The perfect city break for a couple. Paris, France

The motto of Paris used since the 1300's is a powerful symbol of the City of Love, who saw the attacks of 2015, the Night of Saint Bartolomeo, the French Revolution and the beheading of people like Robespierre, Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI of France yet the thing that is always there is Love.

Every corner of the city is romantic especially if you have the right path so you skip the places that are not anymore what they used to be. And despite the attacks from 2015, Paris will probably remain the most visited city in the world and a place you must see at least once in a lifetime. Imagine that at every corner there is a place where Hugo, Hemingway, La Fontaine and Voltaire or Monet created something the world still remembers.

Map of Paris
Season: Early April - late October, skip August when it is overcrowded
Popular Location: Impossible to enumerate
  1. Day 1 Arrival and first exploration

    Good morning, today you two will fly to the city of love, to enjoy one of the most special cities in the world. You will land on Charles de Gaulle Airport (one of the most crowded in Europe) from where you can take the bus to Opera National de Paris or a taxi. It will be a pleasure to watch the beautiful and bohemian streets of the city and for that reason my personal recommendation is to take an Uber or a taxi. Don't rent a car as the traffic is quite chaotic and the parking is a nightmare.

    After you drop the luggage at the hotel first stop will be at Opera Garnier (a real architectural piece of art) because it is just 500 meters away. Beyond the Rotonde des Abonnés, the Bassin de la Pythia leads to the Grand Escalier with its magnificent thirty-meter-high vault. Built of marble of various colors, it is home to the double staircase leading to the foyers and the various floors of the theatre. The Opera Garnier is one place history, art and everything Parisian will meet. And it is just the beginning. The first you must between the hotel and the Opera Garnier is to stop to eat a very French style snack at Bagel Chef Choiseul (9 Passage Choiseul, 75002 Paris) a place which is very appreciated by locals and tourists alike.

    Next you will take the metro from the station Chaussée d'Antin - La Fayette (line 7) to Pont Marie and you’ll walk 650 meters to the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral one of the most recognizable city symbols. You can go up on his roof and see the city through its gargoyle’ eyes. Take a deep breath when arriving in front of the Cathedral because it is the most visited location in Paris and whole of France with about 40.000 people visiting PER DAY this majestic location. You have your tickets to the towers of the Cathedral in the Calm Voyage package.

    After a 13th century cathedral… why not a incredible gem in form of a chapel? Sainte-Chapelle is an amazing gothic style royal chapel and you will love its original 13th century stained glass interior. Be wary as it is always crowded and the security checks are one of the reasons the lines are quite long.

    Long ques, history, incredible views... You must be hungry so you need to go towards a fantastic traditional restaurant, Le Tournebievre (65 Quai de la Tournelle) located on the other side of the Seine where a real French chef, Christian GAILLIARD, offers you bistro cuisine based on seasonal products. You will discover a generous and tasty dishes... Don’t be afraid, it is not too expensive as the starter + the main course + dessert will cost you about 31,00€. Don't forget to tip the waiter. The Tournebievre received the "Award of Excellence 2015" by Trip Advisor and I personally recommend it.

    After a fabulous meal a boat trip on Seine will be great and you can see the city by night with all attractions lighted up. Go to the Saint-Michelle – Notre Dame station and take RER C to the Champ de Mars – Tour Eiffel. There you must find the Bateaux Parisiens point where you will get a boat trip for an hour which ends in the same place (details in your Calm Voyage package). You can stay after in the Champs of Mars just relaxing on the grass for a while looking at the Tour Eiffel… For going back to the hotel take the metro (line 8) from Ecole Militare station to Richelieu – Drouot.

  2. Day 2 Paris... mon amour

    The early bird catches Monalisa alone for a selfie! In order to see Monalisa in all its splendor and smile back to her, you need to get up as early as possible (6.30 sounds resonable). The Louvre will be open at 9.00 a.m. so take your breakfast and get the metro from the station Le Peletier to Palais Royale – Musee du Louvre and there you must go to the pyramid entrance (it is less crowded). From my personal experience take the map of the museum and use the details given by us to go first to the Monalisa and see it after the other exhibits, this way you will be among the first visitors because most of them will start to see what is closer to the entrance. Take your time to see a part of the exhibits (nobody ever managed to see all of them). Based on the details provided we will make the arrangement for the rest of the day as you have to know that it is impossible to see whole Musee du Louvre, in a life time.

    Because you are in that area, you must eat at the Le Chat Noir which is thought to be the first modern cabaret, a nightclub where the patrons sat at tables and drank alcoholic beverages while being entertained by a variety show on stage, and now is a restaurant with a piano and good food (try the beef steak and the quiche of the jour, they are great and I personaly tried). It is located on Boulevard de Clichy, just 140 meters away from the Moulin Rouge and when it was closed temporarly in 1897, Picasso and other artist were very disappointed.

