Santorini has once again entered the global imagination of love, ranking among the most romantic destinations in the world for 2026, according to a study by hotelwithtub.com, which examined travel and social data from TripAdvisor and Instagram. The ranking was shaped by a weighted evaluation system that measured everything that quietly builds a romantic atmosphere: intimate restaurants, hotels designed for two, experiences meant to be shared rather than rushed, scenic landscapes that invite stillness, and the digital traces couples leave behind through romance-related hashtags.
At the top of the list for 2026 stands Rome, with a Romantic Score of 66 and an impressive 237 recorded honeymoon spots, a reminder that classic European cities still hold a timeless appeal for couples who want history, beauty, and emotion woven tightly together. Yet Santorini’s ninth-place ranking, with 127 honeymoon spots, speaks to something different but equally enduring: the power of islands as places where romance is shaped not by monuments but by light, distance, and silence.
Santorini’s romance is, above all, a matter of view. The island does not invite rapid exploration. It invites couples to pause, to look outward together, to let the horizon do the talking. Sunsets in Oia unfold slowly, without urgency, as if they are aware of being watched. Hotels carved into the caldera seem designed less for spectacle and more for retreat, offering rooms where the world narrows to a balcony, a glass of wine, and the soft descent of evening. Nights move gently here, favoring quiet conversations and shared moments over noise and movement.
According to the study, many couples plan their journeys to Santorini around these elements: the views, the short distances, and the low-intensity experiences that allow space for connection. There is also a growing awareness that timing matters. Choosing to travel outside the height of summer, when the island exhales and regains its rhythm, can deepen the sense of privacy and make the experience feel less like a destination and more like a personal memory unfolding.
This year’s ranking also reflects a broader shift in how couples imagine their honeymoons. The lovers of 2026 appear to be balancing culture with seclusion, placing cities such as Paris (No. 3), Barcelona (No. 5), and Lisbon (No. 6) alongside destinations closer to nature, like Ubud in Indonesia (No. 2) and Phuket (No. 4). Within this mosaic, Santorini occupies a unique middle ground: European yet island-bound, famous yet capable of offering moments of genuine quiet, familiar yet endlessly intimate.
What the study ultimately captures is not just where couples go, but how romance is experienced and remembered today. By combining real travel behavior with the way love is shared online, it acknowledges that a destination’s appeal extends beyond the journey itself, living on in photographs, captions, and carefully chosen hashtags long after the bags are unpacked. In this sense, Santorini remains what it has always been: not merely a place to visit, but a setting in which memories are framed, held, and carried forward.