What to do in Paris on Valentine’s Day 2023
Pampered, arty, gourmet or quirky – there are a thousand ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day in Paris!
Paris is, and always will be, the capital of love and romance ! And all the more so on 14 February. However you choose to celebrate this rather atypical Valentine’s Day – a special hotel overnight, a stroll through the city’s beautiful gardens, a romantic tour, or a flight through the clouds – keep those stars in your eyes!
A pampered Valentine’s Day
Most of the hotels in Paris are open. Give yourselves a ‘get away from it all’ treat with an overnight stay – especially if you can find a room with a view!
At the Terrass’’ Hôtel in Montmartre, you can enjoy a stunning view of the Eiffel Tower from the rooftop and a special offer combining some delightful surprises.
On the Champs Elysées, the Plaza Athénée offers a glimpse of the Arc de Triomphe while the Hôtel Brighton features a unparalleled view of the Louvre and the Tuileries gardens (as well as a room-service menu signed Joël Robuchon).
The palaces are an excellent choice if you’re looking for quality relaxation time and luxury without having to leave the city. Therefore, the Lutetia has put together a romantic programme for couples with a bottle of champagne, homemade cakes & pastries, welcome flowers in guests’ room, as well as many other surprises. To further awaken the senses, you can book a massage or a session in the spa. The Peninsula Paris also offers a romantic welcome with the "Be My Valentine" package, which includes a glass of champagne in your room, gourmet treats and private access to the Peninsula Spa.
At La Réserve, you will step into a magnificent private mansion and spend an unforgettable night with your beloved in the heart of the 8th arrondissement.
A hammam, a sauna, a swimming pool or a massage are all good ways to relax on this special day. Many spas have tempting offers for couples wanting to pamper themselves. There is a range of offers to choose from, at luxury hotels like the Cheval Blanc at the Samaritaine, the Bristol and the Nolinski, affordable spas such as Ban Sabaï, La Sultane de Saba and The Vendôme Spa by Asian Lounge Spa, and offbeat options like Spa Dans le noir and the Lush spa.
Want to innovate and spend your day in a hotel? SoRoom offers a whole range of hotels open for the day, all over the capital. Standard double room or suite with jacuzzi or private spa... All you have to do is choose!
VALENTINE’S DAY ALONG THE WATER
See Paris in a new light as you drift along the Seine during a sightseeing tour or a gourmet meal on the water, or while moored along the quay. You’ll see the loveliest monuments in the city decked out in different colours and beautifully illuminated.
Fine food and sophistication are the hallmarks of the dinner cruises organized by La Marina, Ducasse sur Seine and the Bateaux Parisiens, as well as Bateaux-Mouches and VIP Paris Yacht Hôtel.
For this special day, Ducasse sur Seine sets out a six-course dinner, for a 2hr cruise departing at 8.30pm. Also departing at 8:30pm, a Bateaux Parisiens 2hr30 cruise with a special option to be seated at the front of the boat. The Bateaux-Mouches offers two sittings for a Valentine’s Day dinner, one at 6pm and the other at 9pm (embarkation 30 minutes beforehand), and no less than three dinner cruises are available from La Marina (6.45pm, 9pm and 9.15pm). A special evening is also planned on the VIP Paris Yacht Hôtel with a live singer for musical entertainment during dinner, on 14 February, or on 13 February for those who can’t wait!
Book your romantic Valentine's Day dinner cruise on Marina de Paris
Book a lunch or dinner cruise on the boat Ducasse-sur-Seine
As for the Vedettes du pont-Neuf , they too promise to make the magic happen with their offer of a romantic cruise with champagne and candlelight. The ‘Sparkling Cruise’ is also available with the Bateaux-Mouches, as well as with the Vedettes de ParisValentine's Day Cruise for couples or speed-dating for singles (8pm and 9.30pm). A guided "Lovers' Cruise" is available from 19€; departing at 6pm.
Book your sparkling cruise on Bateaux Mouches®
Book your Valentine's Day dinner cruise on Bateaux Mouches®
Discover all the offers of cruises to do for lovers
An arty Valentine’s Day
Love is a never-ending source of inspiration for artists, and Paris museums pay tribute to the sentiment. The Musée Rodin is putting on a ‘Soirée Love’ – an evening stroll through the museum and garden with love as the theme, with a trail for lovebirds featuring drawing for two, an atmosphere with musicians and the awakening of the sense of touch with works hidden in tactile boxes.
The streets of Paris are an art gallery in themselves. There are the magnificent fountains created by major artists, such as the Fontaine des Quatre-Parties-du-Monde in the Great Explorers’ garden, the Stravinsky fountain opposite the Pompidou Centre featuring sculptures by Jean Tinguely and Niki de Saint Phalle, and the Warsaw Fountains at the Trocadéro opposite the Eiffel Tower. And you don’t have to go into the museums or art galleries (although these are open at the moment) to admire numerous masterpieces.
