Nothing says love more than a romantic, beautiful location where you can happily celebrate your affection and intimacy with someone you adore.
All anyone ever wants, is to find that special someone and live together happily ever after. Love locks symbolize eternal love and are used to strengthen the commitment and bind the couple in everlasting romance.
There are dozens of gorgeous love lock locations across the globe where you can hang a lock to honor your one true love, though not every city still welcomes the tradition. Below are 23 of the best love lock locations in the world, each with its current status. And if you want words to go with the gesture, our list of the greatest love poems ever written pairs well with a padlock.
Where Can You Still Add a Love Lock?
The rules vary wildly from city to city, and several famous spots have banned new locks outright. This table consolidates the status given in each entry below, updated September 2026 where the rules have changed. Removals happen without notice, so always check signage locally before you clip anything.
| Location | Can you still add a lock? |
|---|---|
| Pont des Arts, Paris | No. Locks removed in 2015; railings are now glass |
| Mount Huangshan, China | Yes, a long-standing tradition on the mountain chains |
| Brooklyn Bridge, New York | No. Prohibited, with fines around $100 |
| Hohenzollern Bridge, Cologne | Yes, still tolerated |
| N Seoul Tower, Seoul | Yes, encouraged in designated areas |
| Lu Xun Park, Shanghai | Yes, on the Love Tree sculpture |
| Luzhkov Bridge, Moscow | Yes, on the metal trees |
| Butchers’ Bridge, Ljubljana | Yes |
| Penang Hill, Malaysia | Yes, at the observation deck |
| Two Lovers Point, Guam | Yes |
| Casa di Giulietta, Verona | No longer permitted on the wall |
| Most Ljubavi, Vrnjačka Banja | Yes, the original love lock bridge |
| Distillery District, Toronto | Yes, on the LOVE installation |
| Bryggebroen, Copenhagen | Yes |
| Staalmeestersbrug, Amsterdam | Discouraged; periodic removals |
| Ponte Milvio, Rome | No. Fines since 2007; locks removed in 2012 |
| Flame of Liberty, Paris | Discouraged |
| Stan Musial Bridge, St. Louis | Yes, tolerated |
| Malá Strana, Prague | Yes |
| Shoreditch, London | Yes, on the fence |
| Pécs, Hungary | Yes, on the lock walls |
| Via dell’Amore, Cinque Terre | No. Path reopened 2024 with timed entry; restored railings are protected |
| Fuente de los Candados, Montevideo | Yes, encouraged |
1. Pont des Arts, Paris, France
- Location: Paris
- Addition of new love locks: Not allowed (locks removed in 2015)
For years, a love lock in the most romantic city in the world was the ultimate romantic gesture. The story of how it ended is worth the walk on its own.
Passerelle des Arts, more popularly known as the Pont des Arts, is a pedestrian bridge over the River Seine in Paris. The present steel footbridge was built between 1981 and 1984, on the site of the original bridge of 1804, and for years it was the most famous love lock location on Earth.
From 2008, couples from all over the world hung engraved locks on its railings and threw the keys into the river below. The gesture was said to seal the couple’s commitment, and the locks accumulated by the hundred thousand. The weight told: in 2014 part of the parapet collapsed, and in 2015 the French authorities removed the locks entirely and replaced the railing panels with glass.
The city’s “Love Without Locks” campaign now encourages couples to take a selfie on the bridge instead. It remains one of the loveliest walks in Paris; it is just no longer a place to leave a padlock.
2. Mount Huangshan, China
- Location: China
- Addition of new love locks: Allowed (long-standing tradition)
The Yellow Mountain, which is also known as Mount Huangshan, is located in the eastern province of Anhui. The beautiful peak is referred to as “the loveliest mountain in China,” and it definitely is a romantic site to see.
The foot of the mountain is linked by metal chains and poles that are covered with hundreds of charming engraved love locks, which are hung there by couples as a symbol of their everlasting love. The keys are then thrown below into the valley.
Many people claim that love locks are actually an old Chinese tradition, although, in Europe, its roots can be traced back to Italian love novels. Several different stories surround the origin of the love locks on Mount Huangshan; some say that they relate to the Chinese folklore figure Yue Lao, the god of marriage and love. Others believe that the love locks have been inspired by the true story of lovers that jumped from the top of the mountain, hand in hand.
