Edinburgh named best city in the UK for proposals

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.

Edinburgh comes in first among UK cities and second globally, thanks to its strong safety and stargazing scores. It’s also home to some of the most reasonably priced glasses of champagne, at £13 on average.

The jewellers that have a store located in Hanover Street have crowned 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).

Edinburgh's charming streets and stunning sunsets make it a romantic hotspot.

The Top 20 Cities For Proposals:

RANK	City	SCORE / 100
1	Amsterdam, Netherlands	94.25
2	Edinburgh, UK	92.18
3	Porto, Portugal	92.00
4	Copenhagen, Denmark	90.11
5	Hong Kong, China	89.07
6	Lisbon, Portugal	89.00
7	Sydney, Australia	82.00
8	Seville, Spain	81.82
9	Melbourne, Australia	76.64
10	Barcelona, Spain	74.57
11	Shanghai, China	67.32
12	London, UK	65.25
13	Bangkok, Thailand	58.00
14	Paris, France	57.92
15	New York, USA	56.96
16	Chicago, USA	53.86
17	Cape Town, South Africa	51.79
18	Medellín, Colombia	42.46
19	New Orleans, USA	38.32
20	Mexico City, Mexico	23.82

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.

Edinburgh narrowly misses the top five for champagne costs, with an average glass costing couples a reasonable £13 each.

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

Cheapest glass of bubbly - Top 10

Seville, Spain: £9.67

New Orleans, USA: £10.01

Porto, Portugal: £11.50

Copenhagen, Denmark: £12.64

Barcelona, Spain: £12.67

Edinburgh, UK: £13

Amsterdam, Netherlands: £13.34

Melbourne, Australia: £13.88

Lisbon, Portugal: £13.98

Sydney, Australia: £14.01

The Average Meal For Two

Along with average champagne prices, the experts looked at where you might find the cheapest meal out for two when popping the question.

The most expensive meal out for two can be found in New York, setting couples back £130 on average. This is closely followed by New Orleans in the USA, where the average meal out for two is around £124. Edinburgh also puts a higher price tag on dining out, at £94 per couple.

Bangkok has been crowned the cheapest place to find a romantic meal for two, at just £30.56 per couple, with Medellín in Colombia coming in close second (£31.38).

Cheapest Meal Out For Two Top 10:

Bangkok, Thailand: £30.56

Medellín, Colombia: £31.38

Shanghai, China: £37.81

Cape Town, South Africa: £44.72

Seville, Spain: £45.32

Mexico City, Mexico: £51.90

Porto, Portugal: £56.65

Lisbon, Portugal: £62.31

Hong Kong, China: £63.87

Barcelona, Spain: £67.97

Where will you find the dreamiest sunsets?

According to the report, you will find the dreamiest sunsets in London, with the capital receiving the highest amount of sunset hashtags when compared to each location on Instagram. London has 92.9K sunset hashtags, followed by Sydney (76.1K) and Paris (43.8K).

Edinburgh receives considerably fewer sunset hashtags, with 5.0K mentions on Instagram, but the gothic and romantic city does come in the top five for stargazing.

The index details which cities might be best for stargazing, factoring in 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

Safety factors

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.

Edinburgh comes in the top five for crime and safety, with a safety score of 69/100, ensuring its charming streets are the perfect proposal spots.

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.

The 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, comments:

"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."

For more information about Austen & Blake, please visit: https://www.austenblake.co.nz/blog/best-cities-to-propose