Despite being caught in her imaginative world, young waitress Amelie decides to help people find happiness. Her quest to spread joy leads her on a journey during which she finds true love.
Paris Gare de l'Est, Place du 11 Novembre 1918, Grange aux Belles, Paris 10e Arrondissement, Paris, Île-de-France, France métropolitaine, 75010, France
Église Saint-Jean de Montmartre, 21, Rue des Abbesses, Quartier des Grandes-Carrières, Paris 18e Arrondissement, Paris, Île-de-France, France métropolitaine, 75018, France
Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris, 6, Parvis Notre-Dame - Place Jean-Paul II, Quartier Les Îles, Paris 4e Arrondissement, Paris, Île-de-France, France métropolitaine, 75004, France
Crypte Archéologique du Parvis Notre-Dame, 7, Accès Crypte Archéologique, Quartier Les Îles, Paris 4e Arrondissement, Paris, Île-de-France, France métropolitaine, 75004, France
Canal Saint-Martin, Rue des Écluses Saint-Martin, Grange aux Belles, Paris 10e Arrondissement, Paris, Île-de-France, France métropolitaine, 75010, France
Scene: (Amélie throws rocks over a water canal lock)
Lamarck - Caulaincourt, Rue Pierre Dac, Quartier des Grandes-Carrières, Paris 18e Arrondissement, Paris, Île-de-France, France métropolitaine, 75018, France
Few films are as married to a neighbourhood as Amélie is to Montmartre. Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s storybook Paris – all warm greens and reds, skimming stones on the Canal Saint-Martin, a café full of gentle eccentrics – is a real, walkable slice of the 18th arrondissement. The twist: the cosy apartment interiors were built in a studio in Germany.
Where was Amélie filmed?
Amélie was shot largely in Paris, above all in Montmartre (the 18th arrondissement), with the interior sets built at a studio in Cologne, Germany.
Every Amélie location, explained
1
Café des Deux Moulins – where Amélie works
The café is the real Café des Deux Moulins on Rue Lepic in Montmartre – still open, still serving crème brûlée to fans who come to crack the sugar with a teaspoon.
2
Amélie’s home – Rue des Trois Frères
Amélie’s apartment building is on Rue des Trois Frères in the 18th, a short walk from the café, though the interiors were a Cologne set.
3
Canal Saint-Martin – skimming stones
Amélie skips stones across the Canal Saint-Martin, the tree-lined waterway that became a Parisian icon partly thanks to this scene.
4
Rue Mouffetard, Gare de l’Est and the grocer’s
The film wanders real Paris: the market street of Rue Mouffetard, the Gare de l’Est, and Collignon’s grocer’s shop in Montmartre – a genuine store you can still find.
Planning a visit
Montmartre is the whole tour, and it’s compact: the Café des Deux Moulins, Amélie’s street and the grocer’s are all within a short stroll, with the Sacré-Cœur above. The Canal Saint-Martin is a lovely walk in eastern Paris – bring a flat stone.
Amélie Fun Facts
1
The cosy interiors are German Amélie’s warm, storybook apartment was a set built at a studio in Cologne, not Paris.
2
The café is a real pilgrimage The Café des Deux Moulins on Rue Lepic is a working café that leans happily into its fame – fans still order the crème brûlée to smash the top.
3
Paris got a digital clean-up Jeunet had dog mess, graffiti and litter digitally removed to make Montmartre look impossibly idyllic.
4
That green-and-red palette is deliberate The film’s saturated, warm colour scheme was pushed hard in post to make Paris feel like a fairytale.
5
A garden gnome went travelling The film helped popularise the “travelling gnome” gag, later borrowed by a certain travel-website mascot.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Café des Deux Moulins real?
Yes – it’s a working café on Rue Lepic in Montmartre, and a popular stop for fans.
Where does Amélie skim stones?
On the Canal Saint-Martin in eastern Paris.
Can you visit the Amélie locations?
Yes – the café, Amélie’s street and the grocer’s are all in walkable Montmartre.
Was Amélie's apartment a real flat?
No – the interiors were a set built in Cologne; only the building exterior is in Montmartre.
