Italy

Life is to be celebrated, any time of year and, for those who have been married for a decade, we’re sharing some fabulous 10 Year anniversary trip ideas. Why is 10th anniversary important? It’s possible you spend more time looking after others and less time celebrating each other, and the life you’ve made together – and you deserve to spend more than one night doing that.

It doesn’t really matter what sort of anniversary getaway you go for; the key is finding the trip that brings you together. Maybe there’s a city or small town you’ve always wanted to go to, or one you spent some of those heady early days in that you’d like to return to? Maybe there’s a destination that was in the running for your honeymoon? Or maybe you’ve always fancied a hot air balloon ride or a romantic dinner overlooking the Eiffel Tower?

We’ve put together some 10 Year anniversary trip ideas to help you settle on the right romantic anniversary vacation for you. And while we’re here, you might be wondering: what is a traditional 10-year anniversary gift? It’s tin. Might we suggest a little travel tin to go with your trip of a lifetime?

Napa Valley 

If the sound of a classic locomotive steam whistle makes your hearts skip a beat and you also happen to love wine, rolling hills and gorgeous dinners in red banquette seating, the Napa Valley Wine Train is for you. Peel your attention from the windows to gaze into each other’s eyes as you roll into world class vineyards for wine tastings in your exquisitely maintained 100-year-old Pullman train car.

You may also enjoy reading: Luxury 25th Anniversary Trip Ideas For Silver Celebrations

The Maldives 

If you didn’t get to do the most honeymoon of honeymoons the first time round, what’s stopping you? Now you can do it without the accompanying stress of planning a wedding. For this anniversary getaway, think: lounging together in your overwater bungalow, gazing at the Indian Ocean from your own private plunge pool, relaxing on the beach, taking a sunset stroll on the diamond white sand.

Japan

Perhaps you both have a hankering for an adventure – somewhere far from home, that you’ve always wanted to see. Find love in the bamboo groves, temples and gardens of Kyoto, or the sheer thrills and traditions of Tokyo, or the art and peace of Naoshima, or all of the above. Our Majestic Japan journey will introduce you to castles, hot springs and bullet trains – it’s the romance and adventure you’re lusting after, the Luxury Gold way.

Explore Japan together in Luxury Style on: Majestic Japan

Paris

Just because the City of Love is obvious, doesn’t mean it’s not the most romantic anniversary trip in the world. There’s a reason why it features on our list of 10 Year anniversary trip ideas. To embrace your inner cliche, you will need: a hotel with views of the Eiffel Tower from your balcony, a hand-in-hand stroll around some gardens, a cruise along the Seine, copious romantic dinners, a moment together with La Basilique du Sacré-Cœur, a kiss on the Pont des Arts, a padlock.

Join our Ultimate France journey to make your romantic Parisian dreams come true.

For more celebration inspiration you may enjoy reading 21 Of The Most Romantic Anniversary Trip Ideas

Cappadocia

If hot air balloon rides are high on your list, you will fall for fairytale Cappadocia, famed for its honeycomb-colored volcanic rock landscapes, sculpted by erosion into towers, cones, valleys, and caves in the central Anatolia plateau. On an anniversary getaway here, you’ll soar above those other-worldly views, sleep in a romantic cave hotel and watch the sunrise over breakfast and Turkish tea on the hotel rooftop – the sky will already be dotted with balloons.

The Amalfi Coast

Take your beloved by the hand and go looking for the dolce vita. You will find there is not much sweeter in the world than the dramatic clifftop views, poolside Bellinis, cliff-clinging villages, vineyards, lemon groves and sparkling, azure waters of the Amalfi Coast. Each small town is as ravishing as the one before it. This is an iconic vacation for a special pair of icons.

Extend our Ultimate Italy journey after you’ve said arriverderci to (the also supremely romantic) Venice. 

New Orleans

If you can’t decide between a vacation and a party, go to New Orleans, where noone would ever make you choose. Spend the night of your life together at a jazz club, sip Sazeracs in a world class bar and send your tastebuds wild over oysters, po’ boys, jambalaya, gumbo, freshly baked beignets and – oh – the pralines! Those little golden morsels of sugar and pecan. And that’s just for starters.

