Written by Bjorn Slootweg
Valentine’s Day is coming up and chances are you have not yet found the perfect gift for your partner. Do not fret, we got you covered! If you want to surprise him or her properly, how about a city trip abroad? By the way, this is also the ideal opportunity to throw in a football match. Of course, you have to build around it properly. Hence these tips on how to make a football trip abroad romantic.
It all starts with choosing the right match. You can’t decide in advance whether it will be an enjoyable match, so let’s focus on the aspects you can influence. Of course, it is useful to pick a playing city where there is plenty to do besides football. Think of cities like Rome, Barcelona or Berlin. But you will also score points with Milan, the city of fashion. Or how about London? Plenty of sights, plenty to do and, of course, lots of football clubs. Arsenal, Fulham, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United. Quite a selection! If your partner really has no preference or has no interest in football at all, you can still try to win her over by choosing a team with original players whose unique play styles will make the match interesting to watch even for someone who is not into football.
Most football matches are played in the late afternoon or in the evening. So that leaves you plenty of time for a romantic afternoon beforehand. This is where the choice of city comes into play again. If you have chosen a metropolis for your romantic weekend away, there are usually plenty of wonderful places to visit. For example, London has Big Ben and London Eye and Barcelona has the Sagrada Familia and Park Guell while Rome has the Colosseum and St Peter’s Basilica. Just to name a few examples.
If you choose a city that is a little less high on everyone’s wish list, then you need to be a little more creative. For instance, you can find the most picturesque cafe to have a drink or go for a shopping session in the city’s shopping street. As a final tip for before the game, it might also be fun for your partner to look for the city’s most Insta-worthy locations to immortalize your visit and to be able to show your friends the great places you have visited.
Then on to the actual highlight of the weekend, football! The match, of course, is all about the game. It is therefore difficult to make it particularly romantic. However, the intensity of a hard-fought match is something incredible to share with a loved one. Does your partner like tension? Then you can hope for a 2-1 victory in the last minute. But of course, a 4-0 is also nice. Again, however, this is not something you can influence.
Furthermore, it is advisable to just enjoy everything around you to the fullest. The football, the atmosphere in the stadium and the people around you. A football match abroad is a unique experience either way. Don’t forget to take plenty of pictures during the match as well, so you can remember this moment later.
After the match is over and whether your team lost or won, there is still plenty of time to do all kinds of activities. Provided it is an afternoon match. Take your partner to a cosy restaurant and enjoy a candlelit dinner or maybe a drink in a special bar or cafe. An evening at the pub can also be a good choice if your partner enjoys the atmosphere of the place. You can also take an evening stroll through the city or find a high point and watch the city light up as it starts to get dark. In some cities, the surroundings are so special that every moment becomes instantly romantic, in others you have to put in a little more effort. Above all, be creative: many of the best memories we can make stem from unexpected experiences that weren’t planned and just happened on the spur of sudden inspiration, so keep your eyes and heart wide open and let the magic happen!
So before the game, find out what all you can do at your destination. What are the sights, where is the shopping and what other activities you can do to make it extra special. Though the tension of the match in itself is propitious to romance, it is not particularly easy to make a match particularly romantic, so focus mainly on the things you will do before and afterwards. An elaborate dinner at a Michelin-starred restaurant, a walk under the stars at a beautiful place…Just make sure the romance shines through and that you can share a special moment with your partner.
Of course, everything starts with choosing the right destination. To make it easier for you, we have already highlighted some cities where you can enjoy yourself with your partner, but also catch a nice game of football. Check them out here.
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