Top 10 Activities in Paris for Couples
Are you ready to embark on a dreamy journey through the streets of Paris? My top 10 activities in Paris for couples is your ticket to crafting unforgettable moments in the City of Love. From charming walks along the Seine to indulgent culinary escapades, let’s map out the ultimate itinerary together. Paris awaits, so let’s dive in and discover the magic!
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Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower is one of the most visited tourist attractions in the world, with over 7 million visitors a year! It’s a no brainer that this is a can’t miss attraction!
There’s many places in the Eiffel Tower area that are worth visiting. You have Champs de Mars, Jardin du Trocadero and many side streets that are perfect for pictures with the Eiffel Tower.
Champs de Mars
The Champs de Mars is the park located at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. It’s often a gathering spot to eat a picnic on the grass, have some wine and watch the Eiffel Tower lite up at night. I recommend grabbing yourself some pastries from a nearby bakery, maybe even some wine, and finding a nice spot to sit and to enjoy the view.
- Tip: There’s lots of people that walk around the Champs de Mars area trying to sell you little souvenirs and alcohol. If you just ignore them they eventually will stop asking you if you want to buy something.
Jardin du Trocadero
The Jardin du Trocadero, is located across the Seine River, in front of the Eiffel Tower. It’s a lovely garden with lots of fountains and it gives you an amazing view of the Eiffel Tower!! This area get’s very busy, so if you’d like to enjoy it with less crowds come in the early morning! In the spring, the garden is lined with beautiful flower trees that make for incredible pictures!
- Tip: Around the Trocadero area, there can be lots of scams and pickpocketing as it’s a very popular tourist spot, so be careful.
Incredible light show
You’ve probably seen videos of the Eiffel Tower light show, but wait until you see it in real life, it’s really something else! The light show happens every evening at sundown. Something we didn’t know what that the light show only happens once an hour, on the hour for 5 minutes, with the last show being at 11pm. If you want to have a nice spot to sit to enjoy the show, you’ll still need to get there early. We got there around 8:45pm and found a great spot in Jardin du Trocadero but by 9:15pm, it was getting pretty full.
Seeing the light show, was one of the highlights of my Paris trip! While watching, you’re completely mesmerized and it’s simply incredible! Basically I’m telling you, that you need to make sure to visit the Eiffel Tower during the day AND at night, for the light show lol
Walk along the Seine River
The Seine is a 777km long river that flows a cross France and passes through Paris. The river flows by some of the cities most famous attractions, including the Notre-Dame Cathedral, The Louvre Museum and the Eiffel Tower. While walking along the Seine river, you’ll see many bridges, including the beautiful Pont Alexandre III.
We walked along the Seine River for about an hour. While walking, you can also take breaks and sit on the edge of the path to admire the beautiful scenery.
While we were walking along the Seine River, we notice there were groups of people gathered in the built in amphitheaters. We headed over to see what was going on as there was music playing. People were gathered to dance along the Seine River!! I was in admiration, you’d never see something like that back home, so I was completely charmed by it. I may sound crazy to you haha but from an outside perspective, it was just a very sweet moment, where people got together to have fun and I thought it was great! Later that night, we did some research back at the hotel and come to find out, this activity happens all the time, so next time you’re in Paris go check it out!
Cooking class
An excellent way to experience the French cuisine and culture is by taking a cooking class, while you’re in Paris. You’ll be taught by a local French chef and have the chance to eat the food you prepare. Since France is known for their pastries, I’d recommend taking a class where you get to learn how to make your own pastries. Some highly rated experiences include, creating macarons with Pâtisserie Chef Noémie and learning to bake the perfect French croissant.
Imagine having learnt how to make pastries in Paris. Once you’ve returned home, you’ll be able to create them again for your family and friends. A cooking class is an amusing way to learn more about the country you’re visiting and is also a great way to create memories to last a lifetime.
Arc de Triomphe
One of the most visited monuments in Paris is the Arc de Triomphe. Completed in 1836, the Arc de Triomphe honours the soldiers who fought and died for France, and commemorates the French military victories. It also connects 12 avenues together and gives you a great view of the city, if you climb to the top.
From April 1st to September 30th, the Arc de Triomphe is open everyday from 10am – 11pm and from October 1st to March 31st, it’s open everyday from 10am – 10:30pm. Note that the monument is closed on certain holidays including January 1st, May 1st, May 8th, July 14th, November 11th and December 25th. For additional information, you can consulte their website.
I recommend you buy your Arc de Triomphe rooftop ticket in advance to avoid the long line up, as it’s a very busy attraction.
Since the Arc de Triomphe is located in the middle of a roundabout, you can use the underground pedestrian tunnel to get to the monument. The tunnel can be accessed from Champs-Elysée Avenue or the Avenue de la Grande Armée.
Jardin des Plantes
The fifth of our 10 Activities in Paris for Couples, is Jardin des Plantes. The beautiful Jardin des Plantes in Paris, is located in the 5th arrondissement and covers 28 hectares of land. When visiting the garden, you’ll see lots of beautiful flowers and trees, but there’s also a zoo (The Ménagerie) and museums at Jardin des Plantes. If you only visit the garden, which is what I did, you can expect to be there around half an hour .
Notre-Dame Cathedral
You may have heard of the famous Notre-Dame Cathedral, which is also know as Notre-Dame de Paris. The Gothic cathedral was built in the year 1345. You used to be able to visit the cathedral, but unfortunately, it caught fire in 2019 and it’s been closed ever since due to construction. It’s an extremely touristy area, even though it’s closed, so if you want some pictures without large crowds in them, I recommend you go in the early morning.
