Even with the dollar down, prices high and the City of Light dimming on a string of political differences, the cost of getting to the land of camembert is so cheap around Valentine's Day, it's worth considering for a romantic getaway.

Here's the battle plan:

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IF YOU GO • You can pay as little as $400 (including taxes) for a one-stop, round-trip flight to Paris. Information • Ritz Paris, 15 Place Vendôme, phone 33 1 43 16 30 70; www.ritzparis.com; online rates from 515 euros (about $670) through http://www.parishotelsdiscount.com. • Hôtel Plaza Athénée Paris, 25 Avenue Montaigne, 1-866-732-1106; http://www.plaza-athene-paris.com, online rates from 550 euros (about $715) through http://www.parishotelsdiscount.com. • Hotel Meurice, 228 Rue de Rivoli, phone 33 1 44 58 10 10; http://www.lemeurice.com; online rates from 470 euros (about $615) through http://www.parishotelsdiscount.com. • Park Hyatt Paris- Vendôme, 5 Rue de la Paix, phone 33 1 58 71 12 34; http://www.paris.vendome.hyatt.com; rates from 450 euros (about $585). • Hotel George V, 31 Avenue George V, phone 33 1 49 52 70 00; http://www.fourseasons.com/paris; rates from 680 euros (about $885). • La Trémoille, 14 Rue de la Trémoille, phone 33 1 56 52 14 00; http://www.hotel-tremoille.com; rates from 300 euros (about $390). • Hotel Bel Ami Germain, 7-11 Rue St. Benoît, phone 33 1 42 61 53 53; http://www.hotel-bel-ami.com; rates from 220 euros (about $286) through http://www.parishotelsdiscount.com. • Hotel du Cadran, 10 Rue du Champ de Mars, phone 33 1 40 62 67 00; http://www.cadranhotel.com; rates from 130 euros (about $170). • Hotel du Levant, 18 Rue de la Harpe, phone 33 1 46 34 11 00; http://www.hoteldulevant.com; rates from 69 euros (about $90). • Lapérouse, 51 Quai des Grands Augustins, phone 33 1 43 26 68 04; Metro: Saint-Michel. • Musée Rodin, 77 Rue de Varenne; http://www.musee-rodin.fr; Metro: Varenne.

Getting there

You can snap up tickets for about $400 round trip, including taxes and fees, but you'll have to be flexible with your travel dates and will most likely have to make a connection.

Don't strain yourself trying to get there over Valentine's Day: Put the tickets in a heart-shaped box for your sweetie and put the savings into buying overpriced euros.

Sleeping there

The absence of Americans has made French hearts grow fonder and their very best hotels more affordable. Most offer romance packages, throwing in goodies like champagne, breakfast in bed, chocolates, candles in your room and complimentary bouquets of flowers.

Très cher: The Ritz, the George V, the Park Hyatt, the Plaza Athénée and the Meurice are the royal family here, each with its own courtiers and loyalists. Plaza Athénée stands out for sex appeal and the Relais Plaza, one of the hotel's signature restaurants. The Ritz draws an older clientele, while the Park Hyatt, just across Place Vendôme, aims at hip luxury. For that "just woke up in Paris" feeling, the views from the Meurice's upper floors overlooking the Louvre gardens and the Eiffel Tower can't be beat. Expect to pay 500 euros and up a night, but you'll receive impeccable service.

Less cher: To get more than you pay for, but pay nevertheless, try Hotel de la Tremoille's comfy modern chic. At 300 euros a night and with faux-fur comforters, marbled baths and breakfast delivery via a hatch in your foyer, le Tremoille is a stylish find. In the heart of the St. Germain area, the Hotel Bel Ami aims at the fashion set, with small, modern rooms and minimalist style.

Cheap: A favorite is the Hotel du Cadran, near the Parc du Champ de Mars, and the Rue Cler market street, near the Eiffel Tower. While its special winter rate of 120 euros for a double puts it in the cheap pile, the du Cadran is too nice to belong here. Rooms are bright, clean and convenient. The owners are friendly and helpful, and its lobby is two doors from the best fromagerie (cheese shop) in Paris, Marie Ann Cantin. The Hotel du Levant, off the Boulevard St. Germain in the Latin Quarter, is much more rustic, but friendly and family run. An advantage to the Levant is being steps from the RER train to Charles de Gaulle airport.

Strolling there

To skip jet lag, drop the bags at your hotel and hit the ground running. To stretch your euros using the Metro, buy a carnet of 10 tickets. Head to the Left Bank. Follow a narrow street from the Musée d'Orsay toward the Boulevard St. Germain, where you'll find trendy stores and boutiques, from Armani to Zara, up and down Rue de Rennes. Head up Rue du Buci and St. Andre des Arts toward the Place St. Michel, where you'll find cheap eats and inexpensive stores along the narrow market street.

From Place St. Michel, cross over the short bridge to the island where the cathedral (if not the hunchback) of Notre Dame beckons. The gardens below the cathedral look east over the Seine and are a great place to kiss.

Across the bridge, on the other side, go ice skating in front of the Hotel de Ville (skate rentals are available). Grab a Nutella crepe from a street vendor, and wander northeast into the Marais.

On Sundays, when most business grinds to a halt, the clever shops and cafes of the old Jewish quarter stay open. Jo Goldenberg's deli on Rue des Rosiers isn't famous for its food as much as for having been there forever. Finding this unlikely oasis of lox, bagels and borscht in the world capital of so much unkosher is a delectable pleasure.

Smooching there

If you can't get a reservation at Le Jules Verne restaurant high up in the Eiffel Tower, hop off the Metro at Ecole Militaire and take a detour through the Rue Cler market street to find sandwiches, sausages, cheese, fresh fruits and delicious pastries. And don't forget the champagne! Then take your picnic basket three blocks out onto the Champ de Mars, with the Eiffel Tower as your backdrop, and let the Jules Verne patrons watch you make out.

If you tire of walking, you don't need to speak French to understand why the seat pairs at the Mk2 Bibliotheque Cinema have no armrests.

Lapérouse, on the Left Bank, is no ordinary restaurant. Known as a favorite hangout for Émile Zola, George Sand and Victor Hugo, its private dining rooms for couples have an allure of their own.

Certain places are made for losing oneself in romance, like the medieval moats below the Louvre or the gardens of the Rodin Museum.

Surprising there

Finally, should you decide to make this fling to Paris a surprise, there's one more trick you can try. Go to the municipal Web site of Paris (www.paris.fr) before Wednesday and post a love message to your sweetheart that will be displayed on all the large electronic information kiosks in the neighborhood you specify on Valentine's Day.