturesque, both of them. I would, however, put Krakow on the top of the list of both Polish cities and cities in all of Europe.
http://www.sintraromantica.net/