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The City of Love Unveiled
Paris is known worldwide as The City of Love, making it the perfect Valentine’s Day getaway. But what exactly is so romantic about France’s capital city?
Last year, we spent a romantic weekend in Paris for Valentine’s Day, sightseeing the iconic landmarks, visiting cosy cafés and discovering exactly why the city deserves its nickname. There is a unique charm to Paris, rich with history, art, and cuisine, so here’s how we made the most of our three days in the world’s top Valentine’s Day destination.
Here are our recommended things to do, places to eat and best sites to see in Paris, to make your romantic Valentine’s Day long weekend a trip to remember.
How to get to Paris from the UK
Flying to Paris
There are three main airports in Paris, with flights from Manchester to Paris Beauvais Airport typically taking 1.5 hours, and flights from London Airports to most Paris Airports are a little faster. There are generally fast direct flights from all major UK airports, though, and most take less than two hours.
Eurostar to Paris
You can easily take the Eurostar from London St Pancras International train station to Gare du Nord in Paris, taking a little over 2 hours. Gare du Nord is in the 10th arrondissement, which is a relatively central area in Paris that has great connectivity to the city centre by Metro. The Metro station connects to Lines 4 and 5, as well as RER B and D trains, providing quick access to major areas in the city.
Eurotunnel to Paris
If you’d like to drive to Paris, the Eurotunnel allows you to travel between the UK and France by driving your car, motorbike or campervan onto a specially-designed train. The Eurotunnel departs from Eurotunnel Le Shuttle at Folkestone in Kent and takes as little as 35 minutes to reach Calais, where you drive the rest of the way to Paris, taking about 3 hours. Though the journey across the channel itself is fast, the drive adds a fair amount to your travel time, but having your own car makes it ideal if you’d like to add Paris to part of a French road trip.
Ferry to Paris
The most popular ferry route from Dover to Calais, which takes roughly 90 minutes and leaves the port regularly, followed by the three-hour drive from Calais to Paris. If you’re looking for a shorter drive, the ferry from Newhaven in East Sussex takes you to Dieppe and shaves half an hour off the drive to Paris.
Ferries from here can take up to four hours, so if you enjoy being at sea it’s great, but if you’re in a rush, not so much. The bonus to taking the ferry, however, is that it is generally cheaper than other modes of transport, since most operators charge per vehicle rather than per person, allowing you to take unlimited baggage and multiple passengers.
Our Itinerary for a Romantic Weekend in Paris: What to do in The City of Love
Day 1: The Charm of Montmartre
Morning: Breakfast with Amélie
After a long lie-in, we headed through the cobbled streets of Montmartre to have breakfast in the iconic Café des Deux Moulins. You might not recognise the name, but if you’re anything of a romantic, you’d recognise the café from the movie Amélie. Café des Deux Moulins still looks strikingly similar to how it did when Amélie was filmed there, with small tables for two and classic French dishes like quiche Lorraine and crème brûlée.
After breakfast, we went on a private guided walking tour around Montmartre, learning about the history and artistic heritage of the area. Our local guide took us to see some of the most stunning views of Paris from Sacré-Cœur Basilica, a church at one of the highest points in the city with grand architecture and a famous mosaic interior.
We also visited Le Mur des Je T’aime —The Wall of Love— where the words “I love you” are written in over 250 languages, Le Bateau-Lavoir, which once housed artists including Picasso and Braque, and explored some of the lesser-known cobbled streets and hidden passageways.
Afternoon: Exploring Montmartre
After our tour, we stopped for lunch at the famous La Maison du Moulin de la Galette. The restaurant is near the famous Moulin de la Galette, a historic windmill that became a dance hall in the 19th century and was frequented by key names in the bohemian art scene at the time, such as Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Vincent van Gogh and Henri Toulouse-Lautrec. La Maison du Moulin de la Galette serves top-notch traditional French cuisine and is the ideal spot to stop for a meal before exploring the rest of Montmartre.
After we had eaten, we headed to Place du Tertre, also known as Artist’s Square, where the air buzzes with creativity. The square is surrounded by architectural beauty and was a meeting place for some of the most iconic artists during the Bohemian era. Today, the Place du Tertre is still brimming with artists, renowned for commissioning portraits and caricatures—the perfect keepsake from your romantic weekend in Paris.
