The quiet Place de l'Estrapade, in Paris' historic Latin Quarter, has now become a popular destination for fans of the Netflix show Emily in Paris. Until the show's massive success, the square, outside the cafe, the bakery and the building where Emily and her friends live, was only used by local residents.
The square, a short walk from the beautiful Pantheon, in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, has become a tourist magnet, and has transformed it into a spot for photo shoots for tourists from US and around the world.
The show, now in its third season, follows the life of Emily Cooper, a 20-something social media marketer who moves to Paris and creates a new life for herself. The newfound attention can be disruptive for the real people who live and work here, but the show is also igniting a new passion for Paris — and even anti-Emily graffiti has become part of the attraction, reports AP. Season four is in the works, though the release date has not been announced.
The apartment building in which Emily and Gabriel have flats is located at 1 Place de d'Estrapade, and the restaurant at which Gabriel works and the bakery at which she bys her daily bread are in this square.
AP reports that Elizabeth and Ruben Mercado celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary in Paris and visited Emily’s neighborhood as part of their trip. “We’ve been trying to practice the small bits of French that we picked up during the show,'' Elizabeth told AP.
Thierry Rabineau, owner of Boulangerie Moderne, the small neighbourhood bakery featured in the show, told AP that the tourists have boosted profits as they stop to have a snack. "We are profiting from a current situation. ... But in two or three years, there won’t be any more tourism and we will have to be here to survive,” he said.
Stephanie Jamin, who lives on the square and crosses paths with the throngs of tourists on a daily basis, has had to adjust to residing in a go-to place on the tourist map. She says the people themselves aren’t a nuisance, but the crowds can be imposing. “We have become an ultra-touristy district, whereas it was a small square still a bit preserved from tourism," she said.
Jamin remains philosophical about the fascination with her neighborhood. “It is as ephemeral as the series is,” she said. "The shopkeepers of the district… have benefited enormously from it, and it allowed them to start up again after COVID. They needed that. … There will inevitably be an end. Emily is not Victor Hugo. She will not be inducted into the Pantheon,” Jamin said. "She will go home and everything will be fine.”
