Proposal locations in Paris or London?
April 20, 2018 9:25 AM Subscribe
What are some nice, secluded, romantic locations to propose to my girlfriend in London or Paris in July?
My girlfriend and 2 of our friends will be visiting Paris and London in July. I was originally supposed to go but something came up so they booked tickets without me. Turns out I can go again, and it seems like the perfect time to have one of our friends say they want to visit X location and me be there with a suit to pop the question. What places do you recommend? We won't have a car so being easy to get to via metro or uber/taxi would be great. Preferably not the most obvious Eiffel Tower etc, although a nice secluded part of the Louvre may not be a bad idea). Any help will be appreciated!
My girlfriend and 2 of our friends will be visiting Paris and London in July. I was originally supposed to go but something came up so they booked tickets without me. Turns out I can go again, and it seems like the perfect time to have one of our friends say they want to visit X location and me be there with a suit to pop the question. What places do you recommend? We won't have a car so being easy to get to via metro or uber/taxi would be great. Preferably not the most obvious Eiffel Tower etc, although a nice secluded part of the Louvre may not be a bad idea). Any help will be appreciated!
Not sure if you're looking for something with no one around, but in Paris:
* Sainte Chappelle is really magical. (There will be a crowd).
* Pont de Arts (pedestrian bridge over the Seine) would be a good choice, though you won't be able to hide there.
* The point at the West End of Ile de la Cite. This also has a tree you can sort of hide behind. (Don't use the East point on the same island, which is immediately behind Notre Dame, as that's a Holocaust memorial).
* Among the Monets inside the Orangerie Museum. (There will be a crowd).
* For a more secluded spot, somewhere in the Luxembourg Garden.
Make sure you have a chat app installed before you go and that everyone has data (we used Three.co.uk, which worked great for data only) so you can coordinate with your co-conspirators.
In London, there are lots of parks where you can get at least a little personal space. Maybe the bridge over the lake in St. James Park?
posted by cnc at 10:15 AM on April 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
* Sainte Chappelle is really magical. (There will be a crowd).
* Pont de Arts (pedestrian bridge over the Seine) would be a good choice, though you won't be able to hide there.
* The point at the West End of Ile de la Cite. This also has a tree you can sort of hide behind. (Don't use the East point on the same island, which is immediately behind Notre Dame, as that's a Holocaust memorial).
* Among the Monets inside the Orangerie Museum. (There will be a crowd).
* For a more secluded spot, somewhere in the Luxembourg Garden.
Make sure you have a chat app installed before you go and that everyone has data (we used Three.co.uk, which worked great for data only) so you can coordinate with your co-conspirators.
In London, there are lots of parks where you can get at least a little personal space. Maybe the bridge over the lake in St. James Park?
posted by cnc at 10:15 AM on April 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
Is there more you can tell us about your relationship and/or your girlfriend to help shape ideas? Like generally pretty/romantic leaves a lot of options open.
I find the Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature in Paris to be pretty magical and would have been totally delighted to be proposed to in the animatronic trophy room, or the unicorn room. But, that's me, not necessarily your girlfriend.
The boat ride between the Tate Modern and the Tate London might also be a fun option, or doing it on the Eye (those both probably require a lot of coordination both with your friends and the people operating the boat/ferris wheel, which may not be feasible).
It's a bit of a hike from central London (but 100% doable & easy on public transportation), but Kew Gardens is beautiful and you could hide out in the greenhouse catwalk to be super sneaky.
posted by snaw at 10:22 AM on April 20, 2018
I find the Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature in Paris to be pretty magical and would have been totally delighted to be proposed to in the animatronic trophy room, or the unicorn room. But, that's me, not necessarily your girlfriend.
The boat ride between the Tate Modern and the Tate London might also be a fun option, or doing it on the Eye (those both probably require a lot of coordination both with your friends and the people operating the boat/ferris wheel, which may not be feasible).
It's a bit of a hike from central London (but 100% doable & easy on public transportation), but Kew Gardens is beautiful and you could hide out in the greenhouse catwalk to be super sneaky.
posted by snaw at 10:22 AM on April 20, 2018
The gardens at the Rodin museum in Paris!
posted by DoubleLune at 10:34 AM on April 20, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by DoubleLune at 10:34 AM on April 20, 2018 [2 favorites]
There is a train that goes to Provin (not Province, Provin). It's an old medieval town that used to be known for its roses. There is a hawk show there, but there is also a lovely, small garden with an adjacent building with a cafe inside. It's an exquisite place to talk and look out over the garden, and the entire place is human-sized and sweet. There are lots of rose-themed and -scented items to buy, a book store down a narrow flight of stairs, and a castle view (from and of).
