Romantic Paris Weekend Breaks - France
Paris breaks have a lot to offer you if you're looking for a romantic weekend away. The City of Love is packed with picturesque buildings, attractive pavement cafés and beautiful riverside walks. A trip to Paris is romantic, enjoyable and stress-free -potentially. However, visiting a city with so much to offer means putting a lot of pressure on yourself to have a magical, unforgettable trip, and you may end up panicking about whether or not you've actually remembered to do every single romantic activity possible. Try not to succumb to the temptation to do everything; plan a relaxed itinerary taking in a few of the most interesting sights. This page lists the most important things to do on romantic Paris breaks, but that doesn't mean you have to do them all. The keyword is "leisurely", so allow plenty of time for strolling, admiring the views, and, of course, gazing into each other's eyes.
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The area of Montmartre is a good place to start your romantic tour of Paris. It was made famous by the film Amelie, one of the best date movies of the last few years. So follow in Amelie's footsteps, wandering down the Allée des Brouillards, drinking coffee at Le Refuge near the metro station or even visiting Café des deux Moulins on the Rue des Abbesses; the interior is recognisable from the film.
While you're in the Montmartre area, you should make sure to visit the Sacré-Coeur. It's one of the most recognisable landmarks in Paris, partly thanks to its colour, as it was built from a stone that bleaches with age. Many Parisians hate its rather over-the-top Romano-Byzantine design, but it draws six million tourists a year as well as religious pilgrims. It's free to visit the basilica and the rather grubby crypt, but it will cost you around €5 to see inside the dome. Or simply sit together on the steps leading up to the Sacré-Coeur for an excellent view of the city.
If you enjoy visiting good museums with your loved one, Paris breaks have plenty to offer. The Musée d'Orsay on the left bank of the Seine is dedicated to 19th century French art. That means that it houses some of the world's most famous Impressionist paintings; you'll find work by artists such as Degas, Manet, Renoir and Cézanne. You could also take a look at the Musée Marmottan on the edge of the Bois de Boulogne in the 16th arrondissement (area of Paris). It contains the world's largest collection of works by Claude Monet, as well as works by other artists. If you're feeling cheeky, you could head to the Musée d'Eroticisme in the Pigalle district, a seven-storey building dedicated to eroticism. That means sacred phalluses and Karma Sutra watercolours, among other items.
What should you do next? Well, on a romantic break in the country that invented gastronomy, it would be insanity not to grab a bite to eat... or several. It's possible to combine an excellent meal with a trip to (or, rather, up) Paris's most famous landmark. The Restaurant Jules Verne is on the second level of the Eiffel Tower, and it has an excellent reputation. However, although the eight-course menu has garnered the praise of many restaurant reviewers, it certainly isn't cheap: expect to pay at least €120 per person even without wine. Despite the prices, the restaurant is almost always fully booked, so if you do want to eat there on your Paris break, book well in advance. Another, equally romantic, alternative is to go to one of the restaurants overlooking the Seine. The Brasserie de l'Ile Saint-Louis on Quai de Bourbon has an outdoor terrace overlooking the Seine, and you can get a meal there for under €50 per person.
A cruise on the Seine is also a very romantic way of spending some time in Paris - providing the weather is warm enough. The bateaux-mouches offer one-hour tours for around €8, and some also offer lunch and dinner cruises. Ask the tourist office to give you information about which tours are operating when you visit.
Finally, don't forget that you're in the country that gave champagne its name, so purchase at least one bottle of the fizzy stuff to make your trip truly romantic.
See more on the history of Paris.
Paris - Weekend Break
