Being quite a unique couple when it comes to romance, it was pretty obvious that we have chosen one of the unsuaul ways to spend our honeymoon. The word “honeymoon” conjures images of pristine beaches on a tropical island, a luxury hotel on the shores of the Mediterranean or…maybe a trip around the world? Romance is very personal and each couple has its own quirks, so there is certainly no “rule” to fit everyone.

For example, we spent our honeymoon by going on a long weekend trip to a mountain resort. Our goal was to hike a lot but weather thought differently and, between short hikes and walks, we played a lot of rummy and card games.

In case you are looking for a not-mainstream place to spend your honeymoon – or wedding anniversary – , the team at Looknwalk.info has come up with a list to consider.

Walk the Camino de Santiago

If you love to be active and are looking for a usual way to spend your honeymoon, Camino de Santiago (Road to Santiago) is an amazing way to explore Spain and test your stamina.

There are many routes you can choose to take to get to Santiago de Compostela. The oldest one , first taken in the 9th century, starts in Oviedo, in the province of Asturias, in Spain. The most popular route is Via Regia (Royal Highway), which was a historic road in the Middle Ages. It starts in Moscow, passing by Poland and going to Spain. An alternative is the Northern Route.

Drive on Transfagarasan

If you love driving and are on a hunt to find Europe’s most scenic drives, look no further than Romania’s Transfagarasan. Built in communist times to connect Wallachia to Transylvania, the road was made famous by “Top Gear”.

The drive is only 90 km / 56 miles but you will want to stop at Balea Lake, Balea Waterfall, and Poienari Castle. Plus, you may want to explore the villages once you get off Transfagarasan, which connects Brascov (Arges) to Arpasu de Jos (Sibiu).

Romania has another scenic route, called Transalpina. It is located at a higher altitude than Transfagarsan, connecting Novaci (Gorj) to Sebes (Alba).

Hike Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre are located in the Linguria region of Italy and are one of the most beautiful scenic walks in Italy. Cinque Terre (Five Lands) comprises the villages of: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. Together with the coastline and the surrounding hillsides , all are part of the Cinque Terre National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The are a many footpaths to take and range from easy to medium difficulty. While you can plan to do them all during a day , you may want to stay over night.

Hike in the Romanian Carpathians

Romania’s Carpathians are spectacular and can offer some hard hikes and climbs. But there are also easy hikes which can be done by anyone with moderate fitness.

Plenty of them are located in the Bucegi Mountains, which are easily reached from Bucharest. Howler Waterfall (Cascada Urlatoarea) is one of the most popular places to reach via an easy hike from the area. There are may ways to get here and it all depends on where you start from. I did the hike from Busteni and it was super easy and fun (albeit I was exercising a lot back then).

If you are looking for a longer but easy hike, start in Sinaia, at Peles Castle. It is called the Royal Road and it should take you to the falls in about an hour. Be aware that the entire area is filled with bears (after all, Romania is home to the largest population of brown bears in Europe).

Explore the four capitals on The Danube: Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest and Belgrade

Taking cruises on The Danube is not unusual, actually, I’d call that pretty mainstream and not interesting. But planning to independently explore the four capitals located on The Danube can be a very interesting thing.

Fly into Vienna, then choose either to take hydrofoils on the river or travel by train to the next capital. Should you plan to visit during winter, you will be stuck with the by land option, but in this case, a rail pass is a great choice.

How long you plan to spend in each capital is up to you. Out of the four, Bratislava and Belgrade are the smallest and can be easily tackled in a day or two. Vienna and Budapest are the largest and you may want to allow 5 to 7 days for each of them.

Learn history in Athens

If you are passionate about history and ancient sites, then Athens is the answer. With a lot of sites to explore in a very compact area, easily tackled on foot, the capital of Greece can keep you entertained for a week or so. Check out the Acropolis, as well as the Roman Agora and the Greek Agora. Plenty other smaller sites are located nearby, as well.

If you have more time on your hands, consider visiting the sites located close to the capital: Mycenae, Epidavros and Sounion.