The rating of the most popular places for romantic trips for Russians in love has become known. The national tour operator ALEAN conducted a survey of subscribers in the company's social networks (a total of 30 thousand people) about which of the Russian locations they consider the most romantic and where they would like to go with their soulmate on February 14 – including to make an offer hands and hearts.
The opinions of Russians surveyed in 2023 were divided as follows:
1. SAINT PETERSBURG (46% of respondents)
Petersburg traditionally remains the undisputed leader in the ranking of the most romantic cities in Russia.
Here they kiss on the Kissing Bridge, make wishes to the griffins, walk along the embankments on white nights and meet the dawn on the “spit” of Vasilyevsky Island near the Rostral columns.
The bridges of winter St. Petersburg with evening illumination are a great place for joint selfies. Photo: peakpx.com
For romantic dates in February, the Sky and Wine bar on Pirogova Street is perfect, where cozy glass gazebos are installed, from which evening views of St. Petersburg and Isaac glowing in the distance beg for a joint selfie.
For evening “winter tea” you can invite your soulmate to the famous “Astoria” 5 *, to the La Vue restaurant on the top floor of the St. Petersburg hotel. Or to the restaurant of the Kempf Nevsky 4 * hotel, overlooking the Kazan Cathedral and Malaya Konyushennaya Street.
In St. Petersburg “Planetarium No. 1” you can arrange a “date in space.” And the Gamma Hotel 5*, Dostoevsky 4* and Akyan 4* hotels have prepared special romantic programs for Valentine's Day with room decoration, breakfast serving, compliments from chefs.
For the period of Valentine's Day, ALEAN offers tour “The Brilliant Capital of Three Centuries” with a visit to the most atmospheric and romantic suburbs: Pavlovsk, Peterhof, Tsarskoye Selo and Kronstadt.
2. MOUNTAIN SOCHI (28% of respondents)
The most romantic places of the Sochi mountain cluster tourists named observation decks with gazebos in the resorts of Krasnaya Polyana and Gazprom.
In February in the mountains of Sochi, as a rule, it is sunny. Photo: maxpixel.net
The most luxurious option for a honeymoon trip or a romantic weekend is the 500-square-meter presidential suite with a private terrace overlooking Krasnaya Polyana at Novotel Resort 5*.
Those who prefer a comfortable outdoor recreation choose Les SPA-glamping in the village of Chvizheps. Here, cozy tent-houses, an excellent SPA, an open-air thermal pool and a protected forest surrounding all this – all this guarantees several days full of emotions.
By the way, in Sochi you can not only make a marriage proposal, but and order the service of exit registration of marriage.
3. KALININGRAD (14% of respondents)
Old castles, city streets and bridges of Kaliningrad are shrouded in a special veil. And there are no less romantic traditions here than in St. Petersburg.
In old Koenigsberg, young couples came to the Lovers' Bridge, decorated with bas-reliefs of funny putti babies, and threw the keys to closed locks into the water so that the union would not fall apart and there would be children in it. Now there is practically nothing left of the bas-reliefs, but the Putti fountain is still located near the “Kant’s bench” on the embankment of the Museum of the World Ocean.
Castles on the Bridge of Lovers in Kaliningrad. Photo: Mika Meskonen, flickr.com (Creative Commons license)
One of the traditions of Kaliningrad says that lovers should go to the Honey Bridge and shake hands. This should be done as gently as possible to compensate for the lack of honey on the hands. After all, just like that, having smeared their hands with honey so that life was friendly and sweet, the newlyweds of past centuries sealed the union.
On the fence of the Honey Bridge, along with many locks left by the newlyweds and couples in love, one of the homlins – funny little men who have become symbols of the city.
On February 14, ALEAN offers to go on romantic tours “Legends of Prussia”, “Baltic Mosaic”, “Introduction to the Amber Region”, “Kaliningrad – day by day”, “In the very west of Russia”, etc.
4. SAKHALIN (7% of respondents)
Sakhalinis considered one of the most beautiful places in our country and is gaining more and more popularity for a reason. Island romance, unique nature and the ocean attract tourists who return to Sakhalin again and again.
You can go to the Far Eastern island on the author's nine-day tour “Discover Sakhalin with ALEAN”, which includes visiting the most romantic places on the island: Aniva lighthouse, Capes Bird and Velikan, Lake Busse with oyster tasting, as well as a trip to the Kuril Islands to the stunning Baransky volcano and Kasatka Bay with bathing in thermal springs and an excursion to the Yankito lava field.
Aniva lighthouse, Sakhalin. Photo: ATOR
You can propose to your beloved at the Aniva lighthouse or at the Vysota 601 restaurant, which is located in the Mountain Air ski resort. About ten or fifteen years ago, local newlyweds had a tradition to hang padlocks on the railing of the stairs in the park of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, located right behind the Square of Glory.
Sakhalin hotels also have offers for lovers. For example, “Mega Palace” offers to arrange an ideal date with a romantic decoration of the room and a visit to the SPA. Strawberry Hills is ready to organize a wedding celebration, and Santa Resort is known for its romantic photo shoots in special locations of the hotel.
Newlyweds and lovers have a tradition of hanging locks on the railing of the stairs in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Park, located behind Glory Square . We advise you too.
5. NIZHNY NOVGOROD (5% of respondents)
In winter, the “capital of sunsets” is Nizhny Novgorod– no less beautiful than in summer: February sunsets are as good as gentle May or sultry July ones.
The Chkalov Stairs overlooking the Volga is one of the most popular romantic places in the city.
Many proposals were also made on the “Nizhny Novgorod Arbat” – the pedestrian Bolshaya Pokrovskaya Street, where there are so many nice old houses, cozy restaurants, coffee houses, funny and touching sculptures.
Bolshaya Pokrovskaya street in Nizhny Novgorod in winter. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
The “Lubometer” arch near the River Station is never empty in the city. It consists of four columns topped with a roof. To find out how much you love each other, you need to stand between the columns, hold hands, and with your free hands touch the two nearest columns.
ALEAN has about 20 tours to Nizhny Novgorod, where everyone can find their own corner of romance.
OTHER INTERESTING PLACES IN RUSSIA FOR A ROMANTIC TRIP ON FEBRUARY 14
In addition, the tour operator's subscribers also named other, sometimes unexpected places for romantic trips on Valentine's Day:
- Swan Lake in Astrakhan,
- Teriberka (a place on the edge of the Earth under northern lights),
- Peak of love in Buryatia,
- Ruskeala mountain park in Karelia,
- Vladivostok (Tokarevsky lighthouse and Russian island).
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