A Honeymoon in Paris from The World's Greatest Honeymoons

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It Really is the World's Most Romantic City!

Have you ever wondered why Paris is so often celebrated in movies, song, dance, and art? The reason is simple: the City of Light is always breathtaking—even in winter, when the light is often gray and the air shivery. Perhaps spring is the best time of the year: flowers run riot through gorgeous parks, lovers stroll hand-in-hand along sun-kissed boulevards, and courting birds fill the air with operatic arias. For you, especially, this boils down to a simple equation: Paris + April = a fabulous honeymoon.

But let's face it: in Paris, any time of the year makes for a perfect honeymoon.

Majestic and magical, Paris has been acknowledged for centuries as one of the world’s top centers for culture, cuisine, fashion—and romance. Yet despite its elegance and glamour, it’s a city where great pleasure can be taken from a simple stroll, perhaps through the Luxembourg Gardens, with its classic statuary, children sailing toy boats in the large central fountain, and Grand Guignol puppet shows.

One thing is certain: whether you’re visiting for the first time or the fiftieth, your heart will leap when catching sight of classic Parisian icons like the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Notre-Dame, River Seine, and Sacre-Coeur.

Why honeymoon here? There's a reason Paris is known as the world's Most Romantic City, and you'll find out why if you honeymoon here. Cons: Très cher, and don't expect English-speakers beyond your hotel or popular tourist sites.

Paris Honeymoon Ideas

Notre Dame Cathedral: Come to the symbolic Heart of Paris at dusk to witness the Notre Dame's famous Rose Window lit by the fading sun. Climb the stairs to the top to photograph yourselves with the gargoyles. When back on the solid ground, stroll all the way around this 12^th Century structure to study its elegant proportions and flying buttresses. If you'd like to learn more about the cathedral's history and architecture, visit Notre Dame Museum on nearby rue de Cloître. ~ And by all means visit the Crypte Archéologique beneath the pavement that stretches before Notre Dame. This fascinating underground excavation/ museum showcases the city’s original Roman walls and earliest buildings, displays numerous Gallo-Roman artifacts, and offers an idea of what life was like for the ancient Parisii—the Celtic tribe that lived here 2000 years ago and gave Paris its name.

Bateaux Mouche: As you cruise down the Seine, past dozens of ancient and beautiful bridges, you’ll have breathtaking views of Notre Dame, the Louvre, and the Eiffel Tower. You’ll spot fishermen on the quais (river banks), strolling Parisians, kissing couples, and barges chugging by. Bateaux Mouche cruises range from short daytime trips to gourmet excursions—but nothing beats a simple night cruise, when the boat’s floodlights briefly illuminate riverside monuments...and couples lost in an embrace.
By the way, a simple walk along the quais is one of this city's great pleasures. Many pedestrian walkways are cobblestoned, and they're all filled with romantic spots to sit and daydream. The Banks of the Seine were declared a World Heritage Site in 1991.

Place des Vosges: Constructed between 1605 and 1610 by King Henri IV, and originally known as Place Royale, the lovely Place des Vosges retains a decidedly regal air. A colonnaded square with 36 four-story, steep-roofed mansions, the Place surrounds a small, quiet park with fountains and comfortable benches. You’ll discover a delightful selection of sidewalk restaurants beneath the colonnades where you can dine outside in good weather. You may want to visit No. 6, the Maison de Victor Hugo—the famous writer's former home, and now a museum. Check out the nearby Carnavalet Museum; it's a fascinating trove of Parisian history, it’s housed in the former mansion of legendary 17th Century salonist and letter-writer, Mme de Sévigné.

Honeymoon Splurge: Take yourselves off for an unforgettable dining experience at one of the city's outrageously expensive three-star restaurants, where the food, ambiance, and service are as perfect as they could possibly be (that's why they have three stars). The price for a three-star meal in Paris is quite high; with wine, it's not unusual to pay $500 per person. Restaurants that currently sport those magic three stars are: Arpege, Astrance, Grand Vefour, Guy Savoy, l'Ambroisie, Ledoyen, Meurice (pictured here), Pierre Gagnaire, Plaza Athenée (Ducasse), and Pre Catalan. ~ Another idea: Many people prefer dining at less expensive one- or two-star destinations, where chefs pull out all the stops in pursuit of another star. »»Read about other honeymoon splurges around the world

Bois de Boulogne: A remnant of an ancient oak forest that sheltered bandits and was long used for royal hunts, the fashionable Bois de Boulogne is a sort of Parisian Central Park: huge (2090 acres), beautifully laid out, and filled with people walking, biking, skating, and riding horses. Come for lunch at one of the small cafés or upscale restaurants (including three-star Pre Catalan). Or enjoy a picnic on the grounds of neoclassical Château de Bagatelle (photo), built for Louis XIV's brother in 1775. Stroll around the lakes, drop in at the zoo, walk under the artificial waterfall, check out the museums (Museum of Folk Arts or the Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions), take in a racing event at Longchamps Racecourse. At night the scene changes dramatically, as the area becomes a notorious red-light district.

