Best romantic weekend city breaks in Europe for couples in 2023

With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, here are some of the most swoon-worthy destinations in Europe to woo your beloved on a romance-filled city break.

Best for beachy escapism: Comporta, Portugal

All lime-green paddy fields, pine-backed sand dunes, wildflower meadows and cork tree forests, this series of mellow, beachy villages an hour south of Lisbon in Portugal’s Alentejo rank highly in the rustic charm stakes.  Comporta’s long sands, including pretty Praia da Comporta, can be explored on foot or by horseback, guided by Cavalos na Areia. The main village has a clutch of hippy-chic design shops to explore  – including Rice for baskets and Lavanda for soft linens – while in nearby Troia, resident bottlenose dolphins can be spotted gliding through the Sado Estuary, with eco-experts Vertigem Azul.

Where to stay

Sublime Comporta has A-Frame cabana suites and villas with all-white decor, billowing gauzy curtains, driftwood touches and egg-shaped bathtubs set in dappled woodland. At its bohemian restaurant, Sem Porta, Chef Hélio Gonçalves serves a riot of Alentejan dishes in an atmospheric former rice barn.

Best for stylish scenery: Copenhagen, Denmark

Combining canals, cobbled streets, brightly-coloured houses, a skyline zig-zagged with twisting spires, world-class design museums and more artistic New Nordic eateries than you shake a stick at, no matter what gets your hearts racing, the Danish capital’s got it covered….