Emily in Paris is a show about a young marketing executive from Chicago, played by Lily Collins, who has the opportunity of a lifetime to travel to Paris for work, and — as we've all learned from past movies and TV shows — when Paris comes a calling (ahem, LC), you answer with your silk scarves already packed and you go.
And that’s just what the cast did. Netflix’s Emily in Paris was actually filmed in Paris and Collins and the rest of the team — Ashley Park, Lucas Bravo, and more — shot the show in The City Of Lights from August to November, 2019. The show captures Paris in a peak seasonal moment (I'm talking pea coats. I'm talking layers. I'm talking stylish boots.) and features iconic Parisian landmarks and glimpses down charming medieval Parisian streets and… it’s all real. The show was filmed entirely on location.
Collins told ET that she hopes the setting offers some escape. “I think that this show really deals with finding oneself in a foreign environment and we've all come far too acclimated to our environments right now, right? I'm just happy to be a part of something that hopefully provides wish fulfillment in travel aesthetic purposes, as well as optimism,” she said.
The 10-episode series does, indeed, offer a lot of wanderlust. It’s easy to picture yourself in the 5th arrondissement, eating a pain au chocolat, browsing boutiques for fall berets and/or a sense of purpose.
Below, the most recognizable Parisian locations featured on the show, with links to virtual tours you can take around said location. Even though right now you may be the girl who can’t or didn’t go to Paris (wow, who knew 13 years later this Lauren Conrad thing would still have legs) you can still fulfill that wish to wander, as Emily and Collins both would want.
The Eiffel Tower
We know it. We love it. We may even have a keychain of it hanging on our crossbody purse. (No shame if you do.) Each time you see The Eiffel Tower in Emily in Paris know that it's the actual Eiffel Tower, the same one that so many of your Facebook friends posed in front of during study abroad, and the same one perfectly lit up in Episode 2 of the show. (Plus, can we just appreciate the tulle skirt Emily is wearing during this scene.? It’s a straight-up homage to Carrie Bradshaw's Sex and the City skirt.)
Virtual tour: Eiffel Tower
Terra Nera
Good news and bad news! The bad news is: Gabriel's restaurant in the series, Les Deux Compéres, is not an actual cafe. I know, I'm sorry too. The good news is you can visit the spot where scenes outside the restaurant were filmed and even eat at the actual restaurant that resides in its spot. According to its website, Terra Nera is "a stone's throw from the Pantheon is a small restaurant, where Italian gastronomy and warm hospitality blend."
Virtual tour: Terra Nera
The Palais Garnier
Basic be damned. Emily shows up to the opera to save her job (and Savoir's relationship with a major fashion client) for a performance of Swan Lake, an ambush, and some light Gossip Girl spoilers. The grand palatial opera house was built from 1861 to 1875 (a war and change in political regime slowed things down a bit) and is the setting of another memorable work crisis: that pesky Phantom who torments the Opera.
Virtual tour: The Palais Garnier
Seine River
RIP to the hundreds of thousands of "locks of love" that were formerly housed on the Pont des Arts bridge over the Seine River up until 2015 when they were cut off. However, while love may be dead, capturing social content is not — something Emily knows oh too well. The Seine is just under 500 miles long and weaves its way through Paris, eventually emptying out into the English Channel.
If you ever find yourself living like Emily, you may want to take a guided tour down the Seine, where you'll get the opportunity to see some of the most iconic Parisian sights including Notre-Dame, the Eiffel Tower, and the Louvre Museum.
Virtual tour: The Seine River
Pont Alexandre III
The picturesque Pont Alexandre III bridge serves as the filming location of not only Emily in Paris, but the "sexist not sexy" commercial for the new De L'Heure fragrance. While boasting similar views to other bridges over the Seine, it is considered much more ornate given the gold accents and statues throughout its vast arch. Walking across the Pont Alexandre III (you'll have to remain clothed) you'll see sights like the Eiffel Tower and Les Invalides.
Virtual tour: Pont Alexandre III
La Monnaie de Paris
The series culminates in a rather spectacular celebration of fashion in the stunning courtyard of the Monnaie de Paris, according to WWD. The historical structure is home to the 11 Conti Museum and is responsible for producing France's euro coins.
Virtual tour: La Monnaie de Paris
In addition to Paris and the surrounding region, the show also spent some time in Chicago to film Emily's pre-Parisian life. All you need to know about Chicago is Lou Malnati’s Pizza. Virtual tour: here. (You’re welcome.)