Museums²: Paris is one of the world's major museum cities, with venues ranging from the giant Louvre to tiny hideaways holding narrow-but-deep collections (fountain pens, say). Here's a brief overview of just a few:

Housed in a palace dating back to 1546, the Louvre Museum has sported a stunning modern entryway since 1993—a stark glass pyramid designed by I. M. Pei. What's here: Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa (the No. 1 attraction); the Winged Victory of Samothrace; Fra Angelico's Cornation of the Virgin; thousands of historically important paintings and statuary, as well as rare Egyptian, Oriental, Greek, Roman, and Etruscan antiquities. ~ The Musée d’Orsay, housed in the former Gare d'Orsay railroad station on the banks of the Seine, has ranked as one of the city's top attractions since its 1986 opening. Devoted to (mostly) French art from 1848 to 1914, the d'Orsay is best known for its stunning collection of Impressionist works by the likes of Monet, Manet, Van Gogh, Morisot, Renoir, and other major players. What's here: Manet's Olympia; Renoir's Bal au moulin de la Galette, Montmartre; Van Gogh's Self Portrait and Starry Night Over the Rhone; Morisot's The Cradle. ~ Don’t leave Paris without checking out Nymphéas, Claude Monet’s monumental series of 8 panels of water lilies. The paintings are located near the Louvre in the 1852 glass-and-stone Musée de l'Orangerie, on the southern edge of the Tuileries Gardens. This small museum—parts of which have recently been modernized—was originally built in 1852 as a pavilion greenhouse. In 1922, Monet offered the panels to the French nation if a suitable place could be found to house them. The Orangerie was chosen. Also here: works by Cezanne, Picasso, Maillol, Soutine, and others. ~ The Orangerie has a twin, constructed at the roughly same time to house tennis courts. Today it's the Galerie Nationale du Jeu de Paume, charged with promoting innovative photography and mechanical/electrical art through education, guided tours, and changing exhibits. ~ The Rodin Museum and gardens is one of the most popular museum stops in Paris. The artist’s personal collection is displayed in the 1730 house (home at one time or another to artists Jean Cocteau, Henri Matisse, and Auguste Rodin). An added treat are works by the doomed sculptor Camille Claudel. The garden is dotted with significant Rodin works, including The Burghers of Calais. ~ The Picasso Museum makes for a great visit. It's situated in the heart of the city, the Marais, in a beautifully-restored 1565 mansion. Oddly, this ancient building makes a superb backdrop for the paintings, sculpture, ceramics, and inventions of the great genius of modern art, covering his career from beginning to end. Some works by Matisse and Cézanne are here as well. ~ Other museums: Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie, one of the world's largest and most popular science museums. • At Musée Jacquemart-André, Italian Renaissance, Flemish, and 18th century French masterpieces of art and décor are shown in situ in the former mansion of a wealthy 19th century couple. • The Institut du Monde Arabe has all 242 south-facing windows equipped with electro-photo instruments that react to the sun and adjust metallic shutters (it's pretty stunning to see). The museum is dedicated to Arab and Islamic art. • The Musée National des Arts et Métiers, founded in 1794, holds a fascinating collection of inventions—many major—going back centuries. • The Musée de Cluny is housed in a Gothic building erected on the ruins of Roman baths from the second century. You'll see a jaw-dropping collection of art and artifacts from the middle ages—most notably the world's most famous tapestry, The Lady and the Unicorn.

Learn about other Paris museums here.

Museum photos, starting at top: The Louvre, Musee d'Orsay, Musee de l'Orangerie, Rodin Museum, Musee de Cluny.

