What is it about Paris?
 

My public radio station is having a “Valentines Pledge Drive”, and is giving away trips to “romantic” places. They just said that they saved Paris to the end because it was the most romantic destination. I know that’s conventional wisdom, but I started to wonder why.

Don’t get me wrong, I like Paris. I’m going back on my next trip. But I like London more. I love the Marais section of Paris, but Haussmann’s Paris, all wide boulevards and boring apartment blocks, leaves me cold. In London there always seems to be something quirky and interesting, or at least different, round the next corner. They both have parks, and cemeteries, and rivers, and canals, and boat trips...

So, is it cafes instead of pubs? Is it the food? Is it just one of those self-perpetuating myths? And if you’re not a fan of London, why Paris rather than Venice?

I honestly don't understand your question.

Of course London's a million gazillion times nicer than the GayPareeWorld theme park at the other end of the Eurostar line. But we really don't do manufactured romance. And Venice is about lots of things, but manufactured romance is way, way down the list after melancholy, smelly drains, seriously stunning architecture and an unmatched thousand years of ripping off tourists.

The real truth of course is that the most romantic place on earth is the place someone you want to be romantic with happens to be - and that could be Erie, Pennsylvania or Skelmersdale. If you seriously con yourself into thinking a location adds romance, that's nature's way of telling you you're unromantic.

Flanner! You old romantic you! :)

I agree totally with your sentiments.

>>>Is it just one of those self-perpetuating myths?<<<

Yes, exactly. It is a long time ago when Paris was the city of lovers.

Nowadays, you can find the romance when you choose an adult video in your Novotel hotel room at the foot of Montmartre.

Amélie has tried to revive that myth - but it is a modern fairytale.

For me the romance of Paris just has to be the architecture and the magnificent ornate stonework of the older buildings - those Mansard roofs - the windows as big doors revealing the drawn-aside curtains on the otherside of the glass.
Secondly, the cobblestone streets with their fanlike patterns.
Lastly, and probably the most appealing scene, is the sidewalk cafe's. Those little round tables with two chairs at each, row upon row and disappearing around the corner!

Nicely put, flanner, and I agree with you. However, my impression is that a lot of people don't see it that way.

It is probably so because it has been marketed that way.

Rome, Prague, Vienna and Buenos Aires are as romantic as Paris can be.

And Berlin, Bangkok, Tokyo, Brazilia, Mexico, Toronto, Warsaw and Moscow are not!

I happen to agree with you about the right bank of Paris. Huge boulevards, etc.

But the left bank is another story all together. The wonderful small neighborhoods with delightful small shops & cafes are perfect for walking. And strolling along the Seine at midnight is in a class all it's own.

But then, I'm just one of the Fodorites who love Paris and can't get enough of it.

To each his own.

I feel most romantic when I'm happy. Being in Paris makes me happy. Why does it make me happy? Lots of reasons, but last summer when I was on a bus for an hour between the plane and the terminal at the airport, and only in Paris to change planes on the way home from Scotland, I was surrounded by people squeezing in and standing very uncomfortably. But they were speaking French, and it reminded me that out there in the city they were eating foie gras and speaking French and walking down the Paris streets and I felt an urge to jump ship, walk out of the airport, hop in a cab and go to town.

Frankly, I would very much like Paris to become less popular, with the tourist levels of maybe 20 years ago. Maybe it will happen -- British visits declined 11% in 2008, but that was attributed to the British economy and the exchange rate.

Nevertheless, I can understand the romantic label, because Paris is eminently walkable yet has a wide variety of experiences to offer, from the walks along the Seine to the cobblestones of Montmartre, the mysterious streets of the Marais, the chic boulevards in Saint Germain des Prés or even the Champs Elysées, the discretion of the waiters who don't try to be your friend, the small parks made just for lovers, the Bohemian vibes of Bastille and Belleville, the earnest Sorbonne zone, plus two or three monuments and museums of interest scattered around the city.

Is it better than any other city in the romance department? Who cares?

flanneruk wrote: "the most romantic place on earth is the place someone you want to be romantic with happens to be"

Indeed. That is why posts here asking for suggestions about romantic places/hotels/restaurants leave me cold.

But there is something nice about being in Paris with Herself.