Valentine’s Day 2026 is shaping up to be one of the biggest travel moments of the year in the United States, as states across the country unveil curated lists of romantic getaways designed to tempt couples out of their routine and into a weekend of shared experiences.

California has now stepped firmly into the spotlight, joining Hawaii, New York, Utah, Vermont, Rhode Island and others in promoting new campaigns, data-driven rankings and limited-time hotel packages that position their cities, islands and mountain towns as the most romantic places in America to celebrate February 14.

Couple enjoying Valentine's Week 2026 at a coastal California resort.

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California’s New Valentine Focus: From Wine Country to the High Sierra

California’s tourism leaders are leveraging the run-up to Valentine’s Day 2026 with a coordinated push that highlights the state’s diversity of romantic escapes, from the vineyards of Napa and the Santa Ynez Valley to the beaches of Newport and the snow of Lake Tahoe. Visit California has released fresh Valentine’s story ideas and packages that emphasize both classic couple retreats and newer trends such as “Galentine’s” group getaways and wellness-led romance weekends.

In the Santa Ynez Valley, Alisal Ranch is promoting a Romance at the Ranch package running over the Valentine period, combining in-room flowers and sparkling wine with wine tasting, cheese pairing classes, dance lessons and even a relationship-focused equine workshop titled Strengthening Your Relationship. The offer sits at the intersection of experiential travel and couples’ counseling, reflecting the growing demand for trips that help partners reconnect in a more intentional way.

Further north, The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe is foregrounding its 17,000 square foot spa and its Tranquility for Two treatments as a centerpiece of its winter romance offering, inviting couples to pair couples’ massages with ski days, snowshoeing and long evenings in front of alpine fireplaces. In San Diego and along the Orange County coast, properties such as Balboa Bay Resort in Newport Beach are packaging harbor cruises, Moët Hennessy wine dinners and in-room roses into turnkey Valentine experiences that can be booked as add-ons to standard stays.

Even urban tech hubs are leaning into romance. In San Jose, Hotel Valencia on Santana Row is marketing a Romance package that couples luxury accommodations, chocolate-covered strawberries, breakfast in bed and a dinner on a semi-private terrace overlooking the city’s high-end shopping district. Together, these offerings signal California’s determination to be seen not only as a year-round playground, but also as a leading laboratory for how Americans want to celebrate love through travel in 2026.

Hawaii’s Oahu and Maui Ride a Wave of Global Recognition

Hawaii, long synonymous with honeymoons and anniversary trips, is entering Valentine’s 2026 buoyed by fresh global recognition for its islands. Oahu has just been named among the 50 Best Valentine’s Day Travel Destinations Around the World by travel industry publication Travel and Tour World, ranking alongside classic European romantic capitals. The accolade highlights the island’s mix of Aloha spirit, luxury resorts, and accessible outdoor adventures as a formula that resonates with couples looking for what analysts describe as “emotional escapism.”

The listing underscores a move away from gimmick-heavy Valentine packages toward experiences that promise deeper connection. Sunset sails off Waikiki, stargazing above the North Shore and spa rituals based on native Hawaiian wellness traditions are being promoted heavily by Oahu’s hotels and activity providers. The aim is to differentiate the island from standard beach destinations by emphasizing authenticity and culture as core parts of a romantic itinerary.

Maui, still in recovery and rebuilding mode in parts of the island, is also prominently featured in new national rankings of U.S. Valentine’s getaways. A recent rundown of top romantic destinations for 2026 from Travel and Tour World places Maui alongside Las Vegas, San Diego, Sedona, Aspen and Charleston as one of the ten most unforgettable Valentine’s escapes in the country. For Hawaii officials and local businesses, that visibility is not only a reputational boost but also an economic signal that couples are ready to return for mindful, longer-stay vacations that support local communities.

Resorts on Maui are responding with renewed emphasis on small-scale, high-touch experiences such as private beach dinners, guided sunrise visits to Haleakalā and curated farm-to-table tasting menus. Combined with Oahu’s global ranking, the developments position Hawaii as one of the most aggressively courted Valentine’s markets in the U.S. for 2026.

New York City and Beyond: Urban Romance at Full Volume

On the opposite coast, New York is once again asserting itself as a headline Valentine’s destination. A new list of the top 10 cities to celebrate Valentine’s Week 2026 in the United States, compiled by Indian media outlet IndiaTimes, ranks New York City in the number one spot. The analysis praises the city’s combination of skyline views, world-class dining and theatrical nightlife, framing it as the definitive urban stage for grand romantic gestures, from proposal dinners to surprise getaway weekends.

Travel data shared by U.S. and international booking platforms shows New York performing strongly in Valentine’s season flight and hotel searches, both domestically and from overseas markets. Industry observers attribute this to a post-pandemic resurgence of interest in dense, experience-rich cities, especially among younger couples seeking high-energy trips that blend romance with culture and nightlife. Broadway shows, rooftop cocktail bars, speakeasy-style jazz clubs and winter ice rinks around Bryant Park and Rockefeller Center are being packaged together by travel agents into multi-night “love in the city” itineraries.

