Valentine's Day  Happy Valentine's Day(2008)
From 101lifeStyle.com Valentine's Day Romantic Destinations: Valentine's Day Romantic Cities:  1.Paris For Lovers: Paris has been voted the most romantic city and is always shrouded in mystique. Although the walks at night along the Seine are enchanting, but that alone cannot explain why the very mention of Paris had always conjured up tales of romance, maybe the very thought of Paris makes us consider its glorious love History.
Paris has a lot to offer a couple wishing to spend a romantic vacation. Learn and master the art of French Kissing and find out your favourite spot in Paris where you can enjoy:  Things To Do / See: A.Seine River Seranade:
A romantic dinner on a restaurant-boat while on a cruise on the Seine river through Paris and its most famous monuments and bridges. You can also take a walk along the river hand in hand with your partner and enjoy the enchanted romance in the air.  B.Eiffel Tower / Notre Dame / Arc De Triomphe:
If you wish to have a stunning view of the city you can go up the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, or Arc De Triomphe. You can also take a walk aroung the Eiffel tower area, down the tree lined streets and see how romantic this city can be. Climb the tower of Notre Dame for a close-up look at the Gargoyles and a fantastic view of the River Seine or Walk down the main street on Ile St Louis, the island behind Notre Dame, to look at shops and doors; eat Bertillon ice cream.  C.Louvre:
Art lovers will love Paris and no visit would be complete without checking out the famous Louvre in Paris. With over 300,000 pieces of art it would be no surprise if you spent your whole weekend at the Louvre. Indeed many art lovers spend a whole week visiting the many sections of the Louvre !  D.The Château de Versailles:
The Château de Versailles is one of the largest castles in the world belonging to the notorious Sun King. Versailles ' fabulous gardens and park are almost as spectacular as the castle. Le Nôtre designed this Versailles garden including fountains, jets, waterfalls, statues, water parterres, formal gardens, Grand Perspective and Grand Canal, to set off the Castle's architecture ... This place of absolute wealth and luxury is totaly worth visiting. Carry your own bottles of wine and picnic hamper. After touring some of the palace, make your way down to the lagoon area in the Gardens... spread your blanket and enjoy your picnic. You're feet will enjoy the break from all the walking, and you'll be surrounded by the rolling French countryside within the expanse of the Palace gardens.
You could stay at a French chateau (castle). The Chateau d'Esclimont is about 45 minutes from Paris, and even has lower-priced rooms that make it within reach for mere peasants. Be sure to eat dinner at the chateau's wonderful restaurant (and don't forget dessert, a special treat here).  E.Jardin du Luxembourg:
Paris has many parks, gardens to spend with your sweetheart. Jardin du Luxembourg is a beautiful garden just down the road from the Pantheon covering 60 acres. The Luxembourg Palace was built for Marie de Medicis in the years 1615-1627. The architect Salomon de Brosse, designed it as a Florentine palace because Marie de Medicis liked this style. The gardens of Luxembourg surround the palace. This large park, which has sprawling lawns and abundant flowers, always astonishes its visitors with its harmonious paths, the beauty of its flowers and the shadows under its trees. All the people, young and old, enjoy themselves in the gardens. The children can rent boats and sail in the glassy ponds while the elders play chess under awnings. Moreover, there are many statues of the queens of France, including a figure of Saint Genevieve, the patron of Paris.  F.Romantic Dinner At A Paris Bistro:
Go to a Parisian Bistro and sample the typical French Cuisine and wine and gaze longingly into each other’s eyes. You could also try some romancing and give each other romantic gifts which will make this your most cherished holiday.  G.Paris Tour And Moulin Rouge:
At dusk, Paris becomes the "City of Lights" and tonight you can admire its fascinating history, its tree-lined boulevards with their animated cafes, and all the brilliantly illuminated monuments and squares including Concorde and Vendome Squares, Pigalle and Blanches squares, Opera, Madeleine Church, rue Royale, Champs Elysees, Arc de Triomphe, Trocadero, Invalides, Notre Dame, Chatelet Square.
