Previous: Love Lock Cultural Honeymoons

Europe

France

Dubbed one of the most romantic cities in the world by Travel + Leisure Magazine, the bridges that cross that Seine River in Paris are adorned with thousands of cadenas d’amour (little love locks) from visitors around the world. Iconic spots include the Passerelle Léopold-Sédar-Senghor and the Pont de l'Archevêché.

Framed by the historic Louvre on one end and the regal cupola of the Institut de France on the other, the Pont de Arts is a magical rendezvous point for lovers.


Designed as a floating garden, complete with flowers, trees and benches, the nine-arch pedestrian bridge is the perfect spot for a picnic and strolling hand in hand with the person you love. 

Italy

The love lock phenomenon swept across Italy in 2006 with the release of Fernando Moccia’s bestselling book ,"I Want You,” in which the main characters attach a padlock to a lamppost on the Milvian Bridge and throw the key into the Tiber River. Located just north of Rome, the bridge has attracted lovers since it was first built in 206 B.C.

After two posts crumbled from the weight, the city erected stronger steel columns with chains along Ponte Milvio. Like many cities, Rome officials "periodically prune the locks just as they sweep the coins from the Trevi Fountain," notes a New York Times article. 

Another love lock mecca is the Via dell'Amore (The Pathway of Love), which has been a popular meeting point for lovers since WWII. Along the cliffside lover's lane, which links Riomaggiore to Manarola, padlocks adorn the tunnel and keep a sculpture of a kissing couple company.

 

Love locks also appear along the Ponto Vecchio bridge in Florence, the Parco Sempione in Milan, the Siracusa-Ortigia Bridge in Sicily, Ponte Aragonese on the volcanic island of Ischia and the Rienz bridge in Bruneck. 

Ukraine

Constructed over a gorge in 1969 by a high-ranking official so that his wife could walk to her childhood home, the picturesque Bridge of Love and nearby Vorontsov Palace in Odessa have been longtime favorite locations for wedding snapshots. In more recent years, the rails of the swaying Teschin footbridge have become cloaked in locks as couples make a wish on their wedding day.

After having children, many couples return to attach smaller locks onto their original one. Every year in June, 50 women strut across the bridge during the annual Parade of Brides, where they stop to toss their bouquets and release balloons. 

North and South America

Sites are also rapidly popping up across the U.S., notably on the DuSable Bridge in Chicago, the Napa Valley Wine Train boarding platform, the Cabrillo Bridge in San Diego's Balboa Park, the Makapu’u Lookout in Oahu, Hawaii, and the Brooklyn Bridge in New York. Founded in 2006, the city of Lovelock, Nevada, encourages visitors to attach their padlocks to the chains draped on the green metal pillars outside the town's courthouse. 

Traveling further south, the romantic tradition is alive along the Pedro de Valdivia Bridge in Valdivia, Chile, and the Fuente de los Candados (Fountain of the Love Padlocks) in Montevideo, Uruguay. 

Visitors to Canada will find love lock spots along the rails of the Corktown pedestrian bridge in Ottawa, the Wild Pacific Trail on Vancouver Island and the Burrard Street Bridge in Vancouver, B.C.