Le Paris au rêve

Paris is the city of dream. Have you always dreamt of visiting some of the places in your favorite movies? Today, we present ten to you, from all sorts of movies and times. Whether it is the café where Amélie Poulain worked, the bridge where Inception was shot, or even the beautiful landscapes from Peau d’Ane, it is likely there will be a famous location in this article that you will want to visit.

1) Bridge Bir-Hakeim – Inception

In the movie: It is on this bridge with its girders and steel framework that Dom Cobb (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) teaches Ariadne (played by Ellen Paige) to create dreams at the beginning of the movie. It is a very iconic scene, especially important because it sets up the rest of the movie.

Today: The first version of this famous bridge was originally a metallic footbridge built during the 1878 World Fair and, following a contest in 1902, this bridge was built again in 1905. Today, it is the bridge with the most beautiful view of the Eiffel Tower.

2) Saint-Sulpice Church – Da Vinci Code

In the movie: The Saint-Sulpice Church is the location chosen by the murderer to find the keystone hidden in the church. In the movie, this church is supposed to be built on the ruins of an ancient temple dedicated to the goddess.

Today: The construction of this church, located in the 6th arrondissement in Paris, actually dates back to the 12th century but the current church was only built starting from 1646, during the extension work that lasted for 130 years. In 2011, the church went through a huge refurbishment that restored this church’s status, previously considered as unsightly. The marble and pagan temples in the movie actually do not exist at all, there is no need to ask the vicar.

3) Le Café des deux Moulins – Amélie (Le fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain)

In the movie: It is in this famous rue Lepic café that Amélie Poulain works as a waitress for the entire movie. This is where she will meet the blind man to whom she will describe the street, the passersby, the butcher’s shop, etc.… while helping him cross the street.

Today: It is with a 1950’s atmosphere that you will be welcomed into this famous café. You will be immersed in the peculiar atmosphere of the movie and will be able to taste the “Goûter d’Amélie” at any time of the day, made of a hot beverage and the mythical cardamom crème brûlée.

4) Galliera Museum – The Devil Wears Prada

In the movie: The Galliera Museum is used as a sumptuous setting for the final scene of the movie in which the character played by Meryl Streep parks in a limo in front of this magnificent building to attend a ceremony given in her honor.

Today: This museum dedicated to fashion in Paris hosts very complete expositions, including historical pieces as well as drawings and videos and from all periods!

5) The Lepic street – 19th district

In the movie: Amélie Poulain goes down this street every day. She is a waitress at the Café des 2 Moulins. She also goes there to go to the grocery or other shops. One day, she helps a blind man to cross the street and describes to him the street, the people, the horse butchery, and many other details.

Today: Time has passed since the movie was shot and one thing or two things have changed in the street. But you still can find the groceries, the butchery, and the Café des 2 Moulins with traces of the movie’s shooting, though Georgette’s tobacco corner is gone. You can enjoy a crème brulée there and break its top with your teaspoon just like Amélie does in the movie.

6) Le Café de la Paix – The Aristocats

In the movie: In 1910, when Walt Disney decided to settle the Aristocats in Paris, he had to pay a tribute to Le Café de la Paix, a symbol of the mundane life back then. In the movie, we can catch sight of this mythical café when Thomas O’Malley finds out from a mouse that Duchesse and her kittens are in danger and decides to hit the road immediately, but the mouse is not fast enough and ends up chasing after the cat. While passing by Le Café de la Paix, a man drinking wine on the terrace tells himself that it was about time he stopped drinking after witnessing this funny situation, and empties his glass of wine on the floor.

Today: This Napoléon III style café was among the most mundane cafés during the 19th century, where you could have seen Zola, Maupassant, and Tchaïkovski. Today, it is inside the Intercontinental Paris Le Grand hotel and offers you French cuisine with an unbeatable view on the Opéra.

7) Montmartre and Sacré-Coeur – 18th district

In the movie: Amélie gave a rendez-vous to Nino, the young man she is in love with, near a phone box, at the bottom of Montmartre’s hill. She set up a treasure hunt to have him climb the stairs up to the Sacré-Coeur.

Today: Montmartre’s district is one of the most historic of Paris. If you want to lose yourself in the authentic Paris of yore, this is the place to be. If you have stamina, you can even climb on foot the 222 steps to Montmartre’s village and the Basilica. If you walk around, you may find most of the places we talked about and, from the Sacré Coeur, you will have an astonishing view on Paris.

8) Bistrot La Renaissance – Inglourious Basterds

In the movie: In Quentin Tarantino’s famous movie, the beautiful Mélanie Laurent gets seduced by Daniel Bruhl in this 1930’s Parisian pub.

Today: This pub that became famous thanks to Quentin Tarantino’s and Claude Zidi’s movies, has kept its charm of days gone by that has made it so attractive to the movie field. Built in 1904, the decoration has not changed since the 1920’s, whether it is the geometric tiles, the golden ceiling or the neon lights. This pub is still discrete and the atmosphere there is friendly and authentic.

9) Saint-Germain de Charonne Church – Les Tontons Flingueurs

In the movie: The Saint-Germain church is where the last scene of the movie takes place, one of the most iconic, in which young Antoine proposes to mademoiselle Patricia.

Today: This church, blending in elements from the 12th century and the 15th century, has been classified as a Historical Monument since 1923 and has recently been through construction works to reinforce the base. It is thanks to André Malraux that this church has restored its former glory and you can now visit it with its splendid stained-glass as colorful and symbolic.

10) The Neuville Castle – Donkey Skin

In the movie: The director Jacques Demy preferred filming in real places rather than in studios, and therefore, decided to shoot his movie “Donkey Skin” in multiple Loire castles.

The Neuville one was used mostly for all farm scenes and scenes in the shed in the forest.

Today: This castle, located 45 minutes away from Paris, classified as a Historical Monument since 1965, is a beautiful brick and stone building, that you can book if you want to organize a dinner or wedding or even a film production. It is under the surveillance of Hortense de Labriffe, one of the descendants of the Marquis de Labriffe who had bought the property in 1795 during the French Revolution, as the previous owner, Clément de L’Averdy, had been beheaded.

This beautiful estate dating back to the 15th century has also hosted numerous other shootings, among which, we can talk about the first season of the successful show “Le Meilleur Pâtissier” (French version of the show “Bake Off”), as well as “Cyrano de Bergerac” by Jean-Paul Rappeneau, “Les Liaisons Dangereuses” by Stephen Frears, or even “Ridicule” by Patrice Leconte.