Many even go as far as to claim that the throwing of the keys is a symbol of good luck and that it is the same as throwing coins in a well: it coincides with making a wish.
No matter what the real origin story of the love locks is, hundreds of people come from around the world and embrace the affixing locks on Mount Huangshan and marvel over the romantic aura of the entire place.
3. Brooklyn Bridge, New York, USA
- Location: United States
- Addition of new love locks: Not allowed
From Rome to Paris to Ukraine, the tradition of love locks has also reached the United States of America.
Tourists from all over the world flock to the Brooklyn Bridge in New York, where they attach engraved love locks to the bridge’s pedestrian promenade. The Brooklyn Bridge is a hybrid suspension bridge in the city of New York. It connects Brooklyn and Manhattan and runs over the East River. The Brooklyn Bridge is a New York City designated landmark, and it was designed by John Augustus Roebling.
The bridge has become a place where lovers gather and make a commitment to their love. Couples mark their names on a padlock and then attach it to the bridge and throw the key away.
This romantic gesture is, however, being discouraged by the authorities as the love locks amp up the maintenance costs. You can no longer hang your own love lock without receiving a fine of around $100, but that does not mean that you cannot visit.
The Brooklyn Bridge is a beautiful place with an even more amazing view and is covered in love locks that help to provide the Brooklyn Bridge with a romantic feel. The best time to walk to the bridge is at sunrise and not sunset, at this specific time, the bridge is less crowded, and the sunrise reflects beautifully off the buildings of lower Manhattan, which is definitely a sight to behold.
4. Hohenzollern Bridge, Cologne, Germany
- Location: Germany
- Addition of new love locks: Allowed
Collections are a fanciful thing. Walking through a private space or a museum that is filled with dozens of interrelated pieces carefully curated by one or more devoted fans or experts, one cannot help but feel the sense of wonder as well as awe.
Imagine if that same collection were actually made by thousands of unrelated individuals contributing to the same magnificent masterpiece, the sense of wonder would definitely increase a thousandfold.
The Hohenzollern Bridge, located in Germany, showcases exactly such a beautiful masterpiece. Tourists from all over the world visit the bridge and hang engraved padlocks from the railings of the German bridge, each of them painted, decorated, or inscribed by the couple that hangs it.
The Hohenzollern Bridge is a bridge that crosses the river Rhine in Cologne, a city of Germany. In its initial days, the bridge was used as both a railway and road bridge, but after world war two, the bridge was only accessible to pedestrian traffic as well as rail. The Hohenzollern Bridge was made between the year 1907 and 1911 and was designed by Franz Heinrich Schwechten.
There are about 40,000 love locks on the bridge, and is it estimated that about 40,000 to 80,000 couples have hung love locks on the beautiful bridge. The padlocks have become too heavy for the bridge, and this has raised alarms among officials.
The magnificent row of padlocks hanging on the bridge is a breath-taking sight. Couples hang love locks as a symbol of their everlasting love, and they then drop the key over the edge, which falls into the bright waters of the river Rhine. Tens of thousands of keys now line the river bed.
5. N Seoul Tower, Seoul, South Korea
- Location: South Korea
- Addition of new love locks: Encouraged
N Seoul Tower is actually a romantic pilgrimage for couples who desire to commit to one another and embrace eternal love. The N Seoul Tower is different than any love lock location on the list as unlike the French or the American authorities; the government in Korea encourages couples to leave love locks in a specifically designed area. The government has gone as far as to commission metal trees and hearts, especially for this purpose. There are no restrictions on love there.
Thousands of tourists visit the N Seoul Tower and hang their love locks, engraved with their names and decorated according to their own wishes. The message of love is scattered all around the base of the magnificent tower.
The N Seoul Tower is officially known as the YTN Seoul Tower, more popularly called the Seoul Tower or the Namsan Tower. It is an observation and communication building that is situated in central Seoul in South Korea. The tower is actually the second-highest point in all Seoul. The wonderful structure was built in 1971 and was the first general radio wave tower in Seoul. The tower broadcasts signals for Korean media outlets like MBC, KBS, and SBS. The tower itself isn’t what tourists flock to see; the romantic base is the attraction.