So, if you fancy an arty romantic walk, stroll through the sculpture gardens of the Rodin museum then continue on to Jean-Michel Othoniel ‘Kiosque des Noctambules’, which frames the entrance to the Palais Royal metro station, just opposite the Comédie-Française. A few metres away, admire the famous installation Les Deux Plateaux, better known as the Colonnes de Buren.
And if you’re planning to make a declaration of love, stop in front of the Wall of Love in Montmartre. Created by Frédéric Baron and Claire Kito this artwork consists of an entire wall of enamelled lava stone with I love you written 311 times in 250 different languages. A beautiful way of delivering a Valentine’s message!
More information about open-air art in Paris
A gourmet Valentine’s Day
The finest restaurants go all out to enchant lovers by serving up an exquisite Valentine’s Day dinner.
Why not go to that Michelin-starred restaurant you’ve been wanting to try? The chefs concoct mouth-watering tasting menus. For a more relaxed experience, opt for a signature cuisine restaurant such as Fleur de Sel or Septime, a traditional brasserie such as the Bistro Parisien, your favourite neighbourhood restaurant or a fine cellar such as Dilettantes or the Caves du Louvre.
Book a champagne tasting at Dilettantes
Book a tour at the Caves du Louvre
Within a few steps of Arc de Triomphe, the restaurant LE Drugstore celebrates Valentine's Day with the cocktail "La vie en rose", a refined menu with the creation ‘Mon Amour’ - a dessert in the shape of a heart with the flavours of flowers and litchis. A surprise photo session awaits you on the Publicis terrace on the 7th floor.
As for desserts, pastry chefs and chocolate makers come up with luscious creations. There is plenty of choice to delight your taste buds – pastries by great chefs like Pierre Hermé, Philippe Conticini and Christophe Michalak, new desserts to try from talented young chefs like Jeffrey Cagnes and Yann Couvreur, and creations by palace hotel chefs such as Cédric Grolet and François Perret. Enjoy, for example, at Ladurée a collection of macarons with the words ‘je t'aime’ and a collection of romantic pastries, or at Lenôtre, chocolate desserts ‘Cœurs Liés’ elegantly designed by the artist Sophie Griotto, or fruit desserts at Maison Mulot, with the "Cœurs à prendre" collection. A box of "Cœurs célestes" chocolates can also be found at Maison Fouquet.
And to partake of a dessert for 2, discover the ‘Love apple’ at the at the Sofitel Le Scribe Paris Opéra, an original gourmet treat with fresh baked apple pastry, topped with an apple-ginger-raspberry confit.
A Valentine’s Day with a difference
Even in these challenging times, Paris offers some unique and unusual experiences.
The Kube Hotel, with its green lobby and suspended beds, certainly fits this bill. Another surprising hotel is the 1K with its Mexican ambience and pool suite. In the 14th arrondissement, the Hôtel Cabane offers a getaway in its cosy wooden cabin nestling in a corner of the courtyard.
Would a helicopter flight be your dream come true? Let Hélipass fly you over part of the city, giving you a bird’s eye view of the Eiffel Tower, the Champs Elysées and Les Invalides, before swooping off in the direction of Versailles. The love of your life will be bowled over by this amazing trip for two! If you’d like to see things from on high, you can enjoy magnificent views of the city from the Paris Generali hot air balloon, the Montparnasse Tower observation deck and the Eiffel Tower.
Book your tickets for the Palace of Versailles
Paris can also by explored by bicycle with Paris à vélo – who rent tandem bikes – or by car. Go for a drive in a chauffeur-driven authentic 2CV, an iconic French car, through the most beautiful and romantic streets of the capital. Paris Authentic takes you on a two-hour tour from Montmartre to the Champs-Elysées in this legendary car. Throughout February, to mark Valentine’s Day, you get a free bottle of champagne when you book a ride – perfect for raising a toast at the foot of all the most beautiful monuments. 4 roues sous un parapluie also have a romantic offer for a ride with your sweetheart through the heart of Paris.
Book one of the Paris Authentic tour in a 2CV
Book one of the 4 roues sous 1 parapluie tour in a 2CV
From Paris’s vineyards to its typical picturesque streets – discover the city from a novel angle with Retro Tour. With you and your other half on board the side-car, the driver will show you some of the most emblematic and romantic corners of Paris. A unique experience !
For something even more unusual, try a tuk-tuk ride with Tuktuk so French (you‘ll be handed a flower when you book in February), or the gastronomic busesBustronome and Bus Toqué, from which you can see all the wonderful sights of Paris go by as you tuck into a delicious meal.
Book your tour of Paris in a 100% electric tuktuk with Tuktuk so French
Book a meal on board the Bus Toqué
Step out of your daily routine by signing up for a workshop that appeals to you to create something as a couple. The specialist firm Wecandoo has plenty of activities to try with your other half, like making jewellery or flower arranging. The cookery school Le Cordon Bleu holds cooking and pastry-making classes while Greets offers experiences in fields ranging from gastronomy and sport to the arts and culture.
