Top 10 Romantic Destinations in the World (2026 Edition)
There is no single destination that is universally romantic.
For one couple, romance means a private villa surrounded by turquoise water with nowhere to be all day. For another, it is wandering cobblestone streets before a long dinner in Italy. And for someone else, it is waking up before sunrise for an adventure they will talk about for years.
The best romantic trips are not necessarily the ones with the most extravagant hotel or the farthest flight. They are the ones that feel like the two people taking them.
Whether you are planning a honeymoon, celebrating an anniversary, or simply looking for an excuse to travel somewhere extraordinary together, this is a curated list of ten destinations I would consider for a romantic getaway in 2026.
1. Seychelles
Pictured Hotel: Waldorf Astoria Seychelles Platte Island
Best for: Seclusion, beaches, and a once-in-a-lifetime honeymoon
For couples whose idea of romance is disappearing somewhere beautiful together, it is difficult to compete with the Seychelles.
Scattered across the Indian Ocean, the islands are known for powdery beaches, clear turquoise water, dramatic granite formations, and some of the world's most secluded luxury resorts. The setting alone makes the Seychelles feel special, but what really distinguishes it for a romantic trip is the privacy.
This is where I would send a couple who wants their honeymoon to feel like a true escape rather than a packed itinerary. Days can revolve around swimming, snorkeling, spa treatments, private dinners, and boat trips between islands without ever feeling like you should be doing more.
Experiences worth planning: Charter a private boat for the day, snorkel in the clear waters surrounding the islands, arrange a private beach dinner, or simply dedicate an entire day to enjoying your resort.
Where I'd stay: Waldorf Astoria Seychelles Platte Island or Six Senses Zil Pasyon.
Pair it with: A safari in Kenya or Tanzania for an incredible adventure-and-beach honeymoon.
2. Turks and Caicos
Pictured Hotel: Grace Bay Club Turks and Caicos
Best for: An easy luxury beach escape
Not every romantic trip needs an elaborate itinerary.
Turks and Caicos is one of my favorite choices for couples who want beautiful beaches, exceptional resorts, good restaurants, and plenty of time together without spending half their vacation getting from one place to another.
Grace Bay's famously clear water and soft white sand make the destination particularly appealing for a honeymoon or anniversary where relaxation is the priority.
Spend your days on the beach, charter a boat to explore the surrounding cays, snorkel the reefs, book a couples massage, and settle in for long dinners overlooking the water.
Experiences worth planning: A private sunset cruise, snorkeling, a beach picnic on a secluded cay, and a couples spa treatment.
Where I'd stay: Grace Bay Club or The Strand Turks and Caicos.
Why I like it: It delivers the feeling of a luxurious tropical honeymoon without requiring an ultra-long-haul flight from the United States.
3. Koh Samui, Thailand
Pictured Hotel: The Ritz-Carlton, Koh Samui
Best for: Tropical luxury with culture and adventure
Koh Samui is for couples who want their beach honeymoon to include more than the beach.
The Thai island combines palm-fringed coastline and private pool villas with temples, night markets, incredible food, wellness experiences, and easy access to the surrounding islands.
You can spend one day doing almost nothing at your resort and the next boating through Ang Thong Marine National Park, exploring Fisherman's Village, or having dinner somewhere completely unexpected.
It also works beautifully as the relaxing finale to a longer trip through Thailand.
Experiences worth planning: A private boat day through Ang Thong Marine National Park, a Thai cooking experience, couples spa treatment, and an evening in Fisherman's Village.
Where I'd stay: The Ritz-Carlton, Koh Samui or Garrya Tongsai Bay Samui.
Pair it with: Bangkok and Chiang Mai for a honeymoon that combines city, culture, adventure, and beach.
4. Puerto Rico
Pictured Hotel: La Concha Resort
Best for: Couples who want beach, culture, food, and nightlife
Puerto Rico is one of the more underrated romantic getaways on this list.
Instead of choosing between a beach vacation and a city escape, couples can have elements of both. Spend time wandering the colorful streets of Old San Juan, hike through El Yunque, kayak through a bioluminescent bay, try Puerto Rican restaurants and cocktail bars, and still build in plenty of time beside the Caribbean.
