22 Best Movies Set In Paris You’ll Want To Watch Today

The French capital is a cinematic dream. Over the years, it has provided the perfect backdrop of scenery and iconic settings for movies set in Paris, allowing them to transport their viewers to the City of Love.

You might be surprised to learn that quite a few fantastic movies are set and filmed in Paris. 

Many of the movies set in Paris allow the viewer to glimpse what it might be like to visit this remarkable city, and the following list showcases some of the best Paris movies.

So if you are looking for top-notch movies, the following list will give you a glimpse into the storyline of some of the best films set in Paris.

Pssst: Many, if not all, of these movies, are on Amazon Prime Video. Don’t miss out! Click here to start your 30-day free trial of Prime Video!

22 Best Movies Set in Paris

Here are the best movies set in Paris for you to watch today!

1. Amélie

Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Set In: Montmartre 

The French movie Amélie follows the adventures of Amélie Poulain (played by Audrey Tautou, an incredible French actress), a young woman living in the Parisian district of Montmartre. 

As her father was under the false impression that she suffered from a heart defect, Amélie had little to no contact with other people while growing up. 

This lack of contact allowed her to develop a wild imagination with fantastical dreams about beauty, life, and love. 

When she gets older, she moves to Montmartre and becomes a waitress; the story truly begins here. 

After finding a lost keepsake of one of the previous tenants who used to live in her apartment, her story takes off on a journey that sees her taking it upon herself to help improve the lives of others which results in her finding happiness in the end.

The story is quirky, charming, and one of the best Paris films.

2. The Intouchables

Directors: Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano

Set In: Paris

Inspired by a true story, this heartwarming movie is one of those comedy dramas you don’t want to miss. 

The plot follows the story of Phillipe (François Cluzet), a quadriplegic millionaire who hires Driss (Omar Sy, a brilliant French actor), an unambitious youngster who only wants to continue receiving unemployment benefits.

The two men form an unlikely friendship when, instead of signing Driss’s Social Security document, which would allow him to continue receiving benefits, Phillipe challenges Driss to take on the job of being his carer.

Driss accepts the challenge, moving into Phillipe’s mansion and starting the two on a journey that changes both men’s lives for the better.

Of all the Paris movies, this one touches the heart and showcases true humanity.

3. La Vie en Rose

Director: Olivier Dahan

Set In: Paris

The movie gets its name from Edith Piaf’s most famous song, ‘La Vie en Rose,’ which is fitting as it is a biographical film depicting her life played by Marion Cotillard, one of the most famous French people. 

The storyline is non-linear and showcases several events in her life as she went from being the daughter of an alcoholic street singer to a legendary actress and cabaret singer. 

This movie is a must-see if you are interested in French music history.

It will also allow you to immerse yourself in the Paris of a bygone era and is one of the best movies in Paris. 

4. Paris, Je t’Aime

Directors: Multiple

Set In: Different districts around Paris

This exceptional anthology film encompasses eighteen short French films all about love in its various forms, from friendly to romantic to familial, and everything that comes in between them. 

You, as the viewer, will need to weave a narrative out of these moments. 

The movie will help you by fusing these moments through their introductions and epilogues. 

The whole production works together to provide a multicultural insight into Paris, and its uniqueness makes it one of the best movies set in Paris.

A few of the actors who played in this french movie are Gaspard Ulliul, Yasmine Bekhti, Steven Vincent Buscemi, Juliette Binoche, Elijah Wood, Natalie Portman, and Willem James Dafoe.

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5. Da Vinci Code

Director: Ron Howard

Set In: Paris 

History, intrigue, murder, and mystery are on offer when you watch the Da Vinci Code. 

This thriller follows Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks), a symbologist and Harvard professor, as he tries to unravel the mystery of a murder in the Louvre Museum with the assistance of police cryptologist Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou). 

The problem is Police captain Bezu Fache (Jean Reno) thinks he committed the crime. 

Along the way, Langdon discovers a trail hidden in one of the most famous paintings in the Louvre, The Last Supper, that could lead to the Holy Grail. 

Apart from showing stunning views of the Louvre, the movie also shows scenes in many Parisian locations, like inside the Saint Sulpice (a gorgeous Parisian church), the streets of Paris, and Le Sacre-Coeur, among other places in the city.

With such stunning shots, it’s no wonder this film is considered one of the best movies set in Paris. 

6. Les Misérables

Director: Tom Hooper

Set In: France, 19th century

The movie is set in the 19th century and follows the tale of Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman), a French peasant who spent 19 years in jail after being caught stealing a loaf of bread. 

