Imagine a romantic country and what comes to mind? France of course. So think of romance and conjure a kiss in France. Where in France is the next question? Your first thoughts will take you to Paris, known as the city of love. And then? Take a look at this list of places, some of which will be familiar to visitors, but others, I hope, will make you wonder … and convince you to visit.
Start with Paris, a great place for lovers.
Paris is the city of love, the place for romantic walks through the Bois de Boulogne or the Seine, for candlelight dinners in small bars and walks back to your hotel through cobbled streets. You will find your own private place for that kiss, but here is a start.
The Eiffel Tower is one of the great icons of France and a must see on a visit to Paris. But romantics should go to the Champagne Bar on the second floor for a glass of champagne. Or climb to the top of the tower at night when there is a spectacular light show every hour that lasts 5 minutes and you feel like the whole world is watching you.
There is a wall of » I love you » in Montmartre that attracts more than a good amount of lovers. It is a work of art by a couple of French artists, Frédéric Baron and Claire Kito with I love you written more than 300 times in more than 250 languages. It’s on the Place des Abbesses in Montmartre and it’s full of couples kissing.
Finally, you may want to visit (or may choose to avoid) the Erotic Museum. It’s a serious museum, but the explicit content may leave little to the imagination.
- Check out more in Paris for lovers .
The Loire Valley has always been about love and passion.
The Loire Valley is a must see for lovers. Glorious castles stand on the banks of the river like jewels on a necklace. Choose your kissing spot in any of them; perhaps gazing at the view from the warm stone battlements, or in a chamber where the massive four-poster bed dominates, both a symbol of power and a symbol of love.
All of them could be on this list of places to kiss and each of them has a story that reads like a novel: love, lust, betrayal and sacrifice are all buried in the stones of these magnificent buildings.
Chenonceau on the river Cher was the castle that Henry II gave to his mistress Diane de Poitiers; The Château de Blois witnessed the murder of the infamous and all-powerful Duc de Guise by the king, an incident that can be seen during the sound and light show in the summer.
Finally, the “gardens of love” in Villandry could be the perfect place. The castle was built in 1532 and from the beginning, its gardens were seen as equally important. Today they form a complete series of landscapes, including an orchard and gardens designed around box hedges that became known as love knots.
For the sweet smell of love, visit Monet’s garden in Giverny
The garden of the impressionist painter Claude Monet, on the outskirts of Paris, in Giverny, is an intensely romantic place. Willow silently cries in the ponds; The exotic scents of excessively abundant flowers fill the air and everywhere there is color, light and life.
You are not the first to discover this. Woody Allen used the garden in his movie Midnight in Paris, which is a wonderful tribute to romantic Paris. Then you have to kiss on the wooden bridge exactly in the place used in the movie.
- The best gardens in France
St Valentin Village
If your town is called Valentine’s Day (and it’s the only one), then you will make the most of it. And that’s exactly what the enterprising mayor of Valentine’s Day in the Loire Valley did. In 1980 a Jardin des Amoureux (Garden of Lovers) was planted and the place never looked back. You can get married here, or just go and renew your vows. Kiss your loved one under one of the trees in the yard.
If you like solitude avoid Valentine ‘s Day itself and August 9th, which is the day of Saint Amour.
- Valentine: English or French?
Cap d’Agde for naked passion
If you like getting naked, then Cap d’Agde on the Mediterranean is for you. This famous nudist complex is like a small town, with all the facilities you need, from supermarkets to doctors. It is one of the oldest and one of the best organized. I’m not sure it’s very romantic, but I’ve included it here and you can kiss your loved one anywhere.
The romantic ruins of the abbey of Jumièges
All the old abbeys are romantic, but I love this place most of all. I love peace and I love the ruins that fill the green landscape. The powerful and wealthy former Benedictine abbey went through all the usual twists and turns of fortune, was rebuilt in the 11th century and consecrated in the presence of William of Normandy (the conqueror) and was finally defeated during the French Revolution.
It is a place to wander, exchange a kiss in the shadows of the once powerful walls, and reflect on life in general.
- Jumieges Abbey
- Top 10 Abbeys of France
St Paul de Vence
The south of France has always attracted lovers, both real and fictional. They come for the sun, for the clear light that slowly fades as the sun goes down, history and the good life.
St Paul de Vence is one of the most romantic medieval fortified towns perching in the hills beyond the coast. It has excellent hotels, such as Le Saint Paul and the famous Colombe d’Or with its walls covered in paintings by the great artists who came here, and affordable little restaurants. It was the town where Simone Signoret and Yves Montand had a vacation home, hidden from the world. It is also the town where Marc Chagall is buried.
And that kiss? Probably in the main square overlooking the Mediterranean.
- Provence hill towns to visit
