A couple embrace in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

Romantic Things to do in Paris

By Stuart Bak

Wander the streets of the City of Love and you’ll soon discover how Paris earned this most romantic of nicknames. Charming tree-lined squares, couples holding hands at pavement cafés, secret flower gardens and swoonsome Art Deco architecture are just a handful of reasons among many. Read on to discover our pick of the most romantic things to do in Paris, from sunset cruises on the Seine to dining in the Eiffel Tower.

Romantic Walks and Cruises in Paris

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Is there anything more romantic than bobbing along gently in a rowboat, basking in sunshine and gazing lovingly into the eyes of your favorite human? Bois de Boulogne is one of Paris’s biggest parks (over twice the size of Central Park!) and contains a chateau, a botanical garden and several ponds and lakes. It’s on the largest of these – the Lac Inferieur, or Lower Lake – that you can rent old-fashioned wooden boats and row out onto the tranquil waters. Impress your partner by whipping out a Parisian picnic of wine, cheese and fresh baguette when you return to the bank, before taking a post-lunch stroll through the forest to the rose-filled Parc de Bagatelle botanical garden. Keep your eyes peeled for resident peacocks and cute native red squirrels along the way.

Paris is chock-full of opportunities for loved-up walks. Stroll hand-in-hand along the Canal Saint-Martin with its shaded quays, cute boho cafés and craft beer bars. Or head to – hear me out – Père Lachaise Cemetery, where sweeping tree-lined avenues are flanked by beautifully decorative sculptures and mausoleums. It’s here you’ll find the tomb of star-crossed lovers Heloise and Abelard, a favorite illicit meeting spot for young sweethearts in the 19th Century. Tradition dictates that visitors to Oscar Wilde’s final resting place should plant a lipsticky kiss on the celebrated author’s grave, though you might be advised to give your relatively germ-free significant other a smooch here instead.

A sunset Seine cruise is a great way to see the sights of Paris from the water. Go all gooey-eyed at landmarks including the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame Cathedral and Louvre Museum as dusk falls and thousands of lights start to twinkle across the city. Grab a glass of champagne to enhance this perfect moment, as your bateau sails gently beneath the soaring arch of Pont Alexandre III, with its gorgeously ornate Art Deco lanterns.

I Heart Montmartre

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Of all the places in Paris that can legitimately lay claim to being the city’s most romantic, Montmartre is arguably the one true holder of the title. Its narrow cobbled alleys, adorable Parisian cafés and, of course, the sumptuous Sacré-Cœur basilica all seem designed with the express intention of making you swoon.

Take a walking tour with a local guide to get your bearings then cut loose with your bae to make the kind of romantic memories money just can’t buy. Start by taking in the flamboyant byzantine-style confection that is the Sacré-Cœur and enjoy the sweeping views it affords from its vantage point at the very top of the city. If you’re planning to pop the question, you’d struggle to find a more romantic spot than this. Although, apparently, Paris’s most popular location for proposing marriage isn’t the Sacré-Cœur. Nor even the Eiffel Tower. Or the Palace of Versailles. Nope, it’s... Disneyland. Your guess is as good as ours.

Hidden away in Montmartre’s tiny Jehan-Rictus garden square is the wildly romantic-sounding Le Mur Des Je t’aime. This permanent art installation – a love-themed wall made from enameled lava tiles – features the phrase ‘I love you’ in 250 languages, so you can learn to whisper your sweet nothings in Italian, Indonesian, Inuit and more.

Like many places in Paris, Montmartre becomes even more beautiful and atmospheric as the sun sets. There’s not much to beat sitting on the basilica steps on a sultry summer evening at sundown, watching the sky change color as the old-fashioned double-decker carousel below wheels into motion, all colorful horses, ornate carriages, carnival lights and the sound of laughter drifting up on the warm evening air.

La Belle Vie

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One of the most extravagant former royal residences on the planet, the Palace of Versailles lies a short distance west of Paris and is easy (and cheap) to reach by direct train. You could easily spend a day here, wandering the palace’s vast interior and experiencing the multitude of impossibly opulent rooms that include the Hall of Mirrors and the King’s private apartments. Don’t miss Marie Antoinette’s quaint Hamlet, a ‘rustic’ retreat with a working mill, and of course the palace’s perfectly manicured formal gardens. Wander among the endless paths, ponds, sculptures and fountains with your own king or queen, admiring this landscaping masterwork that has remained largely unchanged since Louis XIV’s reign in the 17th Century.

