17 Top Paris Filming Locations Of All Time

Almost Ginger blog owner at Saint-Étienne-du-Mont Church one of the best Paris filming locations in Midnight in Paris (2011)

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read the disclaimer here.

Paris is undoubtedly one of the most cinematic places in the world. France practically invented the medium of cinema (thanks, Lumière brothers! Thanks, Georges Méliès!) and they’ve consistently produced phenomenal films ever since. Plus, Hollywood and other international productions think it’s a pretty beautiful place to film. And that’s why there are so many amazing Paris filming locations.

Every charming café on the corner, every church, cobblestone street, bistro, and bridge are potential filming locations in Paris. I’ve put together a list of all these top Paris film locations that have appeared in all your favourite TV shows and films. Use this guide when planning your Paris itinerary so you can enjoy a Paris city break to match those on the big screen.

Top Paris Filming Locations Of All Time You Must Visit

1. Eiffel Tower as seen in A View to a Kill (1985)

So far, two James Bond movies have utilised Paris movie locations: Thunderball (1965) and A View to a Kill (1985). It’s surprising that the French capital hasn’t appeared more often in the Bond franchise considering it features lots of cultural and international cities like Paris all the time!

A View to a Kill follows the suave super spy Bond (Roger Moore) going head-to-head with Zorin (Christopher Walken) and his glamorous henchwoman Mayday (Grace Jones). He needs to recover a powerful microchip that they want to use for nefarious purposes.

The most iconic Parisian landmark appears when Bond is having dinner with Aubergine at Jules Verne, an upscale restaurant on the second floor of the Eiffel Tower. Unfortunately, Mayday interrupts their cosy meal and chases them along the tower’s exterior staircase. 

The Eiffel Tower appears in many other movies as a filming location, usually in establishing shots. Some I recall off the top of my head include Midnight in Paris (2011) and the Paris episodes of Sex and the City.

Eiffel Tower one of the Paris filming locations for A View to a Kill (1985)
Eiffel Tower

2. Cafe des Deux Moulins as seen in Amélie (2001)

Amélie is one of the most beloved French movies by international audiences. It’s about a quirky young woman and her mission to put a smile on the face of her loved ones and even strangers. But things take an unexpected turn when she falls in love with one of the strangers…

There are dozens of Amélie film locations in Paris, but one of the most iconic is the cafe where she works. It’s Cafe des Deux Moulins in Montmartre and it’s still there today and looks almost exactly the same. Order the crème brûlée! Trust me.


Read more: Amélie Filming Locations in Paris, France


Café des Deux Moulins one of the Paris filming locations in Amélie (2001)
Café des Deux Moulins

3. Gare du Nord as seen in The Bourne Identity (2002)

Except for Star Wars, Marvel, and DC superhero movies, Paris has featured in most of the major recent film franchises. So, it’s unsurprising that the Bourne series used film locations Paris for the first instalment.

In The Bourne Identity, Matt Damon plays the title character who wakes up on an Italian fishing boat with no memory of who he is or how he got there. But what he does know is that people are after him and he needs to run.

One of Paris’s main train stations, Gare du Nord, appears in The Bourne Identity when Bourne leaves his previous red bag in one of the luggage lockers there. Believe it or not, Matt Damon returns to the same station in Ocean’s Twelve (2004).

Gare du Nord in Paris, France
Gare du Nord | Courtesy of Andres Alvarado

4. Pont Des Arts as Seen in Sex and the City Season Six (2004)

This famous Paris bridge has popped up in so many TV shows and films set in Paris. But Pont Des Arts across the Seine is perhaps most notable from the Paris episodes of the hit New York City series Sex and the City. It appears in the two finale episodes of the last season, season six, named ‘An American in Paris: Part Une & Part Deux’.

In the TV show, Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) moves to France to be with her Russian lover, but all is not well. Luckily, her longtime love Mr Big flies into the French capital to declare his love and save the day. They bump into each other and rekindle their relationship on this very lovelock bridge.

The bridge also appears in the And Just Like That… reboot, but I won’t give spoilers.