In 2011, about two thousand foreign visitors hung love locks on the fence of the tower as a symbol of love. The place has been depicted in many Korean television shows, movies as well as dramas. The visitors there speak different languages, but they all have smiles on their faces as they take the same romantic journey together.
6. Lu Xun Park, Shanghai, China
- Location: China
- Addition of new love locks: Encouraged
The Lu Xun Park is a beautiful and interesting place that has a whimsical structure called the Love Tree. The sculpture was designed especially for lovers and to offer couples a place to mark their love and celebrate it.
Couples make this romantic pilgrimage to the Lu Xun Park, where they hang love locks, engraved with their names, decorated with different colors and patterns and symbols of their eternal love for one another. The couples proceed by throwing away the key; this completes the entire cycle.
The Lu Xun Park, which was previously known as Hongkou Park, is located in the Hongkou District of Shanghai, China. The park has actually been named after the famous Chinese writer Lu Xun. The park is also the location of the Lu Xun Museum and the tomb of Lu Xun. The park itself is situated near the former residence of Lu Xun, where he spent the last years of his life from 1933 to 1936.
The Love Tree is different from other structures, as most of them just collapse under the weight of the love locks, but this beautiful artificial tree has the capacity to hold on to additional weight. The Chinese authorities actually encourage lovers and couples to leave love locks on the tree in order to symbolize their eternal love for one another. It’s a place that every couple should definitely visit when in Shanghai, China. The place is a paradise for lovers.
7. Luzhkov Bridge, Moscow, Russia
- Location: Moscow
- Addition of new love locks: Encouraged
The Luzhkov Bridge is located in the capital of Russia, Moscow. It is home to dozens of trees, each supporting hundreds of love locks hung there by tourists from all over the world. The locks symbolize a couple’s eternal love in marriage and commitment.
This romantic bridge is where married couples write their names on padlocks, which are mostly heart-shaped, and then hang them on one of the many metal tree frames on the Luzhkov bridge.
Many newlyweds visit the bridge to mark their commitment to one another, even brides in their wedding gowns have been seen hanging love locks and praying for their romantic journey.
Tradition holds that a couple wishing to end their union must dive into the freezing, polluted water of the Moscow River and retrieve their key.
At first, the bridge itself was supposed to be a place where you could hang the padlocks, this later changed, and metallic trees were added to the bridge in order to encourage more people to hang their love locks.
Russians value their fairy tales and folklore, and so they fell in love with the idea of hanging love locks on the bridge in order to solidify their romantic union, especially the idea of retrieving a key among thousands just to end the union attracted them.
Even if you do not find space on the bridge, you can hang your lock on numerous metallic trees that have been erected in ten different streets in Moscow. Each tree holds hundreds, even thousands of padlocks, old and new.
8. Butchers’ Bridge, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Location: Slovenia
- Addition of new love locks: Allowed
The Butcher’s Bridge is actually a pedestrian bridge that crosses over the river Ljubljanica and is present in the city Ljubljana which is the capital of Slovenia. The bridge opened in 2010. Although the bridge is a relatively recent addition, the idea of the bridge was actually expressed by Joze Plecnik, who was an architect in the 1930s.
When the bridge finally opened in the year 2010, it became rather famous, mostly because of the romantic aura that surrounded it. As soon as the bridge was open, different people and couples began to hang engraved love locks of different sizes and colors to the metal fence of the bridge. These love locks are actually declarations of love and commitment.
As a tourist or a visitor, you can buy a love lock from a nearby souvenir shop, decorate the love lock according to your desire, and then get it engraved. Every day more and more love locks appear on the bridge; what started with just a couple of locks has now become a love lock romantic sanctuary with hundreds of beautiful love locks.
The bridge is home to a lot of things other than just love locks. The largest sculptures on the bridge are of Adam and Eve after they were shamed and banished from Heaven, once they gave in to the temptation of the Serpent. The bridge also has a statue of Prometheus disemboweled and running as punishment for providing humankind with knowledge.
