Our week in Paris started on the first day of the last month of autumn. Our days were split into two phases – in the morning we allowed ourselves the luxury of sleeping in and taking it slow, and in the afternoon through to evening we made the most of every moment.

One of my favourite parts of Paris – asides from the gorgeous flower shops – are all the locks… there are a couple of bridges heaving under the weight of thousands of locks left by couples to seal their love eternal. Keys are traditionally thrown into the Seine River below – not so environmentally friendly – but they are a feast for the eyes and it was fun to concoct love stories about each unique lock.

After settling in, we went exploring. This is one of the best moments in a new country – the exploration phase. Because it’s new, you tend to open your eyes and notice your surrounds, unlike home where the familiar makes us take each new day for granted. We walked for hours, eventually partaking in our first crepe, a heart-warming nutella and banana combination. We also saw world-renowned bridal designer Max Chaoul’s shop front.

We captured the Arc de Triomphe (along with every other man and his dog) before partaking in crepe goodness #2, lemon and sugar. By this stage of our journey we were getting the hang of the subway system so we caught it back to Le Marais and literally stumbled across L’Éclair de génie – a place recommended for their world-class éclairs. Sure they set you back about €7 each but they were the crème de la crème of sweet treats I ever did eat, no word of a lie.

The next day was predicted to be the warmest all week, so we set off for lunch at Le chalet des Iles – a French restaurant perched in the middle of a picturesque lake, complete with snow-white geese. This place is a gem and came highly recommended by friends of ours. It is ridiculously charming, serves incredible food, and the staff are kind enough even when you realise you can’t possibly interpret the menu. One delicious veal, mushroom, baby onion, and grape stew later, my belly was full and my heart content. I would fly to Paris just to dine here again. I would.

Here is a valuable tip for those tight on the purse strings – many places are free on the first Sunday of the month in Paris. This was a pleasant surprise for us so we set the alarm and took off straight to the Louvre first thing. We would have spent close to 3 hours there, and in my opinion the wall-sized tapestry proved much more interesting than its counterpart, the Mona Lisa. We also sighted this bride making the most of the blue Parisian skies.

That evening we went for dinner at 58 Tour Eiffel, located on the first floor of the Eiffel Tower. It was in.cred.i.ble – I want to emphasis every syllable because the experience was just like that. A night full of emphasis on every part from the service to the food to the view to the glitter. As our sitting came to a close, we shrugged into our coats, knotted our scarves, and adorned our heads in preparation to go sky high. The second floor was enjoyable with glittering evening views, but unsurprisingly the summit was a little high for my liking.

I don’t quite know how to summarise Paris apart from this – the City of Love really does live up to its name. It simply has a little romance and magic woven in everything from the loved-up padlocks to the Eiffel Tower glitter to the gorgeous little French patisseries and bountiful flower stalls. It is like walking through a living and breathing movie set for a romance. So why not consider sweet Paris for your happily ever after.

Images by Mr + Ms Chevron