The Cathedral is set to reopen in late 2024 or early 2025.
Louvre Museum
Being one of the most visited museums in the world, I can guarantee you that the Louvre Museum isn’t one you want to miss out on. The impressive glass pyramid is only a small portion of what the Louvre Museum really englobes. Inside, the museum hold over tens of thousands of works of art, including pieces from artists such as da Vinci, Michelangelo and the Egyptian, Mesopotamian and Greek antiquities.
Even if you aren’t a big art fanatic, I highly recommend you visit the Louvre as you’ll find everything from sculptures, paintings, drawings, archaeological finds and more! Plus the famous Mona Lisa painting is featured inside the museum.
To be able to access the Louvre Museum, you’ll need to buy tickets. I highly recommend you purchase your tickets online in advance to make sure you have the chance to visit this must see attraction in Paris as the line ups are often extremely long!
If possible, your best option is to book your tickets for the first available time slot of the day. This ensure that it’s not overcrowded inside the museum and will limit the amount of time you’ll have to wait in line to get in. Even though you bought tickets, you’ll still have to get to the Louvre in advance as people start to queue in line early as multiple people will have the start time slot as you.
My fiancé and I booked our tickets for the first time slot of the day and we got to the Louvre Museum about 45 minutes before opening and there was around a handful of people already in line. Therefore, make sure you get there early as when it was time to enter the museum, there was already a very long lineup.
Palais de Versailles
If you’re looking for an easy and beautiful day trip from Paris, visiting the city of Versailles is the perfect solution! The city of Versailles is more than just a château, it’s a lovely French city just outside of Paris that’s worth a visit. It’s the perfect activity in Paris for couples!
The Palais de Versailles is the main reason the city receives roughly 15 millions visitors each year. With that being said, it’s important to be prepared to ensure you have a pleasant experience!
The best way to be prepared is to book your tickets in advance. If you’d like to go through the Palace yourselves, I recommend you book the full access tickets. Alternatively, you can also book a guided tour, which allows you to skip the line by going through a separate entrance and learning more about the Palace as you walk through it. There are many tours available, but I recommend the Versailles: Skip-the-Line Tour of Palace with Garden Access tour.
In the above picture, you’ll see the palace chapel. Hardouin-Mansart first began working on the chapel in 1699 and it was later completed by de Cotte in 1710. Until 1789, the chapel hosted daily masses, baptisms and royal weddings.
In the above picture, you’ll see a glimpse of one of the most famous rooms of the palace, the Hall of Mirrors. On one side of the room you have mirror stretching the long of the wall and the opposite side includes windows overlooking the beautiful gardens below. This beautifully constructed room also includes multiple glass chandeliers and an incredibly beautiful painted ceiling. It’s truly something you have to see in person.
Of course, this is only two of the many rooms in the Versailles palace. If you’re visiting the Palace at your own pace, expect it to take around 1 – 2 hours.
Gardens – Palais de Versailles
The gardens of Versailles is truly breathtaking landscaping. Above is a picture of the Latona Fountain, which is situated on the left when you exit the back of the palace. The gardens stretch across 2000 acres (8 square kilometers), which means there’s A LOT to see! You can easily spend 2 – 4 hours just in the gardens.
In the gardens, you’ll also find multiple fountains. There’s often music shows with the fountain, where the water is in sink with the music. It’s a very cool experience. I recommend you go sit in the grass and enjoy a show or two.
Overall, the Palais de Versailles is definitely a must see attractions while you’re in Paris. It will allow you to see a beautiful sight, while getting away from the hustle and bustle of the city of Paris. However, I recommend you also take the time to visit the city of Versailles while you’re already there. It’s a very charming city!
After you visit Palais de Versailles in the morning, take a walk towards the city to grab lunch. Personally, we ate at Les Crêpes à Tonton (33 rue du vieux versailles, 78000, Versailles) and it was delicious! It was a small restaurant that serves sweet and savoury French crêpes and the service was great, would recommend!
Basilique Sacré Coeur
Located in Montmartre, Sacré Coeur is another very popular attraction in Paris. They began construction of Sacré Coeur in 1875 and was completed nearly 40 years later in 1914. Entrance to the basilica is free for all visitors. However, access to the dome comes at an additional cost.
Since the basilica Sacré Coeur is located at 130m in altitude, you get access to a great view of the city in front of the basilica, without needing to climb to the top of the dome. We came during the day, but I imagine I’d be an amazing spot to watch the sunrise an sunset.
River cruise along the Seine
To end our top 10 activities in Paris for couples, we have a river cruise along the Seine. I mean does it get more romantic than that?
A river cruise along the Seine will allow you to see the main attractions of Paris in a timely manner. I’d recommend a dinner cruise along the Seine River, so you can enjoy a nice meal and see the city of love light up at night. It’s best to book this tour in advance as it will likely sell out if you’re in Paris during peak season.
The linked tour passes by the below sites (subject to changes):
– Pont Alexandre III
– Les Invalides
– Musée d’Orsay
– Ile de la Cite
– Notre Dame Cathedral
– Pont des Arts
– Louvre Museum
– Place de la Concorde
– Grand Palais
– Statue of Liberty, Paris
Explore some of the other popular tours below:
I hope you enjoyed our Top 10 Activities in Paris for Couples! Even if you’re going to Paris by yourself or with a friend, these activities are still must do’s and make your trip one to remember. Hoping you have an amazing time on your upcoming trip to Paris, one of my favorite cities!