9. Penang Hill, Malaysia
- Location: Malaysia
- Addition of new love locks: Encouraged
Just like the Brooklyn Bridge in New York and the Love Trees in Moscow, Penang Malaysia has its own tale of romance and love. You can find not hundreds but thousands of beautiful love locks atop the scenic Penang Hill.
Tourists and visitors can purchase a love lock of various colors and sizes at the Penang Hill Food Centre and hang it on 80 feet wide fence on the open-air observation deck. Couples make this romantic pilgrimage to Penang, write their names on the love locks, and then decorate them according to their wishes. They then proceed by throwing the key away, and this marks the end of the romantic cycle, which is a symbol of commitment and eternal love.
The fence is present upon Penang Hill, which provides a beautiful view and a place where lovers can celebrate their love and hang locks to bind their love and adoration for one another.
Penang is actually a state in Malaysia that is situated on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Malacca Strait. It’s a pretty happening tourist spot and a place that encourages lovers to celebrate their love. The state is highly diverse in ethnicity, religion, language, and class, which means that all kinds of different people visit Penang Hill, but they all go perform the same romantic ritual. It’s true when they say; love has no language!
The tradition of hanging locks in Penang is fairly new, and it started on Valentine’s Day in 2014. Honestly, what better day is there to hang a love lock?
10. Two Lovers Point, Tamuning, Guam
- Location: Guam
- Addition of new love locks: Allowed
This romantic place has a rather thrilling story behind it. According to the local legend, two lovers tied their hair together at the scene, and then they jumped off this beautiful cliff after they were not allowed to marry one another. Their love was doomed, and they chose to end their life hand in hand.
The Two Lovers Point in Tamuning Guam is a place where couples from all over the world come to hang engraved love locks of different sizes and colors. The Two Lovers Point offers an amazing ocean view, and couples are seen strolling along the beach, and the place is famous for being a proposal hot spot. What better place to propose?
The best thing about a romantic place is that you can even book it for weddings. There is also a gallery nearby where different artists showcase their work. The gates are filled with locks of different shapes and colors and are a symbol of eternal love and happiness. Most couples, after hanging the love lock, choose to throw the key into the ocean, thus making the commitment permanent.
The Two Lovers Point actually started off with just a few heart-shaped locks, and now has become a beautiful and romantic tourist attraction, a place where couples can come to celebrate their marriage or even their love for one another. The wall symbolizes the eternal love of couples from all over the world.
11. Casa di Giulietta, Verona, Italy
- Location: Italy
- Addition of new love locks: Not allowed
The Casa Di Giulietta is located in the center of the city, in Verona, Italy. The place is actually a haven for lovers, with one of the world’s most famous romantic stories behind it. Casa di Giulietta is a place every couple should visit at least once in their lifetime.
The place offers the house of Juliet, and in the courtyard stands an erect bronze statue of Juliet with one breast exposed. For years, visitors covered the wall by Juliet’s house with love locks bearing their names. Because of the sheer number of people who visit every year, hanging new love locks is no longer allowed, but it is still a beautiful place to see.
The walls are not just lined with love locks but love notes as well. You can also take a tour inside Juliet’s house, which still has the original furniture and a few Renaissance costumes. The wall is filled with the love notes and love locks left over the years, and the place is well worth a trip.
Few backdrops in the world say devotion quite like the wall of Juliet’s house.
The entire story of Romeo and Juliet was located in Verona, and Shakespeare describes the houses and squares that are very easily recognizable. The story is a mixture of fiction and reality, and Juliet’s house was actually owned by the Cappello family, a rich Veronese family often linked with the Capulets from Romeo and Juliet.
12. Most Ljubavi, Vrnjačka Banja, Serbia
- Location: Serbia
- Addition of new love locks: Allowed
Most Ljubavi is actually a pedestrian bridge, which in English is called the Bridge of Love. It is situated in Vrnjacka Banja in Serbia. The Bridge is known to be the founder of the love lock tradition, and couples often leave love locks on the railings of the Bridge as a sign of their everlasting love.