Once he is released, he finds it hard to find work, forcing him to break his parole and set out into France with a new identity and hope for a better life. 

Fast forward eight years, we find Valjean has done well for himself. He now owns a factory and is the Mayor of Montreuil. 

Here, his story takes a turn as a newcomer to the town, Inspector Javert (Russell Crowe), once a prison guard in the same prison where Valjean was an inmate, begins to get suspicious of his identity. 

After Fantine (Anne Hathaway), one of his factory workers, is dismissed from her job due to having an illegitimate child, Valjean takes her in and cares for her, ultimately falling in love. 

When she dies, he promises her on her deathbed to take care of her child Cosette (Amanda Seyfried). 

Years later, Cosette falls in love with a revolutionary named Marius (Eddie Redmayne), who is part of the Paris Student Rebellion. 

All the while, Javert pursues them relentlessly, ensuring that they have a hard time finding peace. 

The movie is a beautiful adaptation of Victor Hugo’s novel, which shares the same title.

7. The Dreamers

Director: Bernardo Bertolucci

Set In: Paris, spring 1968 

The story follows the relationship between Matthew (Michael Pitt), an American student visiting Paris, and Theo (Louis Garrel) and Isabelle (Eva Green), French twins who live in Paris. 

The three meet and bond over their shared love of film. The twins invite Matthew to stay with them while their parents are away, and a love triangle ensues. 

As the movie progresses, we witness the evolution of their relationship amidst the tumultuous background of the riots that were taking place in France.

If you are looking for one of those classic Paris films, you can’t go wrong with this spectacular, enthralling, erotic movie.

8. Before Sunset

Director: Richard Linklater

Set In: Paris 

Before Sunset is the second installment of the Before Trilogy and follows the story of Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) as the two catch up after nine years of not having seen or spoken to one another, the storyline takes place in Paris and stretches for an afternoon.

Jesse is in Paris for a review of his bestselling book ‘This Time,’ about how the two met in Vienna. 

Celine attends the reading, and the two reconnect. They lament how they did not see each other again after meeting in Vienne and talk about how their lives changed over the years. 

They land up in Celine’s apartment, listening to music and discussing how he should not miss his flight. 

The movie depicts a beautiful tale of love and is one of the best movies set in Paris.

9. An American Girl: Grace Stirs Up Success

Director: Vince Marcello

Set In: Paris & Massachusetts

This family-friendly movie follows the story of Grace (Olivia Rodrigo), who plans to spend her summer working with her two bests friends selling cupcakes. 

Things don’t go according to plan as her mother asks Grace to join her on a trip to Paris to visit her aunt, uncle, and cousin. 

Once in Paris, Grace learns to get along with her French cousin while sightseeing with her mother. 

In her uncle’s bakery, Grace learns the phrase je ne sais quoi, which her uncle uses to describe his use of unique ingredients to make recipes stand out. 

Grace takes this knowledge home with her back to Massachusettes and onto the MasterChef Junior Baking Edition competition, which she wins, using her winnings to save her Grandparent’s bakery from having to close down.

If you are looking for family movies set in Paris, you should not miss this one.

10. Paris-Manhattan

Director: Sophie Lellouche

Set In: Paris

French comedy at its best is what you can expect from this witty film. The plot follows the story of pharmacist Alice (Alice Taglioni), an avid Woody Allen fan. 

Having seen all his movies, she secretly talks to a poster of him when she is alone in her bedroom. 

After Alice meets a man she believes is the one, she is disappointed when he falls in love with her sister, and they get married. 

Years later, Alice is still single, working in the pharmacy that once belonged to her father, and obsessed with Woody Allen. 

When Alice meets Victor (Patrick Bruel), the charming alarm technician, she sees no future with him. 

But Victor gives Alice something she never thought she would get. He takes her to Paris, where she meets Woody Allen, who gives her some personal advice. 

This fun-loving comedy is an excellent choice for anyone looking to watch one of the most notable movies in Paris.

11. Hugo

Director: Martin Scorsese

Set In: Paris in the 1930s

Set in the 1930s, the plot of this movie follows Hugo (Asa Butterfield), a young boy growing up with his clockmaker father, learning to fix clocks and gadgets in his father’s clockmaking shop. 

When his father finds an old automaton, the two begin trying to fix the machine. 

Unfortunately, tragedy strikes, and Hugo’s father dies in a fire, forcing Hugo to live with his uncle, who maintains the clocks at the local train station. 

