Wondering how to spend a special and romantic Valentine’s Day in Paris? I’ve lived in Paris for over 20 years and have spent several beautiful Valentine’s Days in Paris. Read our list of hidden romantic places in Paris next!
La Saint Valentin is such a special time and Paris is the perfect place to celebrate!
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Valentine’s Day Weather in Paris
The high temperature in Paris in February is 48°F (9°C), whereas the low temperature in February in Paris is typically 37°F (3°C).
On average, it rains 8 days of the month, so don’t forget to pack your umbrella and some cute waterproof shoes for your trip!
Packing for Valentine’s Day in Paris
February in Paris is cold! Make sure you’re prepared with the right clothing so that you can fully enjoy your trip.
- Cashmere scarf
- Cashmere gloves or cashmere-lined leather gloves
- Cashmere beanie
- A warm coat
- Warm socks
- Waterproof boots or shoes
- Cashmere sweaters
- Jeans
- Black pants
- Skirt
- Warm tights
- Sneakers
- Umbrella (a solid, foldable umbrella is essential in Paris)
- A cute crossbody bag (I always carry a little folded reusable bag in my purse as well for purchases when I’m out)
How to Spend Valentine’s Day in Paris
Is there any place in the World that is better to celebrate Valentine’s Day than Paris? Paris is such a romantic city and the perfect place to celebrate Valentine’s Day.
Start the day at a classic Parisian cafe
Over the past few years, so many specialty coffee shops have opened in Paris. Some of our favorites are KB Coffee Roasters, Partisan Cafe and Noir. You can find our complete list of favorite cafes in Paris here.
However, over the past few months, we have felt really drawn to going back to celebrating more traditional French cafes. The coffee may not be as good, but we just love the traditional Parisian ambiance.
Some of our favorite traditional Parisian cafes are Le Danton in Odéon and Le Comptoir du Panthéon across the street from the Panthéon.
If you want to start the day with a romantic Valentine’s Day breakfast at home, take a peek at our romantic Valentine’s Day breakfast ideas!
Cruise on the Seine
Even after living in Paris for 20+ years, I still love cruising on the Seine. It’s so wonderful to see Paris from the water during a relaxing boat trip. It’s the activity I recommend over and over again to everyone visiting Paris. You won’t regret taking a Seine boat trip!
I honestly can’t think of a better activity for spending Valentine’s Day in Paris.
Book your 1-hour cruise Seine river cruise here.
You could also go for a dinner cruise on the Seine which is an absolutely unforgettable experience!
Book your panoramic Seine dinner cruise here.
Visit a museum or historic site
See Monet’s Waterlilies at l’Orangerie
This is one of my favorite museums in Paris! Monet’s waterlilies are so stunning. I can’t visit them enough!
Visiting the Orangerie would be the perfect Valentine’s Day activity in Paris.
Book your skip-the-line ticket to the Musée de l’Orangerie here.
Visit the Louvre
No visit to Paris is complete without visiting the Louvre. Whether it is your first time visiting, or you love to visit again and again, spending a morning, afternoon or evening at the Louvre is one of the best activities in Paris in my opinion!
I have been living in Paris for 20 years and we are members of the Louvre and go back regularly, to visit the permanent collections as well as the temporary exhibits.
Book your skip-the-line ticket to the Louvre here.
Visit the Rodin Museum
A museum we go back to again and again in Paris is the Musée Rodin in the 7th arrondissement. Visit the museum which was Rodin’s Parisian home. Make sure you take a walk through the stunning garden as well. It’s beautiful in every season and you can even stop for coffee and pastries in the garden cafe.
Book your skip-the-line ticket to the Rodin Museum here.
We are also members of the Rodin museum and go back again and again. If you visit Paris often or would like to go back a second time during your trip, you may want to buy a Musée Rodin membership card so that you can visit an unlimited number of times during one year.
Since we have the membership card, sometimes we’ll pop in for a quick stroll on a Sunday morning, a coffee break or even a picnic (you’re allowed to bring your own food and drinks into the garden if you want to picnic there).
Get your Musée Rodin Membership card here.
Visit Sainte Chapelle Chapel
Sainte Chapelle is one of the most beautiful places to visit in Paris!
Visit to see the gorgeous stained glass windows.
Book your skip-the-line to the Sainte Chapelle Chapel here.
Enjoy the spectacular views from the top of the Panthéon
We recently visited the Panthéon and had so much fun!
Make sure you book your (separate) ticket to climb to the top to see the view of Paris in addition to your skip-the-line ticket to visit the Panthéon when you arrive if you want to see the gorgeous view from above!
Book your skip-the-line ticket to the Panthéon here.
Go for a special lunch
There are many fantastic choices for a special, romantic Valentine’s Day lunch!
Some lunch options we love
- La Tour d’Argent – have lunch at a classic fine dining restaurant with one of the most spectacular views of Paris.
- La Rotisserie d’Argent – La Tour d’Argent’s sister restaurant, La Rotisserie d’Argent is dedicated to rotisserie! Located across the street, you can enjoy rotisserie chicken and duck in a traditional French bistro ambiance!
Go for a romantic daytime walk
Paris is a city made for long walks! It’s one of the best activities you can enjoy here.
Depending on the area you are in, you could do different romantic, Valentine’s Day walks.