The Bridge is one of the most popular landmarks in Vrnjacka Banja and its best known among the 15 bridges of the town. The history of the love locks on the Bridge goes back at least a century. It is said that a local schoolmistress named Nada fell in love with Relja, who was a Serbian Officer. Once they promised themselves to each other, Relja went to fight a war in Greece, where he unluckily fell in love with a local woman from Corfu. Nada was thus forced to break off her engagement to Relja. Nada couldn’t bear the loss and soon died.
Young girls from the town did not want to have the same fate and so in order to bind their love, they began to hang love locks in the Bridge and started writing their names together with the names of the ones they love. These locks were hung on the railings of the Bridge where Nada and Relja used to meet. The tradition soon died out, but it regained popularity once the poet and writer Desanka Maksimovic mentioned it in her poem A Prayer for Love. Since then, the Bridge is called the Bridge of love, and people still hang love locks on it.
13. Tank House Lane, Distillery District, Toronto, Canada
- Location: Canada
- Addition of new love locks: Allowed
Locking down love has never been this easy, especially in Toronto, Canada. The Distillery District is a residential and commercial district in Toronto, Canada. The district is home to several shops, buildings, cafes, and restaurants, and it is also a site for all who love romance.
The Distillery District Landmark is made up of festooning bridges and fences which are decorated with dozens of beautiful, colorful love locks.
As a tourist or a visitor, you can buy a love lock from different people who have stalls there and add your pretty little padlock to the love shaped frame and bind your eternal love. The location of the love metal frame is not as glamorous as most of the locations mentioned on this list, but it’s still a romantic place to go.
The entire structure is filled with love locks, and you might find it hard to search for a place to hang your own special love lock. Nevertheless, you can just visit the place and take in the romantic vibe that surrounds it. It’s difficult to find such romantic places in commercial hubs such as Toronto, and this place is definitely a rare find.
The 9-meter long LOVE shaped structure is made up of local reclaimed lumber as well as steel, and it easily goes with the Distillery’s industrial-chic vibe. Visit the place today and hang your token of love!
14. Bryggebroen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Location: Denmark
- Addition of new love locks: Allowed
The Bryggebroen is a pedestrian/bicycle bridge that is located in Copenhagen and is joined with the Cykelslangen bridge and Kalvebod Brygge. The bridge is quite popular because of its great collection of love locks.
The bridge opened in the year 2006, and its name was suggested by the Danish daily Politiken in which more than 200 names were submitted, and then the name Bryggebroen was elected. The bridge since its opening has been slowly receiving an array of love locks. The love locks on this bridge are much more simple and basic as compared to the other places mentioned on this list.
Couples make their romantic pilgrimage to this bridge in Denmark, and they hang engraved love locks, decorated in accordance with their desire, and then they throw their key into the canal.
The city officials actually encourage lovers to leave symbols of their love on the bridge, unlike other countries such as France and The United States of America. The authorities have no plans to remove the love locks from the bridge anytime soon. The government does expect many more padlocks to join the party, but they will most likely not do anything about it, and the padlocks will remain where they are.
Looking over the harbor, a line of multicolor houses, the beautiful blue canal, and dozens of boats is definitely a sight to see, add some love locks, and this place truly is one of the most romantic places in the world. A wonderful place where you can profess your love to your partner and bind them in a lock of eternal love and commitment.
15. Staalmeestersbrug, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Location: Netherlands
- Addition of new love locks: Discouraged (periodic removals)
Amsterdam is definitely one of the most romantic cities in the world with its breath-taking scenic beauty, magnificent canals, and beautiful bridges. It’s a city where you would actually expect to see love locks everywhere. Unfortunately, in Amsterdam, there are only two places where you can find love locks. De Staalmeestersbrug and de Magere Brug.
The love locks on the Magere Brug have recently been extremely pruned by the Amsterdam authorities, so only a few are left, clinging alone onto the bridge’s warning light.
The Staalmeestersbrug with the Zuiderkerk tower in the background provides a much better view. Love locks hang from the chains of the bridge, though Amsterdam’s authorities prune them here periodically, just as they have on the Magere Brug. The bridge is a beautiful place with an even more amazing view. An aura of romance surrounds the place, and it really doesn’t get any better than that.
