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Fall in love with Paris
  • The second loftiest viewpoint in Paris after the Eiffel Tower, this magnificent landmark, with its bright white stone and great dome, sits on the highest point of the city, the sacred hill of Montmartre...
  • When you've admired the view of the cathedral, take your loved one up to the top of its central dome to look out over the city.
  • Which is more beautiful – the view of the Notre Dame on the Île de la Cité from one or other bank of the Seine, or the view west from its Galerie des Chimères, close up to grisly gargoyles? You choose, because whichever way you look, this ancient cathedral, which was built between the 4th and 7th centuries, offers and is itself a spectacular view.
  • Another unmissable classic. From street level, this colossal monument to those who fell in the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars impresses, but the view is marred by the constant flow of traffic that uses its base for a roundabout. Instead, ascend to its roof terrace to get your bearings at what is the central point for Paris's Axe Historique – it connects a number of monuments, from the Louvre to the Grande Arche de la Défense, and 12 avenues radiate out from the structure, including the Champs Elysée.
  • Don't miss any of the city's iconic sights. How? Head to The Panoramic Floor on the 56th level of this Seventies skyscraper to look out over the city and its monuments, including a prime view of the Eiffel Tower. Situated in the 15th arrondissement, the modern office block puts Paris at your feet courtesy of weatherproofed views through plate-glass windows with handy information points.
  • Haven't got a head for heights? No worries, there are plenty of great views at ground level – especially among Paris's pretty galleries and passages. These 19th-century covered arcades offer a retail experience that couldn't be further from the soulless kind offered by today's shopping centres. Take a walk through the Galerie Vivienne, between the Palais Royal, the Bourse and the Grands Boulevards, to admire its mosaic tiled floors, fanlight windows and rotunda decorated with nymphs and goddesses.
  • If you're beloved has a taste for the gothic - or a quirky sense of humour – take them for a stroll around the sombre yet beautiful grounds of the Père Lachaise cemetery (Boulevard de Ménilmontant, nearest Metro Philippe Auguste) in the 20th arrondissement. Take in the views of the exquisite stonework on the tombs, framed by flowers and shaded by trees. Oscar Wilde, Frederic Chopin and Edith Piaf are among the famous faces to have been buried here and whose headstones you can seek out.
  • Go off the beaten track in search of a view of the Belvedere of Sybil on an island in the lake at the Parc des Buttes Chaumont (Rue Manin, nearest Metro Buttes-Chaumont), a public garden in the 19th arrondissement commissioned by Baron Haussmann as part of his remodelling of the city. This isn't the only captivating view the park has to offer – there are also cliffs and bridges, a grotto with a waterfall, and English and Chinese gardens to see.
  • Nothing symbolises Paris and all its romantic associations more than Gustav Eiffel's iconic tower. Visitors can climb to the top of the elegant 19th-century iron lattice structure – still the tallest building in the French capital at 324 metres – to take in the panoramic views of the city. Visit in the winter and you can take a turn around the ice-skating rink on the first floor, too.
  • Extend your offbeat route to Place de Stalingrad in the 19th arrondissement, where you'll find the double lock that marks the start of the Canal Saint-Martin, which ultimately leads to the Seine. Walk along its banks – lined with cafes and restaurants – passing under graceful iron bridges along the way, and watch the barges go by. Or slow it right down and take your honey on a cruise along its waters.
  • Until recently, The Penthouse at the Hotel Plaza Athénée wasn't just known as one of the city's premier hotel rooms, the glorious views to the Eiffel Tower from its terrace also gained romantic kudos when the room starred in a scene from hit TV series Sex and the City. Now the hotel claims to have trumped that view with the one it offers through a window in its new Eiffel Tower Suite. Book this luxurious pad for the night and you can snuggle up with a front-row view of the famous tower, which is captured within a specially commissioned architrave styled to look like a silver frame.

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