A virtual tour of ‘Emily in Paris’ filming locations to tickle your wanderlust
Warning: Mini-spoilers ahead.
Paris is a bucket list staple for many; for some, to have a photo with the city’s iconic landmarks in the background is enough. But with the threats of COVID-19 still here and most international flights limited to essential travel, Netflix’s new comedy-drama Emily in Paris allows viewers to escape the confines of quarantine in 10, almost 30-minute episodes.
Currently, and since the show’s release on Oct. 2, it ranks No. 2 in the Philippines
Montages and establishing shots of the city’s emblems like the Eiffel Tower, L’Assemblee Nationale, Arc d’Triomphe and the Opera Garnier tickle one’s wanderlust as these vistas show the what-might-have-beens of one’s trip to Paris — or anywhere else in the world — had the pandemic not intervene with one’s meticulously planned trip.
The city is a silent—but not invisible—witness to the journey of Emily Cooper (Lily Collins), a twenty-something Chicago native who uproots herself from her midwestern life to accept an unexpected job opportunity in Paris.
Emily in Paris is creator Darren Star’s love letter to one of his favorite cities, which he’s had an affinity for since he was young. “I wanted to do a show about having an expatriate experience in Paris. I’ve had a love affair with the city since I went backpacking around Europe when I was 19,” he said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.
For Star, who was also responsible for giving audiences the beloved Sex and the City, filming the show in Paris was important. “It was really important. Just the way I would never shoot Sex and the City in Toronto. The city is a character. It’s called Emily in Paris. You need Emily, and you need Paris.”
Glaring clichés and stereotypes aside, it is undeniable that what takes the center stage in Emily in Paris is the city itself—the City of Light, which is never a cliché for its allure and endless possibilities wake the senses and manage to seep in to one’s mind even when one is more than 6,000 miles away.
Philstar Life takes viewers on a virtual tour of Emily in Paris’ filming locations including Paris’ iconic landmarks and a treasure trove of gems that one can take a mental note of—and retrieve when flying internationally for leisure is allowed again.
Place de l’Estrapade
This charming square first appears in Episode 1 as Emily arrives at her apartment, which in real life is called 1 Place de l’Estrapade right in front of the square. The square is located in the heart of 5th arrondissement, the city’s Latin Quarter.
From Emily’s chamber de bonne (servant’s room) on the fifth floor of the building is a breathtaking view of the 5th arrondissement and the lush greens of the Place de l’Estrapade. Indeed, a #roomwithaview.
The square becomes a recurring backdrop in the show as its quaint neighborhood also cradles Emily’s go-to places (actually just a few meters away from her apartment!) like the Boulangerie Moderne (where she gets her favorite pan au chocolat) and Les Deux Compères restaurant (called Terra Nerra, an Italian restaurant in real life).
For when one can visit, Emily’s quaint neighborhood is fairly close to local landmarks like the Pantheon and Jardin du Luxembourg. And about five minutes away from her apartment is 74 Rue du Cardinal Lemoine (then a working class district of the 5th arrondissement), where poet Ernest Hemingway and his first wife Hadley Richardson started their life in Paris.
Pont des Arts
Perhaps one of the most famous of Paris’ 37 bridges that crosses the Seine is where Emily takes her first selfie in the city. Here, Emily uses the Seine as her backdrop but as she eases into the city. Viewers will see how the river, which flows through France’s capital city, becomes a part of the stories of her life in Paris.
Pont des Arts, which is bookended by the Institut de France and the Louvre Palace, is still known as the “Love Locks Bridge” even though the city government removed all the locks that took over its railings in 2015. As seen on the show, glass panels have replaced the then lock-infested railings.
Place de Valois
This 18th-century square is the location of Emily’s office Savoir, beside the Galerie Patrick Fourtin. It’s an enclave of boutiques, office spaces and bistros that are not much on the radar of tourists in Paris.
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In the third episode, Emily walks alongside Sylvie on Rue de Valois with the Ministry of Culture’s office at Palais Royal on their right. Their Savoir office is just right around the corner of Palais Royal.
Jardin du Palais Royal
In Episode 1, after Emily is rejected by her officemates to have lunch with her, she goes to Jardin du Palais Royal where she sits on a bench under a tree fronting a fountain and the neoclassical Palais Royal to have her lunch. This becomes her favorite lunch spot throughout the show (on a bench engraved with “Ma joie vient de la nouveaute de emotion” or “My joy comes from the novelty of my emotion”), where she first meets Mindy (Ashley Park), a nanny originally from Shanghai, who eventually becomes her close friend.
It makes sense for Emily to take her break (or extended lunches) in this beautiful garden, as it is just a four-minute walk from Savoir at Place de Valois. The garden is also just five minutes away from the Louvre.
Café de L’homme at Trocadero
In Episode 2, Emily attends a party where she meets the owner of perfume company Maison Lavaux, Antoine Lambert (William Abadie), who is a client of Savoir. Antoine flirts with Emily amid the backdrop of the majestic Eiffel Tower at the rooftop bar Café de L’homme at Trocadero.
The Trocadero is one of the best spots to have that Insta-worthy shot of the Eiffel Tower from across the Seine.