There is also a set of stairs leading up high into the workings of a bell tower. You should time your visit carefully, either to avoid or experience the ringing of the bells up close, but it's a small, intricate, fascinating space, also with a view, and whether you propose there or not, you'll remember being there, among the medieval bell mountings and ropes and actual bells, for the rest of your life.
posted by amtho at 10:35 AM on April 20, 2018
There is also a set of stairs leading up high into the workings of a bell tower. You should time your visit carefully, either to avoid or experience the ringing of the bells up close, but it's a small, intricate, fascinating space, also with a view, and whether you propose there or not, you'll remember being there, among the medieval bell mountings and ropes and actual bells, for the rest of your life.
posted by amtho at 10:35 AM on April 20, 2018
Seconding the Rodin Museum gardens. I went on a Sunday morning and it was virtually empty, and the gardens are fabulous. Plenty of nooks for private conversations (and smooching), and unbeatable photo ops. There is an indoor portion in case of bad weather.
posted by Liesl at 10:55 AM on April 20, 2018
posted by Liesl at 10:55 AM on April 20, 2018
Best answer: Kew Gardens might suit. It's not a crazy dramatic landscape but there are plenty of charming little spots. Bonus: you can picnic with the champagne on the spot.
posted by praemunire at 11:00 AM on April 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by praemunire at 11:00 AM on April 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
Primrose Hill would be great in London, or maybe even one of the bridges at night? The Eye might be a bit sterile, idk...
posted by ominous_paws at 11:24 AM on April 20, 2018
posted by ominous_paws at 11:24 AM on April 20, 2018
St. Dunstan-in-the-East—the ruins of a church now converted into a beautiful little garden.
posted by incountrysleep at 11:56 AM on April 20, 2018
posted by incountrysleep at 11:56 AM on April 20, 2018
There are some lovely spots in Kensington Gardens, like the Peter Pan statue or the Albert Memorial. There's a poignant romance to the latter; it was commissioned by Queen Victoria as a memorial to her late husband, whose death she never really got over.
If you wanted to add a touch of humor, there's also Speakers Corner in Hyde Park. Historically, it's a place where anyone with a soapbox and something to say was allowed to speak up to anyone who'd listen. You could make the first part of your proposal an announcement of your intentions.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 12:10 PM on April 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
If you wanted to add a touch of humor, there's also Speakers Corner in Hyde Park. Historically, it's a place where anyone with a soapbox and something to say was allowed to speak up to anyone who'd listen. You could make the first part of your proposal an announcement of your intentions.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 12:10 PM on April 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
If you were to propose to me, I couldn't think of a better place than the Tate Modern. It is my favorite museum in the world. You do it inside in Turbine Hall - OR, be waiting at the Tate end of the Millennium Bridge. Your friends and girlfriend could walk across from the St. Paul's side to find you at the end of the bridge in your suit! Swoon!
posted by GoldenEel at 12:45 PM on April 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by GoldenEel at 12:45 PM on April 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
ProTip: Propose at the very start of the trip. If you wait for some better moment or place, you run the risk of creating the problem my friend did: that your beloved gets royally cheesed that she hasn't been proposed to yet, she expected it but it wasn't forthcoming, yada yada yada, his proposal ended up starting with "Now shut up and listen!" (But she said yes, so now it's a happy story, but she's still cheesed off in a lingering sort of way a decade later. Trwoo luv.) Propose at the start, and then she's all happy and glowy and thumbing through exotic foreign bridal magazines for the rest of the trip.
The Louvre has plenty of little benches and niches you could use, as would the Tuileries or Luxembourg gardens, but I'd go for on the banks of the Seine, personally. It doesn't need to be the 'perfect' spot -- it'll become *your* spot anyway.
Good luck!
posted by Capt. Renault at 1:31 PM on April 20, 2018 [2 favorites]
The Louvre has plenty of little benches and niches you could use, as would the Tuileries or Luxembourg gardens, but I'd go for on the banks of the Seine, personally. It doesn't need to be the 'perfect' spot -- it'll become *your* spot anyway.
Good luck!
posted by Capt. Renault at 1:31 PM on April 20, 2018 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: praemunire, thank you! I saw the art installation The Hive on the website and it totally resonated with me!
Thank you everyone for your answers!
posted by lain at 2:00 PM on April 20, 2018
Thank you everyone for your answers!
posted by lain at 2:00 PM on April 20, 2018
Looks like you have already selected Kew Gardens (which is an excellent choice.)
But if you are still considering places, I want to nominate the Hill Garden and Pergola on Hampstead Heath, which is like something out of a fairy tale. I've lived in London 15 years, and the Hill Garden is my pick for most beautiful and romantic place in the city. It also won't be mobbed in quite the same way some of the more obvious tourist places in London are. Some photos to give you a sense of the place: one, two, three
posted by yankeefog at 8:00 AM on April 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
But if you are still considering places, I want to nominate the Hill Garden and Pergola on Hampstead Heath, which is like something out of a fairy tale. I've lived in London 15 years, and the Hill Garden is my pick for most beautiful and romantic place in the city. It also won't be mobbed in quite the same way some of the more obvious tourist places in London are. Some photos to give you a sense of the place: one, two, three
posted by yankeefog at 8:00 AM on April 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
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On Hampstead Heath you'd be able to find a more secluded, stunning spot, but the challenge might be to find one another. The pic on that page is of the crowded lower slopes but the further north you go the more beautiful and secluded it gets, but there's no signage so it's easy to get lost. The lake in front of Kenwood, right up at the top, would be pretty stunning. Not as close to the tube, but I think is bussable and definitely Uberable, and relatively easy to find. Kenwood has an art gallery so your friends could pretend they wanted to go to an exhibition or something and follow up with a stroll down to the lake.
posted by penguin pie at 10:11 AM on April 20, 2018 [1 favorite]