This post may contain affiliate links to products. A commission may be received for purchases made through these links. However, all opinions remain my own. For more information, please visit my disclosure policy.
When you can’t get away for a romantic holiday, escape through film instead with these Ten Romantic Films for Travel Lovers.
You know one of the things that I love most about movies is how they transport you to a different place and time. It’s not unusual for me to watch a movie and be inspired to add its location to my bucket list, usually for its beauty. With Valentine’s Day just a couple of days away, I’ve been thinking about all the romantic movies that I love that also happens to involve travel in some way.
Whenever Derek is off for Valentine’s Day we usually spend the evening in with dinner and a movie. If you’re looking for a quiet evening with your Valentine, too, then check out these Ten Romantic Films for Travel Lovers and add a few to your weekend’s movie queue!
An Affair to Remember
The 1957 film starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr has been a longtime favorite of mine. Cary Grant plays American playboy Nickie Ferrante who is sailing back to New York after his recent engagement to American heiress Lois Clark has been publicly announced. During the cruise, he meets and falls in love with Terry McKay.
At the end of the cruise, Nickie and Terry decide to give each other six months to end their current relationships and give Nickie a chance to see if he can earn a living. They agree to meet at the top of the Empire State building. The only question remains will they or won’t they.
An Affair to Remember is based on the 1939 film, Love Affair starring Charles Boyer and Irene Dunne.
Only You
This is one of my favorite romantic comedies from the 1990s. I was about twelve years old when I first saw it. This film is what triggered my desire to visit Italy one day. Faith believes a man by the name of Damon Bradley is the man she is destined to marry. However, she decides to stop waiting and accepts the proposal from her podiatrist boyfriend Dwayne.
While trying on her wedding dress who else but Damon Bradley calls looking for Dwayne. He tells her he is on his way to Venice and won’t be able to get in touch until he gets back. This sends Faith along with best friend Kate scouring Italy searching for the man named Damon Bradley.
This hilarious film has an incredible cast starring Marisa Tomei and Robert Downey Jr along with Bonnie Hunt and Fisher Stevens.
The Wedding Date
This fun rom-com stars Debra Messing as Kat Ellis who is suffering from a little anxiety at the thought of returning home to London for her sister’s wedding. Her ex-fiancée that broke her heart by breaking their engagement without explanation is the best man.
She decides to hire an escort played by Dermot Mulroney to accompany her to London for the weekend and help her get through the event while making her ex completely jealous. You also get to see one of my favorite actresses, Amy Adams, in one of her earlier roles.
Midnight in Paris
Although I’m not a Woody Allen fan, I do love Midnight in Paris. I guess it’s because I can relate with the protagonist Gil (played by Owen Wilson) and his fascination with the Golden Age of Paris in the 1920s. Much to his fiancée’s displeasure, Gil wishes to leave his successful career as a Hollywood screenwriter behind to write a novel focusing on his favorite Parisienne era.
One night while he is walking along the streets of Paris he suddenly finds himself transported back to the 1920s. He meets Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, and the Fitzgeralds along with their contemporaries. He begins to see things in a different light including his relationship with Inez which may not be what it seems.
Casablanca
This iconic classic movie is another one of my favorite films. Casablanca nightclub owner Rick unexpectedly runs into his former lover Elsa trying to escape to the United States with her husband, Victor Laszlo. He is transported back in time to Paris before the Nazi invasion and where they fell in love.
Rick was left heartbroken when they planned to escape and Elsa did not meet him. He becomes bitter and unwilling to look out for anyone but himself. Featuring an incredible cast starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, it’s a film that everyone should see at least once in their life!
Under the Tuscan Sun
This movie is based on the book of Frances Mayes’s real-life purchase of Tuscan villa, Bramasole. Diane Lane plays the heartbroken writer who finds out her husband has been cheating on her. Her friends give her the gift of a tour through Tuscany, a gay tour that is.
She comes across Bramasole on a visit to Cortona. She impulsively buys the deteriorating villa unaware of the incredible life experiences that are awaiting her. We experience joy, heartbreak, frustration, and laughter along with Frances throughout this wonderful film.
Chocolat
I love this film set in the French countryside about a small town and its moral dilemma during Lent when faced with the newly opened chocolatier. The nomadic mother and daughter duo, Vianne and Anouk, bring their chocolate making skills to this small town with a mayor that possesses high religious values.
Despite the mayor’s determination to shut Vianne’s chocolate shop down, Vianne wins over the hearts of the local villagers not realizing that they are changing her life as much as she is changing theirs. This film is filled with extremely talented actors including Juliet Binoche, Johnny Depp, Alfred Molina, Judi Dench, and Leslie Caron.
P.S. I Love You
This film is about Holly (Hillary Swank) who loses her loving husband Gerry (Gerard Butler) to cancer. After a month of grieving, Holly is given a cake on her 30th birthday by Gerry. A tape recorder is attached with a recording by Gerry saying that he has left behind a series of messages to help her get through the next year and because he is not ready to say goodbye. Although sad, this film is also fun and heartwarming.
One of Gerry’s gifts is a trip to Ireland with her best girlfriends played by Gina Gershon and the hilarious Lisa Kudrow. We see the place where they met and fell in love. By the end of the year, we see Holly starting to heal and becoming the better version of herself thanks to Gerry’s letters. This film also has an amazing soundtrack! I love the Pogues “Love You ‘Till the End” and Flogging Molly’s “If I Ever Leave This World Alive” is pretty awesome, too!
Sabrina
I love this 1954 film starring Audrey Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart. Sabrina, a chauffer’s daughter, reluctantly leaves for cooking school in Paris. She has been in love with David Larrabee, the son of her father’s employer, her whole life. David, however, has never paid any attention to her.
David becomes engaged while she is away. Although heartbroken, Sabrina finds herself in Paris and returns as a beautiful and sophisticated woman. Now she gets David’s attention. The Larrabee family fears David will not marry his fiancée. This could be disastrous since a corporate merger between the two families is dependent on it. It’s up to big brother Linus to seduce Sabrina, unfortunately, he falls in love with her too. Even though I prefer the original, the 1995 remake starring Harrison Ford is quite wonderful, too.
My Life in Ruins
My Big Fat Greek Wedding’s Nia Vardalos plays Georgia who journeys to Greece to teach only to find herself as a tour guide. She hates the job and the tourists who show no interest in the Greek history and architecture that she loves so much.
Just when Georgia is about to quit and go back to America is when she meets some amazing people in her assigned group including a trouble-making widower played by Richard Dreyfuss with whom she ends up befriending. I’m not going to lie, this is a bit cheesy, but it’s also fun with some great comedic moments.
I hope you love these Ten Romantic Films for Travel Lovers as much as I do. You can easily turn your Valentine’s date into a theme night! Pair one of these films with cuisine from its featured country. Maybe Coq au Riesling and Midnight in Paris or Pasta Bolognaise with Under the Tuscan Sun! You still have a couple of days to plan!
If you enjoyed this post, please share it with all your friends and family. Just click on the social media icons below!
Leave a Reply