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r/weddingplanning•
Toppoki

Booked our honeymoon for Paris the city of love!!! Any suggestions for romantic things to do for newlyweds?

Honeymoon & Travel

As the title says, we finally booked our honeymoon! We're actually getting married in Hawaii and doing a mini-moon on a separate Hawaiian island, so our actual honeymoon will be 3 months after the wedding. Since we're doing the whole tropical shebang for the wedding, we went a different route, i.e. Europe, for the honeymoon.

If anyone has suggestions for things to see and do for newlyweds, let me know!

Posted Mar 2, 2018, 6:16 PM UTC

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madbrick10•

Musée D'Orsay & Musée de L'Orangerie are must-sees in my book. The Orsay building is a phenomenal old train station; L'Orangerie has the massive, full-room, dreamy Monet Water Lilies.

A dinner cruise around the twinkling Eiffel Tower sounds cheesy but, it's Paris, and it's actually super romantic.

Do the French thing: go to L'Amazoniale (restaurant), sit outside facing out into the square, order a bottle of wine and enjoy the people watching. Relax and just enjoy the moment with your spouse and bask in those honeymoon feelings.

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ToppokiOP•

wow that sounds amazing!!! thank you for the suggestions I will definitely do those things!

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jayeffbeeWinter 2019 - NYC•

Food: try every hole in the wall patisserie shop you can find; our best fancy meal was Le Violon d’Ingres; spend every afternoon eating a baguette with bleu cheese and jam; the Orangerie is a fantastic museum; and wandering around the Marais, just people watching and taking it all in was perfect. Also definitely be a tourist one night and get drunk while watching the Eiffel Tower light show at the top of the hour; bonus points for doing so in the rain, while smoking French cigarettes (even if you never smoke) and something by Edith Piaf plays somewhere nearby.

Paris is perfect.

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madbrick10•

try every hole in the wall patisserie shop you can find

YES! Try different pastries every time. Take them to a nearby park with a bottle of wine, and savor.

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ToppokiOP•

Okay, noting everything down!! Thank you! We are definitely going to try ALL THE PATISSERIES

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jayeffbeeWinter 2019 - NYC•

Also if AirBnB, this apartment was incredible. Literally you could see the Eiffel Tower from the front door, enormous, clean, and a bit off the beaten path, so very quiet.

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ToppokiOP•

That is a super nice place, thanks for the link! We are gonna Airbnb so that’s totally a great option!

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noodsieSept. 8, 2018; KI, OH•

OK, so I haven’t read everyone else’s suggestions yet, but I lived in Paris for 2 years so I had to comment! My FH told me it was in Paris together when he knew I was the one, and then he proposed there two years later when we were on vacation. Sooo, here goes nothing!!

What season are you going? If the weather is going to be cold, I have a whole list of separate things to do, but I’m going to assume at least semi-nice weather.

  1. Airbnb/VRBO is totally the way to go. Hotels are nice and all, but having your own place is much more fun and there are some gorgeous places to rent that will make you feel like you are living in Paris.
  2. Find a marché one morning for amazing fruits, veggies, meat, cheese, bread, food stations, and fun stuff. Bastille has a big one, there are lots of smaller neighborhood ones too, check here for a list by arrondissement. Place Monge is my favorite. Can do the market streets too (Rue Cler, Rue Mouffetard, Rue Montorgueil).
  3. Best pricier restaurants: La Fontaine de Mars for classic French, L’Avant Comptoir for a neighborhood-y feel, Racines for the chef, Les Perchés du Chai for sharing.
  4. Chez Gladines (the one in the 13e is the best) for southern French comfort food. No reservations, worth the wait.
  5. For wandering around in a non-tourist-centric place: Père Lachaise, Promenade Plantée, Les Buttes Chaumont, Parc Sceaux (technically zone 3), Belleville.
  6. Best tourist parts: Orangerie, Orsay, watching the Eiffel Tower sparkle, les Bateaux Mouches, Notre Dame, Sacré Cœur.
  7. Underrated, IMO: Jardin des Plantes, Musée Carnavalet, Canal St. Martin, Saint-Sulpice.
  8. Go find: la Marché aux Fleurs et Oiseaux, Place Vosges and Victor Hugo’s house, les Passages Couvertes, the courtyard of Le Palais Royal.
  9. The most fun department stores for finding gifts are BHV in the Marais (their paper goods and books selections are the best), and the Grand Épicerie in Le Bon Marché in the 6e. So much amazing food!!
  10. Honestly though my best suggestion is to get lost together. Don’t be afraid to try a random place on the corner for dinner. Wander into any shop that strikes your fancy (just say Bonjour when you enter!). Enjoy!! Paris is magic!!!!
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ToppokiOP•

