Best place to propose??! Help :(
 

Hi :)

My girlfriend and I,along with her sister, are travelling around Europe over a month. We arrive in Paris at the Hotel Opera Cadet in Faubourg Montmartre on the 1st of August, and stay for 4 nights. We then stay in Barcelona for 4 nights;Venice 4 nights,Lyon France 8 nights, Florence and Rome 5 nights each I think and finish off 4 nights in Hong Kong before heading back home to New Zealand with the good news (hopefully lol).

My main question is where would the best place to propose be?

Paris, amazing as it is, seems a bit cliché as a few friends & people I know have popped the question there. I did think Venice the best place to do it, but it seemed kinda cliché too... I don't know-I may be wrong... I thought maybe Barcelona could be a place I could ask her?? I would hate to have the burden of holding onto the ring for any longer-Barcelona is the second place we fly to so that kinda makes sense...

Any info/tips/experiences-good and bad-aswell as sites/places not to miss-you are more than welcome to share please!

We are all mid to late 20s, and this will be the first time any of us travel Europe. I want it to be as memorable as it can be-especially the moment I get down on one knee and ask the woman of my dreams to marry me.

Cheers

Cliche or not, I would do it in Paris. Buy a lock now and have your names engraved and put it on the bridge of locks, then get down on one knee. You could propose to me in front of Monet's waterlilies or many other romantic spots but skip the Eiffel tower, that has been done a lot. Congrats. I just would rather be proposed to in the Paris than any other spot in the world. You could do a picnic on the banks of the river and ask there also. So many possibilities.

I have friends/clients who live in California. I met them in Paris. He had just proposed to her the day before, on a picnic in the Jardin du Luxembourg. It seems to have held. ;-)

I think that would be perfect for me.

There is a reason so many romatic themed movies, ad campaigns, etc....are set in Paris. It IS romantic.
And, anywhere you two are together can be romantic. So, it will depend on your personalities.

I like the park behind Notre Dame, as the Seine is right there and you have the view of Notre Dame. Sanite Chappele is intimate and beautiful, so that might be an option.

Venice is gorgeous and Rome offers a variety of options. Outside the city is gorgeous Villa d'Este. If they have evening hours while you are there, it becomes even more romantic. I love fountains so that would appeal to me.

Enjoy your trip and congratulations.

Anywhere you can get rid of her sister for the evening?

Propose to her sister and make her jealous.

During a walk along the Seine at night.

You are going to some beautiful cities. The fact that you are going with the love of your life will make them even more beautiful.

Keep the ring secure in a good pocket and when you've had one of the best laughs or romantic moments of the trip. Propose then. You will know the moment. If you just let it happen it will be a joy forever.

You never know what you will look back on in the years to come. It could be an incredibly funny moment that you renews your desire to hear her laughter for the rest of your life.

It could be an incredibly stressful time. For instance, my husband and I were lost in Prague. The street was all torn up, I had hurt my ankle, it was dusty and not a good day. He said, "we're going for lunch! Right here!" Then he opened the door to this beautiful restaurant, in the middle of this dusty, dirty and very loud street. It was gorgeous, soft lighting, soft chair and beautiful tables. I'll never forget the food or the wine.
We have never forgotten that restaurant or how we felt walking into it.

What I'm saying, if you plan for that moment in front of the Sacred Cour, that may be the day she has a headache and you have an agenda. How is that going to work?

Do not buy a locka dsfunless you find tagging acceptableasd, because that is what attaching a lock represents; and I believe that it is more destructive than spraying your tag or carving your initials on the trunk of a tree.

Sorry for the typos, I am not used to the ipad.

While I think that Paris is magnificent and the Eiffel Tower is iconic, it might be a bit "expected". If you hold off until you get to Rome, you could throw her off the trail a bit (like it won't happen if it doesn't happen in Paris). Villa Borghese in Rome. You could hire a boat in the lake at do it then. You are guaranteed to be alone. It is amazing there.

Propose before you leave, when you are alone.

(Have you considered her sister - is she in a relationship? Will your oh-so-romantic proposal put a damper on her vacation in any way?)

And, do not add to the litter of bridge locks - so ugly.
Why can't people admire something without possessing or marking?
Not much different than those tourists who had to have "just a little piece" of Stonehenge.

Good point by LSky..
You need a bit of luck to have a "perfect" moment.

