7 Romantic places to propose

No global structure symbolises love better than India’s Taj Mahal, which was built by Shah Jahan in tribute to his wife, who had died in childbirth.

Combine that heady association with the white marble and gorgeous gardens, and a positive answer seems a certainty.

The only problem is privacy: India’s most famous sight receives around 3 million annual visitors, so you might just have an audience.

If crowds aren’t cool, consider an Arctic island instead. Greenland is the world’s 12 biggest country, and yet boasts fewer residents than Aldershot.

Space abounds, then, along with beautiful, blue-coloured icebergs and massive glaciers.

It’ll be nippy—around minus 20°C in February, to be precise—but that’s just all the more excuse to cuddle up, right?

“Bonita Aurelia,” he begins, a bit frog-in-throat. Equal parts cringe-worthy and tear-inducing, Love Actually’s famous scene sees Colin Firth ask for his former housekeeper’s hand in amateur Portuguese.

The venue is Marseille’s iconic Bar de la Marine, which still retains the same balcony, ornate stairs and zinc counter today.

Whether you shout across a quieted restaurant or not, this is a location to thrill any Richard Curtis fan.

Image via Rumeur d'espace

It might be the City of Love, but the main Parisian spots feel so predictable: the Sacre Coeur, Pont Neuf or the Eiffel Tower, which sees hundreds of proposals every year.

For something different, head out to the 19th arrondissement’s Buttes Bergeyre and climb up rue Georges Lardennois.

At the top awaits the Paris’s finest view, plus twee gardens, pretty houses and even a small vineyard. It’s a lovely, tranquil spot and you’ll get extra marks for inventiveness.

Somewhere closer to home? It might be tremendously clichéd, but the London Eye takes some beating as a proposal spot.

A private pod is advisable if possible however, as a crammed public proposal could be very embarrassing.

Watch the light bounce of St Paul’s Cathedral’s silvery roof, sip champagne and then, at the highest point (for maximum romance) hit the floor and clear your throat…

New York might also seem like an obvious choice. But the city is steeped in romantic film history.

Most iconic of all is the final location of Sleepless in Seattle: the Empire State Building’s 86th-floor observation deck.

So many couples pull a will-you-marry-me here that the staff includes a saxophonist, permanently primed to perform post-proposal songs.

Namibia has one of the world’s richest diamond deposits, plus its rand is currently very weak against the pound.

Bagging quality carats on the cheap isn’t the only reason to come, however. The Namib Desert’s scorched red dunes can’t fail to arouse passion, especially when admired from a champagne happy hot-air balloon ride.

Nudge, nudge…

Now find a companion with Reader's Digest Dating.