My number one thing I wanted to do in Paris was to follow in the footsteps of Emily (in Paris) and my wish came true with this self guided walking tour.
We weren’t sure how tired we’d be in Paris (after 3 days in Disneyland) and were reluctant to commit to a group tour so after some research, I discovered Voice Map. This nifty little app has thousands of GPS audio walks, cycles, drives and even boat rides!
The tours are really reasonably priced, work offline and have GPS autoplay. The best bit is that the app uses your location to play audio auto at the right time and place so you can put your phone away – all you need are some earphones and you’re good to go. You can take a break at anytime and resume the tour when you’re ready making the tour totally tailor made!
We opted for the Unofficial Emily in Paris tour by FrancoAmericana, a husband and wife team from Paris and New York respectively. The tour was interesting, entertaining and informative and we loved seeing so many iconic spots from the show. Even though we’ve visited Paris a few times before, it was really fun to see and explore some new places.
The app is super easy to use but it’s worth noting that it’s actually cheaper to purchase tours online via the Voice Map website than the app because the app price has added fees. Two people sharing a device only need one copy of the tour but if you’re thinking of doing the tour with a more than one device and one friend, there’s a group purchase option which will score you a 15% discount.
Let me take you on a virtual tour and show you some of Emily’s Paris.
Emily’s Place
We start at Emily’s first stop in Paris, her home in the Latin Quarter. This enormo-elegant building is typical of the Hausman style with it’s wrought iron balconies, tall windows and stone facade. It’s quintessentially Paris! Emily’s apartment is on the top floor and would be very bijou (much smaller than it is in the show,) as it would have been the maid’s quarters back in the day. Nowadays, not only is the rent of this type of apartment exceptionally high, it’s also highly coveted. Imagine the views of Paris you’d have from up there!
Gabriel’s Restaurant
Across the way you’ll see Gabriel’s restaurant with it’s iconic red facade. If you don’t spot it at first, the little posse of Emily fans outside is a bit of a giveaway! In real life the restaurant is called Terra Nera (which means black earth) and it’s a casual Italian restaurant, quite different from Gabriel’s fine dining dishes. It’s too early for lunch on the day we visit but if you do want to dine here, the interior won’t look like Gabriel’s place because the interior scenes at the restaurant were filmed elsewhere.
Boulangerie Moderne
Next to Gabriel’s restaurant you’ll see the Boulangerie Moderne which was already famous in it’s own right before Emily took a selfie there with her first pain au chocolat. We arrive late morning and even though the shelves are looking a little empty, there’s still so much to choose from it’s almost overwhelming. If you don’t want to miss out, I’d recommend coming early because most things sell out by lunchtime. This place is super popular but one taste of their pastries and you’ll see why. You can sit outside if you like but we take away so we can enjoy a pastry stop later!
The Pantheon
We pass by the Pantheon where Emily broke up on the phone with her Chicago beau, Doug. This neo-classical building was completedi in 1790 during the French revolution and is the symbol of the Republic. The mausoleum houses the remains of some of France’s most famous figures including Marie Curie, Victor Hugo and Voltaire to name a few.
Le Faune Dausant (The Dancing Faun)
Then we head to Emily’s favourite running spot and one of the most beautiful parks in Paris, Jardin du Luxembourg. it’s such an oasis in the heart of the city. As we enter the park, we see this bronze sculpture of a faun dancing on a wine skin filled with air and playing a flute. He seems like such a happy chappy! This iconic statue is a popular meeting point in this large park and in the background you can see the palace itself.
La Fontaine Médicis (The Medici Fountain)
We see the palace in Season 1 Episode 2 when Emily goes for a run. No running for us though, we take a break at the Medici Fountain which is not actually featured in the programme although Emily would surely have seen it on one of her runs through the park. This is such a quiet, shady spot and the perfect place to rest our legs and enjoy our pastries. There are even public toilets in the gardens proper which is such a rare find in Paris!
Cafe de Flore
We then head to Cafe de Flore, one of Paris’ most famous cafes. The exterior of the cafe has a modern Parisienne vibe but much of the World War 2 art deco interior remains mostly the same. In the early 1900’s it was a hangout for forward thinkers and patrons included Descartes, Picasso and Trotsky to name but a few. However, Emily in Paris fans will remember that this is the spot where Emily met her short lived love interest Professor Thomas. No one cried into their cafe au lait when that one fizzled out!
Monnaie de Paris
We pass the Monnaie de Paris AKA The Paris Mint. This is one of the wildest moments of the series where Pierre Cadeau along with Emily and the gang produce a guerilla fashion show, wowing the attendees and revitalising Pierre’s career. We don’t have time to go in but if we did, we’d have been able to see the courtyard where the fashion show took place!
Pont Neuf
On to Pont Neuf most famous for being Paris’ oldest bridge and the first to span the whole of the Seine. You’ve got 360 degree views here and everything is fabulous whichever way you look. This is a recurring location in the series (especially in seasons 2 and 3) – it’s the place where Emily comes to contemplate life and make big decisions.
Emily’s Office
Is it even an Emily in Paris tour if you don’t check out Emily’s office? The Savoir offices can be found on the charming Place de Valois and it is the last destination on our tour. Savoir’s HQ sits just above a real gallery, Galerie Patrick Fourtin, located here since 1996 selling 20th century furniture and home decor if you fancy doing some shopping. The gallery, office exterior and the restaurant where the team frequently lunches are all real, the interiors are filmed on a sound stage.
I hope you enjoyed our little virtual tour of just some of the locations and landmarks we visited. Are you a fan of Emily in Paris? Have you heard of Voice Map? If you went to Paris, what would be top of your list of things to see and do?
The Emily in Paris tour was independently paid for and all opinions are our own.