Get a taste for the Big Easy on our Southern Grace journey.

England

If your idea of romance includes quaint English villages, chic cocktail bars and secluded hot tubs in the countryside, pack your peacoat for a romantic getaway on the cobbles. In England, you can do it all in a relatively short space of time: his and hers massages in a world class hotel, Michelin star dining, fairytale castles and all the charm and wonder of those quintessential small towns.

Is our British Royale journey the romantic anniversary trip of your dreams?

Arizona 

California has the most National Parks in North America but Arizona has some of the most astonishing landscapes to bask in. If you like the idea of going off-grid together for a while, perhaps the canyons and craters are calling – and not necessarily the grand one. The artsy desert town of Sedona is breathtaking – celebrate your love in its brilliant orange-red glow by day, staring at its star-spangled, inky black skies by night, with romantic dinners and wine tastings in between.

If our 10 Year anniversary trip ideas have inspired you to travel together in luxury style, take a look at our full collection of small group journeys.

Luxury Gold guests are accustomed to a certain level of comfort, but that doesn’t mean they like to scrimp on adventure. If you have a spirit that can’t be quelled and a bucket list that needs tending to in the next year, we have plenty of ideas for luxury adventure vacations that will capture your imagination.

We give each of our luxury adventure tours an activity level: leisurely, balanced or dynamic. And the level of activity is not necessarily equal to the level of adventure. For instance, on a leisurely (short distances, flat surfaces) luxury vacation in New Zealand, you’ll cover cities, caves, hot springs, waterfalls, and a treewalk made up of 28 suspension bridges, and on a dynamic luxury journey to Italy, the Cinque Terre is more intrepid than it looks (longer distances, trickier terrain). Here are six bucket list trips to get you thinking.

Look for the big five in Kruger National Park

Safaris tend to be quite high on everyone’s list of luxury adventure vacations – is it finally time? If your bucket list priority is to see lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos and buffalo (the big five) in one trip, this epic national park offers a diverse range of terrain including mountains, rivers, savannah and tropical forests. On our Spectacular South Africa journey, the private open-air safaris are led by professional trackers over three days and there are plunge pools, starlit dinners and pampering treatments aplenty back at the Lion Sands Game Reserve in between drives. This journey also includes Table Mountain, wineries and more rare wildlife sightings at Boulders Beach.

Board the Rocky Mountaineer, Luxury Gold-style

Adventure travel and rail travel go hand in hand – there is nothing quite like watching the world from your window, particularly if you happen to be sitting in the glass-domed Goldleaf car of the Rocky Mountaineer, on a reclining seat, eating from the a la carte menu (with local wine pairings), with the option of wandering to an open-air viewing vestibule. On our Majesty of the Rockies journey, you’ll travel from Banff to Vancouver, via glaciers, canyons and lakes. Waking up aboard the train on the home-stretch and eating a gourmet breakfast beside some of the most dazzling scenery in the world completes a luxury journey like no other.

Explore the lesser traveled wildernesses of Japan

You may know (and long for) Japan’s cities, sushi, skyscrapers, shrines and cherry blossom sightings but there are breathtaking wonders further afield, too. Oirase Gorge – within the Towada-Hachimantai National Park on the main island – is an enchanting river valley that encompasses verdant forests, dramatic waterfalls and crystal clear streams. Experiencing an onsen in Tokyo is one thing, but taking a soothing soak in the forest is unforgettable. Our Majestic Japan journey is dynamic, which means four miles of walking on some days, with some steep hills. It includes views of Mount Fuji from a cable car, a tea ceremony and a meeting with a cherry blossom doctor, plus mind-expanding meals and some of the most extravagant and cozy hotels in the world.

Hike to get the best sunset views at Angkor Wat

Together, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam make for one of the most epic luxury adventure vacations you can have. There’s the lush greenery, floating markets and flower farms of the Mekong Delta, the Imperial Citadel of Hue, the sheer magic (and the pho) of Hoi An, the glittering emerald waters of Ha Long Bay, ethereal Luang Prabang (the whole town is a UNESCO World Heritage site) and vistas aplenty in between. Nothing beats the golden, glowing view of Angkor Wat, though, at least as good as everyone says it is, reflected in the water below. On our Inspiring Indochina journey, an archaeologist is on hand to guide you to the best spots.

