Ronda, Cadaqués, Granada, San Sebastián, Sitges, Vejer de la Frontera, Toledo, Zahara de los Atunes, Cudillero, Albarracín, Frigiliana, Comillas, Peñíscola, Besalú, Setenil de las Bodegas, Gijón, Cangas de Onís, Baeza, Almagro and Tossa de Mar — Spain has more romantic weekend towns per square kilometre than almost any country in Europe, and most of them are still surprisingly quiet outside July and August.
The trick is to pick a town of fewer than twenty thousand people, book a two-night stay as a minimum (one night always feels rushed), and reserve one long Saturday-night dinner in advance. Everything else takes care of itself. A rented car, a small boutique hotel and a paper map beat any packed itinerary you might be tempted to build in advance.
Our editor's shortlist for first weekends away with a new partner: Ronda for the cliffs and the Michelin-level tasting menus, Cadaqués for the light Dalí painted, San Sebastián for pintxos and Playa de la Concha at sunrise, Vejer for whitewashed streets and empty Atlantic beaches, and Albarracín for a medieval village that looks unchanged since the fifteenth century.
The two Golden Rules we send to everyone: never book a weekend away for the second date, and always leave one full afternoon completely unscheduled. The unplanned three-hour walk after lunch is the moment couples actually fall for each other. Every itinerary in the world can't replicate it, so build the space for it into the trip.
"From Ronda's cliffs to San Sebastián's pintxos — the itineraries we send to friends."
Written by the Best Dating Spain editorial team and reviewed before publication by a relationship coach based in Madrid. We test every app ourselves and never accept sponsored placements.