City walks for hopeless romantics

Get swept up in the romance of some of the world’s finest city walks, meandering through historic, narrow alleyways and across archipelagos with rousing panoramas. Here are three of the world’s most seductive urban walking trails.

Parks and recreation in London

For the romantic, walks in London invite you down hidden passageways and up ambling paths. One such route goes from the Strand in central London all the way up to panoramic Primrose Hill. Start on the steps of the neoclassical St. Martin-in-the-Fields just off Trafalgar Square, and head northwards onto St Martin’s Lane where you’ll veer sharply right onto Brydges Place. This is commonly claimed to be London’s narrowest alley, often lit with wrought-iron lanterns to guide you along its Dickensian passage. Once you reach the end, turn left and head north through Covent Garden and its cobbled Seven Dials, a junction crammed with modish roasteries, bakeries and boutiques. Nearby, Neal’s Yard – a courtyard tucked away from the bustle of Cambridge Circus – is a particularly lovely stop. Sit down for a coffee in one of its intimate cafés or browse the eponymous organic remedies and skincare store for some botanical bath products.

Meander northeast through architecturally diverse and charismatic Soho, until you reach frenetic Oxford Street. You won’t need to dwell long here – just head as far as Bond Street until you reach the shyly tucked away Gee’s Court. This will lead you towards Francophile Marylebone, awash with an atmosphere that’s both purposeful and relaxed. Next, stroll up Thayer Street, lined with independent shops and cafés, including London institution Daunt Books – its long oak gallery adorned with row upon row of classic and recent publications. Pick up a travel tome or vintage title and continue on until you get to design haven, The Conran Shop. From here, walk past the majestic Royal Academy of Music along the fringes of Regent’s Park, its Japanese Garden Island and Queen Mary’s Rose Gardens. Spending the entire afternoon here is tempting, however, you’ll want to save the most time for Primrose Hill, a bucolic area in North London filled with petite bakeries and bookshops. Grab yourself a cupcake from Primrose Bakery and saunter up to the top of the hill for an irresistible view of London. And you’ll only have to head round the corner to get home when you stay at Primrose Boutique Home.

Nostalgia and ghosts in Tokyo

Tokyo has been the crux of many a love story and while these tales often take place amid modern, neon-lit skyscrapers, it’s the neighbourhoods of old Tokyo where quiet romance still stirs. Begin early in the morning at Ueno Park, one of the city’s chief cherry blossom-viewing spots. A walk in late March (cherry blossom season) will lead you into a hazy canopy of pale pink, which shelters hanami (Japan’s custom of celebrating flowers and spring) goers and their perfectly prepared picnics. But a walk here is special regardless of the season – hire a boat and paddle out onto the lily pad-adorned Shinobazu Pond. Wander northwards to find a selection of traditional houses and shrines alongside some of Tokyo’s top museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Tokyo National Museum.

A 20-minute walk north beyond Ueno Park will take you to the hushed quiet of Yanaka. One of the few neighbourhoods preserved from the Edo period, it’s a collection of wooden houses and rickety shops evoking endless nostalgia and primed for those in search of it. Amble along to Kayaba Coffee first, a 1920s coffee shop that’s a haunt for students and artists, where you can tuck into an indulgent coffee parfait. From here, Yanaka Cemetery is the next stop – while not immediately romantic-sounding, the cherry blossom trees that hang wearily over a maze of pathways combine with the place’s quiet poignancy making for an intimate, almost secret atmosphere. After a stroll here, Yanaka Beer Hall is a lovely spot to sip on a beer or green tea and relish its warm, communal feel. And should you still have the energy when the sun goes down, the Rikugi-en gardens are within walking distance. Open until late in the winter months, it’s one of Tokyo’s finest gardens, with stone bridges, trickling streams and a wooden tea house where you can drink in the scene as well as your matcha. Call it a night at the traditional Guest House Wagokoro, a short subway ride from Tabata station.

Island hopping in Stockholm

Stockholm could easily be the blueprint for the archetypal Scandinavian city. Stretching across 14 islands, it’s a city defined and moulded by the water that is innately romantic. Start your city walk in the south in Södermalm, where you can pick up a sugar-studded cinnamon or cardamom bun and takeaway coffee. Walk eastwards towards the Fotografiska, Stockholm’s contemporary photography museum, opposite a collection of butterscotch-coloured townhouses across the water in Östermalm. A short stroll westward along the waterfront will take you to Slussen, where you’ll be whisked over to the famed ABBA Museum via ferry. While serenading loved ones with your best renditions of the Swedes’ hit songs is tempting, keep walking through the leafy, residential neighbourhoods of Djurgården island until you reach Rosendals Garden. Here, you can wander past rows of tulips and vine-covered trellises, stopping at the garden’s greenhouse café and bakery for freshly baked goods and vegetable-laden mains – sit outside on the terrace if the weather permits it.

A further 20-minute walk via winding pathways and pastoral settings will take you down to the renowned Vasa Museum, where you can revel in the majesty that is the world’s only fully salvaged 17th-century ship. The views continue in glamourous Östermalm, following the waterfront to the central isle of Skeppsholmen. Here, you’re at Stockholm’s watery epicentre where – when timed to arrive in the late afternoon – you’ll catch the city drenched in a sultry glow, and the sky blushed with a pale pink. Make your last stop the cobbled Gamla Stan, Stockholm’s old town. Turn onto one of its many romantic squares, past its citrus-coloured houses and opt for dinner at the inconspicuous Kryp In restaurant, before one last walk to Hotel Skeppsholmen.