Walk the steep, rugged coastline of the Cinque Terre

In northwest Italy, the Cinque Terre is made up of five pastel-coloured cliffside villages overlooking the Ligurian Sea, connected by narrow walking paths and a few incredibly precarious mountain roads. The Cinque Terre National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage site – described as a landscape of great scenic and cultural value. There are 120km of trails along this stretch of coastline, and the breathtaking views alone make it a bucket list walk. See this most rugged, enchanting coastline on our Ultimate Italy journey, which also covers Rome, Umbria, Florence and Venice – truly the luxury vacation to Italy you’ve been dreaming of.

Weave through the cloud forest to Machu Picchu

When one thinks of adventure travel, Machu Picchu comes quickly to mind. In the middle of a tropical mountain forest in Peru, 2,430m above sea level, the sprawling Inca citadel must be seen up close to be believed. On our Grand South America journey, you’ll board the panoramic Vistadome train to Machu Picchu, pausing for lunch above the Vilcanota River followed by a guided walk through the unfathomably lush and mesmerizing cloud forest. This luxury vacation also features wine in Casablanca Valley, Eva Peron’s balcony in Buenos Aires and cocktails on Copacabana Beach.

For those who have traveled with Luxury Gold, you’ll appreciate the amount of personal care, attention to detail and professionalism that goes into delivering that dream vacation. One past guest who can personally testify to the exceptional quality of a Luxury Gold journey is Sandy, who has traveled with us twice, with a third journey coming up.

She kindly agreed to talk to us about her experience of a Luxury Gold vacation, including her favorite destination to visit, and why she and her husband plan on taking more vacations with us in the future.

Hi Sandy. How did you first hear about Luxury Gold?

“We first heard about Luxury Gold via some friends we made on a river cruise. They sang the praises of Luxury Gold’s five-star hotels, Michelin-rated restaurants, expert guides, and brilliant Travel Concierges and drivers. The one thing they kept reiterating was the small number of people on each tour. It sounded like a dream vacation.”

Which journey did you end up booking?

“Right after Covid, we took our first Luxury Gold holiday: Spain and Portugal in Style. There were 17 of us. We had the most glorious time together, visiting Valencia and the orange blossom coast, the Alhambra Palace, Andalucia, Barcelona, Madrid and Lisbon.

“Our tour director and driver were fantastically knowledgeable, and fluent Spanish speakers. Our tour director made lots of beautiful dinner reservations for us and booked various events along the way. She led us to pasteis de nata in Lisbon, found us Flamenco lessons in Seville and organized a horse and carriage ride, too. I fondly remember a Michelin star restaurant in Lisbon overlooking the city, and a fabulous former Portuguese convent with a winery. It was truly a dream vacation, and we were hooked.”

Did you follow Spain & Portugal with Italy with another journey?

“Yes. Our next trip was the Ultimate Italy journey. I loved Rome so much, and the Grand Hotel Quisisana in Capri was incredibly special – a real jewel. We took a cooking class in the hunting lodge of the Medici family in Tuscany and an art historian introduced us to Renaissance Florence. We saw the grottos and coves of the Capri coastline on a private cruise. Over the course of the journey, we traveled by water taxi, gondola, funicular, train and ferry. It felt like such an adventure.”

Two guests recline on Luxury Gold’s private boat tour of Capri

What is it about a Luxury Gold journey that keeps you coming back?

“We love that the opulence begins the moment you leave your house, and lasts until you get home. There’s so much one-on-one care, and everything is tailored to your needs – meals, events, concerts, tours, transport. You feel special, looked after, relaxed, which is the most important thing. In between the big moments, your tour guide will regale you with treats and stories from the region as you travel on your comfortable bus. You really get to sit back and relish it all.”

And do you have anything else booked?

“Our next tour will be Ultimate Southern France, ending in Paris. We look forward to it. It’s our dose of elegance. I feel like royalty when I travel with Luxury Gold.”

Want to experience the glamor of a Luxury Gold vacation for yourself? Explore our full catalogue of journeys here, or browse our luxury holidays in Spain.