Then continue your evening at the Moulin Rouge, the home of the French Cancan for more than a century. Sit back with your complimentary glass of champagne and enjoy.  H.Favourite Movie / Theatre / Show:
See a Movie Together: For lovers who share a passion for great movies, Paris is a great place to spend an evening at an old movie. The city of light is a cinephile's dream and has lots of fantastic places for celluloid, so try one of Paris' best movie theaters (La Cinémathèque Francaise is a high institution in the Paris film world; Le Champo is one of the Latin Quarter's most stardusted spots) before or after dinner. Something about these charming theaters evokes a kind of old-school romance that's hard to come by these days.  I.Montmartre:
Montmartre, a neighborhood located at the summit of Paris, is one of the city's most poetic and romantic spots. The narrow, steep, cobblestone-paved streets, stairways, hidden gardens, cemeteries, and vineyards show that Montmartre was, until recently, a village all of its own, tucked away from the city. Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, and countless other important artists and writers worked their magic here. Climb the Steps of Montmarte make it to the door of the famous Sacre-Coeur Basilica, and the views of the city behind you will inspire romance. How To Get To Paris:  1.By Plane:
Paris is served by three international airports - for more information, including arrival/departure times, check the official sites.
A.Charles de Gaulle International Airport (Roissy ICAO: LFPG, IATA: CDG) to the north-east of the city is one of the major hub airports of Europe. There are three terminals.
B.Orly International Airport (ICAO: LFPO, IATA: ORY), to the south-west of the city, and served by a southern branch of the RER-B line. This older international airport is used mainly by Air France for national lines, and other international carriers in Europe. Orly is roughly forty minutes from Paris via the OrlyBus The Orlyval light rail connects both terminals to the RER B line at Antony.
C.Beauvais (Aéroport de Paris Beauvais Tillé ICAO: LFOB, IATA: BVA), to the north of the city, is a smaller regional airport that is used by some low-cost carriers, such as RyanAir (list flights). The airport operates a shuttle service connecting with the Métro at Porte Maillot station. In addition to public transport, Air France operates shuttles between Charles de Gaulle and Paris, Orly and Paris and between the two airports.
 2.By Train:
Paris is well connected to the rest of Europe by train. Click above to see the approximate journey times for the fastest train connections to the rest of Europe. There are several stations serving Paris. You will probably want to know in advance at which station your train is arriving, so as to better choose a hotel and plan for transport within the city.
A.Gare du Nord, - TGV trains to and from Belgium, the Netherlands, and Cologne, Germany (Thalys), and the United Kingdom (Eurostar) and regular trains from Northern Europe.
B.Gare d'Austerlitz - regular trains to and from the center and southwest of France (Orléans, Limoges, Toulouse the long way), Spain and Portugal and arrival of majority of the night trains.
C.Gare de l'Est - ICE/TGV to and from Saarbrücken, Frankfurt, and Stuttgart, Germany.
D.Gare de Lyon - regular and TGV trains to and from Southern and eastern France: French Alps, Marseille, Lyon, Dijon, Switzerland: Geneva, Lausanne and Italy.
E.Gare St Lazare: St-Lazare - trains to and from Basse-Normandie, Haute-Normandie.
F.Gare Montparnasse - TGV and regular trains to and from the west and south-west of France (Brest, Rennes, Nantes, Bordeaux, Toulouse the fastest way and Spain).
The SNCF (French national railway authority) operates practically all trains within France excluding the Eurostar to London and the Thalys to Brussels and onward to the Netherlands and Germany. There are also a few local lines of high touristic interest which are privately owned. There are a number of different kinds of high speed and normal trains:
A.TER Regional trains and normal day or night trains (no special name) operate to and from most cities in France and are usually your best bet for destinations all over France.
B.TGV - the world-famous French high-speed trains (Trains à Grande Vitesse) run several times a day to the Southeast Nice(5-6h), Marseille (3h) and Avignon (2.5 h), the East Geneva (3h) or Lausanne, Switzerland and Dijon (1h15) , the Southwest Bordeaux (3h), the West Rennes (3h) and the North Lille (less than 1h). Eurostar to London (2h15) and Thalys to Brussels (1h20) use almost identical trains.
C.Thalys - a high-speed train service running daily to/from the Netherlands and Belgium - it can be a bit expensive compared to normal trains.
D.Intercity trains leave for all parts of Europe, including overnight trains to San Sebastian in Spain, Porto and Lisbon in Portugal.
E.Eurostar - the Eurostar service connects Paris with London directly and Brussels indirectly, as well many other destinations indirectly through the various west European rail services. Travel time between Paris and London St Pancras International currently averages at 2 hours 15 minutes, following the opening of a new rail link in late 2007.
 3.By Bus:
Eurolines is a transeuropean bus company that offers trips to Paris.