Not without merit, the Palace of Versailles is one of the world’s most popular attractions. So, if you prefer your chateau sightseeing a little more intimate, Fontainebleau and Vincennes also come highly recommended as alternative options. Both are just as captivating, and equally accessible from central Paris.

Paris boasts plenty of romantic restaurants and hotels that will make you feel like royalty yourself. Splash out on a lavish dinner inside the Eiffel Tower at Le Jules Verne, where views of the city sparkling far below like thousands of tiny diamonds are matched only by the immaculate tasting menu and finest French wines.

You may have to mortgage a kidney or two to get a room at the Shangri-La Paris. But what price love, eh? This grand and oh-so-Parisian hotel, once the home of Prince Roland Bonaparte, has vintage-feel rooms and suites in golds and duck-egg blues, many with views of the Eiffel Tower. There’s also a chic spa and lovely sun terrace for summer dining. But be prepared to dig deep: prices for rooms without a view start well into four figures. Ooh la la indeed.

But maybe, just maybe, all you need for that unforgettable romantic Paris moment is a bottle of chilled champagne and a paper bag brimming with sugary-sweet chouquettes fresh from the boulangerie. Head to the banks of the Seine with your sweetheart at sundown and watch the City of Love light up. Perfect.

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Paris Explorer Pass Vs The Paris Pass

Paris is one of those places you absolutely must visit at least once. And probably twice, or more. But let’s not mince words here: it can be eye-wateringly expensive, from those spicy city-center hotel prices to tourist-trap restaurants, cabaret tickets (even the cheap seats at the Moulin Rouge and Crazy Horse ain’t that cheap!), and entry to bucket-list Paris attractions like the Eiffel Tower, Louvre Museum and Palace of Versailles. Not to mention the Arc de Triomphe, Musée d’Orsay, the exceptional Picasso and Rodin museums and, well, we could go on. Go City’s Paris Explorer Pass and Paris Pass are two great ways of ticking off those must-see museums, monuments and more while saving money for those other most essential of Parisian pastimes (we’re talking coffee, croissants, and café culture in general). But which is better value? And which will suit your Paris getaway best? We’ve broken it down to help you decide which pass to go for. Savvy travelers, read on… Paris Explorer Pass Vs The Paris Pass If you’re planning a trip to Paris and hope to take in more than the tiniest handful of city tours, activities and attractions, we have just the thing for you. The Paris Explorer Pass and Paris Pass from Go City offer two simple but slightly differing options for saving money when visiting multiple Paris attractions, including big-ticket must-sees like the Eiffel Tower and Louvre. For the most up-to-date information, prices and attraction inclusions, and to buy your pass, please visit the official websites: The Paris Pass Paris Explorer Pass How the Passes Work to Save You Money A Go City Explorer Pass lets you choose how many attractions you want to visit when in town, while The Paris Pass lets you choose the number of consecutive calendar days in which to sightsee. In short, that means that the amount of money you save with the Explorer Pass will largely depend on standard entry prices at the attractions you choose to visit, while how much you save with The Paris Pass depends on the volume of tours, attractions and activities you can squeeze into your chosen number of days. Note that some of the most popular attractions on both passes require pre-booking. Paris Explorer Pass The Paris Explorer