It is particularly appealing for couples who want their romantic getaway to have energy rather than complete seclusion.
And for U.S. travelers, the ease of visiting makes it an excellent option for a shorter honeymoon, anniversary, or long weekend.
Experiences worth planning: Explore Old San Juan, hike El Yunque National Forest, visit a bioluminescent bay, and spend an afternoon discovering Puerto Rico's food and cocktail scene.
Where I'd stay: Fairmont El San Juan Hotel or La Concha Resort.
5. Japan
Pictured Hotel: Yuen Bettei Daita
Best for: Foodies, culture lovers, and couples who want a true journey
Japan may not immediately come to mind when you picture the traditional honeymoon, and that is exactly why I love it.
Few destinations offer such an extraordinary range of experiences within one trip. Tokyo brings incredible restaurants, cocktail bars, shopping, and energy. Kyoto introduces temples, gardens, tea culture, and traditional ryokans. Travel farther and you can add mountain towns, hot springs, tropical islands, or countryside retreats.
For couples who love experiencing somewhere new together, Japan can feel incredibly romantic without relying on the typical beach-honeymoon formula.
One of my favorite ways to incorporate romance is through a stay at a beautiful ryokan, where you can slow down for a night or two, experience a traditional kaiseki dinner, and soak in a private onsen.
Experiences worth planning: Stay at a luxury ryokan, experience a traditional tea ceremony, book an exceptional omakase dinner, explore Kyoto early in the morning, and spend at least one night somewhere quieter than Tokyo or Kyoto.
Where I'd stay: Banyan Tree Higashiyama Kyoto or a carefully selected luxury ryokan suited to your itinerary.
Best advice: Don't try to see all of Japan in one trip. A more thoughtfully paced itinerary is almost always more enjoyable.
6. Sicily, Italy
Pictured Hotel: Masseria Susafa
Best for: Food, wine, coastal scenery, and slow travel
Italy will probably always belong on a list of romantic destinations, but Sicily offers something a little different from the classic Rome-Florence-Venice itinerary.
The island feels dramatic and deeply rooted in place. Think cliffside towns, Mediterranean beaches, ancient ruins, vineyards growing beneath Mount Etna, tiny villages, seafood lunches, and evenings that seem to stretch indefinitely.
It is particularly well suited to couples who find romance in food and the experience of simply being somewhere rather than checking off attractions.
I would plan Sicily slowly. Choose a few bases, rent a car or arrange private transportation, and leave room in the itinerary for long lunches and spontaneous stops.
Experiences worth planning: Wine tasting around Mount Etna, exploring Taormina, a private boat day, a Sicilian cooking class, and plenty of dinners that last much longer than expected.
Where I'd stay: Masseria Susafa or Minareto.
Pair it with: Mainland Italy or another Mediterranean island for a longer European honeymoon.
7. Crete, Greece
Pictured Hotel: Acro Wellness Suites
Best for: Couples who want Greece without making the entire trip about island hopping
Santorini and Mykonos receive much of the honeymoon attention, but Crete deserves a place in the conversation.
Greece's largest island has enough variety to become an entire vacation rather than a two-night stop. There are beautiful beaches, mountain landscapes, ancient archaeological sites, charming harbor towns, wineries, excellent food, and increasingly impressive luxury hotels.
For couples who like having options, that variety is exactly the appeal. You can hike or explore one day and spend the next beside your private pool overlooking the Aegean.
Experiences worth planning: Wander Chania's Venetian harbor, take a private boat trip, visit Balos Lagoon, taste Cretan wine and olive oil, and build in at least one completely unscheduled resort day.
Where I'd stay: Acro Suites or Domes Zeen Chania.
Pair it with: Athens and Santorini for a first trip to Greece, or pair it with another less-visited Greek island for something different.
8. Costa Rica
Pictured Hotel: Andaz Peninsula Papagayo
Best for: Couples who would rather make memories than sit still for a week
If your favorite trips involve doing things together, Costa Rica is one of my favorite honeymoon recommendations.
You can wake up overlooking a volcano, zip-line through rainforest canopy, soak in natural hot springs, spot wildlife, hike to waterfalls, and then finish the trip at a beautiful Pacific Coast resort.
