Paris top for romantic short breaks

Brits think that Paris is the top European city for romance in 2006, new research shows.

As budding romantics gear up for Valentine's Day, many will be considering a short break in Paris after it polled over 30 per cent of male and female votes.

The French capital stayed out in front for love, despite competition from increasingly popular European short break destinations such as Krakow, Budapest, Ljubljana and Riga.

It also beat more traditional short break destinations such as the canals of Venice, which was the top choice for people living in the Midlands and Wales, and was second overall, according to a survey by YouGov.

The Spanish city of Barcelona was in third place, with five per cent of the vote, and London was in fourth with two per cent of the vote.

It was not just attractions such as Notre Dame, Montmartre and the Sacre Coeur that made Paris top choice, but the French language, which was considered to be the 'language of love' by nearly a third of respondents.

Eastern European cities like Krakow and Moscow, while growing in popularity, were not perceived as romantic by respondents.

James Pitman, managing director of language-learning software provider Rosetta Stone, said: "It is not surprising that Paris has a universal romantic appeal. Many people would argue that it is hard to beat the experience of taking a bateau mouche along the Seine or watching the sunset at the Sacre Coeur"

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