Paris love bytes

Picture St Valentine’s Day in Paris… chocolates, flowers and a view of the Eiffel tower? Or perhaps a Jacuzzi and a bowl of couscous royale. We hit the streets to ask Parisians about their perfect date.

interviews by Gemma Elwin Harris

Valentine’s day / paris

Magali, 33 - journalist

My ideal Valentine’s Day would be with my husband with everything taken care of from A to Z: the reservations, the babysitter and a full day and night in the Hilton for its spa, pool, massages (18 avenue de Suffren, 15th arr. +33 (0)1 4438 5600). Or perhaps the Beaumarchais hotel near the Place des Vosges in the Marais, which is beautiful and very intimate (3 rue Oberkampf, 4th arr. +33 (0)1 5336 8686). And for dinner? La Maison Blanche (15 avenue Montaigne, 8th arr. +33 (0)1 4723 5599), because it’s on avenue Montaigne and we could have a drink before at L’Avenue (No 41) which has a fireplace. I’d also like to go to L’Astrance (4 Rue Beethoven, 16th, +33 (0)1 4050 8440). We’ve been meaning to go since it opened about seven years ago.

La Maison Blanche

Adriano, 30 - film director and lecturer

A good date would involve a film at Cinema Accattone (20 rue Cujas, 5th arr.), a nice restaurant and a walk through the most romantic part of Paris – through the little streets from Saint Sulpice to the Seine and then along the river. If I needed to impress, dinner would be at Les Ombres, on top of the new Quai Branli museum (27 quai Branly, 7th arr. +33 (0)1 4753 6800). I don’t know who my ideal date would be with at the moment, though… probably my ex-girlfriend.

Le Ombres

Fleur, 28 - art auctioneer

The perfect date – with my boyfriend Julien – would start with brunch at the bar à vin Baron Rouge at the Marché d’Aligre (rue Theophile Roussel, 11th arr. +33 (0)1 4343 1432). It’s really lively and you can snack on delicious platters of cheese, charcuterie or oysters, and have a glass of wine. Then we’d go for a stroll through one of the brocantes (flea markets). For dinner, it would have to be Georges, on the 6th floor of the Pompidou Centre (19 Rue Beaubourg, 4th arr. +33 (0)8 2610 0478). It has the most fantastic panoramic views across Paris and great food, and we could even fit in an exhibition beforehand. One place that’s hidden and I find very romantic is the Place St Marthe, a tiny little square in the 10th arrondissement. Just a couple of intimate little restaurants and one or two trees!

Georges

Sophie, 42 and Vanessa, 25 - shop assistants

We’re not the most romantic people on earth – more up for just having a good laugh. A great place to go for a double date would be WAGG, a club on the rue Mazarine (62 rue Mazarine, 6th arr. +33 (0)1 5542 2201).

They play 80s disco, salsa, funk, that kind of thing. It’s got a real party atmosphere.

WAGG

Julien, 24 - MBA student

The ideal date would be dinner with my girlfriend at Sur un Arbre Perché (1 rue du 4 Septembre, 2nd arr. +33 (0)1 4296 9701). It’s a nice little restaurant with great food, where you can sit and eat your dinner on swing seats – they have these ergonomical chairs suspended from the ceiling. And after dinner, you can both go for a shiatsu massage in another room. If I wasn’t seeing someone, the perfect date would have to be with a foreign girl. Things are always much more romantic when you’re not familiar with the place!

Sur un Arbre Perché

Malika, 24 - actress

The Jardin du Luxembourg is the place I’d choose for a romantic rendez-vous. There are lots of fountains and dark, tree shaded corners – it’s a magical place. When I went to college nearby, I used to arrange to meet dates at the Luxembourg gardens, though I can’t say any of them was exactly the love of my life! I’m single at the moment, but not looking for anyone. Looking’s not good – if you look, you’ll never find.

Jardin du Luxembourg

Bruno, 34 - air steward

On a Saturday night, I’d take my date to La Chope du Chateau Rouge near the Sacré Coeur (40 rue de Clignancourt, 18th arr. +33 (0)1 4606 2010). It’s not ‘romantic’, but it has loads of character – and it’s cheap! When they cook couscous on a Saturday it gets packed and everyone sits squeezed together – a real mix, journalists side by side with tramps. Or another fun restaurant is La Préau in Bastille. It’s an old classroom, with the menu chalked up on school blackboards (18 boulevard Richard Lenoir, 11th arr. +33 (0)1 4700 9040).

Eric, 37 - hat designer

My perfect Valentine’s evening would be at home as I don’t like to go out that night. But for a romantic date, I’d book a table at Astier (44 rue Jean Pierre Timbaud, 11th arr. +33 (0)1 4357 1635). It’s in a cool quartier – Oberkampf – and it’s very Parisian. The room has a classic old bistro look, the food’s gastronomique and the wines are good. Also, it’s not too pricey.

Franck Tonna, 28 - telecoms consultant

For Valentine’s day, I’d take my date to Kong – on the 6th floor of the Kenzo building, overlooking the Seine (1 rue du Pont Neuf, 1st arr. +33 (0)1 40390 900). The food is simple but delicious. Or, as a Valentine’s present, a trip away would be perfect – good times together are the best thing you can buy. The Eiffel Tower may be the symbol of romantic Paris, but I think the little streets of Saint Germain are much more heart warming and atmospheric.

Kong

Noelle, 35 - pharmaceutical rep

Before I had kids I used to meet my husband-to-be at Le Flore en L’Ile café, on Ile Saint Louis (42 quai d’ Orléans, 4th arr. +33 (0)1 4329 8827). The surroundings are so pretty, it’s classic old-fashioned Paris.You sit there looking out over the Seine – the terrace spills out onto a pedestrian street. It’s actually a perfect winter place, too, really cosy because the inside is all wooden. These days we go with the kids in tow, and order wonderful Berthillon ice-creams, hot chocolate and pastries.

Vladimir, 26 - architecture student

A great place to get to know a girl over a few drinks is the Rhumerie (166 boulevard Saint Germain, 6th arr. +33 (0)1 4354 2894).

They have all these different types of rums and punches and good nibbles – perfect if you want to get her tipsy. Another good place for a few glasses of champagne is Wine and Bubbles, near Etienne-Marcel (3 Rue Française, 1st arr. +33 (0)1 4476 9984).

Or maybe I’d get a little picnic together and take her to the lakeside in Parc des Buttes-Chaumont in the 19th arrondissement, or go for a walk on the Ile de la Cité.