This 9m high sculpture (“The Meeting Place”, by James Day), sums up the essence of romance inherent in rail travel. The St. Pancras terminal was, in the 1960s, almost demolished. Today the terminus has not only been restored but is also the home of the Eurostar fleet. Oh... and of course, of the happy lovers too... the thrill of whose reunion is only matched by the excitement of a whole continent beckoning.Reuters
This 9m high sculpture (“The Meeting Place”, by James Day), sums up the essence of romance inherent in rail travel. The St. Pancras terminal was, in the 1960s, almost demolished. Today the terminus has not only been restored but is also the home of the Eurostar fleet. Oh... and of course, of the happy lovers too... the thrill of whose reunion is only matched by the excitement of a whole continent beckoning.ReutersMexico... is a land of wide open deserts, tequila and a culture rich in legends of love and passion. One of its more famous stories is found in the city of Guanajuato and more specifically, at the "El Callejon del Beso" (“Alley of the Kiss”). This is a narrow alleyway – 27 inches wide at the end – where two balconies face each other, close enough to allow for a romantic kiss. The name of the alleyway is taken from a local story that speaks of star-crossed love – the young daughter of a rich landowner and a humble miner. We all know how that ends. The father found out about his daughter’s love and furious at being betrayed, he stuck his dagger into her heart. As she lay dying, her lover took one of her hands and gently kissed it.TripAdvisorEvery so often, we have spectacular reminders of how mushy and sentimental Mother Nature really is. There can be no better reminder of that fact than Heart Reef. The island was discovered by a pilot in 1974 and is located in the middle of Queensland’s idyllic Whitsunday Islands. What appears to be a 17m run-of-the-mill geological formation from ground level takes on, literally, a whole new shape from the air – it appears distinctly and undeniably heart-shaped.Austrialia TourismMedieval love stories are the bread-and-butter of most ancient cities. Nary a stop on a tour of old Europe will come up blank on that score... least of all Paris – the city that Love calls home. The tomb of ill-fated lovers Abélard and Héloïse – possibly the city’s oldest such story is an example, albeit a chilling one. Theirs is a tale of an affair discovered: Abélard was castrated, Héloïse sent to a nunnery. Today at least they are reunited; they lie next to each other at the Père Lachaise Cemetery. Remember to pay your respects to their eternal souls and leave an epistle by their crypt. It is said, if you do as such, you will find your own soul mate.TripAdvisorIt's time to move on from gondolas of Venice. venice is now stereotype for romance. Verona, Italy, could be the ideal place this year. The Casa de Giulietta (pictured), supposed to be the house of Shakespeare's heroine Juliet, attracts many till date.Press AssociationThe Taj Mahal is, quite simply, humanity’s greatest and most inspiring memorial to the idea of love. Located in the north Indian city of Agra, this insanely intricate and giganctic marble memorial is testimony of man’s love for his wife. When Mumtaz Mahal, the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan’s wife, died in childbirth, a grief-stricken husband vowed to build her the most beautiful tomb the world had ever seen. We think he succeeded... the Taj Mahal was completed in 1653 and we still haven’t seen anything to rival it.ReutersThe quintessential definition of a physical and spiritual oasis in the middle of a concrete jungle (desert?), New York City’s Central Park is probably the most spectacular display of greenery and woodland any urban center has ever seen. Everything from romantic carriage rides under moonlit skies to slow and lazy boat rides below Bow Bridge marks Central Park out as the most magical place in all of New York... a place for every season, spring, summer, winter or fall.ReutersAs you and your lover climb the Eiffel tower and prepare to behold the spectacle of a city wreathed with silky and sensual folds of love, remember you are standing atop the defining symbol of modern romantic engagement and discover the city's most amorous aspect: a view of “Venetian canals”, Chapel O' Loves and the illuminated spumes of the Bellagio's fountains, performing a dreamy dance at regular intervals below.ReutersAllow us to introduce you to the Goddess of Love, Aphrodite, herself. According to legend, it was from the foam at Petra tou Romiou – Aphrodite's Beach – that the Greek deity emerged on a zephyr-blown scallop shell, having formed in the sea from Uranus' amputated privates. That the sand here was the stomping ground of a Goddess is not hard to believe – the beach is a beauty, with Mediterranean turquoise-blue waves lapping a tumble of outlying rocks and an undeveloped stretch of shore.Cyprus Tourist Travel GuideA country not, perhaps, known for the softer elements of love, China might end up surprising a lot of us, if we were to give it a chance. The view from Huangshan (translated as Yellow Mountain), in the southern province of Eastern China, offers some of the most breathtaking mountain scenery seen anywhere in the world. The sharp burst of rocky green mountain slopes arching up into mist and snow-covered peaks, which then gaze back down into seemingly endless valleys is one of the more beautiful sights you are ever likely to see. Plus there's extra romance in these hills: couples buy padlocks and secure them to the handrails, tossing the key into the abyss below - thus securing their love foreverPress Association
It's that time of the year once again... Valentine's Day!
A time of bliss that is the perfect opportunity for you and your lover to get away from it all and live in a world all your own. Of course, this means you will have to spend some time casting critical eyes over the possibility of weekends in rustic villages... a glamour-filled rush at elegant cities... communing with nature in verdant rainforests... lapping up the rays at sun-soaked beaches and standing atop the world at spectacular mountain resorts... all for that perfect romantic journey together.
As it turns out, the world is just full of wonderful locations that love-struck couples have been flocking to for hundreds of years! And we're here to tell you all about them.
Start the slideshow to find out the ten most romantic places on Earth...
