Simply gorgeous: 10 of the world’s most romantic places

Looking for a touch of romance? You don't have to be loved-up or heading on a honeymoon to find places that get you in the mood. In fact, you don't have to be in love at all.

After all, you can find a romantic atmosphere amid mountains, on tropical blue lagoons, or even in the middle of stylish cities. Danish hygge or cosiness is romantic. So is Canada at Christmas, when lights twinkle and icicles gleam.

Positano on the Amalfi Coast.Credit: iStock

The Taj Mahal is predictably romantic, but so are the sprawling, atmospheric sandstone ruins of Fatehpur Sikri nearby, where parrots flit.

Romance is an attitude too: taking it slow, absorbing yourself in the moment, appreciating the world’s beauty. Here are 10 destinations whose handsome landscapes and indulgent pleasures give them good claim to being romantic hotspots.

BORA BORA, FRENCH POLYNESIA

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Few destinations are as romantic as tropical islands. Bora Bora rises from a froth of coral reefs and peacock-blue lagoons in a series of voluptuous emerald peaks. Coconut palms rustle, sands squeak underfoot and ripe mangoes drop from trees.

The lagoon is a kaleidoscope of multi-coloured fish, as well as turtles and manta rays, and is ringed by luxury resorts whose thatched, overwater bungalows allow you to slip straight into tropical waters.

Expect mahogany beds, marble bathrooms, and glass floors to distract you with glimpses of passing fish. If all that isn't romantic enough, wait for the flamboyant sunsets. See tahititourisme.com.au

AMALFI COAST, ITALY

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Just about any corner of Italy is romantic thanks to an entanglement of history and culture and the art of dolce vita. The Amalfi Coast has all that, and a spectacular location too. Boutique hotels and restaurant terraces cling to plunging cliffs high above ridiculously blue water and backed by lemon groves.

Amalfi town with its distinctive black-and-white striped cathedral is ridiculously pretty: soak it up from beneath trellised vines as you tuck into stuffed zucchini and a glass of white wine. Then explore medieval churches and cobbled streets overlooked by yellow villas dating from the days of the nineteenth-century Grand Tour. See italia.it

OAXACA, MEXICO

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This lavishly lovely Spanish-era city in southern Mexico provides over-the-top romance, as if you've wandered onto the set of a colourful and energetic Baz Luhrmann movie.

You're seldom far from festivals or fireworks, and even on a normal day the central piazza bustles with strolling locals, street vendors, shoe polishers and coffee drinkers. Mariachi bands twang and strum.

This is the perfect city in which to wander hand-in-hand: brightly painted houses, baroque churches, street markets and plenty of hipster bars await discovery. The ruins of a former Zapotec city at Monte Albán nearby make for a change-of-pace excursion. See oaxaca.travel

BALI, INDONESIA

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Don't be distracted by the Kuta Beach side of Bali: one of our favourite destinations produces landscapes and luxury resorts to make you swoon. Surf pounds on golden beaches, palm trees nod in the breeze, iridescent rice terraces brighten the interior, and volcanoes loom.

If your idea of romance is simply to pamper yourself, then head to hill town Ubud, where chic resorts have health spas offering a range of massages and natural therapies, and you can float in baths full of frangipani blossoms.

On the coast, the sixteenth-century Hindu temple at Tanah Lot is fabulous at sunset, when sky and sea blush pink. See indonesia.travel

PARIS, FRANCE

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A bastion of culture, good food, sophisticated shopping and romance as only the French know how, Paris is the ultimate City of Love. A cliché? Oh yes, but who can resist?

Smooch around the Eiffel Tower, wander through the hilly streets of bohemian Montparnasse, sit in chic cafés and watch the world go by. Relax in the statue-studded gardens of the Tuileries or Luxembourg, or wander the magical gardens of Versailles, full of follies and statues and enough woodland to get lost in.

Do whatever you like, because whatever you do in Paris, you'll feel as if you have a walk-on part in a rom-com. See parisinfo.com

BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA

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The Argentine capital tilts towards the passionate end of romance, even when it comes to the fervour of its love affair with football. Nothing gets you in the right mood more than tango. Tradition has it the dance started in La Boca, where street performers still strut their stuff.

If you'd rather participate, head to a dance hall or Escuela Mariposita in raffish San Telmo, where you can take lessons and be whirling across the dance floor in no time.

Ornate architecture, pretty parks, avenues of jacaranda trees and the funky bars and nightclubs of Palermo Viejo district are other reasons to feel romantic. See turismo.buenosaires.gob.ar

BAVARIA, GERMANY

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Think of romantic buildings and castles surely spring to mind, and none push romance to its schmaltzy limit than the creations of mad king Ludwig II of Bavaria. Neuschwanstein is the most famous, decorated with stars and swans, angels and dragons, and looking every inch a castle from a romance story – Walt Disney used it as his inspiration for Snow White's castle.

Meanwhile Linderhof is a bejewelled mini-palace surrounded by landscaped gardens in a rugged, misty mountain setting. Ludwig's castles are connected on the Alpine Road tourist route, where you'll also find snug flower-filled towns, baroque abbeys and glorious alpine scenery. See bavaria.travel

ASWAN, EGYPT

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It's the romance of a classic travel destination that seduces you on the Nile River, with its gaping tombs and stunning temples. The scenery is best at Aswan, which sits where the Nile narrows between golden sandbanks, rugged granite boulders and red desert hills.

Sunset is superb as the hills flush and the river glimmers orange. Ride out by camel to the ruins of St Simeon Monastery for the grand spectacle.

Another romantic way to get about is by felucca or traditional sailboat. Don't miss the Temple of Philae, whose columns on a volcanic island outcrop are perfectly reflected in sapphire Nile water. See egypt.travel

LAKE BLED, SLOVENIA

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There's always romance in scenic beauty, and few places tick the calendar-cover boxes quite like Lake Bled, ringed by alpine peaks dusted in snow, its waters gin-clear and impossibly blue. Swans paddle serenely past.

Then, just to make it more outrageously beautiful, history has added a hilltop castle, while a little island sports a dainty church favoured by Slovenians for weddings. Have yourself rowed out in a pletna or traditional boat, gondola-style, its rower standing with long oars at the back.

You should continue to Lake Bohinj in Triglav National Park, another scenic gem of emerald-green water enfolded in voluptuous hills. See bled.si

KII PENINSULA, JAPAN

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Romance is often linked to languid luxury, but if you're the active type you'll find inspiration in the Kumano Mountains south of Osaka, revered by the Japanese as the birthplace of Shinto gods, and traversed by an ancient pilgrim trail linking shrines and Buddhist temples.

Pine and bamboo forests and farming villages add to the charm, and you can finish at a splendid waterfall beside an orange pagoda on the top of Daimon Slope, which climbs Mt Nachi through huge cedar trees.

This is back-to-basics romance that focuses on the spirit, but coastal resort towns allow for luxury hotels and immersions in hot spring baths. See visitwakayama.jp