It’s with a rudimentary understanding of French but plenty of joie de vivre that 20-something Chicagoan Emily Cooper relocates to the City of Light in Netflix’s popular series Emily in Paris. Always clad in colorful clothes, which serve as a striking contrast to the city’s timeworn historical sights and moody atmosphere, Emily showcases her new life in the city via her surprisingly popular Instagram account. Here’s how to follow along with her feed and plan your Paris itinerary #alaEmily.
Located in the city’s fifth arrondissement—just off the buzzy Place du Panthéon—Café de la Nouvelle Mairie features coffee and wine menus that rotate on a regular basis and are charmingly displayed on a chalkboard. Think: small bistro bites such as cheese, chicken liver terrines, and oysters. Keep in mind that the café is closed on weekends, but stays open until midnight during the week.
Situated in the center of historic Paris, across from the Louvre, the Palais-Royal Garden is bordered by the Palais-Royal and adjacent galleries and offers a place for a relaxing respite away from the hustle and bustle of the city. It’s also featured on some guided tours that explore the “hidden gems” of Paris, but the show’s popularity probably means it won’t remain a mystère much longer.
A relatively new addition to the city, the Atelier des Lumières opened in Paris in 2018. The sensory arts space, located in a repurposed 19th-century foundry, has over a hundred digital projectors and a spatialized sound system. Prior exhibitions include "Van Gogh / Klein" which combined the works of both artists and "Dalí," a surrealistic landscape showcasing the highly imaginative works of Salvador Dalí.
Housed in a neoclassical building, the Paris Mint Museum (Musée de la Monnaie de Paris) showcases the history of the longest standing institution in France through interactive and sensory exhibits. Explore more than 1,150 years of French coinage history—from the pre-Roman roots to modern-day Paris—in permanent and temporary exhibits about coin minting, metalworking, and more.
Founded in 1804 and located in the city’s 20th arrondissement, the Père Lachaise Cemetery (Cimetière du Père Lachaise) is Paris’ largest and most prestigious cemetery. Today, it contains more than 70,000 ornate tombs, including those of some of France’s most important public figures. Take a guided walking tour of the cemetery and wander through the maze of headstones and tombs including those of Jim Morrison, Balzac, and Oscar Wilde.
In season two, a fashion show takes place inside the Palace of Versailles (Chateau de Versailles), the former royal residence that’s located just outside of Paris, about an hour’s drive from the city. It’s home to more than 60,000 pieces of art, plus the Versailles Gardens (Jardins de Versailles), which are filled with geometrically structured walkways and fountains. Guided Versailles tours from Paris allow you to wander the grand palace and gaze in awe at the ornate decadence, including the Palace’s Hall of Mirrors.
To kick off the second season, Emily heads to St-Tropez with her beau but (spoiler alert!) ends up dining alone at a fictional beachside club; the location is actually an IRL restaurant located 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from the small fishing village of Villefranche-Sur-Mer, near Nice. During a stay in Paris, plan a weekend jaunt to the French Riviera to soak up some sun and Champagne. The train ride from the city can take between 6–10 hours, depending on the service.
Seen in both seasons, Camille’s family’s countryside estate—Château de Lalisse, where the undrinkable Champére is made—is actually the castle-turned-winery, Le Château de Sonnay in Chinon, located some 3 hours from Paris in the Loire Valley. Dating back to the Crusades, the estate now offers tours of the grounds and the wine cellar. More generally, the Loire Valley is one of the world's most well-known areas of wine production and is accessible via a guided tour that explores the wineries and castles dotting the region.