While living at the train station Hugo tries to fix the automaton on his own, and his adventures lead him to meet George Melies (Ben Kingsley) and his goddaughter Isabelle (Chloë Grace Moretz). 

The two children become friends and go on several adventures together. 

Hugo is a must-watch film and one of the most beautiful movies in Paris.

12. Le Week-End

Director: Roger Michell

Set In: Paris 

The movie’s plot follows a British couple, Meg (Lindsay Duncan) and Nick (Jim Broadbent), on vacation in Paris to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary. 

The trip, which is supposed to be like a second honeymoon, does not get off to a good start. 

Meg is displeased with their accommodation and insists on staying somewhere out of their budget. The two continuously argue about all sorts of things. 

Eventually, they bump into Morgan (Jeff Goldblum), an old university friend of Nick’s, who invites them to a dinner party at his house. 

After certain events unfold, the two realize their relationship is worth saving. 

You can expect to have a few laughable moments during this British-French drama.

The scenes and backdrop make this movie a must-see and one of the best Paris films. 

13. Midnight in Paris

Director: Woody Allen

Set In: Paris, present day and 1920s

This romantic comedy fantasy movie is the story of Inez (Rachel McAdams) and Gil (Owen Wilson), who go on a trip to Paris with Inez’s parents. 

On the trip, Gil falls in love with Paris and expresses to Inez that he would like to move there after they get married. 

Unfortunately for him, Inez does not share his wish and does not share his love for Paris or his belief that the 1920s was the golden age. 

The movie dips into fantasy when Gil, going for a midnight stroll, finds himself transported back into the 1920s, where he heads on numerous adventures with the people he meets there. 

The following night in Paris, he tries to take Inez with him on his 1920s travels, but she leaves him before midnight. Gil continues to time travel each night at midnight. 

His journeys help him with his career and give him insight into his love life.

The movie presents a montage of Paris, showcasing numerous locations, ensuring that it gets on the best movies set in Paris list.

14. Moulin Rouge!

Director: Baz Luhrmann

Set In: Paris 1890s

The plot follows the love story between Christian (Ewan McGregor), an English writer, and Satine (Nicole Kidman), a star courtesan at the Moulin Rouge club.

Unfortunately for the two lovers, the Duke (Richard Roxburgh), the club’s patron, also covets Satine’s affections creating a dangerous love triangle. 

What follows is a story of love, intrigue, music, dancing, and forces of nature that not even love can withstand.

The beautiful storyline of romance and heartbreak allows Moulin Rouge to be part of the list of best movies set in Paris. 

15. Inception

Director: Christopher Nolan

Set In: Numerous cities, including Paris

This movie is about a thief, Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio), who steals information using experimental dream-sharing technology that infiltrates the target’s subconscious to extract the data. 

A new client, Saito (Ken Watanabe), hires Cobb to perform ‘inception’ on his competitor’s son, Robert (Cillian Murphy). 

In return, he will ensure that Cobb’s criminal record is cleared, allowing him to return home to his children. 

Cobb accepts the mission and his team sedates Robert while he is on a plane trip to America, allowing them to infiltrate his subconscious.

A series of events ensues that do not go according to plan, forcing the team to think on their feet and improvise to complete their mission. 

This action-packed adventure sci-fi movie showcases some fantastic shots of Paris. 

16. BPM (Beats Per Minute)

Director: Robin Campillo

Set In: Paris 1990s

The movie takes place in the early 1990s. It revolves around a group of activists who form part of ACT UP Paris, an LGBTQ+ group trying to get the government and pharmaceutical companies to recognize the threat that AIDS poses to humanity. 

Shown from the viewpoint of the activists, who were considered extremists at the time, the movie allows you, as the viewer, to empathize with their motives and actions as they navigated a world that saw AIDS infections as punishment for “immorality.”

The movie gives you a peak into Paris in the 1990s and a glimpse into the struggles of the time, making it one of the best movies set in Paris.

17. Ratatouille

Director: Brad Bird

Set In: Paris 

Ratatouille is one of those timeless Paris films perfect for the whole family. The story tells the tale of a rat called Remy, who dreams of becoming a Chef. 

Apart from the fact that he is a rat trying to break into a rat-phobic profession, his parents are not supportive of his goal. 

Luckily for Rumi, fate has other ideas, and he finds himself in the sewers beneath his culinary hero, Gusteau’s restaurant. 

Here, he meets Linguini, who works as a garbage boy at the restaurant. 

They strike up an unlikely friendship, resulting in Rumi helping Linguini’s culinary skills take flight. 

