The Best European cities for the perfect Valentine’s Day Date

It will soon be Valentine’s Day, a time for telling your partner how much you love them, spoiling them with presents, and celebrating your relationship. All around the world, couples will be going out on the town on 14 February, whether spring has sprung or whether their city is still in the depths of winter.

Which cities do Valentine’s Day best? We don’t actually think the weather will make that much difference. We think it’s a combination of several things, but you can be sure that it should have great restaurants where you can enjoy a special dinner together, luxurious hotels if you are staying the night, and plenty of romantic things to do.

We at Ubuy Germany have used data from TripAdvisor and crunched the numbers to rank European capital cities, to see which city has the most to offer for a couple spending Valentine’s Day together. The first list ranks the top 10 destinations overall - the second ranks the top 10 accounting for population size, to find the best spot with smaller crowds.

The Top 10 Valentine’s Day destinations for the best date

London, UK

London, the capital of the UK, comes out top, with a huge 1361 fine dining restaurants according to TripAdvisor. There are 138 hotels rated 5 stars, and there are 6 romantic tours on TripAdvisor you can enjoy together.

London’s restaurant scene is a true cultural melting pot, with excellent restaurants serving food in every tradition from around the globe. Whether you want an intimate table for two in a hidden gem where the owner is the chef, or you want to experience one of the country’s most famous Michelin starred spots, there will be something for you and your partner.

Total score: 1505

Paris, France

We are a little surprised that Paris did not beat London to come out first, as for many, it is the quintessential city of romance! If you compare the scores, you can see that it is not far behind London. Paris has 1275 fine dining restaurants, 105 hotels rated 5 stars, and according to TripAdvisor, there are 60 romantic tours. You certainly won’t be bored in Paris.

Tours you can take include cruising along the River Seine with a glass of champagne in hand, a private tour by vintage car, and couples’ photoshoots at landmarks around the city.

Total score: 1440

Rome, Italy

Coming in third, Rome is the city of St Valentine himself. And while we do not recommend drinking from city fountains today, we find the old traditions of newlyweds and lovers sharing a drink from the small basin at the Trevi Fountain so that their love will last forever absolutely enchanting. The city ranks with 840 fine dining restaurants, 50 hotels rated 5 stars and 26 romantic tours.

Of course Rome has a fantastic range of fine dining establishments. Many restaurants specialise in delicious fresh seafood, pasta and wine, or curated tasting menus. You can combine your romantic dinner out with a wander through beautiful surroundings, and there is even a restaurant within the Palazzo Brancaccio.

Total score: 916

Madrid, Spain

Next up is Madrid, Spain’s vibrant capital, with plenty of city culture as well as stunning gardens and parks for a stroll together in the sunshine. Madrid has 790 fine dining restaurants, 33 hotels rated 5 stars and 2 romantic tours.

Couples can have a professional photoshoot around some of Madrid’s most beautiful locations, and stay the night in luxury hotels to suit anybody’s taste, ranging from elegant historic buildings to chic, modern properties.

Total score: 825

Lisbon, Portugal

Lisbon is next, with 775 fine dining restaurants and 43 5 star hotels. This gorgeous city has a long history and plenty of pretty cobblestone streets to explore - Lisbon is also so close to the coast that you can reach several different seaside towns within half an hour’s drive.

Some of the best upscale restaurants in Lisbon specialise in Portuguese classic dishes and ingredients, such as Iberian black pork, or seafood like octopus and salted cod.

Total score: 818

Athens, Greece

Coming in at number 6 on our list, our next city is Athens, with 755 fine dining restaurants, 26 hotels rated 5 stars and 31 romantic tours. Combining beautiful natural scenery, a thriving city and amazing ancient ruins, what else could you need?

Tours include a sunset yacht cruise and an evening tour to see the Parthenon lit up at night in all its glory.

Total score: 812

Prague, Czech Republic

Prague is our next most highly rated city. The Czech capital boasts 603 fine dining restaurants, three 5 star hotels on TripAdvisor and three recommended romantic tours. A city known for its incredible architecture, it’s a great place to wander hand in hand.

Romantic tours around Prague include a private river cruise, and a 6 hour chauffeur-driven tour to see some of the city’s top landmarks and hidden gems.

Total score: 609

Berlin, Germany

Often described as the coolest city in Europe, Berlin is home to 582 fine dining restaurants, 9 hotels rated 5 stars and 4 romantic tours. This cultural city is also full of museums and galleries.

Some of the most popular fine dining establishments include buzzy pop ups, and local eateries where the menu changes on a daily basis, for a very exclusive experience for you and your beau.

Total score: 595

Budapest, Hungary

Next in our top ten overall cities is Budapest. Couples in this exciting and historic city could spend Valentine’s Day relaxing in a hot springs bath, and maybe even get some pampering in a spa together. It has 423 fine dining restaurants and 16 5 star hotels, as well as 9 romantic tours.

Many of this city’s restaurants specialise in international contemporary cuisine, and gourmet tasting menus where the food’s presentation will blow you away. You can also enjoy Hungarian dishes made with locally sourced ingredients paired with a wine selection.

Total score: 448

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Finally, Amsterdam, the capital city of the Netherlands rounds off our list of the top ten cities for the best Valentine’s Day date. This vibrant and cultural city combines a lively nightlife with beautiful architecture and parks. It has 367 upscale restaurants, and 16 5 star hotels. There are 9 romantic tours for couples to enjoy.

It’s no surprise that many of the romantic tours take the form of boat journeys along Amsterdam’s famous network of canals - some tour operators offer wine and cheese or local nibbles as you explore the city.

Total score: 392

The Top 10 Cities Ranked by Capita

When you look at the top 10 taking the population into account, you can see that the order of the cities completely changes!

London is no longer at the top - despite its high number of attractions, when they are measured against the size of the city, it only places 9th.

Amsterdam is no longer at the bottom. As well as having a great deal of lovely things for couples to see and do on Valentine’s Day, it has more than you would expect given its size - so it now places 5th.

Lisbon has jumped up from 5th to take the lead spot on our new chart taking population size into account. The Portuguese capital is our winner in this category, with the best ratio of romantic activities per person. Although we think it will still be hard to reserve a table for Valentine’s Day at some of the city’s most popular restaurants!

In Conclusion

London emerged as the top destination in terms of the number of its 5 star hotels, upscale restaurants and tours to join - but when you take the population size into account, the top city for a Valentine’s Day date is Lisbon.

We noticed that some of the most popular types of romantic tour included days out accompanied by a photographer who will document your special moments together, as well as driving tours in a luxury vehicle. For those cities on the river or coastline, boat tours were very popular too.

If you’re looking for a Valentine’s Day present, at Ubuy we have a wide selection of products from all over the world. How about a new bottle of their favourite fragrance - or jewellery for men or women?

Methodology

For each European capital city, Ubuy counted the number of hotels rated 5 stars, the number of results that come up tagged ‘romantic tour’ on TripAdvisor, and the number of fine dining restaurants according to TripAdvisor. These numbers were added up to create a total.

The top 10 list was then ranked again to account for population size differences, dividing each city’s total score by its population to work out its score per capita. Per capita has been calculated per 100,000 people.