Wow thanks so much for this detailed list!! I’m definitely taking notes here! We are going in September so I think the weather will definitely still be warm enough for these activities! Thanks!

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purloinedinpetrograd9.22.18 | New Jersey•

Following this bc FH and I are doing 4 days in Paris on our honeymoon!! Our travel agent highly recommended a day trip to Versailles so we’ll be doing that one of the days!

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ToppokiOP•

CONGRATS!!!! :) Yes Versailles is definitely one of the places we'll be going!!!

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catlover123456789Married! Los Angeles•

If you want to eat some delicious fine dining, I highly recommend following the michelin GUIDE restaurants. Michelin starred restaurants are excellent, but the price tags are often much heftier. Michelin Guide (without the stars) are "almost there" but the prices are much more reasonable.

If you have time, definitely take a train and spend two days in the French Riviera (I recommend Nice/Cannes/Monaco) for another type of French experience and some excellent seafood. Skip Marseille.

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ToppokiOP•

Ooh that's a great idea! I'll definitely check out the Michelin guide!

The French Riviera sounds soooo romantic and lovely, but we've only got a week.. not sure if that's enough time. Definitely wish we had longer but we already took so much time for Hawaii haha. Thanks for the suggestions!

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takingthedtrain06.23.18 | Destination•

take a train and spend two days in the French Riviera (I recommend Nice/Cannes/Monaco)

Ha, this is exactly what we're doing. 3ish days in the Riviera and then 3 days in Paris. We're staying in Nice and are planning a day trip to Monaco. We wanted to hit Cannes too but idk if we'll get there.

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ToppokiOP•

Oooh that sounds about the same timeline as us, we have about a week as well. If that's the case then I guess a couple of days in the Riviera are totally doable! I was worried it wouldn't be enough time to see Paris.

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takingthedtrain06.23.18 | Destination•

Have you been to Paris before? I was there five years ago for a week and did all the major tourist things (Versailles, Notre Dame, top of the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, wine tour in the Loire Valley, etc.) so I feel like we can just take it easy and explore. If you haven't been to Paris before I'd stay there the full week.

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ToppokiOP•

That’s a good point! We haven’t been, and I was thinking that too. Thanks for the suggestion!!!

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pamp_lacroixSeptember 7, 2019 | PDX•

I was in Paris this summer and my two FAVORITE stops were Frenchie Bar a Vins and Le Bubar. Frenchie's main restaurant is really tough to get a reservation but the wine bar is across the street and doesn't take reservations. So I showed up right at opening and got a nice spot, and they sat an AWESOME older couple at the same table as me. We had an amazing time chatting and drinking all night together, and the food was incredible. I would have loved to have FH with me, it was a really romantic spot (he was supposed to come but his work canceled his vacation at the last minute :/).

Le Bubar is this super teeny wine bar at the edge of Le Marais and it's run by this super kooky gentleman who I had a blast talking to. The wine list is literally hand written and impossible to read lol so I just told him what I liked and he kept giving me stuff to try.

I stayed in this AirBnB which was BEAUTIFUL and really well located, super close to Notre Dame but off the main tourist drags. I walked literally everywhere except for the Eiffel Tower. It was my mom, my sister, and I for the first couple nights and then me by myself for 4 (they had to be in London). I felt like the price was super reasonable and everything was very comfortable. The shower in particular was fab.