Pass includes your choice of several Paris tours, activities and attractions for one money-saving price. The pass comes in several options, from three-attraction choices up to seven. Once you’ve bought your pass, you’re then free to pick and choose from a selection of around 50 great things to see and do in and around Paris. You have 60 days from time of purchase to use your pass. Just show it at each attraction and you’re in – no need to pay at the gate. Savvy savers can potentially save up to 50% by visiting a high number of big-ticket attractions like Parc Astérix, a macaron-making class at the iconic Galeries Lafayette, and the Ultimate Louvre Experience, which includes a guided tour of the grounds and skip-the-line entry to the museum.  The Paris Pass The Paris Pass includes admission to almost 100 attractions for your choice of two, three, four or six consecutive days. Choose attractions, tours and activities on the go from 80+ options and simply flash your pass at each one to get in. Because the value of The Paris Pass increases the more you use it and savings don’t necessarily depend on visiting big-ticket attractions like the Eiffel Tower, you may well end up discovering some of the city’s more charming smaller museums – the Orangerie, and others dedicated to the work of  Rodin, Picasso, Dalí and Gustave Moreau being among some of the most polished gems in town. Your pass is activated the first time you use it and will expire after your chosen number of consecutive days have elapsed. What’s Included on the Passes? Both passes include the option to visit some very popular Paris attractions, as well as a number of walking tours and other fun activities. But not all are available on both passes, so it’s always worth checking the individual websites for the most up-to-date inclusions. For example, at time of writing both passes include entry to the Eiffel Tower and Louvre, but with slightly different experiences (e.g. elevator guided tour on Explorer; guided climb on The Paris Pass). You can visit the Rodin Museum or take a walking tour of the city’s beautiful 19th-century shopping arcades with either pass, but you’ll need a Paris Pass if you want to let your hair down at Parc Astérix or ogle the French Impressionist masterpieces in the Musée d’Orsay, while the Explorer Pass is your key to unlocking the secrets of Père Lachaise Cemetery or riding the Petit Train de Montmartre. In Brief… Still wondering which of the Paris Pass or Explorer Pass is for you? In short, the Explorer is likely to be right if you’re in town for a few days (or longer) and plan to intersperse a few bucket-list attractions with plenty of café culture and gentle strolls along the City of Light’s broad boulevards and swoonsome canals. Go for The Paris Pass if you’re a sightseeing hurricane, and hope to squeeze as many major (and minor) attractions, tours and activities into your Paris break as you can. Want to Save Even More? While visiting Paris on a shoestring is near-impossible, money-saving Paris attraction passes like the Paris Explorer and Paris Pass can really help take the edge off. But there are other ways to get more for your Euro. Check out our hints and tips on some of the most cost-effective (and free!) ways to have fun in Paris in the blogs below: Cheap things to do in Paris Unique and affordable Paris dining experiences The best markets in Paris The best walks in Paris Paris tourist traps to avoid Save on Attractions, Tours and Activities in Paris Save on admission to Paris attractions with Go City. Check out @GoCity on Instagram for the latest top tips and attraction info.
Stuart Bak
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Best Art Galleries in Paris

