Honeymoons & romance
Legendary lovers of literature and history
Some love stories are told for centuries. They have given names to places, shaped how people imagine romance, and inspired couples to travel across the world to stand where the stories were set.
Every culture has its great love stories. Some are invented, some are history, and many blur the line between the two. They endure because they speak to something universal: the joy of finding someone, the pain of obstacles, the wish that love might outlast everything. For travelling couples, these stories add another layer to a journey, turning a city or a monument into a place where a legend lives.
Star-crossed lovers on the page
Literature is full of lovers kept apart by families, fate or society. The most famous of all may be Shakespeare's pair. Wikipedia's article on Romeo and Juliet describes the play as a tragedy by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families, and notes that it was among his most popular plays during his lifetime, that it is one of his most frequently performed, and that the title characters are regarded as archetypal young lovers. The article also explains that the play belongs to a tradition of tragic romances stretching back to antiquity, and that its setting is the Italian cities of Verona and Mantua.
What makes such stories so enduring is not only the love but the obstacles. Feuding families, hasty decisions and misunderstandings drive the drama. Few readers would wish that fate on anyone, yet the intensity of the love at its centre still moves audiences centuries later.
Visiting the setting
Couples who love the play often visit northern Italy to wander the streets of the city where it is set. Walking through old squares and along the river, it is easy to imagine the story unfolding there. The city makes a lovely stop on a wider journey through Italy; see romantic Europe for more ideas on planning a trip there.
A monument built for love
Some love stories are written in stone. Wikipedia's article on the Taj Mahal describes an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the bank of the river Yamuna in Agra, India, commissioned by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to house the tomb of his late wife, Mumtaz Mahal, and notes that it also houses the tomb of Shah Jahan himself. The article explains that the imperial court's record of the emperor's grief after her death illustrates the love story held as the inspiration for the building.
The monument sits within a large complex of formal gardens, with the white marble changing colour through the day as the light moves across it. Visiting early in the morning, when the air is cool and the stone glows softly, is an experience many couples remember for the rest of their lives.
An early visit
Arriving at a great monument before the crowds is worth the early alarm. The paths are quiet, the air is cool and the building seems to belong to the few people standing in front of it. Take your time, walk the length of the gardens and look back often, since the view changes with every step and every shift in the light.
Why these stories travel
Legendary love stories give travellers a reason to go somewhere, and a way of seeing it. A city is no longer just streets and buildings; it is the place where lovers met, parted or were reunited. Monuments become more than architecture; they become acts of devotion. For couples, visiting these places can be a quiet way of reflecting on their own story.
Planning a trip around a love story
- Read or watch the story before you go. It adds meaning to every step.
- Visit early or late. Famous sites are busiest in the middle of the day. Dawn and dusk bring softer light and fewer people.
- Look beyond the famous spot. The surrounding streets, gardens and riverbanks are often where the atmosphere lingers.
- Respect the place. Many of these sites are also places of memory, worship or mourning. Dress and behave accordingly.
- Write something. A letter or a few lines in a journal at the end of the day can become a treasured keepsake; see love notes.
Your own legend
Most couples will never inspire a play or a monument. But every couple has a story: how you met, the first trip you took together, the question asked on a beach or in a kitchen. Those stories matter just as much to the people who live them. Tell them, write them down, and keep adding chapters.
If you love stories told on screen as much as those on the page, see love on screen, which looks at the romance film as a genre and how it can inspire your next trip.