Just as a back-up if Paris does not work out:

On the harbor cable car while you enjoy the spectacular vista of Barcelona (or get air sick).
Or the (tamer) cable car to Montjuic castle. This may be even more romantic as you don't share one huge cabin with many people as on the harbor cable car.

At night on the rooftop terrace of Casa Fuster (upscale hotel/ Modernisme building) while having drinks - and again a vista of all of central Barcelona (and not a chance to get air sick). If you remember the movie Vicky, Cristina, Barcelona - this hotel was used for several scenes.

Another romantic viewpoint/ bar/ restaurant is Mirablau - at the lower station of Tibidabo cogwheel train.
If you feel a bit "silly" you could do it on of the rides of the Tibidabo fun park (actually almost a historic place with many old-fashioned rides) - with the danger to drop your rings there ;)

Parc Güell could also be an option.
Or at night at the Magic Fountain - though it is pretty dark there (to see the colorful fountains), and somewhat loud (the fountains dance to music).

Barcelona is a beachfront city. There are also nice places (bars, clubs) on the waterfront promenade - especially at night.


From a more generic point of view, you could think about locations where you are more or less on your own. Many places lose their magic when you have hordes of people bumping into you, or have a stag party screaming and puking near you ;-)

I'd suggest to do it somewhere with significance. Do any of those places have special meaning for your girl? Would she prefer it in a moment alone, or in front of a large area of people? Only you guys can answer that.

In my case, I knew from my first date with my fiancee that she had a poster of Neuschwanstein Castle since she was 7 and loved it so much that when we had the opportunity to go, that's where I proposed.

The other thing I'd advise is be ready to adapt. You never know if your plan A might be closed or unavailable for some reason (it was in my case, since I wanted to propose from the bridge overlooking the castle that was closed, but instead, I did it when we were alone on a balcony). She said yes :)

I would vote Barcelona. It is an incredibly beautiful and romantic city.

I haven't read all the replies yet, so don't know if it's already been mentioned, but DON'T do the lock thing in Paris. It's incredibly bad for the environment (the keys thrown into the river are harmful to wildlife) and they are trying to stop people from doing it. Unsurprisingly, all the hawkers along that bridge selling padlocks/pens etc are doing it illegally. Please don't fuel this damaging trade.

I do agree with broncoal06 though about having a plan B. Very important!

Where you propose is not going to influence her response unless you are both shallow or immature.

When the moment is right, hopefully when you are alone and not feeling stressed, propose and if you are meant to be together, she will be feeling the same already. The presence of a sister could be a dampener, you could propose at home where real life goes on. And don't deface anywhere with a lock.

Apart from those provisos, good luck.

Venice is unique, Paris is pretty but Venice has a magical air about it (worse at high tide when the lagoon has had a chance to warm up) I'd book a restaurant with a fine view over the lagoon and let rip

If you choose Barclona, ask at the top of Montjuïc or by the peppers at La Boqueria.

I am sure you already considered at the Eiffel Tower or on a Venetian gondola. The one I favor is to wait for one of the Parisian gold ring scammers and . . .

What I don't get is do you want to be alone with your girlfriend when you propose, or will her sister (quite naturally since you are travelling together) be there too?

The sister is there to take a photo of the moment.

I would opt for Paris or Venice, as they are two of my favorite places in the world. While I really like the other places you mention, Paris and Venice are tops on my list.

Maybe you should bring your brother to distract her sister.

Great idea BigA!

I would probably opt for Venice, much as I adore Paris. But wherever you do it, do NOT get one of those stupid locks and attach it to anything. I would say no if you did that when proposing, as I would be unable to fathom why you would associate a marriage proposal with outright vandalism.

OK, the advice is free, so ignore it if you like.

Take along either another girl for the sister to hang out with or her boyfriend, if she has a serious one. A whole month with a serious couple and a single sister or brother along. How could you ever have any real couple time without them feeling left out or lonely, at least part of the time? She has not been to Europe before. You can't ever just ditch her and have a romantic time by yourselves.

Are you Art lovers? You are going to cities that have some of the most famous paintings in the world.
I love both the Miro and Picasso museums in Barcelona. Or one of the Gaudi structures.

Venice has many little cafes if you wander off the tourist areas. Or bridges that span the canals.