Afterwards, we wandered down the enchanting Rue de l’Abreuvoir, then headed back to our hotel to scrub up for an unforgettable evening.
Evening: The Iconic Moulin Rouge
One of the most iconic things to do in Paris is easily a trip to The Moulin Rouge. When the Moulin Rouge, with its famed red windmill, opened in 1889, it was designed as a lavish dance hall and cabaret venue and rose to be the most popular site for Parisian nightlife at the time.
The golden age of the Moulin Rouge was the early 20th century, when it was a hotspot for artists, intellectuals and iconic figures of the time, all heading out for a night of cabaret and the can-can.
Today, The Moulin Rouge offers a dinner and show package, which we opted for, but you can also skip dinner and get a ticket for the show alone. Though the restaurant is pretty packed with tables, the gourmet food was to die for, and the famous red interior felt like a stunning step into the venue’s historical heyday. The show itself was a 2-hour long spectacle, with incredible choreography, lively music and dazzling costumes.
I’d say that though The Moulin Rouge isn’t the most intimate setting for Valentine’s Day itself, it’s still well worth the visit and offers a taste of history with your meal.
Day 2: Soaking in the Main Sights
Morning: Starting by the Seine
Flowing through the heart of Paris is the Seine River, splitting the city in two, with each side adorned by stunning architecture and iconic landmarks. We strolled along the left bank, Rive Gauche, to the famous Café de Flore to stop for breakfast, where we of course had authentic croissants and coffee to start the day. We chose Café de Flore because of its famed connection to the art world, but the banks of the River Seine are graced by hundreds of charming French cafés to choose from, so simply wandering by the water until somewhere catches your eye is easy.
No trip to Paris is complete without visiting the Louvre, so after breakfast, we walked for 20 minutes to get from Café de Flore to the most famous art gallery in Paris. The iconic glass pyramid in front of the museum is a modern contrast to the 13th-century palace that surrounds it, but we skirted around to the ‘secret’ entrance to the Louvre — Carrousel du Louvre.
This is a well-known shopping mall, but most tourists don’t realise that finding the inverted glass pyramid here will also lead you to an entrance to the Louvre itself; a handy trick for missing the crowds. Well known for masterpieces like the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo, the museum and gallery house more than 35,000 works of art, so while Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo may be on the list of ‘must see’ things in Paris, they were, in all honesty, a little underwhelming compared to some of the more vibrant, lesser-known pieces.
Top tip for visiting The Louvre: Book your tickets and time slot in advance to get quicker entry and avoid the crowds! It took us about 3.5 hours to soak in as much as we could before lunch, but keep in mind that as one of the most popular sights to see in Paris, there tends to be a lot of people, so the best time to visit on a weekend is when it opens at 9 am.
Lunch: A Bistro Bite
We chose to visit an authentic Parisian Bistro and a favourite amongst locals (and even Barak Obama) — La Fontaine de Mars. The quaint red interior and preserved mouldings give diners a true taste of old Paris. If you’re looking for a more splurge-worthy experience, however, L’Oiseau Blanc at The Peninsula Hotel is a reservations-only rooftop restaurant that overlooks stunning views of the Eiffel Tower and serves elegant dishes worthy of their Michelin Stars.
Afternoon: An Eye-Full of the Eiffel Tower
Of course, how are you going to prove that you went to Paris without photos of you in front of the Eiffel Tower? From La Fontaine de Mars, the Eiffel Tower is just a ten-minute walk, so we headed there on foot to make it there for our pre-booked time slot.
The trip takes you up to the summit, where the views of Paris sprawling out in all directions truly highlight the magnificence of the historical architecture and winding cobbled streets. As it is another of the most popular tourist attractions in Paris, the Eiffel Tower pulls in the crowds and needs to be booked in advance, but it is still worth the visit purely for the views.
Avoid the queues and book your trip to the EIffel Tower in advance!