The Staalmeestersbrug bridge is actually one of the most famous bridges in Amsterdam, specifically due to the love locks it holds. For a taste of beauty, wonder, and romance, you should definitely visit this place as it is a place right out of a romance novel or a fairy tale. A place where couples profess their deep love for one another and hang love locks as a symbol of eternal love and happiness. People from all over the world come to visit and attach love notes or hang padlocks on the chains of this bridge. It is quite a popular tourist attraction.
16. Ponte Milvio, Rome, Italy
- Location: Italy
- Addition of new love locks: Not allowed
The Milvian Bridge or the Ponte Milvio/Ponte Molle Bridge is a bridge situated over the Tiber in northern Rome, Italy. The bridge was a very important economically strategic bridge in the days of the Roman Empire, and it was also the site of the Battle of the Milvian Bridge. The bridge was constructed in 115 BC.
The bridge is not just a place where a historic battle was fought but also a romantic location where couples from all over the globe come to celebrate their love and commitment with one another. Couples began to hang love locks on the bridge after the release of the popular movie as well as the book “I want you” by the author Federico Moccia. The ritual, meant to symbolize the locking of hearts, was inspired by the story described in the novel.
Couples began to attach love locks on the lamp post on the bridge as a token of their love. Once the lock was in place, the couple threw away the key into the water body below. The lamp post unfortunately partially collapsed in the year 2007 due to the excess weight of the love locks. Most parts of the bridge, such as the railings, garbage bins, and balustrades, were used to hang love locks. The authorities of Rome hence imposed a fine on anyone found attaching locks to the bridge.
In 2012, unluckily, the love locks were removed from the bridge. That did not stop the tradition from spreading, and it quickly spread all over Italy.
17. The Flame of Liberty, Paris, France
- Location: Paris
- Addition of new love locks: Discouraged
The Flame of Liberty is located in Paris and is a large, gold leaf-covered replica of the torch from the Statue of Liberty in New York (the original statue leads our list of the most famous statues in the world). The structure, executed in gilded copper, is 3.5 meters in height and is supported by a pedestal of gray and black marble. The beautiful structure was offered by the International Herald Tribune.
The Flame of Liberty is a lasting symbol of the friendship between the United States of America and France. The beautiful structure also became the unofficial memorial of the Princess of Wales, Diana. The shrine is packed with different kinds of love locks and love notes that help to tell romantic tales.
The couple writes their names on love locks, decorates the padlock in accordance with their wishes and hangs them near the Flame of Liberty. The structure also celebrates the life of Princess Diana, so most of the love locks and love notes are addressed to her. Many pictures of the late princess are tacked at the base of the glorious structure, from beautiful emotive shots of the late princess with her two children, William, and Harry to royal portraits. Flowers are laid there all year round.
Many tourists individually or in groups come to the Flame of Liberty, linger around for a while and take pictures. They also take some time to read the notes and pray for Princess Diana and remember her.
Paris may be the most romantic city in the world, but it has fallen out of love with the padlock: as at the Pont des Arts, adding new locks here is discouraged, and the memorial is best treated as a place to look and remember rather than to lock.
18. Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge, St. Louis, Missouri
- Location: United States
- Addition of new love locks: Allowed
The Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge, which is also known as the New Mississippi River Bridge or the Stan Span, is a bridge that runs across the Mississippi River, as evident from the name. The bridge was built between 2010 and the year 2013, and it finally was opened to the public in 2014.
The Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge was actually named after Stan Musial, an MVP baseball player and was also popularly called Stan the Man. This bridge is not really as romantic as the bridge in Paris, but it is certainly getting there. It is actually one of the lesser-known locations where you can hang love locks. This is actually a benefit for couples as they get the privacy they need, and the authorities do not plan to take down the love locks anytime soon.
If you want to hang a love lock and celebrate your eternal love for your partner, but you do not want to get stuck in a crowded place with a million other lovers, then this is definitely the place for you and your partner.
