Paris, the city of love, is known to be one of the most romantic places on Earth: the beautiful Eiffel tower sparkling in the evenings, the Seine river flowing peacefully and cute couples walking down the streets hand in hand. However, the population of 2,2 million inside the Paris and another 11,9 million living in the region of Ile-de-France might make everyday life interesting, especially if you are from the northern Europe, where even the biggest cities are not really crowded. You might suddenly confront situations that haven’t even crossed your mind before.
That is why I decided to prepare a little Valentine’s day guide for you to make the most romantic day of the year as succeessful as possible. In fact, this guide gathers some tips for activities that you might want to include in your plan.
- Transportation
In 2019, the valentine’s day will be on Thursday, which means there will be a lot of Parisians in the traffic. The most efficient way to travel in Paris is probably the public transportation system, mainly the metro, since the traffic on top of the ground is always suffering from the overload of cars, buses, taxes, delivery cars etc. Also, you must remember that the traffic lights and roundabouts might slow your travel.
This being said, choose the metro, but evite it during the rush hours, if possible. What’s interesting about the metro lines though, is that some have a little different rush hour than others. I think this depends on what kind of activities people on the area have, if they work later or if they enjoy going out in the evenings. However, the rush hours are mainly between 8-10 am and 5-6 pm in the evenings.
In any case, when traveling in Paris you must always be prepared to travel with a lot of people. But don’t worry, even if it is not the most romantic way to spend your Valentine’s day, you will make it with a couple of kind words and smiles. Also, I would recommend you hold your purse tight, there are a lot of pick pockets!
2. Romantic gift
Paris is the city of luxurious design and parfum shops but also little delicacies that will surprise your valentine with their Parisian vibe (and that you can afford also with your student budget, at least once a year). For example, a good date could start with a box of macarons from Ladurée and with a bottle of sparkling wine. The best thing to do is to choose each macaron from collection of flavours one by one. Just be prepared to do a little queueing, since you won’t be the only one buying this gift.
Also, one way to offer a romantic gift is a breakfast in bed, right? In Paris, you can enjoy fresh pastries, like croissants and pains au chocolat every morning from your nearby Boulangerie.
3. Perfect dinner
Paris is full of restaurants, but how to pick up the right one?
Usually, what I have noticed is, that the best restaurants are the ones that won’t take any reservations. This means that they are confident enough about getting enough customers anyway. If you choose a popular place like this for your important date, I would recommend showing up at the opening time.
One good quality-price place like this is Chez Gladines (13th arrondisment of Paris; 30 Rue des cinq Diamants, 75013 Paris, France). Friendly service and great menu of Basque foods!
Also, if you already didn’t know, Paris is a perfect city to have sushi: There are an incredible amount of sushi restaurants in every corner. I shall share my favourite one with you: Yooki Sushi, 8th arrondissement; 1 Rue de Castellane, 75008 Paris, France. The freshest sushi and efficient service.
4. Cultural activities
The city of love is also known for its large cultural options and what would be a better way to charm your date, choose one of these:
- Louvre : Visit to see Monalisa, Venus de Milo and Sphinx. The museum is free for everyone who is less than 26 years-old and lives in the European economic area. Also, a lot of other big museums have this policy, so make sure to check the facts on their homepage before your visit! In addition, the fastest way to access the museum is to take “Carrousel du Louvre” entrance through the shopping mall. The line starts just underneath an upside-down glass pyramid.
- Théâtre Mogador: Who doesn’t love musicals? This theatre is not immense, but it surely has quite a bit of charm. Also, the musicals are very high quality and I do personally recommend the ongoing show “Chicago” for everyone. English subtitles are available! Also, they do have distinct tickets for people under 25. Affordable and lovable!
I hope you are now able to confront the crowds of the city of love with my advice. Remember, the perfect valentine’s day date might also be a nice long walk at the Seine river towards the Eiffel tower at night. The only limit is your imagination.