This movie is the perfect example of a wholesome family film and one of the best Paris movies.

18. Hunchback of Notre Dame

Director: Gary Trousdale

Set In: 15th century Paris

The story, narrated by Clopin, a French puppeteer, tells the tale of Quasimodo, the hunched-back bell ringer of Notre Dame. 

After being locked away in the bell tower all his life, Quasimodo decides to attend a festival where he meets the lovely gypsy Esmeralda. 

After Esmeralda catches the attention of the cruel Minister of Justice, Frollo, Quasimodo must help to save her life. It is a tale of friendship, love, and finding independence.

The movie depicts beautiful animated images of Notre Dame and Paris.

19. Passport to Paris

Director: Alan Metter

Set In: Paris 

The tale follows the journey of two sisters (the Olsen sisters) visiting their grandfather in France. 

The sisters fall in love with France, meet some boys, sightsee Paris on mopeds, and make new friends while trying to stay one step ahead of the chaperone assigned to them for their stay. 

Hilarity ensues in this family-friendly Paris film that showcases two girls growing into their own. 

The scenes in the Eiffel Tower, the shopping areas of Paris, and Notre Dame Cathedral in this movie show plenty of what Paris has to offer. 

20. As Above, So Below

Director: John Erick Dowdle

Set In: The catacombs of Paris

This Blair Witch Project-styled movie follows a team of explorers who venture into the catacombs sprawled beneath Paris.

Their search for the Philosopher’s stone leads them into unchartered areas of the catacombs surrounded by the bones of the dead. 

Here they uncover dark secrets that take them on a journey into terror and madness. 

What they uncover in the dark spaces will play on your primal fears and leave you on the edge of your seat. So if you want to see another side of Paris, this Paris movie is for you. 

21. Funny Face

Director: Stanley Donen

Set In: Paris

The movie follows the story of Jo Stockton (Audrey Hepburn), a shy bookstore assistant who, by chance, is chosen to represent a fashion magazine by going on a modeling shoot in Paris. 

Even though Jo isn’t a professional and isn’t too interested in the world of fashion, she agrees to go to Paris in the hopes that she might meet her idol, Professor Emile Flostre (Michel Auclair), a leading philosopher. 

Once in Paris, Jo finds herself falling for her photographer, Dick Avery (Fred Astaire), as he takes her picture against the backdrop of some of Paris’s most iconic landmarks, such as the Seine River, Arc de Triumph, and The Louvre. 

An all-time favorite and one of the best Paris films, Funny Face will give you a glimpse at some fantastic Parisian landmarks.

22. Taken

Director: Pierre Morel

Set In: Paris 

This movie follows the story of a father traveling across Europe to try and rescue his daughter, who has fallen prey to women traffickers.

Kim (Maggie Grace), the seventeen-year-old daughter of Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson), gets kidnapped with a friend while vacationing in Paris. 

Luckily, she is on the phone with her former CIA father at the time of the kidnapping, and he knows how to handle these cases. 

A race across Paris and a race against time ensue, as Bryan must follow all his leads as quickly as he can if he ever wishes to see Kim again. 

If you seek an action-packed movie that allows you to see some of the Paris scenery, this is the movie for you. 

Enjoyed reading about these movies set in Paris? Then be sure to share it with your friends, so they can check it out! Oh, would you add any other Paris movies to this list? Drop their names below!

Other Movies Set in Paris and France Worth Watching

• The Mother and the Whore with Bernadette Lafont, Jean-Pierre Léaud, and Françoise Lebrun
• Sabrina (1995) with Harrison Ford and Julia Ormond
• La Haine with Vincent Cassel, Hubert Koundé, and Saïd Taghmaoui
• The Bourne Identity with Matt Damon, Franka Potente, Chris Cooper, and Clive Owen
• Julie & Julia with Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, and Stanley Tucci
• Sabrina (1954) with Humphrey Bogart, Audrey Hepburn, and William Holden

22 Best Movies Set In Paris To Watch Today

1. Amélie
2. The Intouchables
3. La Vie en Rose
4. Paris, Je t’Aime
5. Da Vinci Code
6. Les Misérables
7. The Dreamers
8. Before Sunset
9. An American Girl: Grace Stirs Up Success
10. Paris-Manhattan
11. Hugo
12. Le Week-End
13. Midnight in Paris
14. Moulin Rouge!
15. Inception
16. BPM (Beats Per Minute)
17. Ratatouille
18. Hunchback of Notre Dame
19. Passport to Paris
20. As Above, So Below
21. Funny Face
22. Taken