Book a workshop with a Parisian artisan with Wecandoo
A green Valentine’s Day
Make the most of the opportunity to appreciate nature in some of Paris’s most beautiful parks and gardens.
The Bagatelle garden, created after a wager between Marie-Antoinette and her brother-in-law, is a haven of tranquillity and romanticism with its Chinese pagoda, pretty glades, majestic old trees, secrets grottoes, ornamental ponds and waterfalls.
The Luxembourg and Tuileries gardens, Monceau park and Bercy park are also home to some intriguing curiosities. Why not organize a private treasure hunt so that your other half can discover them?
If you’d like to explore a chateau then there are some marvels of French heritage to be discovered only a few kilometres from Paris – the gardens and fountains of the Château de Versailles, the magnificent estate and horse stables of the Château de Chantilly and the sprawling parkland of the Château de Fontainebleau. They have excellent restaurants where you can enjoy a romantic dinner and get a taste of the chateau lifestyle.
Book your tickets for the Chantilly castle
Book your tickets for the Fontainebleau castle
If you’d like to go further afield, Le Tour de Vigne organizes private day trips to the Champagne region with a walk through the vineyards, an excellent bistro lunch and a meeting with a grower.
Book a private one-day getaway to the Champagne region with Le Tour de Vigne
A spectacular Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to plan a special outing that will fill the two of you with wonder. Paris’s famous cabarets are a must-do. The Moulin Rouge has special offers for a dinner-show with delicious dishes concocted especially for the occasion on 13 and 14 February. At the Paradis Latin, you can enjoy a colourful show titled ‘L’Oiseau Paradis’ while savouring a Prestige dinner in a beautiful theatre built by Gustave Eiffel. As for the Crazy Horse, it too is offering a special Crazy Love evening on 14 February. You are sure to have an unforgettable evening.
The Aquarium de Paris also opens its doors for an evening surrounded by the waltzing of the fish, and a glass of champagne in hand. As a surprise, Claire the Mermaid will surprise you with her diving show. A candlelit dinner in an intimate setting also awaits you at the Aquarium Sea Life.
Concert venues and theatres also have an enticing Valentine’s Day programme – the magnificent ‘Roi Lion’ (Lion King) at the Théâtre Mogador, jazz concerts and special evenings at the Duc des Lombards, etc.
See all our offers for romantic evenings for Valentine's Day in Paris
Why not explore your neighbourhood, or another one, and discover its hidden secrets thanks to a themed guided walk? Foxtrail, for example, offers a treasure hunt "Paris, Mon coeur" recommended for couples! Some fifteen or so clues are hidden in the historic centre of Paris for a trail that takes in the covered passages, the Louvre pyramid and the bridge known to lovers.
For example, after exploring the hidden residential areas in the 20th arrondissement, climb up to a viewpoint between the Chaumont and Bergeyre hills at dusk and watch the sun set over the city. Or, if you’re in the centre of Paris, enjoy the quaint charm of the covered passages – a stroll here is the perfect remedy when the metro is playing up again.
Don’t hesitate to take one of the tours organized by L’Échappée Belle or Cultival, with themes like ‘Paris love stories’ and ‘Romantic Paris’. With Les Potins de Paris, you will discover Paris’s naughty secrets and hear juicy gossip about the way people have lived their lives in Paris over the centuries. You can also book a private tour with guides such as ParisVisites for a more personalized experience.
Book a guided tour with Cultival Cultival
Book one of the unexpected visits of the Potins de Paris
Our suggestions for geolocated walks in Paris
A daring Valentine’s Day
In the heart of the 18th arrondissement, a former ‘pleasure house’ is now the very elegant five-star hotelLa Maison Souquet. With its sensuous rococo decor, secret spa and intimate yesteryear ambience, it’s an ideal hideaway for lovers. The Molitor offers a choice between two packages for your Valentine’s overnight – ‘romantic’ (sage) or ‘sexy’ (pas si sage). Choose the first to find your room strewn with rose petals and a disposal camera so you can create your own souvenirs of this memorable evening, plus a selection of petit-fours. If you're feeling a bit more adventurous, the second package includes some risqué literature, an aphrodisiac cocktail and a selection of erotic accessories.For an unusual romantic tryst, book a room by the hour or night at the Love Hôtel on Rue Saint-Denis. Each room has a different theme – the Arabian Nights, Japanese-inspired, a safari theme etc.
And to spend the night on the Seine, the VIP Paris Yacht Hôtel offers a set of suite cabins with private Jacuzzi and Sauna on board its ship.
The sensually-minded will enjoy browsing in the gallery Le Bonheur du Jour and the bookshop Les Larmes d’Éros, both specializing in erotic works, or watching a sensual and immersive show at Theatre Chochotte, an erotic theatre on Rue Saint-André des Arts.