The Pantheon
Standing atop the Montagne Sainte-Genevieve is the imposing Pantheon, where Emily and her boyfriend Doug (Rose Hartrampf) break up over the phone. The neoclassical mausoleum is just five minutes away from Emily’s apartment.
Pont Alexandre III
In Episode 3, Emily joins her boss Sylvie (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu) and Antoine to film a commercial for Maison Lavaux, which is set at Paris’ most iconic bridge, Pont Alexandre III.
The stunning Beaux-Arts-style bridge with Art-Nouveaux lamps, Fames sculpture, cherubs, nymphs is a popular spot for the city's visitors.
On the left bank side of the bridge is Le Faust terrace café and bar fronting the Seine where Sylvie, Antoine and Emily discuss further about if the Maison Lavaux perfume commercial is “sexy or sexist?”
Le Grand Véfour
The two Michelin-starred restaurant on Rue Beaujolais at the northern edge of Jardin du Palais Royal is one of the most in-demand restaurants in Paris. In Episode 4, Emily makes a quick online reservation at the 18th-century Le Grand Véfour to celebrate a partnership between Randy Zimmer (Eion Bailey) and Savoir. Will she be able to score a table for six on such short notice?
Hotel d’Evereux at the Place Vendôme
In Episode 5, as Emily’s Instagram following steadily balloons, she receives an exclusive invite from a cosmetics brand as a social media “influencer.”
The event is set in a suite of the 18th-century mansion Hotel d’Evereux, located at the Place Vendôme, where the 19th-century Vendôme Column towers over the whole plaza. Today, Place Vendôme plays host to luxury retail brands such as Chanel, Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Rolex have set up shop in the historic plaza. The swanky Ritz Paris is also found here.
Place Vendôme is located in the 1st arrondissement, just five minutes away from the exquisite Tuileries Gardens.
Atelier des Lumieres
When Camille (Camille Razat) and Gabriel (Lucas Bravo) invite Emily for a night out in Episode 5, they go to the immersive “Van Gogh, Starry Night” exhibit at the avant-garde museum L’Atelier des Lumieres. Van Gogh’s works like Sunflowers, The Potato Eaters and Starry Night are seen projected on all the surface of the atelier for this beautiful visual and musical production.
Amid the pandemic, the atelier, located on Rue Saint-Maur, has some shows lined up for the next few months including the works of artists Jimmy Nelson, Gustav Klimt, Monet, Renoir and Matisse.
La Maison Rose
In Episode 5, Emily and Mindy goes up to Montmartre, known for its artistic history, in the 18th arrondissementwhere they have dinner at an adorable 19th-century cafe called La Maison Rose, which stands at the corner of Rue de l'Abreuvoir and Rue des Saules.
Down Rue de l'Abreuvoir is where Emily finds the curved street where she would later have a social media installation set up for a client with the backdrop of the Sacré-Cœur Basilica.
Montmartre was an inspiration for artists like Van Gogh and Renoir, and home to artists like Picasso and Modigliani. This neighborhood is also where Moulin Rouge is located.
Palais Garnier
Emily, in her elegant black dress, goes to the opulent Palais Garnier to see Swan Lake and apologize to fashion designer Pierre Cadault (Jean-Christophe Bouvet), who got upset with her in a previous meeting.
The 19th-century opera house seen in Episode 6 has been a Monument Historique since the 1920s and is under the National Heritage protection. Palais Garnier is considered one of Paris’ emblems like the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Louvre.
Musée des Arts Forains (Museum of Fairground Arts)
In Episode 7, Sylvie puts Emily in charge of American actress Brooklyn Clark (Carlson Young), who will be wearing a two-million euro watch by a brand for its flagship party, which takes place at the Musée des Arts Forains or the Museum of Fairground arts in the 12th arrondissement.
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Curiosities exhibitor, a rare objects collector, a cellar master and a master of ceremonies Jean Paul Favand created the museum to house his private collection. Its three themed rooms—“The Venetian Lounges,” “The Theatre of Marvels” and “The Fairground Art Museum”—carry a variety of objects dating between 1850 and 1950 like merry-go-rounds, carousels, fairground organs, swing boats, and more.
Chateau de Sonnay
Camille invites Emily to her family’s chateau with Gabriel joining them at the last minute. The three take a scenic drive to Chateau Lalisse, where most of Episode 8 was filmed.
In real life, the sprawling land with a fantastic view of the vineyards is called Chateau de Sonnay, located in the Loire Valley in Cravant-les-Coteaux, a municipality about four hours south of Paris. This is reportedly the only location in the show (including the scenes filmed in Chicago) that was not filmed in Paris.
Monnaie de Paris
For the fundraising benefit of the American Friends of the Louvre (a real group, by the way) in Episode 9, Emily becomes the last-minute replacement to model Pierre Cardault’s couture creation that he donated for the auction.
The exterior shot of where the auction was held was of the façade of the Seine-facing Monnaie de Paris, a government-owned institution at the 11th arrondissement where France’s euro coins are minted.
Pierre Cardault’s fashion show in Episode 10 and collaboration with Grey Space was held in the inner courtyard of the building.