    Take left when you exit from the restaurant and walk on Boulevard de Clichy for 1 kilometer and turn left on Rue de Steinkerque and at the end of the street you will see The Sacre-Coeur Basilica. Pay attention because the area is very crowded, beggers, thiefs and con gamblers are omnipresent. If somebody tries to accost you refuse him gently. You go past the souvenir shops (visit them when you leave) and you climb the 300 steps to the Basilica. Build on a site that had from druid temples to Mars and Mercury Roman temples the Basilica was erected using a special white stone by the National Assembly after a group of influential people triggered the plans for two reasons (a national vow and to make people forget an embbarrasing military defeat).

    After go to the Anvers station and take metro line 2 to Charles de Gaulle Etoile and you will see the Arc de Triumph, another Parisian symbol and the most monumental in the world. You can enter in it if you want to see a piece of history and if you want to have a spectacular look at other Paris monuments from a different perspective.

    Get a walk, smile, make some window shopping on Champs-Elysees and try some macarons from Laduree the oldest and the most appreciated shop.

    At the end you will arrive in Place de la Concorde, a beautiful square with an Egyptian obelisk in the center and special fountains, that will definitely impress you. From there take the metro (line 12) to station Notre Dame de Lorette then you will walk just 350 meters to Les Papilles, (4 Rue de Châteaudun), where you can find something light for dinner, they have many types of salad, pasta, sandwiches and the food is very fresh. It is just 50 m away from your hotel.

  3. Day 3 For now it is last day

    Because the online tickets for the Tour Eiffel were sold out you will have to wake up early to be there before the opening time so you wouldn’t stay in line for long (I recommand you to be at 7.45 - 7.50) and use the elevator because you need to climb 1.665 steps to reach the top. And you must be in top of the most important symbol of the city. Go to the Richelieu – Drouot station and take the metro (line 8) to the station Ecole Militare and you have to walk a bit. Build for the 1889 Paris Exposition it was not intended to be permanent was repurposed as a giant radio antenna. And it was sold... by a con artist to a scrap metal dealer. And on a personal note you should know that the Tour Eiffel was build due to the invention of a system for coupling the railway cross ties by the Romanian engineer Gheorghe Panculescu and on each section of the tower was an inscription that testifies that the steel used was made in Romania at the Resita furnaces.

    When finished gaizing on Paris from the Tour Eiffel you need to go to the Champ de Mars - Tour Eiffel station and take RER C to Saint-Michel - Notre-Dame and there change to RER B to Luxembourg Gardens. Walk around, smile, see history around you while arriving at the Sathees (4 - 8 Rue Lobineau) which is close to the gardens, enjoy your last french lunch.

    And then you’ll take your luggage so you can catch the flight. Go to the station Sèvres – Babylone and get metro to Notre-Dame-de-Lorette and from the hotel you can get the metro for 1 station or what I recommend you is to get a walk (only 850 meters) to the bus station for the airport. Paris was amazing, right? I am sure you enjoyed the city break and you have enough memories for a life time. Au revoir... à bientôt!

  4. Travel Plan Summary Details about the trip
    • Activities Sightseeing, Gourmet, Early Long Walks, World Heritage Locations
      10/10
    • Vacation Couples, Family & Groups
    • Activity Level Medium to intens
      8/10
    • Bugdet Size Medium
      7/10
All about Calm Voyage travel planning

Calm Voyage is a travel planning company that makes personalized travel plans and offers concierge services if required. We will use own experience and we will get you to the best places in your travel location, for a unique and special experience like no other.

Calm Voyage needs a maximum of 72 hours to make the personalized plans for your trip but the duration can vary due to possible holidays in the targeted countries or areas and the speed of which you will reply to our questionnaire that will be sent to you after the initial contact.

Depending on your desires we can make all the reservation for you at the best possible rates including flight, accommodations, restaurants, local transportation or concert tickets. We will inform you on each step we will do or we will just send you the plans and the details of your trip, also based on your requirements. We will do our best to offer the best recommendation and experiences based on your budget.

We will charge you a small fee for the reservations and depending on your honeymoon duration our planning will costs 50 euro a three day city-break.

On each location we will inform you about the do's and the don'ts of that place and also will give you information that are not in your regular travel book so you learn and experience much more the places you visit, than your friends, which will be amazed, for example, to find that you know that the Colosseum was flooded and that they stage a real naval battle inside it.

We will get you to the places you dream of, from unique, family restaurants with pasta or sushi that you will make you dream for the rest of your life, to places like the house of Leonard da Vinci or the San Gimignano village with its UNESCO World Heritage historical center and its Sergio, master gelato maker and double winner of the Ice-Cream World Championship (yes there is an Ice-Cream World Championship).