Honestly every time I'm in Paris my favorite thing to do is walk until I'm tired and then sit for a glass of wine or cup of coffee, either with a book or with a friend, and then just walk some more lol. It's such a beautiful city to see by foot!

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lemontree01•

Seconding Frenchie Wine Bar!

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ToppokiOP•

Okay, definitely gonna note those restaurants down! Thanks for the suggestions!

We are gonna do AirBnB as well.. sadly the link you gave is not available anymore. But it's good to know that we should stay near the Notre Dame and that would be fairly walkable to all the attractions? We definitely plan on walking EVERYWHERE and having lots of wine, coffee, and baguettes!

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pamp_lacroixSeptember 7, 2019 | PDX•

Bummer!! It was such a great spot. That neighborhood (Saint Paul/St Gervais) is adorable and really quiet so if you see something nearby I'd recommend it.

I'm not gonna lie, it was a LOT of walking. I was averaging like 10+ miles a day while I was there lol. But all the streets were so charming and there were so many things to see that it didn't feel overwhelming at all. I walked all the way to the Arc de Triomphe at one point but since I went on little back streets it just doesn't feel that far.

Honestly though the metro and so on are easy to use so even the stuff that's far like Montmartre is plenty easy to access.

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ToppokiOP•

Okay, that sounds perfect to me. All the walking will help me negate the pastries and baguettes I plan on devouring! Thanks for the suggestions!

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makersmark1•

Fat tire bike tours

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ToppokiOP•

Noted, thanks! We are definitely gonna do some bike stuff, I envision us tandem biking along the Seine, not sure if that's possible but I guess we'll see!!

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wtfbbq247•

The best meal out we had in Paris was at this small, friendly, and romantic place: https://www.yelp.com/biz/les-bougresses-paris

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ToppokiOP•

Noted, thank you!

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michelesaurusrex•

If you like BBQ, try The Beast it is so good!!! I would also highly recommend getting a train ticket to Versailles, my boyfriend and I spent an entire day just walking around the gardens, it was super lovely and beautiful.

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ToppokiOP•

Yes I think We’ll do a day in Versailles :) I didn’t realize there’s a train!

Thanks for the suggestions!

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michelesaurusrex•

The Paris Metro is awesome! and relatively inexpensive! You can get pretty much anywhere in the city.

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ToppokiOP•

Yes that’s what I’ve heard! Good, I’ll make sure to stay near a metro station. Thanks!

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michelesaurusrex•

We stayed in Belleville (which was an awesome area where Edith Piaf is from!) and there were two or three stations near by. We ended up getting the Navigo pass, which was about 28 euro but it is only for Monday to Sunday. I guess sometimes they don't like to give them out to tourists, but you are allowed to get them and was a way cheaper option than the regular tourist pass or buying tickets one by one. Paris is wonderful and beautiful place. I hope you love it!

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mikuooeeoo9/1/18 ♥️ WI•

There is a little area near Notre Dome where vehicles aren't allowed to go. There are only restaurants. Go eat something there.

My fiance proposed to me alone the Seine in that area :)

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ToppokiOP•

Wow, that sounds super romantic! We will definitely check it out.

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CPtheCougClassic Wedding | Sept 2018•

For FREE: River walk.

Parisians quite literally have little picnics (wine/cheese/bread) at sunset along the water. Very romantic.

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ToppokiOP•

That sounds so lovely. Thanks for the suggestion!

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DiscombobulatedBabu•

If you like steak go to L’entrecôte for dinner. The food is incredible and they don’t even have a menu, that’s how confident they are in their one and only dish!

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ToppokiOP•

Ooh that sounds like a must try! Thank you!

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Theravequeen9/7/2019•

The secrets of Paris bike tour was my favorite bike tour of the 3 I did on my trip to Europe

https://www.parischarmssecrets.com/homepage-an

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ToppokiOP•

Ooo, that sounds right up my alley. Thanks for the link!

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