Paris and romance, they go together like champagne and oysters, café and croissants, jambon and beurre, which is why loved up couples make a pilgrimage to the French capital every year on Valentine's Day. But why exactly is Paris the "city of love" and does it really deserve the title?
The beauty
With the grand, Georges Haussman-designed central Paris, as well as the charming cobbled streets of Montmartre and the Marais, it's no wonder Paris is said to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
The city preserves its famous skylines under Unesco heritage protection which limits buildings to six stories and the carefully preserved buildings may go some way to explaining the romantic appeal of Paris.
“Because they've capped the stories, you have the old buildings that aren't towering, they don't create canyons of obscurity”, Paris-based writer Debra Healy told The Local. “I think people come because it's beautiful”.
A stroll through a city hand-in-hand is certainly more romantic than a bus or Metro ride, and Paris's small size and wide streets mean it's ideal for walking and taking in the scenery.
“You can't get lost, and there's always something beautiful around the next corner,” says Healy.
The big screen
Numerous films over the years like French Kiss, Amélie and Midnight in Paris have embedded a certain rosy idea of the French capital that's hard to shake.
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