5 romantic activities for lovers in Paris

Beautiful Paris, the city of love and romantic artists, has a wide range of activities to offer for moments for two. Here is a list of ideas for outings you can do with your sweetheart / love in Paris.

A walk in Montmartre

Situated high above the city, the Montmartre neighborhood is the one of the most beautiful places in Paris that is ideal for a romantic date for two. The most famous is the Sacré Coeur, a basilica built from 1876 to 1910 that can be admired day and night without interruption or offers space for silent prayer. After admiring the sculpture decor, the organ and the mosaics, you can take a look in the crypt or, even better, climb the 240 steps to the dome to enjoy one of the most wonderful views of Paris in the arms of your treasure.

Also on the hill of Montmartre is the Place de Tertre, a place completely in the Parisian flair where you will find many artists offering their services as realistic or caricature portrait painters. What a good idea to artistically capture this beautiful moment for two forever… before moving on to a candlelit dinner in one of the many restaurants that line the square.

If you want to surprise your lover(s) with a love confession in another language, continue down the hill to Square Jean Rictus at Place des Abbesses. In front of the wall of numerous declarations of love, on which is written 311 times in 250 different languages “I love you”, you too can pronounce the three little words.

Afterwards, if you were moved by the love story between Christian and Satine in the movie Moulin Rouge, you can pay a visit to the famous and mythical Parisian cabaret and reenact your favorite scenes from the movie with your sweetheart.

Romance in art

If you’re a bit short of inspiration, you’re guaranteed to find it through the romantic artworks in Paris’ myriad museums, such as the Musée d’Orsay and the Louvre, where masterful works by Delacroix such as “Medea,” “Entry of the Crusaders into Constantinople” and “Liberty Leads the People” are on display. You can also visit the Musée Rodin (link to site in French), where you can smoothly take a cue from Rodin’s sensual masterpiece “The Kiss.”

For those who want to go straight into medias res, the Museum of Romantic Life (Musée de la vie romantique ,link to page in French) on Rue Chaptal is a good choice. This is the old house of the painter Ary Scheffer, whose works you can visit together with those of Ernest Renan and George Sand. In the garden of the museum, a real haven of peace and quiet in the heart of Paris, you can also enjoy a cup of tea in peace and quiet.

Also, in the large oval exhibition rooms of the Musée de l’Orangerie and its idyllic paintings, you will really feel like you are immersed in art.

Visit an opera performance

We’re already used to rendezvous with movie-going, so why not try something new and see a ballet or opera at Paris’ Opéra Garnier (site in French) (admission and tour of the opera without screening around €11)? The radiant opera building, located in the ninth district of Paris, has long been part of the cityscape. Ever since it was commissioned by Napoléon II back in the day, the Garnier Opera House has witnessed historical events and changes in the city in the 19th and 20th centuries, as well as being the setting for many great stage works.

The architecture of this stunning building also makes this place one you should definitely take your beloved / your beloved to: neo-baroque architectural style, sculptures and gilded statues, … everything here inspires you to dream! When you enter the building, right at the entrance you will find the famous “Basin of Pythia”, a figure from Greek mythology and the magnificent staircase that leads up to the other floors. The opera is also the setting for a famous love story, that of Christine Daaé and Erik from the play The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux, from which you can also draw inspiration.

The bridges of lovers

Although putting locks on the Pont des Arts, Pont de l’Archevêché and Pont Alexandre III bridges is now no longer possible, you can at least symbolically swear eternal love with your sweetheart and enjoy the moment on one of the impressive Parisian bridges and the view of the many surrounding sights. The most important thing is and remains, after all, that you do not hang a lock with a promise on a bridge, but that you make a promise to each other!

The Pont des Arts, the “Bridge of Arts”, connects Quai Malaquais and Quai Conti at the level of the Institut de France. It is a listed monument and the love locks, installed from around 2008, had to be removed in 2015 to protect the bridge from collapse or damage.

The Pont de l’Archevêché, which leads from the mainland to Île de la Cité, takes its name from the former Archbishop’s Palace (l’archevêché in French), which was located to the southwest of Notre Dame Cathedral. Moreover, this bridge is the extension of the Quai de l’Archevêché. Again, the love locks were placed on the bridge railings, but have since been removed as well.

The Pont Alexandre III, which also had to endure the enormous load of attached love locks, connects the seventh and eighth districts of Paris at the level of the Invalides Cathedral. From here you have a wonderful view of the Seine and the Eiffel Tower.

The Île de la Cité, a romantic island in the center of Paris

The whole island offers a variety of places where you would love to take your sweetheart in your arms and hug him.

First and foremost is Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral (link to page in French), a masterpiece of French Gothic architecture. Its location in the heart of the Île de la Cité on the banks of the Seine and its enchanting stained glass windows, which bathe the interior of the cathedral in a play of colored light, make Notre Dame de Paris one of the most enchanting sights, with visitor numbers exceeding even those of the Eiffel Tower. But not even the crowds of tourists at “rush hours”, which you should rather avoid, can take away the charm or beauty of this magnificent cathedral.

Afterwards, you can stroll along the Boulevard du Palais to admire other buildings in the area such as the Conciergerie, the Palais de Justice and Saint Chapelle, all of which are definitely among the buildings worth seeing in Paris. It is also available to book a hotel room near to Notre Dame, that can be found at https://karta.com. 

A little further upstream you will find another square that is one of the most romantic places in Paris: the Place Dauphine. This is the second royal square of the city, which already had great importance in 17th century Paris and today is a place of peace and harmony, where you can spend a pleasant time and beautiful moments in one of the small art galleries or the many cafes and restaurants.

On the other side of the island is the Square du Vert-Galant, named after the nickname given to King Henri IV because of his many conquests (“Vert-Galant” means “A man active even in old age”). This small green space at the tip of the island is reminiscent of a garden where you can spend intimate moments with your treasure while the Seine gently laps against the banks of the island.