Honeymoon In Paris Planning – Eight Things You Should Know

You've proposed. You've sent out all the invitations and done all the planning work. You've walked down the aisle (or through Uncle Arnie's garden). Now it's time for the two of you to get away by yourselves for some romantic fun in Paris. And coming here you've made the right choice. If Paris isn't the most romantic city in the word, we don't know where else it is.

Heck, just being in Paris makes you feel romantic, which is the best way to start a new life together. Let's take a look at the honeymoon activities in Paris we suggest.

1. Honeymoon Hotels in Paris

The first thing you're going to want is a great hotel. Welcoming, cozy, with great staff, and in a great location. For this once-in-a-lifetime dream visit to Paris, you might want to go for the luxury — something Paris has in spades. However, we've put together a collection of romantic hotels in all prices ranges, in the best parts of the City of Love.

2. Horse & Carriage Ride Through Paris

Toasting each other with glasses of champagne during a romantic horse & carriage ride. Yes, that's something you can actually do in Paris. And it's surprisingly easy to arrange. Just read our guide to horse & carriage rides in Paris — and don't forget the bubbly!

3. Champagne Cruise Along the Seine

We might as well warn you up front, champagne is going to be a theme in our recommendations. If the horse & carriage ride needs champagne, what do you think the best Seine River cruise needs? That's right — champagne. This VIP champagne cruise gets you not only priority boarding access, but a private room at the front of the boat (the best viewpoint) just for the champagne tasters.

As the bateau pulls away from the dock, an expert sommelier guides you through a tasting of three champagnes, explaining the details of each, as you glide past the iconic monuments and buildings. Highly recommended by us.

4. Day Trip to the Magical Champagne Region

We did warn you, didn't we? But, we tell you, heading off to the Champagne Region (about an hour from Paris) for a day immersed in the bubbly is something else, something amazing. You learn how champagne is made, visit the limestone aging caves, and sample, sample, sample.

There's also time to visit the historic cathedral at Reims, capital of the Champagne Region, and to have lunch. Oh, and don't worry about the sampling, someone else is doing the driving — right from your hotel and then back again in the evening.

5. Bateaux Parisens VIP Dinner Cruise

We can vouch for this romantic activity, and for the wonderful things you will experienced. This is a relaxing, two-and-a-half-hour, slow cruise along the world's most beautiful river route. The fact that dinner is included is just another bonus !

The view and the leisurely pace are fantastic. There's nothing to do but to take in the many aspects of this beautiful city as the sun sets and the buildings light up. The cruise includes the multi-course dinner, wine, as well as champagne served at the beginning and the end of the meal.

Pick-up and return to your Paris address is part of the package, and something we insist upon. You also get front-of-the-line entry plus VIP seating at the front of the boat for the best views and the best service. Just make sure to book the VIP Service Premier version of the cruise to get all these benefits.)

6. Tour Paris in a Retro Luxury

The Citroën Traction Avant may well be the most famous luxury car ever produced in France. Sitting in the roomy backseat of this long, sleek car, we felt like we were in a movie, set in Paris in the 1940s. Heads were turning everywhere we drove.

It all starts when your "gentleman driver" pulls up outside your Paris address and ushers you into the car. Paris somehow looks even better from a Traction Avant, aided by the full sun roof above you. Read our full review to find out more.

7. Claude Monet's Gardens at Giverny

If you'll be honeymooning in the warm months — April to October — you need to get out to Monet's amazing gardens at Giverny, about an hour away. This is where the Impressionist master lived and worked until he died, and the place that inspired many of his famous paintings, including the waterlilies.

It really is a magical place and it's easy to sign up for a small-group tour to get you there in ease and comfort. The half-day tour starts right at your hotel, where your driver/guide picks you up. Everything is taken care of, so just sit back and smell the flowers.

8. Walking the Banks of the Seine at Dusk

We know that the river Seine is magical, but urban planners from a previous generation didn't see it that way. It was then, especially during the 1960s, that parts of the river bank were given over to high-speed automobile traffic, cutting it off from strollers and lovers.

Luckily, under the two recent mayors of Paris, all that has changed and the banks of the Seine are being reclaimed for walkers, dreamers, and picnickers. There's a whole new designation for this reclaimed space, Parc Rives de Seine — the parks of the banks of the Seine. Now at dusk you can witness both Parisians and visitors drifting down to the river banks to walk, talk, drink some wine, or have family picnic dinner.

Once or twice, you should be there as well. Live Paris, don't just visit it.