Hallmark may be best known for its Christmas movies, but there’s more to them than that! In recent years, the best Hallmark international movies have taken viewers to far-flung destinations. They add an extra sense of history and culture to classic romance setups, not to mention gorgeous scenery (and food!). We hope we’ll continue to see more and more locations worldwide in movies to come!
If you want to swoon over destinations while swooning over romance, check out these jet-setting movies for your next night in.
Love, Romance & Chocolate
I know I said this list was in no particular order, but every Hallmark fan has their favorites, and this just might be mine. Emma (queen of Hallmark Lacey Chabert) heads to Belgium on vacation after a tough breakup. There, she meets Luc (Will Kemp, another Hallmark regular), a chocolatier struggling to keep his family business afloat.
When she offers to help him develop a truffle for a royal wedding contest, the two begin to fall for each other. Not only is the romance genuinely heartwarming, but the Bruges scenery and the chocolate-making create an enviable and lovely setting for this Hallmark international flick.
For Love and Honey
Malta probably isn’t an “obvious” choice for a romance — at least, it’s not a commonly-used setting like Paris or Rome. But this charming movie, starring Andrew Walker and Margaret Clunie, will have you rethinking that! Clunie plays Eva, a beekeeper who discovers an ancient fresco while carefully rescuing a beehive. That’s where Walker’s archaeologist Austen comes in.
The discovery launches both of them on a history-investigating quest, all while their annoyance with each other turns into something more. Great chemistry and a hint of adventure set this one apart.
Rome in Love
I admit I was skeptical of this one at first. Roman Holiday is one of my favorite movies, so I wasn’t so sure: a movie that is itself a riff on Roman Holiday while also being about an in-universe remake of Roman Holiday? Somehow, though, it worked.
Italia Ricci plays Amelia, the unknown actress who lands the “Princess Ann” role in the remake opposite a Hollywood star. While in Rome, she falls in love with the city, not to mention Philip (Peter Porte), a journalist covering the film. This being a Hallmark movie, it lacks the bittersweet catharsis of the original movie, but it does have a Notting Hill-esque denouement instead that is delightfully romantic.
Her Pen Pal
Where are my Galavant girlies? Joshua Sasse (aka egotistical knight Galavant) and Mallory Jansen (aka maiden-turned-evil-queen Madalena) reunite in this adorable France-set rom-com. Jansen plays Victoria, an event planner trying to help her best friend’s wedding go smoothly, all while dealing with the drama of seeing her ex as part of the wedding party. She’s shocked to run into Jacques (Sasse), her long-ago French pen pal.
They rekindle their friendship, now with a more flirtatious edge, and help each other learn how to get past… well, the past. No, there’s no singing, but there’s plenty of chemistry and charm for this Hallmark international romance!
A Heidelberg Holiday
If you’ve ever marveled at glass Christmas ornaments, this Hallmark destination movie is for you. Ginna Claire Mason plays Heidi, a glass artist and descendant of a notable German family of craftspeople. She’s excited to be accepted into a famous Christmas market in Heidelberg, Germany. While there, she connects with Lukas (Frédéric Brossier), the son of her host family and a local artisan himself. Not only does she learn more about her heritage, but also about making her dreams come true.
Savoring Paris
Do you like cheese as much as Bridgerton‘s Albion Finch loves cheese? Boy, do we have the Hallmark international movie for you! Ella (Bethany Joy Lenz) is hitting burnout in her culinary career. She impulsively goes to Paris to chase a cheese she remembers from childhood. Meeting unimpressed cheesemonger Serge (Stanley Weber) feels like an obstacle, as does obnoxious food critic Gaston.
Yes, it’s a movie set in France with a self-absorbed bro character named Gaston. But really, all of this is the nudge she needs to start putting herself first and pursuing her dreams. It’s not just a movie about falling in love with another person. It’s about learning to love yourself and finding where you truly belong—and also finding really delicious cheese.
Christmas in Rome
When you need to elevate a light romance set in Italy, you hire Franco Nero in a small role with a big impact. Letters to Juliet did it, and so does Christmas in Rome.
Lacey Chabert plays Angela, a tour guide trying to strike out on her own. She meets Oliver (Sam Page), an American businessman who needs to learn more about Rome, pronto, to close a big deal. You know the drill: he’ll encourage her entrepreneurial spirit, she’ll teach him to stop and smell the marinara, etc. Nero shows up as the Italian businessman whose company Oliver is trying to acquire and who lends the movie an extra sense of gravitas and wisdom.
A Greek Recipe for Romance
How are there not more romances set in Greece? This Hallmark destination romance stars Danielle C. Ryan as Abby, who’s in the midst of a bit of a life crisis. She heads to Greece to visit her mother and meets the charming Theo (Rafael Kariotakis) while there.
Together, they decide to open a restaurant, but it’s not as easy as just having a good idea. And, of course, there’s the question of whether Abby can stay in Greece at all. It’s the perfect movie for anyone who’s dreamed of leaving life behind and pursuing a dream!
Two Scoops of Italy
For the most part, this particular Hallmark international romance is standard-issue. Danielle (Hunter King) is a chef who seems to have lost her spark. In pursuit of it, she takes an Italian vacation to a small town she read about in a book. Flavorful inspiration finds her there in the form of Giancarlo (Michele Rosiello), an Italian gelato-maker torn between family tradition and carving his own path.
There’s a stereotype about Hallmark romance endings, but this one zigs where you think it will zag. It’s a sweet and quite touching tribute to the way life can move in unexpected directions — and how love means compromise and change, not fated perfection.
A Merry Scottish Christmas
Instead of putting romance as the core relationship, this Christmas movie centers on a sibling bond. Lacey Chabert and Scott Wolf play Lindsay and Brad, estranged siblings invited to visit their mother in Scotland. She shocks them with the reveal that she’s a duchess, and this castle is their family’s.
Along the way, they’ll mend their broken relationships. Brad and his wife Sarah (Kellie Blaise) need to work through some marriage issues, while Lindsay finds a spark with local Mac (James Robinson). For a movie about regret, it’s surprisingly sweet and satisfying in the end.
Christmas in Notting Hill
Can anything live up to the pure ’00s joys of Notting Hill? No, but this Hallmark international movie charms in its own way. While visiting her sister in London, Georgia (Sarah Ramos) hits it off with a charming Brit, Graham (William Moseley — yes, every millennial’s crush from The Chronicles of Narnia). When they realize their siblings are dating, it feels like fate.
There’s just one problem: Graham is a soccer superstar, and Georgia has no idea. The celebrity-romance setup can be tricky to do well, but this one hits perfectly, thanks in large part to the chemistry of the stars.
Pearl in Paradise
For the adventure-romance fans among us comes this tropical take on the Hallmark destination movie. Alex (Jill Wagner) is a journalist on assignment in Fiji to cover a search for a mythical “pearl of paradise.” To boost her story, she ropes Colin (Kristoffer Polaha), who wrote a book about the pearl, into helping her.
As they discover the mysteries of the island, they also discover feelings for each other. It has just the right amount of adventure, danger, and maybe a hint of magic or fate, too.
First Featured Image Credit: ©Hallmark Individual Images, Graphic: Lady Geeks.