No useful Valentine’s Day’s ideas from us this year, sorry. You have to figure that out for yourselves. 😀 But we have some great romantic getaway ideas for you instead. Because what’s more romantic than a pretty little small town full of flowers?
We are sharing 8 of the most romantic small towns we’ve explored on our travels around Europe. Hopefully, some of them will be new for you! We’ve visited most of them in spring or in summer, and that’s what we recommend for you to do, as well. Because that’s the time when you will be surrounded by blooming flowers, pretty fountains, colorful parks and all the lively vibe.
So here they come – in no particular order:
Baden bei Wien, Austria
Actually, Austria has nothing but tidy, pretty cities, towns and villages (oh, yes, and breathtaking mountains!). At least, we usually draw the conclusion after each of our visit that it would be such a nice place to live. But then we remind ourselves that it’s not that far from where we live, anyway.
One of those adorable towns we’ve fallen in love with in Austria is Baden bei Wien. This lovely little sister of majestic Vienna offers amazing architecture, large parks, cute cafés and a cheerful vibe. Oh, and a rose festival each spring. In addition, we were surrounded mostly by locals, and it was not flooded with tourists at all. Check out this post for more!
Lucerne, Switzerland
Lovely Lucerne is the Swiss dream for us: a perfectly pretty and clean town located on the shore of Lake Lucerne, surrounded by snowcapped peaks of the Swiss Alps. It has an amazing and colorful Old Town, and the views of Lake Lucerne and the Alps are wonderful!
It also offers great access to several mountain peaks – by public transport, of course, what is comfortable and reliable, oh, and very expensive, as well.
Blois, France
It’s not Paris but the Loire Valley that made us fall in love with France. And Blois was our favorite town in the Loire Valley. It lies on the banks of Loire River – that means a beautiful river panorama! It has its own fairy tale château – Château de Blois, a Renaissance castle -, large cathedrals, an 18th-century stone bridge, and colorful flowers wherever you walk.
Pécs, Hungary
Pécs is probably our favorite town in Hungary. It’s so rich in history, and it has such a pretty city center with nicely renovated houses from the Middle Ages, Baroque, Classicism, Rococo and Art Nouveau. No other Hungarian city is that rich in Turkish architecture as Pécs, and its Roman and early Christian heritage is also impressive.
It offers a variety of museums – some of them are our favorites in Hungary: Zsolnay Museum, Csontváry Museum and Vasarely Museum.
Zadar, Croatia
Not very well-known, not very big, but Zadar stole our hearts immediately as we entered its Old Town located on a small peninsula. Ancient sites, cobblestone streets, amazing sunsets. Its harbour is a starting point of lots of beautiful cruises on the Adriatic Sea.
Piran, Slovenia
With stunning Venetian architecture and colorful houses, Piran is the jewel of Slovenia’s Adriatic coast. Some of the nicest hidden bays of Slovenia can also be found nearby, in Nature Park Strunjan.
Košice, Slovakia
Our favorite town in Slovakia is Košice! Slovakia is a very underrated country, anyway, and Košice doesn’t get the attention it deserves – nor the tourist crowds. Its historical center is pretty, full of walking streets, fountains and flowers, and its 14th century cathedral is a very impressive one.
Wrocław, Poland
Each Polish city we visited amazed us, and Wrocław is no exception. Its colorful houses and funky dwarfs are easy to fall in love with. The Main Market Square with the Old Town Hall building is the highlight of all and the best place to start your romantic walk on the cobblestone streets.
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