If no place is perfect, Paris comes close. The French capital practically invented the modern concepts of romance, fashion, good food and riverside walks with the one you love.
Whether you come for a day or a decade, the city can't cease to inspire you. There are always new streets to discover, another brilliant little bistro to sample, another bench in the Luxembourg Gardens to sit on, another museum to check out, another hip shop opening in the Sixth or another watering hole popping up in the Marais.
So while spending only a weekend in Paris may seem quelle tragique, it may be just what you need to rekindle your smouldering, work-dampened inner fires. To aid in your quest for a portion of Parisian perfection, here are some suggestions on what to do when you get there. Some are gay, some are grand, some just giddy, but most can be crammed in to a wild weekend if you're game. Bon voyage!
Sightseeing
You'll be lucky to scratch the surface of Paris' sights in a weekend, so it's best to focus on a handful to get the most out of your time.
The biggest tourist monolith to tackle is the Louvre, usually a mass pit of art seekers year round. Skip the line snaking up to the main entrance via I M Pei's pyramid, and enter through the attached underground shopping mall, the Carrousel du Louvre.
Once inside, narrow your focus on one or two artists, or one or two periods. Don't miss the brilliant large-format French Paintings such as Gericault's dramatic Raft of the Medusa. Also worth a stop are the indoor sculpture courtyards of the Cour Marly and the Cour Puget. Dig Puget's beefy Milo of Cortona getting a butt chomping from a lecherous lion.
After killing part of your day inside, head across the Seine to indulge in less hectic, outdoorsy pursuits. Roam and relax in the Luxembourg Gardens, central Paris' backyard. Shop the Sixth Arrondissement, with its scads of antique book and print sellers, as well as groovy home and clothing emporiums around St Sulpice Church.
Or stick to the Right Bank and window shop in the Marais, sticking to the Rue des Francs Bourgeois where you can pick up Campers at their eponymous boutique. Then cruise the gay-flavored merchants along the Rue Ste-Croix de-la-Bretonnerie.
Why not try a lively is a bike tour of the city, or just rent your own and hit the streets.
On Sundays, the usually traffic-choked highway along the Quai du Louvre and the Quai des Tuileries on the Right Bank is closed to cars, and is the place to skate, bike or just be seen.
If it's sunny, rest your wheels along the quais between the Tuileries and the Pont Neuf, this has always been a popular place to hang.
One last suggestion: Catch a performance at the Palais Garnier Opera House. Just climbing the vast marble staircase in the lobby is a decadent thrill. Once inside, you'll feel positively regal settling in under the Chagall-painted ceiling to await the performance. If your friends could see you now...
Where To Eat & Sleep
Though it may interrupt your weekend schedule, you do have to stop to eat and sleep eventually.
Luckily, Paris is (like, duh!) home to some of the world's best restaurants and many hotel bargains. With all of the following restaurants and hotels, book ahead.
Kick off your perfect weekend with a proper French meal in a classic Paris bistro. Three great options are: La Coupole, the legendary Montparnasse hangout of the rich and artsy, where you can't, not feel fabulous seated in the vast and ornate dining room. Is that a countess snarling her steak tartare?
Another brilliant choice is Brasserie Bofinger, featuring one of the city's most beautiful rooms (it's the non-smoking area, when they ask) with comfy banquettes situated amidst mirrors and flowers all beneath an exquisite stained-glass ceiling. The food is excellent, too.
Lastly, for bistro perfection on a smaller scale head to Le Balzar. This Right Bank institution serves perhaps the world's best roast chicken with frites.
The perfect spot for a glam Saturday night meal is Georges, the swank glass-walled ground zero for the city's artist and model set, perched a top the Pompidou Centre. The food ranges from a basic club sandwich to mad fusion dishes, but this place is really about the view.
From practically every table you can see Paris’ entire bewitching skyline. The scenery inside isn’t bad either, with the waiting staff working the slick interior like runway models. If the weather's warm, ask for a table outside.
For an unconventional bite, try Le Palanquin, an elegant and charming eatery in the Sixth Arrondissement serving wonderfully fresh and carefully prepared Vietnamese cuisine. The welcome is warm and the dumplings are to die for.
While Paris is full of sidewalk cafes, certainly the gayest and trendiest has to be the slighty down-at-heel but painfully hip Cafe Beaubourg. Half the clientele is gay, the other half just seem to be. Snag a chair, order a coffee and settle in.
When it's finally time to rest your head, your best value is the Marais' Grand Hotel Jeanne d'Arc. The location is prime (just off the leafy Place St Catherine on the eastern end of the Marais), the decor arty and comfy and the price reasonable. Book as far ahead as possible.
Other good Marais options: the Hotel Caron de Beaumarchais, or Hotel de la Bretonnerie.
So there you have your whirl wind trip of Paris, it truly is a unique place to visit and with all those beautiful names, spell check has just blown up, could not cope!!
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