Travel like Robbie Rogers to Europe’s most romantic city

One of our favorite gay power couples — Robbie Rogers and Greg Berlanti — rekindled their romance in Paris. Why can't we do the same?

Mark

Apr 7, 2024 - 20:00

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Travel like Robbie Rogers to Europe’s most romantic city

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Technically, we weren’t invited. But that doesn’t mean we can’t dream of joining Hollywood heavyweights Robbie Rogers and hubby Greg Berlanti, on a jaunt to Paris.

Last year, the couple’s schedules were consumed by the release of the hit limited series Fellow Travelers, for which Rogers was an executive producer. Meanwhile, Berlanti had his hands full producing Max’s Girls on the Bus — and they’re raising two kids! No wonder a weekend of croissants and high-thread-count sheets sounded appealing.

With the Summer Olympics descending on Paris this July and August, theres no better time to plan your visit with some of our favorite picks in the City of Light:

Sleep in style on the avenue of couture

Hotel Plaza Athenee — Hôtel Plaza Athénée. Photo: Shutterstock

Nearly 2,000 red geraniums adorn the facade of Hôtel Plaza Athénée, the opulent landmark hotel located on Avenue Montaigne in the 8th arrondissement. Celebrating its 111th anniversary on April 20, 2024, the maximalist property has long been a favorite of fashion icons like Christian Dior and industry elites.

Bling can be found everywhere, from the cacophony of chandeliers to the richly upholstered fabrics throughout public spaces, rooms, and suites. Expect both classic French and Art Deco design, and if you’re willing to pay, a picture-perfect view of the Eiffel Tower.

A taste of Nice

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At 21 years old, Julia Sedefdjian became the youngest French chef to be awarded a Michelin star. Find out what all the fuss is about at Baieta, her Mediterranean-inspired outpost in the Latin Quarter.

A series of pre-fixe menus range from 60 to 125 euros and draw inspiration from her early years in Nice. If you’re lucky, her “Bouillabaieta” (a personal take on bouillabaisse) will be on the menu. Compared to the city’s other Michelin-star restaurants, Baieta is considered a smart splurge for its price point.

Purse first

Galleries Lafayette Haussman. Photo: Shutterstock

There’s shopping, and then there’s shopping. In 1893, cousins Théophile Bader and Alphonse Kahn opened a small shop on the corner of rue La Fayette and rue de la Chaussée d’Antin. By 1912, Galleries Lafayette Haussman had grown and expanded, creating the “luxury bazaar” that Bader had always imagined.

Five generations later, the family business continues to wow travelers and locals alike with a newly redesigned Homme store inspired by “the codes of new masculinity,” offering modern silhouettes and accessories to strut your stuff in style.

Trade Mona Lisa for Frida Kahlo

Sure, you could hang out with the Mona Lisa at the Louvre, or you can give your art intake a modern spin with a visit to Centre Pompidou, Paris’s home for contemporary and modern art.

The building — co-designed by architects Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers and featuring a massive escalator known as the caterpillar — boasts more than 120,000 works of art in its permanent collection, including works by queer artists like Frida Kahlo.

A very gay day trip

The Grand Trianon at the Palace of Versailles. Photo: Shutterstock

A brief nine-mile trip will whisk you away from the bustling city to the grand gardens and heightened hallways of the Palace of Versailles. The scale and opulence might even make Todrick Hall (who custom-built a Louis Vuitton-inspired bed) blush with envy.

Queer history also hovers in the air. Monsieur Philippe d’Orléans (Louis XIV’s younger brother) famously romped among the decadent digs with his posse of male lovers amid hunting expeditions, glorious dinner parties, and political negotiations.