When watching romantic films and TV shows have you ever wondered where it’s been filmed? We all know various filming locations are featured, but which one is the most prominent? From the Victorian charm of Keighley to the canals in Cambridge, there are lots of places to choose from.
With the month of love almost upon us, now is the time to decide where to take your partner on a romantic weekend away. Experts at TourScanner wanted to find out which UK cities play host to the most romantic scenes from your favourite TV shows and films.
Most Romantic Towns and Cities for Filming
The location featured in the most romantic films and TV compared to other genres is the town of Keighley, West Yorkshire and the city of Bath, Somerset, with 24.6% of everything filmed in both locations falling into the romance genre.
The market town of Keighley is known for the old textile mill Dalton Mills which has been featured in many period dramas – most notably Jane Eyre (2011) and Downton Abbey (2019). Although, unfortunately, for those wanting to visit the famous mill, a fire in 2023 destroyed the interior of the building making it unsafe to enter.
Meanwhile, Bath is a city in Somerset, known for its picturesque limestone buildings and historic Roman Baths. The city’s famous Royal Crescent has been featured in a variety of films and TV shows, from The Duchess (2008) to Bridgerton (2020 –). The city was also once home to romance writer Jane Austen, making it the perfect setting for many period dramas.
Explore Bath’s iconic streets on one of our guided tours.
Taking third place is the seaside town of Worthing in West Sussex, with 22.2% of productions being romantic. This town is located just down the coast from Brighton, with the iconic pebble beaches featuring in many romance films including Empire of Light (2022).
The fourth city with the highest percentage of romance films is Cheltenham, Gloucestershire with 22%. This Regency spa town is located in the heart of the Cotswold’s with many of its iconic buildings featuring in films such as These Foolish Things (2006).
Visit the beautiful Cotswold countryside on one of our tours from London. Read our blog to find the best day trips from London.
The fifth is Salisbury, Wiltshire with 21.5% of productions being romantic, this town has been featured in many films from period dramas such as Pride & Prejudice (2005) and Sense and Sensibility (1995) to romantic comedies such as The Princess Diaries (2001).
Completing the top 10, in sixth is Luton, Bedfordshire with 20%, seventh is Hatfield, Hertfordshire with 19%, eighth is Hyde, Greater Manchester with 18.9%, ninth is Oxford, Oxfordshire with 18.7%, and in tenth is Guildford, Surrey with 18%.
Conclusion
In our search for the most romantic filming locations in the UK, Keighley in West Yorkshire and Bath in Somerset have emerged as frontrunners, with a whopping 24.6% of productions filmed in these locations falling under the romance genre.
Despite a recent fire, Keighley’s Victorian charm, embodied by the iconic Dalton Mills, continues to resonate in the hearts of film enthusiasts. Bath, renowned for its limestone buildings and historic Roman Baths, provides a picturesque backdrop reminiscent of Jane Austen’s era.
Worthing, Cheltenham, and Salisbury also carve their places in the romantic landscape, offering diverse settings from pebble beaches to iconic buildings. As we approach the month of love, these cinematic destinations not only captivate film lovers but also beckon couples to immerse themselves in the real-world magic of love that these cities exude.
Planning to venture overseas for a romantic break? Here are the most romantic filming locations the USA has to offer.
Methodology
A seed list of 430 of the largest UK cities and towns by population was collected. Next, each city’s IMDb location page was scraped using the Screaming Frog SEO Spider. The number of titles included in the “Romantic” genre and the total number of films were recorded. Places with less than 50 productions were removed from the data. We then calculated the percentage of romance films compared to the total number of films from that place.