Europe’s most romantic capital revealed

Move over Paris, there is a new European city that has taken the love reigns bumping the “city of love” to third place.

Whenever we think of a romantic city in Europe, the first place that often springs to mind is Paris.

From the air of the quaint brasserie as you get your favourite vanilla latte, to the spectacular Eiffel Tower twinkling lights to its romantic literature and I Love You Wall – these are just some of the reasons the French capital is dubbed “The city of love”.

And while it may always hold that title, another city appears to have taken the love reigns – well, according to the number of ‘romantic’ restaurants and hotels.

New research reveals Lisbon in Portugal is the “most romantic capital city in Europe”.

European-based yacht charter group Catamaran Charter Croatia looked at each capital city (in Europe) and analysed TripAdvisor data on the number of romantic restaurants and hotels per million people in each city.

Lisbon has been named Europe’s most romantic city. Picture: iStock

Despite having the ninth smallest area, Lisbon sweeps across 100sq km and has a population of 545,923.

The culinary scene in Lisbon is quite profound with 588 romantic restaurants in the city meaning there are 1,077 restaurants per million people, alongside 152 romantic hotels – this translates to 278 hotels per million people.

The city also boasts spectacular viewpoints, such as Santa Justa, popular for travellers looking for romance on a budget.

A new study ranked the continent’s most romantic capitals based on the number of ‘romantic’ restaurants and hotels per million inhabitants – and Lisbon topped the list. Picture: iStock

If you’re wondering where Paris ranked on the list – it’s third, with Monaco succeeding it in second place.

Monaco, a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera, has 54 romantic restaurants and six romantic hotels. The city has the second-smallest area in the rankings spanning only 2.1sq km and has a population of just over 36,686.

Per million people, there are 1472 romantic restaurants and 164 hotels.

Paris has a population of 2,139,907 people, 1387 romantic restaurants and 542 romantic hotels.

Monaco ranked second. Picture: iStock

Paris came in third – but it has the highest number of Michelin-star restaurants, with 88 in total, nine of which have been awarded three stars. Picture: iStock

This equates to there being 648 restaurants and 253 hotels per million people. The city stretches over 105sq km.

“The fact that there is such a high number of romantic restaurants and hotels in smaller populated cities just shows how many capital cities can profit from being a go-to place for a romantic getaway,” a spokesperson for Catamaran Charter Croatia said.

“European countries thrive during celebrations, especially when it comes to Valentine’s Day, which is why this study is exciting to see which capital cities come out on top just in time for the most romantic day of the year.”

San Marino came in fourth place. Picture: iStock

San Marino nabbed fourth place. It is a small republic situated on the slopes of Mount Titano, on the Adriatic side of central Italy.

The city has 18 romantic restaurants and 14 romantic hotels across 61.2sq km, meaning there are 535 restaurants and 416 hotels per million people.

Rome came in fifth – it had the highest number of romantic hotels in the rankings. Picture: iStock

Rome came in fifth – it has 1291 romantic restaurants and 1371 romantic hotels in total across an area of 1285sq km, resulting in 467 romantic restaurants and 496 romantic hotels per million people.

According to the research, London has the highest number of romantic restaurants overall while Rome has the highest number of romantic hotels in the rankings.

Rome also has the highest number of romantic hotels, which are rated four-plus stars, currently sitting at 650 across the city

Paris may not have ranked first, but it has the highest number of Michelin-star restaurants, with 88 in total across the capital city, nine of which have been awarded three stars.