Upstate, New York’s smaller towns and rural regions are also making a play for Valentine travelers in 2026. The Hudson Valley and Finger Lakes wine regions are promoting side-by-side tastings, snow-dusted vineyard stays and cabin rentals with private hot tubs and fireplaces. Tourism officials say they are targeting couples who like the idea of a New York trip without the intensity of Manhattan, and who may want to combine a night or two in the city with a quieter countryside retreat.

Across the state, hotel groups and boutique properties are increasingly synchronizing offers with the Valentine’s Week 2026 calendar, using the days leading up to February 14 for tiered promotions and themed events. That multi-day approach is designed to lengthen stays and attract guests who may not be able to travel on Valentine’s Day itself but still want a dedicated romantic escape.

Mountain States and New England: Utah, Vermont and Rhode Island Step Into the Spotlight

Inland, western and New England states that might once have ceded Valentine traffic to California, Florida or Hawaii are now capitalizing on a broader definition of what counts as romantic travel. Utah appears in new travel agency data as one of the top domestic Valentine’s getaway hubs, with Salt Lake City ranking on Travel Agent Central’s list of the most romantic getaways for Valentine’s Day 2026. The city’s role as a gateway to the Wasatch Mountains allows tourism marketers to sell weekend combinations of urban comforts and high-altitude adventure.

Ski resorts near Salt Lake City are running mid-February offers that pair lift tickets with couples’ spa treatments and candlelit lodge dinners, looking to capture both seasoned skiers and novices who simply want the ambiance of snowy slopes. Beyond skiing, guided snowshoe excursions, stargazing in dark-sky parks and cozy lodge stays are being bundled into Valentine packages pitched as “mountain escapes for two.”

To the northeast, Vermont is continuing to lean into its long-standing image as a quintessential winter romance setting. While the state’s Valentine marketing campaigns are typically quieter than those of larger destinations, its innkeepers and mountain resorts have been early adopters of “slow travel” messaging aimed at couples. Romantic retreats in 2026 focus on farm-to-table dinners, wood-fired saunas, sleigh rides and extended stays in small design-forward lodges, particularly in and around Stowe and Woodstock.

Rhode Island, meanwhile, is enjoying a surprise moment of national attention thanks to a new analysis of U.S. Valentine’s travel hotspots that names Block Island the most romantic destination in the country for 2026. The study, carried by outlets such as Men’s Journal and Yahoo, evaluates destinations using a weighted average of romantic accommodations per capita, couple-friendly activities, guest ratings and distance from the nearest airport. Block Island topped the list by scoring strongly across nearly all metrics, with especially high guest satisfaction scores and strong access.

For Rhode Island’s tourism board, the ranking is an opportunity to showcase the quieter, coastal side of New England romance: lighthouse views, windswept beaches, small inns and bike-friendly lanes that encourage unhurried exploration. Officials anticipate that some Valentine’s travelers who might otherwise head to Cape Cod or Maine could be persuaded to try Block Island instead, particularly those drawn to the idea of a more intimate, walkable destination.

National Rankings Reveal How Americans Want to Celebrate Love in 2026

A flurry of new rankings from travel media and booking platforms in early 2026 offers a granular look at how couples are prioritizing their Valentine’s trips. Miami, for example, has just been named one of the ten most unforgettable Valentine’s Day getaways in the United States in a feature from Travel and Tour World and was separately highlighted by lifestyle magazine Southern Living as the country’s best last-minute Valentine’s escape. Analysts cite the city’s abundance of beachfront hotels still available close to the holiday, along with a dense concentration of highly rated romantic restaurants and date-night venues.

Alongside Miami, national lists of Valentine hotspots for 2026 are repeatedly featuring destinations such as Las Vegas, San Diego, Sedona, Aspen and Charleston. Each represents a slightly different model of romance: neon and nightlife in Nevada, coastal chic in Southern California, desert wellness and red rock scenery in Arizona, mountain luxury in Colorado and carriage rides and live jazz amid historic streets in South Carolina. Together with Hawaii, New York, California and Rhode Island, they highlight the widening spectrum of what a “romantic getaway” can mean to U.S. travelers.

One widely shared top 10 list for Valentine’s Week 2026 places New York City, San Francisco and Philadelphia at the top, followed by destinations like Oahu, Charleston, Sedona, Boston, Las Vegas and Savannah. San Francisco’s inclusion is particularly significant for California, reinforcing the state’s cross-regional appeal. In that city, hotels are pushing Valentine packages that combine waterfront views, cable car rides, wine-country day trips and dinners in neighborhoods such as North Beach and the Mission.

