How to Be Parisian: Romantic Getaway in the City

Paris has all it takes to be the capital of romance. Iconic views, softly-lit restaurants, plentiful florists and, of course, almost unlimited supplies of champagne. True, the Seine’s cumbersome bateaux mouches are no match for Venice’s gondolas, and a Parisian sunset on a cloudy February 14 is not going to compete with a Bahamian horizon, but if you’re in the City of Light it is not difficult to turn Valentine’s Day (and night) into a classic romantic occasion.

The main obstacle is that there are so many people trying to do the same thing. These days, if a couple wants to stand wistfully side-by-side on the Pont des Arts, gazing at the Eiffel Tower as it performs its glittering light show, they may have to elbow a dozen other couples out of the way. And there might be so many phone screens held aloft that the Tower’s lights will be dazzled out.

Dinner à deux

Similarly, if you search for “romantic restaurants Paris” on any of the travel apps, you will either be told that the last remaining tables are at 4.30pm and quarter to midnight, or, if you do manage to book for dinner, find yourself appearing on 20 strangers’ Tik Tok accounts, scowling in the background of their “Paris Valentine OMG” videos.

But then I’m sure it’s the same in Venice and the Bahamas. We live in a world where more and more personal experiences are shared with the whole internet, even if we don’t want them to be.

I’m not saying that people should go searching for more esoteric experiences in Pyongyang or Haiti (both of which have their charms, I’m sure). On the contrary, I have a very simple recipe for making Paris feel both romantic and personal every time. First things first, the morning. When visiting the city, there is a very high likelihood that you will be staying near a boulangerie, I just googled it and there are 1,800 of them in Paris. That’s 90 per arrondissement. So there’s no excuse for not nipping out as soon as you awake and returning with croissants for breakfast in bed. A tip: bring napkins too, because I’ve never met anyone who found crumbs on the sheets romantic. Stage two: before you begin your Parisian stroll à deux, google “fleuristes near me”. This, of course, applies only to people who know that their partner appreciates a gift of flowers. I once went out with a hippy who, on receiving a red rose, asked me, “Why are you giving me a dead plant?”.

Say it with flowers

But as I said, florists are everywhere in Paris, and on Valentine’s Day they are generously stocked.

What could be more romantic than to stop outside a flower shop, say, ‘Wait here just a second’, and leap into the florist’s, to re-emerge seconds later with a perfect red rose? Another tip: if there are several people waiting to get served, move on to the next address. Parisian florists take ages to wrap flowers, and your paramour will think you’ve done a bunk via the back door.

There remains the question of the tête-à-tête. Personally, I find you can’t beat a large, old-school brasserie. The décor will be classically Parisian, as will the food, the waiting staff will be experienced enough to stage-manage your romantic meal, and the champagne will be chilled.

And in case you think I’m being elitist, in most of Paris’s brasseries, ordering deux coupes de champagne won’t prove much more expensive than the trendy spritzes that everyone drinks. Champagne might only cost twice the price of a Coke. Paris is pretty skilled at affordable luxury.

Most importantly (to me, anyway), in a brasserie outside the main tourist areas there is more chance that you’ll be amongst Parisians – older ones too who are less likely to be filming each other’s every mouthful. Call me old-fashioned, but my most romantic happenings in Paris are not the ones that have been broadcast on the web.

Stephen Clarke’s latest novel is Merde at the Paris Olympics, in which Paul West tries to get French nationality.

From France Today Magazine