The key is pairing the right regions.
Rather than staying in one place, I generally prefer combining an adventure-focused destination such as Arenal or Monteverde with several slower days near the coast. That gives couples the excitement they came for without returning home needing a vacation from their vacation.
Experiences worth planning: Natural hot springs, wildlife tours, waterfall hikes, zip-lining, private rafting or canyoning adventures, and a few deliberately slow beach days.
Where I'd stay: Andaz Costa Rica Resort at Peninsula Papagayo or Senda Monteverde.
Ideal honeymoon structure: Adventure first, beach second.
9. Dubai
Pictured Hotel: Jumeirah Dar Al Masyaf
Best for: Glamour, exceptional hotels, dining, and something completely different
Dubai is a very different interpretation of romance.
This isn't the destination I would choose for couples dreaming of sleepy villages and rustic charm. It is somewhere I would consider for travelers who love extraordinary hotels, ambitious restaurants, shopping, architecture, spas, nightlife, and experiences that feel larger than life.
The contrast is part of the appeal. One evening can be spent overlooking the city's futuristic skyline, while the next takes you into the desert for sunset.
Dubai also works particularly well as part of a larger honeymoon because of its global flight connections.
Experiences worth planning: A sunrise hot-air balloon ride over the desert, a private desert experience, an indulgent spa afternoon, and dinner overlooking the skyline.
Where I'd stay: Jumeirah Dar Al Masyaf or another resort selected around whether you prioritize beach, downtown access, or privacy.
Pair it with: The Maldives, Seychelles, or an East African safari.
10. Bali, Indonesia
Pictured Hotel: Buahan, A Banyan Tree Escape
Best for: Wellness, private villas, culture, and tropical romance
There is a reason Bali continues to be a honeymoon favorite.
It offers the privacy and beauty couples want from a tropical getaway, but the experience can extend far beyond the resort. Temples, rice terraces, wellness rituals, waterfalls, incredible restaurants, artisan communities, and deeply rooted Balinese traditions give the island a richness that makes a longer stay worthwhile.
For a honeymoon, I particularly like splitting the trip between two distinct areas rather than choosing one resort for the entire stay.
Begin around Ubud for jungle landscapes, culture, wellness, and adventure. Then move toward the coast for a few days centered around sunshine, swimming, and slowing down.
Experiences worth planning: Stay in a private pool villa, visit temples and rice terraces with a private guide, book a Balinese spa ritual, take a cooking class, and spend a few days doing very little.
Where I'd stay: COMO Uma Ubud or Buahan, a Banyan Tree Escape.
So, Which Romantic Destination Is Right for You?
Choosing a honeymoon or romantic getaway shouldn't begin with a list of the places everyone else is going.
It should begin with how you actually like to travel.
If you want pure privacy and beach, look toward the Seychelles or Turks and Caicos.
If you want adventure followed by relaxation, consider Costa Rica.
If you plan trips around food and culture, Japan or Sicily may be a much better match.
If you want tropical relaxation without sacrificing experiences, Koh Samui or Bali could give you the best of both.
And if you want Mediterranean beaches, food, history, and beautiful hotels, Crete deserves serious consideration.
The destination is only the beginning. The hotel you choose, how many places you try to fit into the trip, the order of your itinerary, your room category, transfers, experiences, and even which days you intentionally leave empty can completely change how a trip feels.
Planning a Honeymoon or Romantic Getaway?
At Aurelia Voyages, I plan honeymoons, anniversaries, and romantic trips around the couple taking them rather than a predetermined itinerary.
That might mean finding the secluded resort where you can truly switch off, designing a multi-stop honeymoon that balances adventure with relaxation, or simply helping you decide between the destinations you've had saved for months.
Through select luxury hotel partnerships, clients may also receive additional benefits such as daily breakfast, hotel credits, priority for room upgrades, early check-in or late checkout when available, and other VIP amenities.
If you're starting to think about your honeymoon, anniversary, or next trip together, submit a trip inquiry to Aurelia Voyages and tell me what you're dreaming about. From there, we can determine the destinations and level of planning support that make the most sense for you.