The Via dell’Amore between the coastal Italian towns of Riomaggiore and Manarola would make a lovely place to propose. (iStock)
St. Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, and romantic types who can’t get enough of all things travel-related are dreaming of places where love is in the air. Even in the dead of winter, Europe offers a nearly endless choice of destinations where romance has every chance to bloom. Here’s a sampling of some of the options:
In search of love: Chances of finding love are particularly good when the word is in the very name of the place you’re going. The Wall of Love (Le Mur des Je t’aime) in the Montmartre district of Paris is an art installation featuring the phrase “I love you” penned in 250 languages across 612 tiles. The mural can be found on Jehan Rictus Square near the Abbesses metro station. In Bruges, Belgium, a stroll through the outskirts of town might well take one past the Lake of Love (Minnewater), so named for the water nymphs said to inhabit its depths. The so-called Fortress of Love in Ljubljana, Slovenia, is not a fortress at all, but rather a bridge with a far less savory name, the Butcher’s Bridge (Mesarsky Most). The bridge gained its prettier appellation from the countless padlocks love-struck couples would have engraved with their names or initials and affix to its rails. Other bridges that get covered with padlocks, which authorities have removed time and again due to the excess weight it puts on the structure, include the Eisener Steg in Frankfurt, the Hohenzollernbrücke in Cologne and the Makartsteg in Salzburg, Austria.
Those undeterred by wintry weather could also bundle up and hike along Lover’s Lane (La Via dell’Amore), a breathtakingly beautiful half-mile seaside path linking the towns of Riomaggiore and Manarola along Italy’s famed Cinque Terre, the name for five villages perched along the coast of the Ligurian Sea. The path reopened in 2024, following a 12-year closure for renovations. Hikers should note the purchase of a Trekker’s Card at a cost of 12.50 euros and up is obligatory and can be bought in advance. Online: viadellamore.info/biglietti
The Butcher’s Bridge in Ljubljana, Slovenia, is adorned with love locks and offers scenic views of the historic city center. (iStock)
Hot or cold: Those seeking warmth in the company of other paired-up friends might wish to set sail for Schierstein Harbor in Wiesbaden, where the SpaBoat experience awaits. The company rents out rafts equipped with either a sauna, a whirlpool or both, and no boating license is necessary to pilot one of these odd-looking crafts either within the harbor itself or out along the Rhine. The cost of a two-hour package for up to six people aboard the raft with the whirlpool starts at 199 euros; the experience is bookable for longer stretches or as a whirlpool/sauna combination. Online: spaboats.de
Couples up for an unforgettable winter adventure might wish to book an overnight stay in one of the accommodations offered by a provider named “Iglu-Dorf.” These snow hotels offer art-filled rooms, sun terraces and dining facilities across five locations in the Alps, to include Davos Klosters, Gstaad and Zermatt in Switzerland; Innsbruck Kühtai in Austria, and Zugspitze in Germany. The cost for a night spent close to the top of Germany’s highest peak inclusive of “igloo” accommodation, cheese fondue, a nocturnal hike through the wintry landscape, time to enjoy the whirlpool and sauna and breakfast in the mountain restaurant starts at 418 euros for both guests. Online: iglu-dorf.com/en
Explore popular engagement spots: For many, the spot in which to pop the question has to be just right. Wildly popular places to say or hear “yes” before “I do” include aboard the London Eye Ferris wheel next to the Thames River in London; amid the castle ruins overlooking the Neckar River in Heidelberg, Germany; aboard a bateaux plying the river Seine, just as the Eiffel Tower pops into view, in Paris; in a gondola, passing under the Bridge of Sighs, in Venice; or in front of the Trevi Fountain in Rome.
Get close to the saint who gave his name to the holiday: As is the case for so many saints, it’s hard to separate historical fact from legend and embellishment, but one widely accepted version concerning the life and times of St. Valentine is this: in third century Rome, under the rule of Emperor Claudius II, an edict was issued preventing young people from marriage. The purpose of the ruling was to keep young single men eligible for conscription to the army. Despite the ban, a priest named Valentine continued to marry couples in secret, an act that ultimately earned him martyrdom on the 14th of February, around or about the year 269 AD, the date that is now celebrated as his feast day.
A quest in search of the relics of St. Valentine would lead one through three great European capitals. His shoulder blade is on display at the Church of St Peter and Paul in the Castle of Vysehrad, in Prague. Other remains are preserved in a shrine at the Whitefriar Street Church in Dublin. And St. Valentine’s skull is preserved in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, in Rome, which, incidentally, also houses the Mouth of Truth (Bocca della Verità). According to legend, any liar foolish enough to stick his hand in the mouth of this ancient stone sculpture will experience his or her appendage bitten off— a rather drastic way to check if one’s love is really true.