If religion is important in your lives than again you have many beautiful cathedrals and churchs in these cities. The Sagrada, St Marks, St Chappele, Notre Dame. You will also find as you wander about these cities there are many small beautiful chapels.

I would vote for Venice or Barcelona.

You will know. Congratulations.

The OP has two identical posts running and has not returned to provide feedback. Have we discouraged him?

Maybe he eloped with the sister.

lol i would like to extend a BIG thankyou to all who responded and gave me great,some hilarious, tips on where & how to ask my girfriend to marry me.

In regards to the sister coming, that is definitely not a big deal. We started as a group of around 7 for our trip. Unfortunately, this dwindled down to just the three of us. The three of us are close, so she(the sister) will definitely not be an awkward third wheel-we joke about it and tease her but she's cool-my girfriend and her sister are very close so I think I'm going to be the third wheel lol-she's actually helping me scheme some ideas on how to propose to her-and she's the one who helped me pick the ring so she's definitely not going to be "left out".

I probably won't do it in Barcelona now. Venice has been a place my girlfriend has talked about since we first dated, so I will probably most likely do it in Venice. Her favourite song is 'At Last' by Etta James, and I want to sing it to her before I ask. I wonder how much a violinist would cost to accompany me? If its too much I'll do it acapella.

Once again, thank you all for responding. I appreciate the help :)

Count me with all of those who vetoed the locks. In addition to everything else, they are causing damage to the bridges. And talk about a cliché!

What if she says no? The rest of the trip would be awkward. I would wait till Aukland.

someones gettin a bit cold up in here,na she'll say yes mate, I wouldn't be asking if i wasnt sure.

Please let us know how it goes. Good luck!

You do not have tell us the truth.

Cheers KT, and Big Al-depends if she says yes ;)

Logan...you are AWESOME! I love that you are prepared to sing acapella! I hope she is impressed :)

As another option to consider....I think this spot is amazing (link below). It's a little park at the tip of one of the islands in the Seine in Paris. At sunset everything is all bathed in that lovely Parisian evening glow and the buildings all look incredible. It's like being at the bow of a boat with the river all around you. You could have your own Titanic 'I'm the king of the world!' moment :) I can't promise that there won't be anyone there...but for a picnic, bubbly and a proposal, I think it's a very romantic spot.

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Ile+D...rance&t=h&z=17

Logan seems like a nice kid. That will all end once he gets married. We have been married a very long time and I use a very old Henny Youngman joke, "I have been married 41 years, 3 of the happiest years of my life."

I also assume your birthday is at the end of August by your screen name. Although I love Spain and have spent considerable time there the cakes stink, so I hope you are somewhere else.

On a more serious note. You really do not have to do anything else to make the trip more memorable. If you have the right attitude about all the little things that will go wrong and relish in the unexpected pleasures, then you will have a good time.

Traveleing is about the place you go and the people you encounter, more than it is about you. When I read about people complaining about a delayed flight or one rude person, I know that they would rather be annoyed than go onto whatever is next.

It seems you have the exact right attitude and should have the time of your life.

Thanks Kiwi, definitely looking at enjoying a picnic there at dusk on day 1 :)

Big Al haha you're awesome. I've had the same marriage advice given to me by peers and close friends,relatives,etc. I guess if you truly love someone-marriage would be a hell you're willing to go through? lol-maybe i should start a new topic about the trip there and get some tips??

Jokes aside, thanks for the tips-which have now made the 2 weeks,before we fly, seem like forever. I can't wait.

Have a great time, as if you need encouragement.

Hey guys, we just arrived in Venice yesterday loving it here, only thing to complain about are the pushy hustlers selling their cheap merchandise lol.

I just wanted to say I proposed to my girffriend now fiance :) I did it in the south of France Grenoble, at a close friend's home on our last night there on their candlelit deck which had the best views of the mountains and Rhone Alps. I planned for Venice but our close friends looked after us so well, and it was heartbreaking to say goodbye, so i wanted them to witness my proposal and have them be a part of it. My girlfriend said it was perfect. So thanks guys for all the advice and tips! the tip i used was to adapt, and that i would know the moment, which was the perfect sendoff for our friends and a new behinning for me and my future wife. Now to enjoy the rest of Europe! Thanks again for the help guys xo

Congratulations! Thanks for coming back and letting us know. :)