Romantic places in London to visit any time

In the mood for a one-person party with a glass of wine and a book? Look no further than Little Venice, an curiously calm slice of London's waterways. Stop for a coffe in a canal-side café (The Waterway, Café Laville are both worth a look) or just stroll along the towpath to look at colourful narrowboats and enjoy some reassuring flashbacks to ‘Rosie and Jim’.

The Serpentine Lido has been welcoming the shivering bods of Londoners into its chilly waters for more 100 years. Freezing your nips and gnads off on a concrete pier for all of Hyde Park to see might not scream ‘romance’, but bobbing around in that expanse of water while looking out over the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion is beautifully surreal. Once you’ve been for a swim, you have to reward yourself with tea and cake from the Lido Café Bar. It’s the law.

Why whisper sweet nothings into the ear of your Tinder date when you can save them for St Paul’s Catherdral instead? Share your secrets with the curving wall of the gallery in St Paul’s Dome and your words can be heard on the opposite side. The unusual acoustics are part of the gallery’s idiosyncratic design. You’ll need to climb 259 steps to get there, so it might be more ‘panting’ than whispering by the time you reach the wall. On the plus side, you'll get to exercise your hamstrings, and your childlike sense of wonder. 

Want to give your Valentine’s the full Brontë? Have a dramatic solo walk through the Hampstead’s Pergola, a raised walkway overlooking the West Heath. At the right time of year (try mid April), its roof will be overgrown with vines and wisteria. The structure was originally built by Lord Leverhulme as a setting for his extravagant Edwardian parties. It doesn’t see much Viscount debauchery these days, but it is a great location if you want to reenact a Sixpence None the Richer music video. 

London’s light-polluted skies aren’t exactly made for stargazing, but you can still go all moon-eyed over the big dipper from the Royal Observatory in Greenwich. Put things into perspective by peering through the Great Equatorial Telescope or take a tour the night sky at the Peter Harrison Planetarium. And if you must pose for the obligatory selfie on the Prime Meridian line, just don’t tell them we sent you.

Every corner of the V&A is romantic, but all that Italian Renaissance architecture looks even better when admired from an outdoor suntrap. If you have some spare time to be alone with your big thoughts and a paperback, go and lounge around at the John Madejski. The outdoor space at the V&A is a proper oasis, and it basically has one of its own: the garden’s main feature is an oval pool surrounded by green space to get supine.

What's more romantic than some of London's most prominent Brutalist architecture? Brutalist architecture swathed in a tropical jungle, of course. This well-hidden and truly calming green oasis is hidden in one of the wings of the Barbican Centre, and packs in more than 2,000 species of tropical plants. The free attraction is only open on selected Sundays, so double check before you set off, and finish your romantic day out with some film, theatre or art in the neighbouring world-class arts centre.

Primrose Hill, on the north side of Regent's Park, commands one of the most iconic views over London - and certainly one of the most romantic. It's a popular picnic and kite-flying spot though, so for more peace and quiet aim for an early morning sunrise stroll before the crowds set in. The surrounding area of the same name is just as attractive as the celebrities who frequent the gastropubs and quaint cafés along Regent's Park Road and Gloucester Avenue.

Want to celebrate Valentine's Day without all the flowers and rubbish chocolates? It can be done! Here's our guide to quirky and unusual things to do on February 14, from whisky tasting to cat-petting to robot-building.