What better way to spend Valentine's Day than to go on a spontaneous trip with your Valentine? Here's a list of romantic European cities you should check out that will give you the ultimate romantic feeling.
Vienna
If you want to spend Valentine's day feeling like a queen and king, Vienna is your place. The Austrian capital is one of the most glamorous and elegant cities in the world because of its rich history, music, art, cuisine and architecture.
Wonderful chandelier-lit cafés where you can have the delicious Sacher cake, restaurants and bars. Make sure to order the Viennese Schnitzel that is so big, you'll have to share it in two, perfect for a dinner date.
The city has kept remarkable features throughout the centuries, such as offering horse-drawn carriage rides along the beautiful Danube River and regularly having plays and musicals at the city's numerous opera houses. You can also go on a romantic Ferris Wheel ride at the Riesenrad Amusement Park that overlooks the city.
The Schönbrunn Palace is one of the most beautiful baroque palaces in the world, decorated with incredible Viennese art pieces and a lot of gold. The palace also consists of an enchanting park, a maze, fountains, and a ball house, located above a hill overlooking the city.
Vienna is also home to the waltz dance, so naturally, you can find many jazz bars and clubs all over the city during the week and weekends where you can dance the night away.
Amsterdam
The Dutch capital is the picture-perfect Valentine's day destination. The city has endless amounts of fairy-lit canals with swans swimming through, flower arrangements and cute restaurants. The city is the literal definition of the word "aw".
Dutch people usually eat their favourite foods from local food trucks, where you can try authentic fried seafood with their homemade sauces, the delicious thick Dutch fries with the Oorlog sauce (half mayo, half peanut sauce) or grab a burger or a frikandel at a hole-in-the-wall café where you put a coin in the slot next to the display of the food you want and voilà, just open the door of the display and grab your food. These unique foods are really fun to try that don't take too much time that you can spend exploring the city.
Amsterdam also has many fun museums to explore like the cheese museum, tulip museum, electric ladyland, marijuana museum and even a sex museum. If you are more of an outdoorsy kind of couple, you can rent bikes and ride them around the city, parks and even to nearby towns.
The city is very lively at night with lots of bars and clubs where you can drink the nation's delicious Heineken beer and dance to EDC music.
If you want a more relaxing night, book a romantic dinner in a boat, that gives you a whole different perspective of the city. The trip is so romantic, it will make you feel like the only two people in the world.
Porto
Porto is an exquisite city on the coast of Portugal filled with monumental and artistic heritage. So much so, it has been nominated 2017's Best European Destination. It has everything a couple wants for a romantic weekend; endless amounts of wine, colorful architecture, delicious gastronomy and markets.
Porto is home to the sweet Porto wine, making the city full of wine tasting factories where you can take tours and try the delicious wines poured in chocolate cups. You can find wine stores spread around the city's incredible landscapes, bridges and colorful houses with matching tiled roofs.
The Bolhão Market is an exciting place to go on Saturdays where you can get local food and wine for a good price. The market gives you the opportunity to see how the locals live with an incredibly welcoming atmosphere. Discovering a new place with your Valentine is a great experience.
Porto is the warmest and most colorful destination from this list. In February the temperature can go up to 15°C degrees which makes a great weather to eat lunch outdoors by the River Douro (River of Gold). While having a glass of wine across from where it was made at the Sandeman, Croft, Offley, Churchill's, Kopke House and Cálem wineries, on the Gaia side.
Since Porto has a large river and is by the ocean, you can take boat trips on historically designed Portuguese boats and take a tram to the Foz do Douro's beaches on the Atlantic sea.
Paris
Last but not least, the capital city of romance, Paris. Where you can walk along the beautiful streets of the Seine River. Have a cup of tea or coffee in the afternoon at a pavement terrace while watching the Eiffel Tower light up at sunset.
Paris is the coldest city in the list, but don't let that discourage you. It just increases the need for candlelit dinners and cuddles. For a great place to cuddle, book one of the city's many bed and breakfasts, where you can also have your morning meal in authentic Haussmain style bedrooms.
French cuisine is considered to be a delicacy, always dominating lists of romantic dishes. So eating at an authentic French restaurant, at the heart of France, can't get any more romantic. A popular menu to try is coq au vin (chicken with mushrooms and vegetables braised in red wine) as the main course and chocolate fondue for dessert with a side of Pinot noir wine.
The city is also full of extraordinary museums, such as the Louvre and the extravagant Versailles Palace where you can also feel like a true royal couple while having a divine lunch at the Angelina restaurant.