Emily in Paris: Every Filming Location You Can Actually Visit

Introduction: Netflix’s Controversial Love Letter to Paris

When Netflix released Emily in Paris in October 2020, the show immediately became a cultural phenomenon—and one of the most debated series on the platform. Whether you love Emily Cooper’s wide-eyed optimism or roll your eyes at the show’s portrayal of Parisians, one thing is undeniable: the series showcases real Parisian locations that you can actually visit. Unlike shows that rely heavily on studio sets or digital effects, Emily in Paris embraces the city as a character, filming on location throughout Paris and beyond. This guide will take you through the real places where Emily lives, works, loves, and stumbles her way through French culture—and show you exactly how to find them.

Created by Darren Star (the mastermind behind Sex and the City), Emily in Paris follows Emily Cooper, a 20-something American marketing executive who moves to Paris to work at a prestigious French luxury brand’s marketing division. The show brilliantly captures the fantasy many English-speaking audiences have about Paris: glamorous apartments, charming cafés, and impossibly elegant Parisians. While French critics have pointed out the show’s comedic inaccuracies (no Parisian would leave their shoes on in their apartment, they note), the series’ visual production is undeniably gorgeous, and the location scouting is meticulous.

Emily’s Apartment: Place de l’Estrapade in the Latin Quarter

Emily’s iconic apartment, with its gorgeous arched ceilings, small wrought-iron balcony, and peek-a-boo view of the Sacré-Cœur, is actually located in the 5th arrondissement near the Place de l’Estrapade. This real location in the Latin Quarter, one of Paris’s most charming neighborhoods, was chosen deliberately to place Emily in the heart of intellectual and creative Paris. The exterior shots you see throughout the series are real, though the interior apartment is larger and more luxuriously appointed than what the exterior suggests—typical for television production.

The Place de l’Estrapade itself is a wonderful destination worth visiting. This quiet square, surrounded by 18th-century buildings and cobblestones, is named after a strange historical device (the estrapade was used for torture during medieval times, a fact that doesn’t make it into the show). Today, it’s a peaceful square where locals walk their dogs and students sit on benches reading. The surrounding streets are lined with independent bookshops, small bistros, and vintage stores.

Visiting tip: You can walk around the exterior of Emily’s building at the Place de l’Estrapade (the exact address isn’t widely publicized to protect residents’ privacy, but the area is distinctive). The neighborhood around the square is perfect for a long walk. Grab a coffee at one of the nearby cafés and soak in the authentic Paris atmosphere that Emily’s apartment overlooks. The Panthéon is just a short walk away, and the Rue Mouffetard market street is one of Paris’s most lively and photogenic spots.

Gabriel’s Restaurant: Terra Nera and the Real Parisian Food Scene

Gabriel Forrest, Emily’s chef love interest, runs a restaurant that becomes central to the show’s romantic tension. For the show, the production used real restaurant locations in Paris. The exterior shots of Gabriel’s restaurant are from Terra Nera, a real Italian restaurant in Paris, though the interior scenes were filmed in a set at the production studios. Terra Nera is located in the Marais district and remains open today.

However, the show takes a more imaginative approach to what Gabriel’s restaurant represents. It’s meant to evoke the new generation of Parisian chefs who focus on seasonal, locally-sourced cuisine and a casual-but-elegant atmosphere. This actually reflects a real trend in Paris: the rise of informal bistros and casual restaurants where top-quality food is served without stuffiness.

Visiting tip: If you want to dine where the show filmed, visit Terra Nera (the exact address is 40 Rue de Sévigné). But honestly, the best way to experience “Gabriel’s spirit” is to explore Paris’s real food culture: visit Michelin-starred restaurants, casual wine bars, or neighborhood bistros. The Marais, where Terra Nera is located, is packed with excellent small restaurants, wine bars, and shopping opportunities. Spend an afternoon wandering the charming streets and ducking into the small galleries and boutiques.

The Marketing Office: Savoir and Fictional Fashion

Emily works for “Savoir,” a fictional luxury fashion house in Paris. The interiors were built on sets, so this isn’t a real location you can visit. However, the show does reference real fashion districts and the real culture of Parisian luxury brands. The production team consulted extensively with French fashion experts to accurately portray how a high-end French marketing firm actually operates.

If you want to visit the real centers of Paris fashion and luxury, head to:

8th Arrondissement: The Champs-Élysées and surrounding streets are the epicenter of luxury brand flagships. Walk past Dior, Chanel, Hermès, and other headquarters.
Le Bon Marché: One of Paris’s oldest and most prestigious department stores (38 Rue de Sèvres), representing the luxe shopping culture the show references.
The Marais: The newer epicenter of Paris’s fashion and design scene, with smaller independent boutiques and emerging brands.

Visiting tip: Rather than searching for a fictional office, embrace the real fashion Paris by window shopping on the Champs-Élysées, exploring Le Bon Marché’s elegant departments, or wandering the edgy galleries and studios of the Marais.

The Luxembourg Gardens: A Parisian Institution

Several scenes in Emily in Paris feature the Luxembourg Gardens (Jardin du Luxembourg), one of Paris’s most beloved public spaces. These iconic scenes—with Emily sitting on the green chairs, walking through the classical landscape, or people-watching from café terraces—perfectly capture why Parisians love this 23-hectare garden.

The Luxembourg Gardens date back to 1612 and represent a specific style of French garden design: orderly, geometric, with wide paths perfect for strolling. The gardens are free to enter and host various attractions including the Medici Fountain, the Grand Bassin pond, tennis courts, and a puppet theater. The northern edge of the garden borders the Latin Quarter, while the southern edge overlooks the quiet Rue de Fleurus.