We will teach you how to be the 1st in the morning to see Mona Lisa and get a selfie alone with her, even before coffee (see our Facebook for proof) and we will also show you how to see the real life of the places you want to go.

  • Real Calm Voyage Clients
  • Real Calm Voyage Clients
  • Real Calm Voyage Clients
Alex - General Manager
Alex - General Manager
The planning package inclusions and exclusions at a glance
Whats included in our planning Items that are included in our price.

Alex will make the plans based on the answers given to her by you and she will provide the following details.

  • Best flight and transfer options;
  • Accommodation advises and choices;
  • Activity planning for the duration of your trip, with exact coordonates of the transport, location and best time to go to certain areas of interest.
  • Advises for cards and other means of making the trip cost efective and easier for you;
  • Weather and dressing advises based on the weather;
  • The do's and don'ts for the location of your choice;
Whats is not included but can be included We can take care of everything.

We can make all the arrangements necesarry so you only need to show up at the airport and enjoy your trip.

  • Accomodation, transfer, bookings and all other payments, after we receive your confirmation and you make a single payment to Calm Voyage;
  • All other fees so you don't have to loose time making numerous payments;
  • Restaurant, museums, transfer and other bookings after your confirmation;
  • Liquors, beeers and bootled beverages
  • Travel insurance purchase.
The do's and the don'ts by Calm Voyage

Don’t come unprepared for the weather. We will tell you about the weather but please double check before you go and pack accordingly, when possible. Pack an umbrella and a light rain jacket.

Don’t eat anywhere within a beret’s toss of a major tourist destination. Especially Sacre Coeur, Eiffel Tower, or Notre Dame. Push a bit farther afield and look for something more authentic without “tourist pricing”.

Don’t get fooled by conmen. Unfortunately, in the crowded areas such as Sacre Coeur, there are some guys that will try to make you bet and catch you in their game. Just refuse them and keep walking.

Don’t forget to take time to see the beauty of the City of Light at night. Paris has two different personalities, one during the day, one during the night. There are some that could say that the day personality pales in comparison with its night counterpart.

Don’t buy Paris Pass before you make some calculations. If you don’t want to see all the attractions included in the offer, buying the transportation card and online tickets separately can be a better deal for you. That is if you do not let us handle every detail.

Wear comfortable shoes (no stilettos) and clothes that can easily be layered. Pack a nice outfit for special occasions, but don’t go overboard here. You’re mostly going to be walking, and walking, and walking… And when you are done walking you will walk a bit more. But yet again with our help you will stay away from crowds and enjoy the beautiful Paris (you must say it in French: ˈpa̠.ɾis).

Do eat baguette, croissants and other patisserie products. In place of supermarkets and chain franchises, artisan boulangeries, charcuteries, and pâtisseries line every avenue. There is nothing more French than popping into one of them with your bag and slipping in a fresh-baked baguette for picnic for example.

Try the macarons. Having invented the macaron, Ladurée is now the largest macaron house in the world and a dominating franchise. While somewhat overpriced, it’s a safe gamble, offering a very well made macaron.

Wake up early. You can be among the first in the waiting line for the major attractions of the city. Unfortunately for Paris there is no fast pass available, even you buy online tickets.

Shop in Paris, because it is the top fashion town. You can find real deals for clothes, shoes and also cosmetics from French brands. And do not forget about Louis Vuitton shop, if you have in mind to buy a bag.

Do explore the city, don't take a cab. Walk or take the metro. Paris is a compact city, about 6 miles across, and no building in Paris is more than a few hundred yards from a Metro stop. In Paris, cabs are expensive - you pay by distance and the amount of time in the cab. So, if you're stuck in a traffic jam with the meter running, the cost of a short trip can be astronomical!

Take a boat tour on Seine. My recommendation is to take it in the evening, to see the lights of the city and because it will be much less crowded.

Calm Voyage recommendation
Hotel Ibis Paris Opera La Fayette Good location to run around to every location in town with a decent price.
Hotel Ibis Paris Opera La Fayette
Le Chât Noir You saw for sure on internet the poster from 1896 advertising a tour to other cities ("coming soon") of the Le Chat Noir's troupe of cabaret entertainers. This place is a real Paris symbol and you can eat there at a good price, even it is so popular. We recommend you steak frites "Le Chat Noir", it is delicious and you will get a real big portion.
Le Chât Noir
Coq au vin “A chicken in every pot.” So said King Henri IV of France, in what would become a famous political promise of general welfare, from peasants on up. Out of Henri’s famous promise grew a dish, one of several that are recognized the world round as quintessentially French: coq-au-vin. The basic components of coq-au-vin (literally “rooster in wine”) are chicken on the bone and wine (traditionally Burgundy, but in theory one could use anything, with Riesling popular in Alsace) and can be added lardons, mushrooms, and optionally garlic.
Coq au vin