It is really hard to find romantic places in urban areas, but Missouri does manage to provide a relatively decent area for couples to embark on their journey of love and symbolize their commitment with a love lock. The bridge is absolutely breathtaking at night, and a romantic stroll is all you need to feel appreciated and loved. So take a stroll on this beautiful bridge and hang your token of love.
19. Malá Strana District, Prague, Czech Republic
- Location: Prague
- Addition of new love locks: Allowed
Mala Strana, which is also known as Mensi Mesto Prazske, is a district of the city of Prague in the Czech Republic. It is actually one of the most historic neighborhoods in the city. The city used to be an ethnic center for Germans and even Italians in the Middle Ages. The place is also the site of many noble palaces.
The district has a very romantic vibe, and the historic touch amplifies the sensation of love. The district is home to a small pedestrian bridge that is present over a sidearm of the Vltava. The bridge is beautifully decorated with hundreds of love locks, all of different sizes, shapes, and colors. This trend is slowly taking over all of Europe. Couples and newly-weds engrave their names on love locks, paint them and decorate them. Then they hang the love locks on the bridge to symbolize their love and proceed by throwing away the key.
Lovers hang the locks to seal their love. There is a graffiti mural near the bridge which says All you need is love. The local legend is that there is a romantic tale behind the bridge, just like Romeo and Juliet.
The couple belonged to two prominent Czech families who were caught in a feud. The two lovers planned to meet at the bridge and kiss, but unfortunately, their respective families discovered their secret, and the two were killed. The tale does not really have a happy ending, but still, people come to the bridge to share their love and to bond their relationship.
20. London, England
- Location: England
- Addition of new love locks: Allowed
The best thing about London is that there isn’t just one place where you can find and hang love locks, but there are several. Love locks are a romantic way for couples to declare that their love is absolute and eternal, and it cannot end. In London, you can leave love locks on the Tower Bridge or the Embankment. Many people even leave love locks at the train station.
People mostly leave love locks in the hip Shoreditch locale, on the fence that surrounds the vacant Bishopsgate Goods Yard. The structure is not permanent, but the love locks left on it symbolize eternal love.
Couples inscribe their names or their initials on a padlock and then hang it onto the fence as a token of their love and a memento of their unbreakable bond. Apart from dozens of love locks, the Shoreditch fence also features colored twine and wool, which is woven around the diamond shape mesh of hearts.
Just opposite the site is a locksmith, which maybe comes in handy once the relationship fails or the love diminishes. The whole scenario is kind of ironic at best.
There have been many love locks sightings on the London Bridge as well. London is a metropolitan and is home to a diverse population that belongs to different ethnicities, religions and races. This mixture helps London to function the way it does today, with an array of cuisines and hence a variety of different people who come with different folk tales and brilliant love stories. No wonder love locks are such a hit in London!
21. Pécs, Hungary
- Location: Hungary
- Addition of new love locks: Allowed
Pecs is located on the slopes of the Mecsek mountains and is the fifth largest city of Hungary, and it’s close to the border with Croatia. The city is the economic as well as the administrative center of Baranya County. Pecs was actually turned into one of the most famous art centers of Hungary by bishop Janus Pannonius, who was a great humanist poet as well.
Pecs has a rather rich heritage as it was part of the 150-year long Ottoman occupation. The city also includes beautiful buildings such as the mosque of Pasha Qasim, the Victorious, which is situated on the Szechenyi square.
With such a rich history, it’s not shocking that Pecs would be among this list of the best love lock locations in the world. The Love Lock Wall in the city is located in the downtown of Pecs, on the Janus Pannonius Street. The love wall is present between two closed iron fences. Tourists from everywhere visit the wall and hang their engraved love locks of different colors and then throw away the key.
The love locks symbolize their eternal love for one another, and the lock binds that romance. There are many stories about the origin of the wall of love, but the most popularly accepted one dates back to the year 1971. They say that some teenagers started the trend by attaching love locks after they graduated from high school. Another legend claims that married women showcased love to their lovers by using love locks when their husbands were not home. No matter what the story actually is, this beautiful wall celebrates love and romance in the most glorious way.