Visiting tip: The Luxembourg Gardens are entirely free and open year-round. The best time to visit is on a sunny afternoon—bring a book, grab a coffee from a nearby café, and rent one of the iconic green metal chairs (small fee) to sit like a true Parisian. The gardens are located in the 6th arrondissement (75006), bordered by the Boulevard Saint-Germain to the north and the Rue Auguste Comte to the south. Arrive early on weekends if you want to find a good spot, as they’re incredibly popular.

Café de Flore and Saint-Germain-des-Prés

The series includes scenes shot at Café de Flore, one of Paris’s most famous literary and artistic cafés, located in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés neighborhood. This is a real location, and you can definitely visit it. Café de Flore has been a fixture since 1887 and was the favorite hangout of famous writers like Hemingway, Sartre, and Simone de Beauvoir during the 20th century.

Today, Café de Flore is as much a tourist destination as a local spot, and it’s pricey—but it’s worth the experience. The coffee itself is good, but you’re really paying for the history, the people-watching, and the right to sit where famous intellectuals once debated the meaning of existence.

Visiting tip: Café de Flore is located at 172 Boulevard Saint-Germain (75006). Budget about €12-15 for a coffee and expect crowds, especially during peak hours (late morning and late afternoon). If the café is too crowded, the surrounding Saint-Germain neighborhood has dozens of charming alternative cafés with similar vibes and lower prices. The neighborhood itself is gorgeous for wandering: boutiques, art galleries, small streets, and more cafés than you can visit in one day.

The Palais Garnier: Grand Opera and High Culture

Several important scenes in Emily in Paris take place at the Palais Garnier, Paris’s famous opera house. This isn’t just a backdrop—the series recognizes that the opera house is a crucial symbol of French cultural capital and refined taste. For Emily, an encounter at the Palais Garnier represents a step up into more sophisticated Parisian society.

The Palais Garnier was built in 1875 and remains one of the most beautiful buildings in the world. Its ornate interior features marble staircases, ceiling paintings, chandeliers, and an architectural style that screams 19th-century wealth and ambition. Even if you don’t attend an opera or ballet, you can tour the building.

Visiting tip: Tours of the Palais Garnier run throughout the day (8 Rue Scribe, 75009). Tickets cost around €14. You can also attend actual performances—operas and ballets are regularly scheduled. Check the website (operadeparis.fr) for schedules and prices. If you attend a performance, you’ll experience the building the way it’s meant to be experienced: in evening dress, with other art lovers, in one of the world’s most magical theaters. The cheapest seats (the upper balconies) are around €15-30 and offer an intimate experience despite the distance from the stage.

Season-by-Season Locations: Where the Story Takes Place

Season 1 is almost entirely set in Paris proper, with occasional jaunts to familiar Parisian landmarks. Beyond the locations mentioned above, keep an eye out for:

The Canal Saint-Martin (scenes of Emily learning about French culture)

Various Parisian neighborhoods including the Marais, the Latin Quarter, and the Right Bank

Season 2 expands beyond Paris, with episodes filmed in Saint-Tropez, the French Riviera, and Versailles. If you’re planning a larger French vacation, you could recreate Emily’s Season 2 journey: Paris to the lavish Côte d’Azur.

Season 3 and beyond continue to expand the setting, with exterior locations in Versailles and other locations around greater Paris.

What’s Real vs. CGI

The show is notable for using real locations rather than green screen or heavy CGI. However, establishing shots (those wide views of Paris rooftops) are sometimes enhanced or completely digitally created. The interior of Emily’s apartment, while set in a real building, was decorated and furnished with a television budget in mind—it’s more spacious and perfectly appointed than any real 5th arrondissement apartment.

The show’s producers were careful to get the details right. They worked with French cultural consultants and used real Parisian locations. However, like all television, there’s some artistic liberty: scenes are rearranged for timing, interiors are enhanced for camera placement, and some locations are combined or reimagined.

Practical Visiting Guide: Experiencing Emily’s Paris

Best neighborhood for Emily vibes: The 5th and 6th arrondissements (Latin Quarter and Saint-Germain) combine the intellectual, artistic, and romantic Paris that Emily discovers.

Perfect itinerary:

Start at the Place de l’Estrapade and wander the surrounding Latin Quarter
Head to the Luxembourg Gardens (free, all day)
Walk north to Saint-Germain-des-Prés
Stop at Café de Flore or an alternative café for coffee and pastry
Visit the Palais Garnier (tour takes 1-2 hours)
Explore the Marais for dinner and evening drinks

Best time to visit: Spring (April-May) and fall (September-October) offer pleasant weather and smaller crowds than summer. The show’s rose-tinted, sunny aesthetic is best captured in these seasons.

Budget considerations: Café de Flore and the Palais Garnier are tourist destinations and will be pricier than “real” local spots. Allocate €20-30 for coffee and drinks, €10-15 for the opera house tour. The Luxembourg Gardens and neighborhood wandering are free.

Conclusion: Beyond the Glamour

Emily in Paris is ultimately a fantasy—a glamorized, filtered version of the city that doesn’t reflect every Parisian’s reality. But that’s okay. The show captures a real side of Paris: the beauty, the history, the art, the food, and the sense that stepping into a Parisian café is stepping into a romantic story. The locations are real, and they’re waiting for you to explore them. Visit these places, and you’ll find your own Emily in Paris moment—one that’s uniquely yours, untranslatable, and infinitely more meaningful than anything a Netflix algorithm could predict.