London named best city for sunsets, according to romance report

The report from luxury jewellers Austen & Blake reveals the best cities for proposals in 2025, with London’s skyscrapers and pink skies standing out as one of the most romantic backdrops globally.

The index ranks cities based on a number of romantic factors, including sunset scores, stargazing opportunities, and even where you can find the cheapest meal for two, or a glass of champagne to celebrate your milestone moment.

The jewellers that have a store located in Hatton Garden’s Greville Street named Amsterdam as the best city globally for proposals, scoring 94.25 out of 100, followed by Edinburgh (92.18) and Porto in Portugal (92.00).

The Top 20 Cities For Proposals:

Sunsets hold a special place in creating the perfect proposal. Ensuring beauty and romance, they make for a memorable addition to popping the question. Sunset seekers can choose which city they want to propose in based on what the backdrop looks like at dusk.

Using Instagram hashtag volume to compare cities and their picturesque sunsets, London came out on top with 92.9K sunset hashtags, followed by Sydney (76.1K) and Paris (43.8K).

Where will you find the top 10 dreamiest sunsets?

After dark, the report also looks at which cities might be best for stargazing due to pollution levels, including which cities have lower levels of light pollution. Cities with the lowest pollution scores make them stargazing havens.

The Best Cities for Stargazing

Copenhagen, Denmark: 22

Amsterdam, Netherlands: 23

Porto, Portugal: 25

Melbourne, Australia: 27

Edinburgh, UK: 29

Where can you find the cheapest glass of champagne?

Looking at some of the most highly rated bars and restaurants in each city, the experts reveal the average cost of a glass of champagne to celebrate the big occasion.

London is home to some of the highest champagne costs, with an average glass costing couples around £17 each.

Here’s where you can find the cheapest glass of bubbly:

Seville, Spain: £9.67

New Orleans, USA: £10.01

Porto, Portugal: £11.50

Copenhagen, Denmark: £12.64

Barcelona, Spain: £12.67

Edinburgh, UK: £13.00

Amsterdam, Netherlands: £13.34

Melbourne, Australia: £13.88

Lisbon, Portugal: £13.98

Sydney, Australia: £14.01

Safety first

As with any trip away, it’s important that you feel comfortable and safe, especially when you’re carrying precious cargo – the ring! For this reason, the jewellers looked at which cities had the highest safety scores and lower crime scores (which included petty theft).

Hong Kong had the highest safety score of 79/100, followed by Amsterdam with 74/100, and Copenhagen with 74/100. These cities were also in the top three for lower crime rates, proving that you can escape with ease to any of these destinations.

Tips for keeping the ring safe

Kat Hill from Austen & Blake provides tips to keep your ring safe here and when travelling overseas:

Don’t overlook insurance - You must make sure the ring is insured, either under your travel insurance or under a separate policy of its own. Never skip the small print and check that the policy provides adequate cover for the ring.

Pack discreetly - Remember to pack discreetly. Try placing the ring box within another nondescript box and store it in your bag’s inner pocket or even in a balled-up sock at the bottom of your bag. Just make sure you haven’t disguised it too well and can find it when you reach your destination!

Be smart when it comes to airport security - In the event of security searching your items, try adding a note on the box. This could simply say, ‘This is an engagement ring - please keep secret’ to avoid giving the surprise away at the airport. You could consider using the confusion of the airport security to ‘accidentally’ join a different queue from your partner to avoid them spotting anything or picking up on nerves you may be subconsciously displaying! Alternatively, invite them to go before you so they can’t spot anything they shouldn’t.

Think about ring spacers - Having ring spacers to hand ensures a good fit and instant wearability. These spacers reduce the inner circumference of your ring to create a snug fit if it’s too big. This level of thoughtfulness and preparation will help to reduce the risk of the ring slipping off before you’re able to have it resized. Keeping the moment flawless and the ring secure.

What do the proposal experts say?

The proposal and wedding experts at Hitched also offer up their best tips for proposing in new territory, wedding expert and editor of Hitched.co.uk, Zoe Burke, says:

"Proposing somewhere new – whether you're on a summer city break, a countryside escape or a beach holiday – adds a layer of excitement and spontaneity that makes the moment even more memorable. It also makes it become a new special place you can come back to time and time again.

"Thoughtful details like a sunset backdrop, a bottle of bubbly, or a romantic dinner can help elevate the experience, without it needing to be over the top.

"We’re also seeing a growing trend for couples booking photographers to secretly capture the proposal, or even staging TikTok-style videos where the proposal is hidden in plain sight – it’s a fun, modern twist on a classic moment."

You can view the proposals report here - https://www.austenblake.com/blog/best-cities-to-propose