22. Via dell’Amore, Cinque Terre, Italy
- Location: Italy
- Addition of new love locks: Not allowed on the restored path (keepsake locks only)
The Cinque Terre is a tourism hub and is a coastal area located within Liguria, in the northwest part of Italy. The area comprises five villages, Corniglia, Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Manarola, and Riomaggiore.
Over time people have built terraces on the steep, rugged landscape right up to the cliffs that provide a beautiful view of the sea. Trains, paths, and boats connect the villages, and you cannot travel in between them by cars. The villagers marry within the villages, and they rarely go looking for spouses outside their territories. The path that connects the villages has thus become a love path as it helps people to meet their beloved.
The trail has been closed repeatedly by landslides, most recently after a major slide in 2012; it reopened in 2024 with timed entry. For years the pathway of love was bejeweled with love locks of engraved names in every shape and color, with a famous cluster under the tunnel on the Manarola side. The locks came down during the twelve-year restoration, and the reopened path is protected. Hanging love locks on bridges with your lover’s name has become a trend in Italy, and many love lock locations have emerged throughout the country.
The hike itself is super romantic as you can stroll around with your better half and gaze upon the beautiful blue sea below. As a tourist or a visitor, you can buy love locks of different patterns, sizes, and shapes at any souvenir store and get your names engraved on them. Leave the restored railings alone, though: celebrate with the walk, the view, and a lock kept as a keepsake instead.
23. Fuente de los Candados, Montevideo, Uruguay
- Location: Uruguay
- Addition of new love locks: Encouraged
The Fuente de Los Candados, also is known as the Fountain of Locks, is a fountain made of stone on a street corner in Montevideo. The fountain is easy to walk past, were it not for the thousands of love locks that cover it.
The Fountain of Locks is located in Montevideo in Uruguay. Montevideo is actually the capital city and also the largest city in Uruguay. The city houses about one-third of the total population of the country. The city was founded by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, who was a Spanish soldier in the year 1724. The city is thought to be one of the first cities in Latin America.
The stone fountain was installed by the owner of the famous restaurant Bar Facal on the street corner, at the time the staff had no idea that the fountain would become the city’s most enduring symbol of love.
The fountain is made up of volcanic stone, which was imported from Puerto Vallarta in Mexico. The fountain itself sat in the storage area for about a decade until it was finally decided to install it. A metal railing surrounds the fountain with the duty of protecting the structure. Soon people began to hang padlocks on the railing as a symbol of their love.
The owners were more than happy to allow people to hang their tokens of love onto the railing of the fountain, as it was obviously great for business: the more, the merrier. The fountain has now become a center point for lovers.
Image credits
All photographs are public domain or Creative Commons licensed, via Wikimedia Commons: Pont des Arts by Guilhem Vellut (CC BY 2.0); Mount Huangshan by Yabbox (CC BY-SA 3.0); Brooklyn Bridge by ZhuPix (CC BY-SA 3.0); Hohenzollern Bridge by Dietmar Rabich (CC BY-SA 4.0); N Seoul Tower by Ethan Doyle White (CC BY-SA 4.0); Lu Xun Park by K.Kohda (public domain); Tree of Love, Moscow by saragoldsmith (CC BY 2.0); Butchers’ Bridge by Petar Milošević (CC BY-SA 4.0); Penang Hill by Hzh (CC BY-SA 4.0); Two Lovers Point by CMSgt Don Sutherland, USAF (public domain); Verona lock wall by Tpenton00 (CC BY-SA 4.0); Most Ljubavi by White Writer (CC BY-SA 3.0); Distillery District LOVE installation by Mark (CC BY 2.0); Bryggebroen by heb (CC BY-SA 3.0); Staalmeestersbrug view by Txllxt TxllxT (CC BY-SA 4.0); Ponte Milvio by Renatonee (public domain); Flame of Liberty by Thomas Bresson (CC BY 4.0); Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge by Mitchell Schultheis (CC BY-SA 4.0); Prague locks by Rosser1954 (CC BY-SA 3.0); Shoreditch locks by Berit Watkin (CC BY 2.0); Pécs lock wall by Syp (public domain); Via dell’Amore by Twice25 & Rinina25 (CC BY 2.5); Fuente de los Candados by Ganímedes (CC BY-SA 4.0).