Read more: Sex and the City Filming Locations in Paris


Pont des Arts bridge on of the best Paris filming locations for Sex and the City
Pont des Arts

5. Shakespeare and Company as Seen in Before Sunset (2004)

Just so you know, Before Sunset is one of my top four favourite movies of all time. Every time I watch it, my heart aches. It’s the middle film in the Before trilogy between Before Sunrise (1995) and Before Midnight (2013).

Céline (Julie Delpy) and Jesse (Ethan Hawke) reunite after nine years at Shakespeare and Company bookshop where Jesse is promoting his new book. They take a stroll around Paris together, visiting places like Le Pure Café and Promenade Plantée.

This bookshop is a Paris institution. You’ll find it opposite Notre Dame and it’s over 100 years old. Authors Ernest Hemingway and James Joyce frequented this establishment back in the day. Plus, it’s a Paris filming location in other films like Julie & Julia (2009) and Midnight in Paris (2011). 


Read more: Before Sunset Filming Locations in Paris, France


Shakespeare and Company Bookshop one of the Paris filming locations
Shakespeare and Company Bookshop

6. Louvre Museum as Seen in The Da Vinci Code (2006)

I know that The Da Vinci Code isn’t a ‘good’ movie. Its sequels, Angels and Demons (2009) and Inferno (2016), are even worse. But I love them; I will never tire of the European locations and the conspiracy theories! The Da Vinci Code is an adaptation of the bestselling book by Dan Brown which follows your friendly neighbourhood symbologist, Dr Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks), on a quest to find the Holy Grail.

His journey begins at the largest museum in Europe, the Louvre Museum. It houses many of Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous works like the Mona Lisa and Madonna of the Rocks (also known as The Virgin of the Rocks). You’ll also spot the Louvre in Wonder Woman (2017).


Read more: The Da Vinci Code Film Locations in Paris


Louvre Museum one of the top Paris filming locations for The Da Vinci Code
Louvre Museum

7. Place de la Concorde as seen in The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

Working in the fashion industry looks so glamorous. Wearing free designer clothes, rubbing shoulders with celebrities, and staying in all the top hotels in Paris, Milan, New York, and London for Fashion Week. Pity that’s not the reality if The Devil Wears Prada is even a little bit accurate!

In this modern classic movie (in my opinion), Anne Hathaway plays Andy, an unlikely assistant to Meryl Streep’s fashion magazine editor. Most of the movie is set in New York City, but they take a trip to Paris Fashion Week.

There are a few Paris filming locations in The Devil Wears Prada, but one of the most notable (and accessible to the public) is Place de la Concorde. This 18th-century square is where Andy chucks her phone after quitting her job. Iconic!

Place de la Concorde in Paris, France
Place de la Concorde | Courtesy of Carl Campbell

8. Palace of Versailles as Seen in Marie Antoinette (2006)

This Marie Antoinette biopic isn’t a regular biopic. It’s fun, colourful, and full of inaccuracies and anachronisms yet it’s also one of the most authentic biopics. Starring Kirsten Dunst in the titular role, it covers the Austrian royal’s marriage to the Dauphin of France, Louis XVI, their ascension to the throne, and the events of the French Revolution.

Why is it so authentic? Because director Sophia Coppola was able to shoot scenes in their real-life home, the Palace of Versailles. You cannot visit Paris without setting aside time to visit Versailles, it’s so extravagant and wonderful and there’s no place like it in the world.


Read more: Marie Antoinette Filming Locations in France (Versailles and Paris)


Palace of Versailles one of the Paris filming locations for Marie Antoinette (2006)
Palace of Versailles

9. Fouquet’s as seen in Taken (2008)

Yet another action film set in Paris, Taken stars Liam Neeson as the devoted father with a very particular set of skills. When sex traffickers kidnap his daughter and her pal on a trip to Paris, the former Government operative must fly there and find her.

He tracks down one of his old CIA buddies and meets him outside Fouquet’s to swap intel. This is a swanky Parisian restaurant near the Champs-Élysées, so at least he got to squeeze in some sightseeing while trying to save his daughter.