Marché aux Puces. The city has quite a few flea markets, but we’re talking about the flea market—the 700-acre giant that's been going strong for centuries at Saint-Ouen, on the city's northern end. When you emerge from the Porte de Clignancourt Metro stop, ignore all those tacky vendor stalls and follow the crowds to the real thing. You’ll know you’re there when you're surrounded by small shops and covered stalls filled with beguiling goods—antique furniture and objets d'arte; old prints and books; vintage clothing, jewelry, art, tools, kitchenware... Small restaurants dot the area. In fine weather you can relax outside over a citron pressé and take in the passing scene; if it's cold, warm up indoors with a bowl of soupe à l'oignon. Clignancourt is open Saturday-Monday, with up to 180,000 bargain-hunters in the 3-day period. Busiest day is Saturday, and it’s best to come early. A cautionary note: pickpockets make a good living here, so carry a credit card and money beneath your clothing. And one last word of advice: wear your comfiest shoes.

Sacré-Coeur Basilica: Located in Montmartre atop the city’s highest hill, this all-white travertine, multiple-domed, Romanesque-Byzantine landmark can be seen from various parts of Paris. You’ll get terrific views from atop the hill; they’re even better if you climb to the middle dome's gallery, where you can see clear across Paris and into the surrounding countryside, a distance of about 30 miles. Sacré-Coeur looks like it's been there forever, or at least centuries, but it's actually relatively new (It was completed in 1919). ~ When you’re through, explore the many pleasures of Montmartre. Once home to a large assortment of undiscovered artists—including Picasso, Van Gogh, Monet, Modigliani, and Dali—today the area is largely geared to tourists. Yet, somehow, it continues to possess a vital atmosphere. The Place des Tertre may be Tourism Central, but it can be fun. It’s usually filled with artists working at their easels (hoping like mad that you’ll buy one of their street scenes or caricatures). Many cafés ring the plaza, affording a colorful lunch stop. But, frankly, you’ll tend to find better and less expensive meals in the tiny restaurants on the surrounding streets. The area also contains many shops, nightclubs, and small museums such as the Musée de Montmartre and Espace Dali.

Boulevard Haussmann's Department Stores: Since the late 19th century, wide and tree-lined Boulevard Haussmann has been noted for its trés chic emporiums. Most famous is Art Nouveau-era Galeries Lafayette, with its beautiful glass-and-steel dome, gracefully curved staircase, and 10 stories chock-full of top Parisian names in fashion, beauty, perfume, and décor. It's the perfect place to buy a sexy French negligee or lacy underwear. Every Friday afternoon at 3:00, a free fashion show takes place on the 7th floor, with models showing the latest high-fashion designs. ~ A major feature of rival department store Au Printemps is the huge 1924 stained-glass cupola covering its main restaurant, Brasserie Printemps; the Art Nouveau dome is composed of more than 3000 pieces of glass. In Printemps' three adjoining buildings you'll find a wide range of merchandise, with one entire floor devoted to elite services (personal shoppers, limo service, multilingual interpreters) and luxury fashion from designers like Chanel, Saint Laurent, Gaultier, and Moschino. The 9th floor self-serve rooftop restaurant offers wonderful views at moderate prices.

The Opera Houses: That's right; it's plural: Paris has two opera houses. The grandly ostentatious Opéra Garnier—with its plush red-and-gold interior, box seats extending upward 5 tiers, and impressive statuary—dazzled even the most sophisticated Parisians when it opened in 1875. Celebrated by artists and writers, it served as inspiration for a 1910 novel that would become legendary as a film and Broadway play: Phantom of the Opera. These days Garnier has become a major destination for dance troupes from around the world, including Twyla Tharp, the Tokyo Ballet, and the San Francisco Ballet. ~ One of the first events of the Revolution was the complete destruction by a mob of the infamous prison, Bastille Saint-Antoine. The location is now occuped by Opéra Bastille, which opened in 1989, the bi-centennial of the French Revolution. Behind its modernistic exterior, the new opera house offers seating for 2700 and impeccable acoustics. ~ Both opera houses are venues for the Opéra National de Paris.

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All written material ©WGH ~ Photos: Myk Reeve (Sacre-Coeur); Paris Tourist Office and David LeFranc (GF dome, Bateaux Mouche, Notre Dame, Louvre, d'Orsay); Alain Potignon (Eiffel Tower), Amélie Dupont (Kissing Couple, Place des Vosges), David Lefeuvre (Bois de Boulogne), Marc Bertrand (l'Orangerie, Cluny), and Claire Pignol (Opera Garnier interior), Jacques LeBar (Rodin Museum). The oil painting—Flea Market, Porte de Clignancourt, by Luigi Loir (1845-1916)—is in the public domain.