- Walk along the quais de Seine
- Walk through the Marais
- Walk in the 6th along Saint Germain des Près
- Walk down the rue des Martyrs in the trendy 9th arrondissement
- Walk around Montmartre
- Walk through the Marais and to the Place des Vosges
Take a baking class
One of the best baking classes in Paris is the macarons making class at Galeries Lafayette!
Macarons are so quintessentially French. Wouldn’t it be fun to learn to making them during your trip to Paris?
I think taking a cooking or baking class while traveling is also a romantic activity, making it perfect for Valentine’s Day in Paris!
Book your macarons making class at Galeries Lafayette here.
Go wine tasting
I love wine. Maybe you do too!
I think it’s so fun to learn about different wines. We booked this wine tasting at O Château near the Louvre a few years ago and it was so much fun. We talk about our memories from that evening all the time!
During this wine tasting, you’ll get to taste one Champagne and five different wines from different parts of France.
Book your wine tasting with O Château here.
Have a French aperitif
If you have done a wine tasting, you may not be looking to go out for a pre-dinner drink, but if you haven’t, choose a special spot to go for a glass of wine, a glass of Champagne or a cocktail.
We love going out for aperitif and typically go out for a special drink somewhere at least once per week.
We have lots of favorite places to go for an evening aperitif in Paris!
- Bar de l’Entracte – head to the oldest bar in Paris for a glass of wine in a tiny, off-the beaten path spot. Even though this bar is located right behind the Palais Royal gardens, it is not well known.
- Bar Hemingway, Ritz Paris Hotel – If you are looking to have a creative cocktail in a beautiful, luxury setting, head to the Hemingway Bar inside the Ritz Paris Hotel.
- Les Ambassadeurs Bar, Hôtel de Crillon – also a wonderful place to go for a delicious cocktail.
- Le Bougainville – this retro café has barely changed since the 1960s and it’s such a cute spot to go for a drink for Valentine’s Day. (They have delicious food if you want to have a meal here too!)
Go for a romantic dinner
If you’re looking for a beautiful, romantic restaurant for Valentine’s Day in Paris, you have lots of choices!
There are so many really special restaurants in Paris. Make sure you make a reservation, especially for dining on the day of Valentine’s Day, as people eat out a lot in Paris and places book far in advance.
- Le Grand Colbert – Sit side by side on a banquette like the Parisians do at classic Parisian brasserie, Le Grand Colbert. (Try the aile de raie, skate!)
- A L’Epi d’Or – step back into the 1920s in this bistro, one of Jean François Piège’s restaurants, serving French classics like steak tartare, blanquette de veau and gigot d’agneau. (Get the oeuf mayonnaise, hard-boiled eggs with homemade French mayonnaise, to start!)
- Laperouse – book a private dining room in this stunning, classic French restaurant on the quais de Seine. (Order the suprême de volaille aux morilles, chicken with morel cream!)
- Allard – abc (order the snails to start, scallops as your main meal and the life-changing profiteroles for dessert!)
You can’t go wrong. These are all great choices for a special, romantic dinner in Paris!
As mentioned earlier, you could also opt out of going to a restaurant all together and instead, book a romantic dinner cruise on the Seine!
Cook a special dinner at home
If you have rented an apartment for your stay in Paris or you’re staying in a hotel with a kitchen, why not cook a romantic meal at home?
A few years ago we had the pleasure of spending Valentine’s Day at the Paris Boutik La Librairie hotel suite and it was fabulous. The suite includes a kitchenette which makes cooking up a fantastic Valentine’s Day dinner totally possible!
If you want to create your very own French Valentine’s Day meal at home, Valentine’s Day cocktails and continue with our French Valentine’s Day Menu.
Go for a romantic nighttime walk
Whether you decide to go out for dinner or make dinner at home, head out for an after dinner walk along the Seine.
Since it is February, it will be cold, so make sure you bundle up for your evening stroll.
There are several beautiful places to walk in Paris at night.
- Walk along the quais de Seine
- Walk through Montmartre
- Walk around the Latin Quarter
- Stroll up the Champs Elysées towards the Arc de Triomphe
Capture your memories with a Parisian photoshoot
Something we have gotten really into recently is scheduling a photo shoot when we travel. It is disappointing to come home from a magical, romantic trip and realize you don’t have any photos you really love of the two of you.
It can be tricky to capture beautiful photos of the two of you when you are always traveling just the two of you!
I love a good selfie but sometimes it’s nice to have professional photos that capture the essence of a trip or specific activity where you’re both in the photo. These can be lovely to frame and/or add to a nice photo book or album when you get home to remember your trip.
If you’re visiting Paris for Valentine’s Day, I highly recommend you invest in some quality, professional couples photos of you in Paris!
Book your couples photoshoot in Paris here!
Valentine’s Day in French
Wondering how to say “Valentine’s Day” in French, the language of love? “La Saint Valentin” !
France 24 says it best!
Are you excited to spend your Valentine’s Day in Paris?
I hope you have the most amazing Valentine’s Day in Paris!
Pin for later!
First published March 6, 2019. Last updated January 23, 2024 with more information, additional tips, and better readability.
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safaritravelplus says
Wow three days of valentines! I can only imagine how many ladies would be a bit jealous reading this. You guys had so much fun.
A Hedgehog in the Kitchen says
Thank you, you are too sweet. It was such a special celebration.
Laura says
I don’t think there is a more romantic city in the world to celebrate Valentines!
A Hedgehog in the Kitchen says
We agree!