🤐 SPOILER ALERT 🤐

Emily in Paris star Lily Collins started Season 3 with one big question: “If we ended [Season 2] at Versailles, where do we begin [this one]? How do you get cooler and more opulent?” The answer was at the top of the Eiffel Tower. “So yes, we get to shoot at the most amazing locations,” she concludes. 

Emily Cooper’s alter ego has a point. Emily in Paris Season 3 takes the cast from the pinnacle of la tour Eiffel to the lavender fields of Provence — and dozens of chic spots in between — as their characters settle into their oh-so-French lives. In celebration of the new episodes, the team is here to reveal the inside scoop on their most beloved filming locations. Keep reading for all the details, and watch the video above for even more oh là là-worthy details.

The Eiffel Tower 

The season opens in the midst of a nightmare. Emily dreams Sylvie (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu) and Madeline (Kate Walsh) confront her at the top of the Eiffel Tower because she’s been secretly working for both mentors. Somehow, this dark fantasy becomes a bit of a reality by the end of Episode 1. 

“It was wild and magical to be up there just with our crew and cast,” Collins says. For the scene where Emily goes up in the Eiffel Tower elevator, it was just her, Emily in Paris director Andrew Fleming, a camera operator and a focus puller in the exclusive space. Fleming was the one operating the elevator. 

Marie Etchegoyen/Netflix

Musée des Arts Décoratifs

Sylvie and Madeline have a surprise style showdown in Episode 2 at the Pierre Cadault fashion retrospective. Emily in Paris creator Darren Star saw a similar real-life exhibition celebrating Dior, which inspired the scene. 

“In my wildest dreams, I didn’t think we'd ever actually be here: the actual place where they did the [Elsa] Schiaparelli show, the Dior show — and now we’re doing the Pierre Cadault show,” Star tells Netflix. 

Stéphanie Branchu/Netflix

Quai des Célestins

Episode 2 culminates in the Fête de la Musique, where Emily performs a grand romantic gesture for estranged boyfriend Alfie (Lucien Laviscount). Collins says the nighttime scene was one of her “favorites” to shoot in Season 3. Laviscount also found the moment “magical.” 

“The light [was] bouncing off the river, and then Lily asked to go onstage and sing,” he recalls. “There’s a real electricity when you’re shooting a night scene. You all kind of feel like big kids having a sleepover, and almost like you shouldn’t be there. It’s a bit naughty.”

Stéphanie Branchu/Netflix

Provence

The Emily in Paris cast and crew head to beautiful Provence, known for lavender fields and vineyards, for Episode 6. French cast members like William Abadie, who plays Antoine, were just as excited to explore the region as their American counterparts. “The beauty just completely overtakes you,” he tells Netflix. “I can’t wait for our audience to see these hills, these fields of lavender, these houses, the villages. Grab a bicycle and spend the whole day on it.” 

Lucas Bravo, who portrays chef/love interest Gabriel, describes Provence as the “best location” he’s ever visited for a project. That makes sense, particularly since Gabriel and Emily enjoy the most enviable meal of the season in the countryside location. “That view is everything,” he says of the restaurant scene. “I was not facing it. I was trying to be a gentleman and leave it for Lily, but I just felt very privileged to have the opportunity to be in such an inspiring place.”  

Musée d’Orsay

Gabriel and Camille (Camille Razat) share an unexpected romantic exchange at the world-famous museum in Episode 9. Fleming tells Netflix he’s been dreaming of filming at the d’Orsay since Season 1. “I was able to come here and walk around the museum by myself when it was closed and pick where we could shoot and what paintings we could feature,” he says.

Bravo was also excited to shoot such an integral scene at the museum, telling Netflix it’s his “favorite in the world.” The actor felt “privileged” to film such an unforgettable moment for his character in the storied locale. 

Marie Etchegoyen/Netflix

Lapérouse

Emily and her pals strut around some of the most exciting restaurants in Paris. But, Lapérouse holds a special place in the hearts of the Emily in Paris team. Director Fleming says it’s his favorite restaurant in all of the City of Light. Fittingly, the eatery takes prominence in Season 3, when it appears in Episode 9. It is at Lapérouse where Mindy’s (Ashley Park) new beau Nicolas de Leon (Paul Forman) slyly disinvites Emily from Mindy’s party, putting a strain on their friendship.

Fun fact: This scene is the first time Emily in Paris has ever used a single designer for a head-to-toe ensemble. Emily’s “total look” is by Polish designer Magda Butrym.

Château de Sonnay

Season 3 ends with an explosive party at Camille’s family château in French wine country. We’ve seen a lot of surprises go down at the fictional Domaine de Lalisse, from accidental hookups to bloody saber accidents. But Episode 10 includes a helicopter touchdown that contains the drama of a disaster movie.

“What’s great about the show is that it isn’t just a scene in the living room where they’re sitting on the couch,” Fleming says. “There’s always some crazy element … It’s like a funhouse.”