The birthplace of Impressionism, Paris is a veritable paradise for artists and art lovers. It’s a city that has inspired and produced a disproportionate number of household names over the centuries – think Matisse, Modigliani, Manet and Toulouse-Lautrec. It’s no surprise then that Paris is where you’ll find some of the world’s finest galleries and museums as well as, of course, arguably the most recognizable (and certainly the most visited) painting on the planet. Read on to be inspired by our selection of some of the best art galleries in Paris. The Big Hitters The Louvre Museum Of course, no visit to Paris would be complete without passing through the Louvre’s iconic glass pyramid and entering its multi-level labyrinth of galleries, corridors, stairways and escalators. With nearly 40,000 works of art on display at any given time, covering painting, sculpture, antiquities and much more, the Louvre is the world’s most-visited museum and contains many of its greatest and most famous artistic treasures. Come for the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo, stay for the ancient Great Sphinx of Tanis, French crown jewels and the decadent pastries and fancies served in the museum’s Café Richelieu Angelina, where the Mont Blanc – a grand confection of meringue, whipped cream and chocolate shavings – is something of a work of art in itself. Musée d’Orsay More compact, easier to navigate and significantly less crowded than the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay’s collection of 19th and 20th-century art packs a real punch. Here, in what used to be the Gare d’Orsay train station, you can view world-class pieces including Van Gogh’s mesmerizing Starry Night over the Rhône and Self Portrait, perhaps the greatest selfie of them all. French Impressionism and Post-Impressionism is particularly well represented here, with a great variety of Toulouse-Lautrec’s Moulin Rouge-inspired pieces and many Monet masterpieces, including one from his Water Lilies series. Don’t miss the original station clock, which hangs in the impressive main hall, and head to fifth-floor Café Campana by the Impressionist Gallery, where a giant clock-face window affords enchanting views across the Seine to the Louvre and Sacré-Cœur Basilica. Musée de Montmartre Montmartre’s cobbled streets, bohemian vibe and awe-inspiring views across Paris have attracted a great many artists over the years, among them – deep breath – Renoir, Manet, Toulouse-Lautrec, Van Gogh, Picasso, Miró and Modigliani, many of whom are represented here at the Musée de Montmartre. Housed in one of the district’s oldest buildings, the Musée de Montmartre was once a mansion containing artists’ studios used by the likes of Renoir, Charles Camoin and Suzanne Valadon. The peaceful surrounding gardens are named in memory of Renoir, who painted several of his greatest masterpieces when he lived here in the 1870s, including the Bal du moulin de la Galette and Jardin de la rue Cortot, depicting this very garden. Top Paris Museums for Kids Centre Pompidou Paris has stacks of fab museums that children will love with many, including big hitters like the Louvre and Musée d’Orsay, offering free entry for under 18s. The huge Centre Pompidou has an entire floor dedicated to kids aged from 2-16, offering informative tours, exhibitions, hands-on workshops and bags of interactive fun. Better still, workshops for kids aged nine and over don’t require parental supervision, leaving you free to explore the center’s National Museum of Modern Art, which boasts a collection including Picasso, Pollock, Warhol and many more, that’s rivaled only by MoMA in NYC in terms of its variety, scope and quality. Musée du Quai Branly Kids will adore the Musée du Quai Branly’s quirky exterior: a towering green wall of foliage that looks like a giant garden flipped on its side. Inside, there’s much for bright young minds to discover among the vast collection of indigineous art from around the world. Highlights that are sure to entertain include dramatic ceremonial masks from India and Africa, Aboriginal tree-bark paintings, a brightly mosaiced Volkswagen Beetle from Mexico and a massive medieval Moai head from Easter Island. Kids here can also shrug off uncool parents and fly solo in fun arty workshops for ages 6-12. Single Artist Museums Musée Rodin Arguably France’s greatest ever sculptor, Auguste Rodin is celebrated here in a fine collection that also includes a few paintings by fellow Gallic luminaries such as Renoir and Monet. Indisputable star of the show here though is the sedate seven-acre sculpture garden, where many of Rodin’s best-loved creations – including The Thinker, Monument to the Burghers of Calais and The Gates of Hell – can be found scattered among perfectly sculpted box hedges and ornamental pools. Musée Picasso-Paris This collection of over 5,000 works by the father of Cubism is among the world’s finest. His offbeat and unsettling world is represented here by around 700 paintings and surreal sculptures, plus thousands of drawings, notebooks, photos, engravings and other ephemera. Explore the four stories of this delightful 17th-century palace to discover pieces including his Self-Portrait and La Celestina, painted during Picasso’s Blue Period, as well as later works from his Cubist phase and works depicting scenes from the Spanish Civil War from his harrowing war paintings series. Musée National Gustave Moreau Dedicated to the life and works of 19th-century Symbolist painter Gustave Moreau, this fascinating museum was the Moreau family home until the artist’s death in 1898. Among its many highlights are a quite extraordinary spiral staircase and some fairly out-there compositions featuring unicorns and other mythical creatures, hallucinatory visions, bizarre plants and more. Printed guides containing extensive and often rambling commentaries from the man himself are available to take around the museum with you, and you can even visit his old studio and top-floor apartment. Save on the best art galleries in Paris Save on admission to Paris attractions with Go City. Check out @GoCity on Instagram and Facebook for the latest top tips and attraction info.
Stuart Bak
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Things to do in Paris for Pride Day

