DON’T MISS
IamExpat FairIamExpat Job BoardIamExpat Webinars
Newsletters
EXPAT INFO
CAREER
HOUSING
EDUCATION
LIFESTYLE
EXPAT SERVICES
NEWS & ARTICLES
Home
Lifestyle
Dutch news & articles
Love is in the air: Amsterdam ranked third-most romantic city in the world
Never miss a thing!Sign up for our weekly newsletters with important news stories, expat events and special offers.
Keep me updated with exclusive offers from partner companies
By signing up, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy

Love is in the air: Amsterdam ranked third-most romantic city in the world

Never miss a thing!Sign up for our weekly newsletters with important news stories, expat events and special offers.
Keep me updated with exclusive offers from partner companies
By signing up, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy
or
follow us for regular updates:



Related Stories

Anne Frank: The girl who lived in the most famous house in AmsterdamAnne Frank: The girl who lived in the most famous house in Amsterdam
Celebrating Amsterdam's birthday: A (brief) history of the Dutch capitalCelebrating Amsterdam's birthday: A (brief) history of the Dutch capital
The History of Pride AmsterdamThe History of Pride Amsterdam
July 2020: 10 things changing from todayJuly 2020: 10 things changing from today
Amsterdam and The Hague among the world’s 50 most expensive cities Amsterdam and The Hague among the world’s 50 most expensive cities
Amsterdam once again ranked most attractive Dutch city to live in Amsterdam once again ranked most attractive Dutch city to live in
Amsterdam one of Europe’s most expensive city break destinationsAmsterdam one of Europe’s most expensive city break destinations
Time Out ranks Amsterdam as one of the best cities for public transportTime Out ranks Amsterdam as one of the best cities for public transport
For expats of all colours, shapes and sizes

Explore
Expat infoCareerHousingEducationLifestyleExpat servicesNews & articles
About us
IamExpat MediaAdvertisePost a jobContact usSitemapRSS feeds
More IamExpat
IamExpat Job BoardIamExpat HousingIamExpat FairsWebinarsNewsletters
Privacy
Terms of usePrivacy policyCookiesAvoiding scams

Never miss a thing!Sign up for expat events, news & offers, delivered once a week.
Keep me updated with exclusive offers from partner companies
By signing up, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy


© 2025 IamExpat Media B.V.
© 2025 IamExpat Media B.V.
Jan 20, 2023
Victoria Séveno
Victoria grew up in Amsterdam, before moving to the UK to study English and Related Literature at the University of York and completing her NCTJ course at the Press Association in London. She has a love for all things movies, animals, and food. Read more

Who needs the city of love when you’ve got Amsterdam? Move over Paris, there’s a new kid in town: a recent ranking found that the Dutch capital, with its blooming tulips and quaint canals, was the third-most romantic city in the world. 

Amsterdam in 2023: Good for working, living, and… romance?

Anyone familiar with the city of Amsterdam will likely agree that it certainly has its charm. Between the sheer number of cyclists, the picture-perfect bridges and canals and the quirkily crooked buildings that date back hundreds of years, it’s not particularly surprising that so many people from across the Netherlands and around the world visit the city every year. 

Well, now Amsterdam can add another notch to its belt. Not only is it one of the best cities for working and one of the most liveable cities in the world, but Bounce - a platform that provides luggage storage options for travellers worldwide - recently ranked it as one of the world's most romantic destinations.

Bounce examined a number of factors across various international cities, looking at the size of each city compared to elements such as the number of romantic activities, restaurants, and hotels (according to Booking.com and TripAdvisor), and the average cost of a two-night stay in a hotel. All factors were then combined to get an overall normalised score out of 10 in order to determine the most romantic of the lot.

Is Amsterdam a romantic destination for couples?

Of course, the obvious choice - Paris - claimed the top spot, but Amsterdam achieved a perfectly respectable (and perhaps surprising) third place, with an overall score of 7,49 out of 10. The Dutch capital performed particularly well when it came to the number of romantic restaurants and hotels per square kilometre (3,2 and 1,1 respectively). 

Bounce praised Amsterdam for its “beautiful flower environment”, “quaint canals”, and “historical sights”, as well as the “plethora of romantic activities” on offer in the city, such as canal cruises and boat rentals.

Honestly, you wouldn’t be blamed for being shocked to hear Amsterdam beat out popular romantic destinations such as Venice or Bruges - many local Amsterdammers were also fairly surprised by the news. Talking to AT5, one resident of the city said it was “a joke”, but on the whole tourists seem to agree that the Dutch capital was worthy of a spot in the top 10: "The canals, the houses, the whole atmosphere is romantic,” one explained.

The 10 most romantic cities in the world

According to Bounce, the 10 most romantic cities in the world are: 

  1. Paris, France (8,87 out of 10) 
  2. San Francisco, USA (7,59)
  3. Amsterdam, the Netherlands (7,49)
  4. Barcelona, Spain (7,44)
  5. Lisbon, Portugal (7,28)
  6. Florence, Italy (6,77)
  7. Dublin, Ireland (6,51)
  8. Seville, Spain (6,46) 
  9. Santa Barbara, USA (6,41) 
  10. Marrakesh, Morocco (6,26)

For more information about the ranking and methodology, visit Bounce’s website.

Thumb: Hrecheniuk Oleksii via Shutterstock.com

By Victoria Séveno