Underlying many of these rankings is a shift in criteria away from sheer volume of attractions and toward experience quality. Studies are now weighing factors such as per-capita availability of romantic accommodations, average guest satisfaction scores and the presence of “couple-friendly” activities. This favors smaller destinations that invest in high-quality hospitality, as seen with Block Island’s rise to the top spot nationally despite its modest size.

Travel advisors report that Valentine’s Day 2026 bookings are tracking ahead of both 2024 and 2025, with couples more likely to turn the single holiday into a long weekend or even a full Valentine’s Week. Travel Agent Central data indicates strong domestic bookings to major romance hubs such as New York, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Honolulu and Salt Lake City, while international Valentine travel out of the U.S. is also up double digits, driven by interest in destinations like Paris, London and Mexican beach resorts.

Within the United States, hoteliers are using dynamic discounts, flash sales and bundled experiences to capture share in a crowded marketplace. Multi-property groups with portfolios in California and other states are reviving campaign concepts such as percentage-off promotions throughout February, structured as themed month-long celebrations of love. Although some of these promotions began in previous years, the strategy remains popular in 2026 as a way to smooth demand beyond the Valentine’s Day peak and encourage midweek stays.

Package design is also evolving. Many of the 2026 offers foreground experiences instead of room-category upgrades, trading complimentary prosecco and chocolates for cooking classes, wine-pairing workshops, guided hikes or private yoga sessions for two. A growing number of packages are deliberately inclusive of friends’ trips and solo wellness escapes, reflecting a broader cultural conversation about celebrating different forms of love during February, not only traditional couples.

For destinations, the stakes are more than symbolic. Valentine’s travel sits at the early edge of the U.S. spring break season and can set the tone for leisure demand throughout the first quarter. States like California, Hawaii, New York, Utah, Vermont and Rhode Island are therefore treating 2026’s romance travel campaign as both a branding exercise and an economic lever, aiming to secure repeat visitors who might return for summer vacations, fall foliage or holiday trips later in the year.

FAQ

Q1. What makes California stand out as a romantic destination for Valentine’s Day 2026?
California combines coastal cities, wine regions, mountain resorts and desert hideaways, and for 2026 its tourism board is spotlighting curated Valentine packages that range from vineyard retreats and Santa Ynez ranch stays to Lake Tahoe spa weekends and harbor-view dinners in Newport Beach.

Q2. Why is Block Island, Rhode Island, getting so much attention this year?
A new national study evaluating romantic accommodations per capita, couple-friendly activities, guest satisfaction and airport proximity ranked Block Island as the top Valentine’s destination in the United States for 2026, drawing attention to its intimate scale, coastal scenery and strong reviews from previous guests.

Q3. How is Hawaii promoting Oahu and Maui for couples in 2026?
Hawaii is leveraging Oahu’s recent placement on a global list of the 50 best Valentine’s destinations and Maui’s inclusion among America’s top romantic getaways to market sunset cruises, cultural experiences, spa rituals and small-scale luxury stays as keys to emotionally rich, restorative trips for two.

Q4. Which U.S. cities are topping Valentine’s Week 2026 rankings?
Recent lists highlight New York City, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Miami, Charleston, Las Vegas, Sedona, Boston, Oahu and Savannah among the most desirable Valentine’s Week destinations, reflecting a mix of large urban centers, historic towns, beach locales and mountain or desert retreats.

Q5. How is Utah positioning itself for Valentine’s Day travel?
Utah, with Salt Lake City as a primary gateway, is focusing on romantic mountain escapes that pair ski and snowboard access with spa treatments, lodge dining, snowshoe outings and dark-sky stargazing, pitching the state as an easy-reach winter romance hub.

Q6. What kinds of Valentine’s packages are California hotels offering?
California hotels are promoting packages that bundle accommodations with experiences such as wine tastings, cheese-pairing classes, couples’ spa treatments, harbor cruises, special Valentine dinners and extras like flowers, sparkling wine and breakfast in bed.

Q7. Are couples traveling for longer than just the night of February 14?
Yes, travel advisors report that many couples are extending Valentine’s into a full weekend or a dedicated Valentine’s Week trip, encouraged by tiered promotions and flexible packages that make it easier to travel before or after the holiday itself.

Q8. How do newer rankings differ from older “romantic getaway” lists?
Recent rankings tend to use more data-driven criteria, including per-capita availability of romantic stays, average guest ratings, the number of couple-friendly activities and ease of access, which allows smaller, high-quality destinations such as Block Island to compete with major cities.

Q9. Is Valentine’s travel in 2026 focused only on couples?
No, while couples remain the core market, many destinations and hotels are explicitly marketing to friends’ groups and solo travelers with Galentine’s packages, wellness retreats and self-care focused stays that broaden the definition of Valentine’s travel.

Q10. How important is Valentine’s Day 2026 to U.S. tourism overall?
Valentine’s Day 2026 is viewed by state tourism offices and travel businesses as a key early-year catalyst, with strong performance expected to signal healthy leisure demand heading into spring and summer and to build momentum for repeat visitation later in the year.