Oh l’amour! There’s a reason Paris is known as the City of Love, what with all those romantic boulevards, cute sidewalk cafés, handsome bridges, and swoonsome sunset strolls along the banks of the Seine. But love really comes to town in June, when the annual Pride festival – or Quinzaine des Fiertés – kicks off. Two weeks of shows, parties, exhibitions and debates in support of the LGBTQ+ cause, the festival is a celebration of love, diversity and inclusion that takes in everything from drag performances to dance shows, sporting spectaculars, bingo nights, roller-skating events and, of course, the grand finale: a joyful parade (aka the Marche des Fiertés) that snakes through the streets of Paris on the last Saturday of the month, drawing in up to 750,000 spectators and participants. Ooh la la! Dive in for our guide to all the best things to do in Paris on and around Pride Day. La Marche des Fiertés There are around 50 LGBTQ+ events taking place in council and municipal buildings and other gay-friendly spaces around Paris during the fortnight that precedes the Marche des Fiertés. Many of these are held in and around Le Marais, Paris’s beautiful, atmospheric and storied gay district. French speakers can find a full program on the country’s official Pride website.  But, as month-end approaches it’s really all about the Marche des Fiertés, Paris’s vibrant Pride parade, which sees the city center explode in a riot of dancing, singing and laughter, all wrapped up in a simply enormous outpouring of love. The route usually begins at (or near) the Tour Montparnasse, which just happens to be the city’s only skyscraper. Naturally, then, it’s also home to Paris’s highest observation platform – perfect if you want to watch the rainbow-colored parade from above. There are passionate, rousing speeches from around 1PM before, at 2PM, the crowd commences its two-hour crawl to the Place de la République, via Place de la Bastille. Spectators can expect to spot flamboyant floats, carnivalesque costumes, drag queens, stilt walkers, roller skaters, and more. The conclusion of the Parade doesn’t spell the end of Paris Pride. Far from it, in fact. The party continues until late in the evening, thanks to thrilling live music and wild drag performances on the main stage at Place de la République (or sometimes Place de la Bastille, depending on the parade route).  And nor does it end there: lively street parties continue across Paris well into the wee small hours, and it’s also a great (if somewhat busy) time to visit Paris’s finest gay bars and clubs. Hit up the Marais district for some of the most popular in town, among them the legendary Café Cox, Le Cud Bar, Les Souffleurs, and La Perle. LGBTQ+ Art & Culture We get it: massive, high-on-life crowds ain’t everybody’s cup of thé. So here’s the good news: you don’t need to join the end-of-June party to get a taste of Parisian LGBTQ+ culture. Try these for size instead: The Louvre: the largest (and most-visited) museum on the planet holds an extraordinary collection of gay art. We’re talking Ancient Greek vases featuring eye-popping homoerotic illustrations, an 18th-century sculpture of the heroic gay couple from Virgil’s Aeneid, several busts of Emperor Hadrian’s plaything Antinous, and a number of pieces by Renaissance geniuses Michelangelo and da Vinci. Top Louvre visiting tips here. Père Lachaise Cemetery: not just an utterly beautiful cemetery, with broad, leafy boulevards flanked by gothic gravestones and monumental memorials, Père Lachaise also just happens to be the final resting place of several gay icons of yore. Pay your respects at the graves of Oscar Wilde, Édith Piaf and Maria Callas, as well as the tomb shared by Gertrude Stein and Alice Toklas, and that of Jean-Jacques Régis de Cambacérès, the Napoleonic nobleman considered by many to be the father of gay liberation. Luminor Hôtel de Ville: this beloved Marais cinema is where it’s at for the latest indie, arthouse and indeed blockbuster LGBTQ+ movies, especially during Quinzaine des Fiertés and other Paris LGBTQ+ film festivals. Latest listings here.  Les Mots à la Bouche: this Marais bookshop has been a stalwart of the Paris gay scene since 1980, stocking the full gamut of LGBTQ+ literature from art books to comics and erotic novels. Best of the Rest: Paris’s Top Attractions Paris Pride sees many of the city’s renowned landmarks light up in rainbow colors. Of course, the Eiffel Tower gets involved, beaming out its technicolor message of love and unity after dark throughout the Quinzaine des Fiertés. Then there’s the Arc de Triomphe and aforementioned Tour Montparnasse, as well as the countless local businesses – cafés, boutiques, galleries – that brighten the streets with beautiful rainbow flags and bunting. Heck, even Disneyland Paris gets in on the act! Feel the love on a stroll along the Seine, learn to say ‘I love you’ in 250 different languages at the wildly romantic-sounding Mur Des Je t’aime (Wall of Love) in Montmartre, or take a day trip to one of the utterly swoonsome chateaux that are easily reached by train from the capital. A Paris attraction pass from Go City can save you up to 50% when visiting multiple famous landmarks. There are over 100 attractions, tours and activities to choose from, including many mentioned in this guide. Here are just some of the highlights: A guided climb of the Eiffel Tower (a mere 674 steps up to the second level) Entry to the mighty Louvre Museum A trip to the top of Tour Montparnasse, the only skyscraper in Paris Romantic Seine cruises (with or without Champagne) Guided walking tours that include LGBTQ+ mecca Le Marais, Père Lachaise Cemetery, arty Montmartre, and a stroll around the favorite hotspots of fictional fashionista Emily Cooper, heroine of Netflix rom-com ‘Emily in Paris’. A fashion show at the iconic Galeries Lafayette Perfume- and macaron-making experiences Entry to the stunning Château Fontainebleau and Palace of Versailles … and much, much more! Find out more about the available pass types and get yours here.
Stuart Bak

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