Evening: A Romantic River Cruise
One of the most romantic things to do in Paris is a river dinner cruise on the Seine, so we rounded off our second day in the City of Love on the water, where we got unforgettable views of Notre Dame, the Louvre, Musée d’Orsay, and Île de la Cité lit up against the night sky. The views we got from the Eiffel Tower earlier in the day paled in comparison to the sight of it illuminated and reaching for the twinkling stars above. A romantic river dinner cruise offers a look at Paris from a whole new angle, with fine dining and the accompaniment of quintessential French music, a live accordion player.
After our cruise was over, we headed over to a real hidden gem; a wine bar called Le Comptoir Général, where the artistic yet rustic interior, buzzing atmosphere and amazing wines were the perfect way to finish off the busy day.
Day 3: Hidden Gems and a Fond Farewell
Morning: Marais Meander
On our final morning in Paris, we hired bicycles and rode around Le Marais, a vibrant neighbourhood full of art history and rich with old-world Parisian charm. Some streets are lined with a patchwork of colourful houses, while others boast more regal buildings with stunning stone architecture, making the area a unique blend of the old and the new. The neighbourhood is filled with chic boutiques and traditional cafés, so we rode around at leisure before picking a quaint boulangerie to stop for some freshly baked pastries.
We then headed to Musée Picasso—an 18th-century mansion that is now dedicated to the life and art of Pablo Picasso. The museum houses over 5,000 works of art and is a fascinating insight into the creative evolution of the master of surrealism. We spent a good two hours at the art gallery before we decided to explore further afield for lunch. Click Here to book tickets
Afternoon: Hidden Passageways of the 2nd Arrondissement
During our walking tour of Montmartre on our first day, our guide had shown us a few of the ‘hidden passageways’ in the area, so we decided we wanted to see more of Paris’ striking covered streets. We first headed to Galerie Vivienne for a bite to eat at Bistrot Vivienne, where we sat outside on the mosaic-tiled street. After lunch, we wandered over to Passage des Panoramas, just a ten-minute walk from Galerie Vivienne. Passage des Panoramas is slightly less regal, but no less impressive. Here, we browsed the many antique shops and vintage postcard sellers to find the perfect souvenirs from our Paris getaway.
Since the covered passageways are also called ‘arcades’, we were inspired to go a little more modern for the rest of the afternoon. Nothing says cheesy romance than winning your partner an oversized teddy on an arcade game, so we walked for another ten minutes over to La Tête dans les Nuages. Unfortunately, we were both on pretty poor form, so neither of us got to fulfil the cliché, maybe you’ll have more luck!
Evening: Sweet Endings
Our flight from Paris to Manchester was mid-evening, so we had just enough time to squeeze in a final romantic dinner at Le Grand Véfour. The restaurant is located in the Palais Royal Gardens and boasts opulent interiors, gilded mirrors, and a rich history as a social spot for 18th-century Parisian aristocrats and royals. The price was a bit of a splash, but we used up our left-over Euros to treat ourselves to some traditional yet extravagant French choux pastries before our dash to the airport.
The Most Romantic Hotels are in Paris: Where to Stay on Your Getaway
It’s no surprise that there is an abundance of romantic hotels in Paris, from quaint boutique hotels to five-star luxury giants, there’s a romantic hotel for every budget.
Our Top Tips for Visiting Paris
- Walk everywhere: Though the public transport in the city is brilliant and easy to navigate, exploring on foot or by bike gives you a chance to discover hidden gems that are off the beaten track.
- Book in advance: Many of the key attractions require time slots and tickets to be booked in advance, so plan your Paris itinerary carefully. Likewise, around Valentine’s Day restaurants are likely to be busy, so make reservations to avoid disappointment.
- Watch your budget: Paris is not a cheap city to visit, so keep an eye on prices in cafés and restaurants to make sure that you aren’t caught off-guard.
Final Thoughts
After three days in the city, it was clear to us why Paris is one of the top places to visit for Valentine’s Day. From seeing the world-famous tourist attractions like The Eiffel Tower to exploring the lesser-known neighbourhoods like Le Marais, every minute of our three-day getaway in the most romantic city in the world was a moment to cherish. After all, Paris is for lovers.
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