Blockbuster Netflix rom-com series Emily in Paris has racked up hundreds of millions of hours of viewing around the world.  But Emily is not the only star of the blockbuster series – Paris too takes centre stage and has thousands of us dreaming of where to live in Paris.

The plot: Emily (actress Lily Collins) leaves her hometown of Chicago, USA to take up a job at Savoir, a fictional luxury marketing company based in Paris, despite knowing barely a word of French. She moves into an apartment in one of Paris’s most sought-after areas, and has adventures in the city and further afield, discovering the French way of life and finding romance. But more than anything, Emily falls head over heels in love with Paris, as have a legion of the series’ fans!

Want to follow in her footsteps? Here’s the skinny on living like Emily in Paris.

Discover the Paris of Emily

The city has 20 arrondissements – municipal districts: In 1795 Paris was divided into 12 arrondissements (arr.), 1-9 on the Right Bank of the River Seine, and 10-12 on the Left Bank. During the reconstruction of Paris in 1859 by Napoléon III and Baron Haussmann, 8 more districts were added. The city’s map was redrawn in the form of a snail’s shell. It began with the 1st arr. in the centre and ends with the 20th arr. at its eastern boundary.

The 5^th arrondissement

Emily’s apartment is in a fabulous stone building in Place de l’Estrapade, a postcard-pretty square in the 5^th arr., which encompasses the Sorbonne and Val-de-Grâce districts. While the show focuses on the best of Paris, this classic Paris residential neighbourhood is absolutely the real deal. You’ll spot Emily picking up her favourite pain au chocolat at Boulangerie Moderne in rue des Fossés Saint-Jacques, and in the same street is the restaurant of Emily’s neighbour and romantic lead Gabriel (in real life it’s an Italian eatery – Terra Nera). This is an area of bustling streets and trendy bistros, home to a lovely street market in rue Mouffetard, the Pantheon, where France’s national heroes and legendary figures are buried, and the Jardin des Plantes.

Pere Lachaise Cemetery, 20^th arrondissement

Emily spends a birthday lunch in the grounds of Paris’s most prestigious cemetery with Luc, a colleague from her office. Père Lachaise cemetery takes its name from King Louis XIV’s confessor, Father François d’Aix de La Chaise. It extends over 44 hectares and contains the last resting places of a fascinating collection of characters from Oscar Wilde to Edith Piaf, whom legend has it was born in this sprawling neighbourhood, which is one of the most affordable areas in Paris.

Jardin du Palais Royal, 1^st arrondissement

A stone’s throw from the Louvre, the world’s most popular museum and a former royal palace, the eye-catching Jardin du Palais Royal is where Emily meets her friend Mindy for the first time. The area oozes style and elegance in the three centuries old architecture and unsurprisingly, real estate here is expensive (though it’s not the most expensive area).

This district is also where Emily’s office is located, in Place de Valois, as well as home to Bistro Valois where Emily’s co-workers often have lunch. Prada, Valentino and Louboutin-loving Emily is more likely to nip to nearby rue Saint-Honoré on her lunch break – a fashionista’s favourite!

Picture-perfect, 18th arrondissement

Instagram fan Emily knows a stunning beauty spot when she sees it, so it’s no surprise she chooses rue de l’Abreuvoir in Montmartre as a campaign location, and it’s also where she dines at the pickled-in-the-past pink-facaded restaurant La Maison Rose, a favourite of Picasso, Modigliani, Édith Piaf and Charles Aznavour. It’s a hip, cosmopolitan and charming neighbourhood, and affordable properties make it popular with students and families.

Café life, 6^th & 16^th arrondissements

As Gabriel explains to Emily when he takes her to Café de Flore in the 6^th arr., this café has long been a magnet for artists, writers and philosophers, including Ernest Hemingway, Brigitte Bardot, Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir. It’s the essence of everything a typical Parisian café should be in a lively area of elegant buildings and luxurious apartments.

Café de l’Homme inside the Palais de Chaillot, Trocadero in the 16^th arr. is where a launch party for a fictional perfume is held, and those magnificent views of the Eiffel Tower leave Emily speechless. This district has a strong international community and is one of the most expensive and least populated arrondissements in Paris.

Canal St-Martin, 10^th arrondissement

While on a date, Emily is charmed by the Napoleon Bonaparte-commissioned Saint-Martin Canal. Criss-crossed by romantic iron foot bridges and bordered by hip bars and restaurants, it’s in a lively up-and-coming neighbourhood attracts young professionals, families and artists.

So, is the show a riot of clichés as some claim? Sure it is, but it’s also real Paris, these places really do exist – and they really are that enchanting…

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