 4.By Car:
Several autoroutes link Paris with the rest of France: A1 and A3 to the north, A5 and A6 to the south, A4 to the east and A13 and A10 to the west. Not surprisingly traffic jams are significantly worse during French school holidays. Online visual traffic information is available at http://www.sytadin.equipement.gouv.fr/. The multi-lane highway around Paris, called the Périphérique, is probably preferable to driving through the center. Another beltway nearing completion La Francilienne loops around Paris about 10 km further out from the Périphérique. It is advised not to drive in the Paris Metro Area.
Getting Around Paris:  Metro: Paris has an excellent underground train system, known as the Métro (short for Chemin de Fer Métropolitain i.e. Metropolitan Railways). There are 16 lines (lignes) (1-14, 3bis and 7bis) on which trains travel all day at intervals of a few minutes between 5 AM and 1:30AM (Saturday night/Sunday morning: 02:30), stopping at all stations on the line. Line 14, which is fully automated, is called the Méteor. Scheduled times for first and last trains are posted in each station on the center sign.
Walking: Walking in Paris is one of the great pleasures of visiting the City of Light. It's possible to cross the entire city in only a few hours, if you can somehow keep yourself from stopping at numerous cafés and shops. In fact within a few years walking combined with biking and the Métro will be the only way to get around the very center of Paris.
By Car: It is generally a bad idea to rent a car to visit Paris. Traffic is very dense, and parking tends to be difficult. This is especially true in areas surrounding points of touristic interest.
Boat: There are several excellent boat services which makes use of the Seine. As well as providing easy, cheap transport to much of central Paris, excellent photo opportunities abound.
Skating: Paris is the mecca of city skating. This is due to the large, smooth surfaces offered by both the pavements and the roads. Skating on the pavement is legal all around Central Paris.
Bicycle: Renting a bike is a very good alternative over driving or using public transport. Riding a bike anywhere in the city is safe for the moderately experienced cyclists.
Bus: Since the Métro is primarily structured around a "hub and spoke" model, there are some journeys for which it can be quite inefficient, and in these cases it is worth seeing if a direct bus route exists, despite the complexity of the bus network. A bus ride is also interesting if you want to see more of the city. The Parisian bus system is quite tourist-friendly. It uses the same single-ride tickets and Carte Orange as the Métro, and electronic displays inside each bus tell riders its current position and what stops remain, eliminating a lot of confusion.
Paris Hotels:  A.Plaza Athenee Hotel: One of the top luxury hotels in Europe. Opulent suites for couples enjoy views of Montmarte and the Eiffel Tower. Their Paris PackageS would suit couples splurging on a luxury Romantic vacation in Paris, and comes with in-room champagne breakfast.
B.Splendid Etoile Hotel: A small, 57-room romantic Paris Hotel, with views of the l'Arc de Triomphe and Place de l'Etoile. Rooms enjoy sound-proofing, gorgeous Louis XV styling, and amenities like mini bars and air conditioning. Close to great Paris shopping (Louis Vuitton and Hugo Boss!)
C.Hôtel du Petit Moulin reminds you that Paris, like a relationship, has many moods. Designed by Christian Lacroix, this eccentric hostelry pairs the 17th-century architecture of a former bakery with inventive design. Rustic meets Zen meets pop—turn one corner and you'll encounter a heart-shaped mirror on a passion red wall, turn another and you're face to face with a whimsical mural parodying Chagall. Any couple can check into Ritz Paris; if you pride yourselves on being unconventional, this hotel is for you.
D.Warwick Champs-Elysées Situated in a very romantic spot, just a half block from the Champs-Elysées. Stylish rooms have flat-screen TV and hi-fi CD. For your honeymoon, they have a Paris romance package with candlelight dinner, in-room champagne and chocolates.
E.Observatoire Luxembourg Hotel: This medium-sized, charming hotel in the Quartier Latin sits directly at the popular and grand park Jardin du Luxembourg and stands out through its central location between Notre Dame, Pantheon, and University. Gourmets will discover small, French dishes here, hearty cuisine but also crêpes and good wine. The Brasserie, with its glass winter garden, the black leather benches, and the excellent cuisine, has the charm of a fine gourmet restaurant. The small boutique hotel Observatoire Luxembourg Hotel Paris is so central that you can reach countless sights such as the Pantheon, the Notre Dame cathedral, and the island Saint Louis on foot. Right in front of this romantic hotel, you’ll find the metro station Luxembourg. Rooms on the upper floors overlooking the Jardin du Luxembourg.
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