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Save/ShareLast week, we launched a shiny new Paris page and asked our readers to jump into the fray. We invited you to ask questions about your upcoming trip or to share tips from past visits to the city. And we promised to answer some. So here's to the start of a new relationship.
Reader akemp bragged that she'll be traveling to Paris for the first time on Valentine's Day (lucky you!) and asked for some romantic dinner ideas. Here are a few to begin, and we'll return to the question again in February.
The most over-the-top romantic place in Paris is probably Lapérouse. This restaurant has been notorious since 1766 for its two private dining rooms that each contain a table, a sofa, and a mirror. According to legend, the sofas have been "tested" by everyone from French Senators to the writer Victor Hugo. To ensure your privacy, waiters stay away until you ring for them—ooh la la! Dinner is around €100 ($150) per person, but lunch is more accessible at €30 ($45). Lapérouse, 51 quai des Grands Augustins, 6th arrondissement, 011-33/1-43-26-68-04.
For settings that are more spectacular than scandalous, you might consider a brasserie. Le Grand Colbert (recommended by travelerchica on November 9), Bofinger, and Julien all have jaw-dropping interiors and menus from between 25-35 euros. Le Grand Colbert, 2 rue Vivienne, 2nd arrondissement, 011-33/1-42-86-82-38. Bofinger, 7 rue de la Bastille, 4th arrondissement, 011-33/1-42-72-87-82. Julien
For romance on a shoestring, head to La Fourmi Ailée. This sweet little place near Notre Dame has warm lighting, a friendly staff who won't ruin your mood, and dinner options for under €12 ($18). After dinner, you can have a romantic stroll along the Seine—perhaps in the direction of Berthillon ice cream cone on the Ile Saint-Louis! La Fourmi Ailée, 31 rue Saint-Louis en l'Ile, 4th arrondissement, 011-33/1-43-29-40-99.
Got another romantic idea to share with akemp? Have a question for your own Paris trip, or a recommendation because you've just come back? Tell us about it in the comments on our Paris City page.
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What about Restaurant Lasserre? When that ceiling opened to the Paris sky, my wife nearly fell over! Then I proposed. BTW, the most expensive meal I've ever had, but it was a special ocassion
Posted By aar33178 on November 19, 2009, 5:57 PM
We just came back from Paris in early Oct. If going soon, take money! It is very expensive to do anything in Europe where the Euro is used. With the exchange rate around $1.50 for a Euro, all becomes expensive quickly.
Posted By Lee on November 21, 2009, 8:39 PM
for a couple in their 70's, is it necessary to take a guided tour (ie Globus tour) or is it easy for seniors to get from place to place on our own. We do not speak french.Wha hotels are within walking distance of the main attractions.
Posted By lucia D on November 29, 2009, 12:56 PM
I would like to know more information about a guided tour for Seniors - my brothers and I are sending my parents to Paris for their 50th Wedding Anniversary and we need help pulling this together! A guided tour would be great!
Thanks
E-mail SStovall@maine.rr.com
Posted By Sheila on December 15, 2009, 1:19 PM
My wife and I are going to Paris in Feb, 2010. Does anyone have an tips on taking a dinner cruise on the Seine?
Posted By joe on January 24, 2010, 11:39 AM
Last year for Valentine's Day we ate at Les Bouquinistes. Here is an excerpt from my blog:
After a break back at the Hotel Residence Foch, a glass of wine and short snooze was in order. At 7 p.m. we headed over to Guy Savoy’s Les Bouqinistes for a simply superb Valentine’s Day dinner. It’s situated right on the Seine and the place was decorated beautifully for Valentine’s Day with red roses adorning the dining room. Our server, Ness, could not be more welcoming. We had a never-ending bottle of champagne and by the end of the evening we had formed another friendship in Paris.
The staff was quite professional on this busy night. They handled everything perfectly. We did not feel rushed although there was a line waiting to get in.
Les Bouquinistes is a fairly upscale type of place. I was a bit surprised to see people in jeans and dressed a bit too casual. Things have changed over the years. I can remember the time, not so long ago, where it was uncommon for people to wear jeans at places less casual than Les Bouquinistes.
The special Valentine’s Day menu was:
* Lobster and Brittany crab in a beetroot ravioli with shellfish sauce
* Grilled scallops with steamed vegetables
* Cream of Jerusalem artichokes with truffles
* Beef tenderloin with truffle potatoes puree
* And for dessert, “Rose, passion and chocolate”
After that, it was a romantic walk down the Seine, with the Eiffel Tower glittering in the background.
Posted By Steve on January 25, 2010, 4:56 PM