Fouquet's in Paris, France
Fouquet’s | Courtesy of Carl Campbell

10. Bistrot La Renaissance as Seen in Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Most of Quentin Tarantino’s WWII movie is set in Paris, but there is only one real Paris filming location. Inglourious Basterds follows an American troop of mostly Jewish soldiers tasked with committing acts of retribution on the Nazis in Germany-occupied France. A young Jewish theatre owner, Shoshanna, joins their mission to take down a high-ranking Nazi officer, Hans Landa (played by Christoph Waltz) because he killed her family.

Shoshanna meets another Nazi officer in Bistrot La Renaissance. Tarantino noticed this restaurant in Le Sangue Des Autres (1984) and luckily for him, it had barely changed since the 1940s let alone the 1980s.


Read more: Inglourious Basterds Filming Locations in Germany & France


Bistrot La Renaissance in Paris, France
Bistrot La Renaissance | Courtesy of Aleksander GLOGOWSKI

11. Pont de Bir-Hakeim as Seen in Inception (2010)

Want to know about the Inception filming locations in Paris? Who doesn’t?! After the release of the film, everyone was obsessed with knowing where the Inception Paris bridge is located. Christopher Nolan’s Inception follows a group of people with the ability to enter dreams and steal people’s secrets. Two of those people are Dom Cobb (Leonardo di Caprio) and Ariadne (Elliot Page).

In the Inception Paris scene, Cobb takes Ariadne into the dream world for the first time at the Pont de Bir-Hakeim bridge next to the Eiffel Tower. They manipulate the landscape and explore the dangers of mixing dreams with reality. This visually striking double-decker bridge might be known as the bridge in Inception, but it also features in Last Tango in Paris (1972) and many others.

Pont de Bir-Hakeim in Paris France Inception Bridge
Pont de Bir-Hakeim | Courtesy of Phil Beard

12. Musée d’Orsay as seen in Gossip Girl Season Four (2010)

I’ll be honest, I have not watched Gossip Girl. I promised my bestie if it ever appeared on any streaming platforms I’m subscribed to then I would watch it, but that hasn’t happened yet.

As I understand it, Gossip Girl is mostly set in a school on the Upper East Side of New York City and follows a couple of affluent teen girls and the rollercoasters of their life. In season four, episodes one and two (‘Belle de Jour’ and ‘Double Identity’ respectively) are set in Paris.

One of the main characters, Blair, meets Prince Louis Grimaldi (a love interest, I presume) whilst staring at her favourite painting, The Luncheon on the Grass by Manèt. This painting is in one of the best museums in Paris, Musée d’Orsay. Other filming locations include Chez Julien and Café Louis Philippe.

Musée d'Orsay one of the Paris filming locations for Gossip Girl
Musée d’Orsay

13. Bibliothèque Saint-Geneviève as Seen in Hugo (2011)

Hugo is Martin Scorsese’s love letter to one extraordinary Frenchman, Georges Méliès. It’s set in the 1930s and the titular character is an orphaned boy living in the ceiling of a train station. He spends his days fixing an old automaton left to him by his father, but his life is forever changed when he becomes friends with the goddaughter of a bitter toy merchant with a colourful, cinematic past.

Scorsese created most of the sets in studios with the help of special effects. But one real Parisian location is the gorgeous Bibliothèque Saint-Geneviève. This elegant Sorbonne University library dates back to the 1800s and there are free guided tours you can book. 


Read more: Martin Scorsese’s Hugo Film Locations in Paris


Bibliothèque Saint-Geneviève in Paris, France
Bibliothèque Saint-Geneviève | Courtesy of Marie-Lan Nguyen

14. Saint-Étienne-du-Mont Church as Seen in Midnight in Paris (2011)

Midnight in Paris is a glorified tourist travel guide to Paris. It follows American screenwriter-wannabe-novelist Gil (Owen Wilson) on a trip to Paris with his fiancée Inez (Rachel McAdams). On the first night of his trip (at midnight, of course) he discovers that he can travel back in time to the 1920s where he meets the who’s who of the art and literature worlds like F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and Picasso. 

There are so many amazing filming locations in Midnight in Paris, like the Rodin Museum and the Orangerie Museum. But the Paris film location that I like the most is the steps outside Saint-Étienne-du-Mont Church. This is where Gil hops in the 1920s-era car that transports him back in time.


