The most romantic places in Europe (and some alternatives for cynics)

This celebrated spot in Paris may be tiny but the fact it’s always packed is testament to the top-notch cooking and sense of fun that’s always on display. Romantic needn’t always mean flashy or fancy or spendy, and Frenchie manages to strike a balance between haute and homey that means you and your date will instantly relax into the vibe, plus they’ll be sufficiently impressed that you had the chops to book an under-the-radar neighbourhood bistro that happens to have a Michelin star. And no one does romantic dishes like the French, so order just about anything and you’ll be in the mood for love.

5 Rue du Nil, 75002 Paris
frenchie-restaurant.com

Bull penis, anyone? While this traditional Chinese aphrodisiac may not be the bit of anatomy you’d hope to encounter on a date, it makes for an adventurous diversion from your bog-standard oysters. Intrepid daters with iron stomachs can nourish their love at the Disgusting Food Museum in Malmo, just over the bridge from Copenhagen in Sweden, which displays over 80 esoteric dishes from around the world to challenge our cultural conditioning around food. Smell, touch, or even taste out-there delicacies like baby mice-flavoured wine, pickled sheep’s eye or live maggots covered in sheep-milk cheese – and, really, nothing says ‘romance’ like chomping maggots.

Love, as J Lo would say, doesn’t cost a thing – but dinner in Mayfair will set you back a fair whack. London’s fanciest neighbourhood is home to its priciest restaurants, and while Kitty Fisher’s doesn’t buck the trend, it’s a worthy splurge for those all-out meals with your honey. The basement dining room is possibly the most atmospheric place to play footsie in the city – think sexy red-velvet booths, moody dark walls and candelabras with quivering flames – and the haute-British menu has standout dishes like the made-to-share wing rib with anchovy, parsley and garlic butter.

10 Shepherd Market, London
kittyfishers.com

Mykonos isn’t short of good restaurants, but the fact people take a boat from there to its little brother Tinos just to visit this restaurant tells you it’s pretty special. It’s so close to the water that if you’re lucky enough to bag a beach table, you might feel it lap your feet after a ferry goes by. It does mostly seafood, of course, but with a bit of creativity and flair – think Tinos cheese with bee pollen and tomatoes, or caramelised octopus with grape must syrup – and is perhaps the perfect place to sit with a bottle of something local when the sun sets. 

Ysternia Bay, Tinos 842 01

In the arch of Italy’s boot, Basilicata is a region of beaches, wild national parks and delicious food. Where could be better to escape to with your amore, perhaps to a secluded hilltop village? Don’t choose Colobraro, then – legend has it that this pretty place is cursed by a witch, and neighbouring villagers won’t even say its name. A break here might end up being a break-up.

With its canals, cobbles, dimly lit bars and jolly locals, Amsterdam is the thinking couple’s choice for a romantic weekend. And the Pulitzer hotel, which overlooks the Prinsengracht canal, is probably the most loved-up of all. It could be the cosy rooms, it could be the warrenlike architecture of these former merchant’s houses, it could be the acclaimed restaurant – but it’s probably a bit of all of them.

Prinsengracht 323, 1016 GZ Amsterdam
pulitzeramsterdam.com

There’s something oddly sensual about the monotone, muscular minimalism of concrete  – oh yes there is – and nowhere is that more apparent than San Sebastian’s Museum Cemento Rezola. Here, nascent daters can get all hot under the collar considering the material’s rich sociocultural history, before retiring to the coffee bar to whisper sweet nothings about brutalist topography into each other’s ears.