In 2008, nearly 34 million people visited Paris, France.

Some came for business, some were hungry to view art. Foodies arrived with a list of bistros and street markets to check out.

For many, Paris is simply the most remarkable place to be with someone you love. Newlyweds honeymoon here. Couples who have been together a long time, choose Paris for celebrating anniversaries. Relationships are fired up here. You don't have to dig very deep to come up with a myriad of reasons why this city provides such a splendid backdrop for romance.

Paris is called "The City of Light". The origin of this nickname is unclear. Possibly it is derived from the brilliant thinkers and writers who lived here during the Age of Enlightenment, such as Voltaire and Rousseau. Others claim the name evolved due to the fact that Paris was one of the first European cities to be lit with gas lamps. Then, some romantics believe that the answer comes from above. It has to do with the soft Northern European light, the way the clouds move, and the continually changing effect they have upon the landscape.

All the ingredients for romance exist within the city's aesthetically pure center. Remnants, artifacts, and works of art can be easily viewed, telling the story of Paris from Roman times, forward. At the Musee de Cluny, one walks among Gallo-Roman ruins. Inside the museum, a Medieval mansion, we are treated to one of the most celebrated collections of Medieval art in the world. If Impressionism strikes your fancy, be prepared to have your mind blown at the Musee d'Orsay, a former railway station. You can visit Napoleon's tomb or step into the Conciergerie, the prison where Marie Antoinette spent her final days before going to the guillotine.

Do you like to eat? In this regard, Paris will satisfy your hunger pangs, with gusto. Chocolate shops, pastry makers and crepes from vendors in the parks, beckon. Cafes with terraces for drinking coffee and sharing a dish of Berthillon ice cream, are plentiful. One can dine simply while feasting on goodies brought back to the hotel room from Rose Bakery on rue des Martyrs, or get dressed to the nines and head for one of the restaurants with a Michelin Star.

Of course, shopping is inevitable, for sweet boutiques line the streets and boulevards from one end of the city to the other. Whether you are winding your way through a maze of narrow alleys, or sauntering along one of the broad avenues created by Baron Haussmann, Prefect of the Seine in the 1800s, Paris seems to be shouting, "Romance rules!"

Ride the elevator to the top of the Eiffel tower for a night view of the city. Stand in the middle of the 400-year-old Pont Neuf Bridge at dawn, above the River Seine. Come hear the organ being played in the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris. Then try and deny the fact that Paris is the most romantic city in the world.