Read more: Midnight in Paris Film Locations in Paris


Saint-Étienne-du-Mont Church one of the best Paris filming locations in Midnight in Paris (2011)

15. La Caveau de la Huchette as seen in La La Land (2016)

La La Land is a film about Los Angeles. I mean, it’s literally the title. It follows Mia (Emma Stone) and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) who are torn between their love for each other and their desire to succeed in their showbusiness careers.

La Caveau de la Huchette is a jazz club in Paris that appears during a dream/fantasy sequence, so it doesn’t really matter too much where it’s set! Unsurprisingly, visitor numbers have sky-rocketed since the film’s release.

La Caveau de la Huchette in Paris, France
La Caveau de la Huchette | Courtesy of Joao M. Nogueira

16. Arc de Triomphe as Seen in Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)

The Mission: Impossible franchise keeps getting bigger and better with every movie. In the sixth instalment, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) must stop three simultaneous nuclear attacks on the Vatican, Mecca, and Jerusalem. His mission brings him to Paris as he infiltrates a nightclub before intercepting a convoy driving through the streets of Paris.

This convoy turns into a car chase of epic proportions. One of the most iconic landmarks that Hunt flies past on his motorbike is the Arc de Triomphe, a monument built to celebrate Napoleon’s victories. The roads around the structure were closed for 90 minutes so director Christopher McQuarrie could film this sequence.

Arc de Triomphe one of the Paris filming locations for Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018)
Arc de Triomphe

17. Café de Flore as seen in Emily in Paris Season One (2020)

Emily in Paris is not much more than a fluffy, lighthearted rom-com starring pretty people with gorgeous shots of Paris. But if that’s all you are looking for in a series like this, then it excels!

It stars Lily Collins as Emily Cooper, a marketing executive living in Chicago who transfers to a company in Paris. The series follows how she adjusts to life in Paris including making friends, learning the language, and her love life.

Naturally, there are tons of Paris filming locations throughout the Netflix show. But one is a Paris institution, and that’s Café de Flore. The 19th-century cafe appears in episode six (‘Ringarde’) where she meets Thomas, the Professor. He tells her how many famous writers, philosophers, and designers  (Hemingway, Brigitte Bardot and Yves Saint-Laurent, etc.) have all graced this establishment with their presence.


COMING SOON: Emily in Paris Filming Locations in Paris


Café de Flore in Paris, France
Café de Flore | Courtesy of Elwin van Eede

And those are all the top Paris filming locations of all time that you must see when you visit Paris! Are you planning a trip to Paris? Let me know in the comments below!


Read next: 84 Films Set in Paris to Watch Before Your Trip


Top Paris Filming Locations Of All Time | almostginger.com

4 thoughts on “17 Top Paris Filming Locations Of All Time

  1. Kim W says:

    Hi – I’m very intrigued by this, and love that you included a map. However – it would be a BIG help if the map itself also had some notes for each place, that mention what film they’re for (for example, the map for Au Marche de Butte just says “Au Marche de Butte”, but it might be helpful if it said “Au Marche de Butte – market in AMELIE”). Any chance that could be added someday?

    • Rebecca says:

      Hi Kim! Thanks so much for your comment – I think luckily I may have already done this! So, all Amelie locations on this map are in blue. If you look at the map, you’ll see a square icon with a tiny arrow to the left of where it says ‘Paris Filming Locations.’ If you click this, a list of the locations split up by film should appear in the column on the left-hand side – and Amelie is the first film on the list. I hope that helps!

      Likewise, if you just search ‘Amelie’ on my site (and there is a link to it in this blog post too), I do have a blog post that is just lists the Amelie filming locations and there is a map on that post too 🙂 Let me know if you can’t find what you’re looking for and I’ll try to assist further! Rebecca

  2. Sofia da Costa says:

    Absolutely loved this series of posts Rebecca, they’re like my dream life! 😂
    Sadly I have never gone to Paris. Hope to in the future, and when I do, I’ll definitely come back to these posts for spotting film locations! I mean, having them on the maps and everything – well done!

    • Rebecca says:

      Haha, thank you SO much Sofia! It did cross my mind more than once “why am I putting so much work into these no one will use them 🙈” but I enjoyed making them. I hope you make it to Paris someday. I’m sure you will, it’s definitely a doable goal!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.