It’s no secret that Paris is one of my favorite places on this beautiful Earth! People ask me all the time what they should see on their trip to The City of Light. What do I say? I request that they slow down a bit and focus more on experiencing the city. Not simply jam packing as many tourists destinations as possible. The must have experiences for couples in Paris might not be what you’re thinking!

What are they not? Climbing up the Eiffel Tower or rushing through the Champs-Élysées. They are slower, more intentional excursions.

After I mapped some of my favorite experiences I wanted to share with you I realized a lot have one thing in common. Food! If you know me personally you know I’m a huge foodie. So of course a lot of these experiences focus on the cuisine aspect of Paris. But who doesn’t love food?!

Without further adieu, here are the 7 must have experiences for couples in Paris. If you take my advice for your next trip I’d love it if you wrote me a note about your experience!

A Picnic at Sacré Cœur

This is not only a very French and romantic thing to do, but you’ll get some of the best views of the city atop the Montmartre hill. Stop by a market, bakery, or Carrefour for your goodies and head to the white church. Getting there is a bit of an exercise so I’d advise against hills or anything too heavy.

However, a bottle of rosé wouldn’t hurt and would be well work the weight during the trek!

What would a French lunch consist of? Meats, cheeses, baguette, fruit, and wine. What could be better?

People Watching at a Café

Most likely you’ll have more than one meal in Paris, so I’m giving you lots of ways to enjoy lunches and dinners in the city! People watching at an adorable Paris café can be done as thrifty or extravagant as you’d like. My top suggestion? Sit outside. All the cafe chairs are situated to look out towards the city with your back to the café itself.

I’m convinced that design is intentional. The best way to learn how Parisians live, act, and their culture is to watch them and absorb their tendencies.

Even watching how other couples order at a café can serve as a huge guide to you! If you’re not a natural observer here are some tips on what to lookout for: their fashion and how they dress, the beauty of the French and their makeup and hair, the conversations they have and their gestures, how groups of friends interact… literally anything you can notice! And think about how different those behaviors are from America or your own home country. It fascinates me and I hope it does you too!

Getting Lost at Versailles

One of my favorite places to get lost in is Versailles, and rest assured it’s easy to do. You can experience this attraction with your love on foot, by bike, or carriage. There are so many amazing hidden gems at the palace that you two are sure to walk away with your very own spot and it will mean so much to you for years to come.

I have memories at different little gardens at the palace and while I might not be able to get you back to each spot they are perfectly pictured in my mind.

Versailles, like many places in Paris, is another great place to picnic. Random tidbit- I’d recommend carving out a full day of your trip to truly experience Versailles and if you’re interested in going into the actual palace get your tickets online in advanced. 

The terrace at Galleries Lafayette

So many people obsess over making their way to the Eiffel Tower and climbing upwards in it to get a great view of the city. I have done that and I much prefer other views the city offers. Views that the Eiffel Tower is in. One of my favorite places? Galleries Lafayette.

Not only does it have beautiful architecture you need to experience, but the terrace offers you an amazing view of Paris. You won’t regret making a stop at this beautiful department store.

Strolling a Market

Strolling a Parisian market is an absolute must have experiences for couples in Paris! Bonus points if you make a few purchases for your lunch picnic. Markets are day and location specific. You’ll likely see ‘delicious cheese man’ at the same market on the same day each week and ‘random antique lady’ at a different market on a different day each week. Sometimes markets are specific, like a farmers market is all food. Other times a market is ‘all inclusive’ and has vendors ranging from foods to antiques to clothing to flowers.

I could do an entire blog post on the Paris markets, but the easiest way to find them is Google “Paris Market day”. Change ‘day’ to Monday or Friday or whatever day it is you’re looking to go to a market! Some markets are seasonal as well. So Googling within a few weeks of your trip at max will ensure the market listings are current.

Get familiar with Street Food Cuisine

The Latin Quarter and Montmartre are my two favorite areas for street food, namely crepes. There are savory crepes and sweet crepes. Some places have a set crepe menu while others offer more of a build your crepe approach. No matter which you two select be ready for mouth watering deliciousness!

This is one of the must have experiences for couples in Paris that I think people forget about! If you stumble upon street food you’ll love it, but certainly be intentional and seek it out. It’s well worth it!

Another great street food option? Falafel! That sounds so random, but oh my word Paris does falafel right.

The Eiffel Tower at Night

Some might say I saved the best for last. Being at Pont Neuf or any of the other number of Eiffel views at seeing the tower light up with sparkles is just magical. Try your best to resist the urge to get your phone out and just enjoy it with your hubby. (Not to worry, the Tower twinkles every hour so you’ll have lots of opportunities to nab a video on your phone later)

The lights go by quickly, but seriously, it’s such a beautiful moment that you won’t soon forget!

Capturing Your Paris Memories

I’m constantly encouraging travelers to put the camera and smartphone down for the majority of it in hopes to truly experience the culture. Instead photograph the really important moments and try your best not to overshoot.

As a bonus experience I don’t believe you should miss in Paris, your Paris Anniversary Experience! We work together to cater this experience to be exactly what you want it to be. The pressure to photograph everything for yourself suddenly lifts when you know you’ll have a gallery of beautiful high quality photographs of you and your man experiencing Paris.

Rain or shine, the City of Light is a beautiful place. You’ll be happy you had me there to capture one or two of the must have experiences for couples in Paris for you.

Wrapping up the Must Have Experiences for Couples in Paris

Next time you and your man are in Paris try to focus on slowing down and truly experiencing the culture rather than hopping on and off a bus to see as many places as possible. I promise it’ll be the difference between falling in love with the city and being overwhelmed by it.

Need some travel tips? Here are some European Travel Tips for Couples Ready to Jetset (i.e., you!).

Want specifics on how I spend just 36 hours in Paris when that’s what I have? I’ll send that right over to you! Just fill out the form below and you’ll be on your way to having a 36 hour Paris itinerary!