Christmas in Paris filming locations like Cathedrale St-Jean-Baptiste, Quai du Général-Sarrail and a vineyard near Lyon, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and across Newmarket, Barrie and Richmond Hill in Ontario. In the holiday movie, they represent Paris landmarks and Montana neighbourhoods.
The TV movie Christmas in Paris is based on the 2017 novel A Fortunes of Texas Christmas, by Helen Lacey. It follows French businessman Lucas (Karl E. Landler), who falls in love with Robin (Rebecca Dalton) during a visit to Montana. He whisks her away to Paris at Christmastime to meet his family and learn about his life in France, complete with vineyards and Eiffel Tower views.
Where was Christmas in Paris Filmed?
Christmas in Paris - Wine Tasting
Christmas in Paris (2019) was filmed in Paris and Lyon, France, and Mount Albert, Newmarket, Richmond Hill, Barrie and Markham in Ontario. Many of the Canadian filming locations appear in numerous holiday movies, thanks to their scenic streets and snow-covered mountains.
Some Parisian views are unmistakeable, but there are also shots of Lyon during the French scenes. Lyon is the capital of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, and shares some traits with Paris including a river that curves through the heart of the city.
Christmas in Paris Locations
Montana
Old City Hall. Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
The Christmas in Paris Montana scenes were filmed in Newmarket, Mt Albert, Richmond Hill, Barrie and Markham in Ontario.
Situated a short drive from Toronto, Newmarket is a favourite Christmas movie filming location. The town appears in Christmas in Paris, Hometown Holiday, Snowbound for Christmas and many more besides.
Filming for Christmas in Paris also took place in nearby Markham, and in Barrie, which was also a Snowbound for Christmas location.
Mount Albert is another small town near Newmarket, known for its local heritage. Its oldest buildings date back to the 1820s and 1850s, when it was founded as Birchardville. The town’s name was changed to honour the son of Queen Victoria (and future King Edward VII) on his visit to Canada in 1860.
More Christmas in Paris Montana scenes were filmed in Richmond Hill in the Greater Toronto area. When it’s not starring in holiday movies, Richmond Hill is known as the home of Canada’s largest telescope and its own philharmonic orchestra.
The Airport
Be quick and you’ll catch the signage of Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris’ main international airport. It was originally named Roissy Airport, for its location in Roissy-en-France, but was renamed to honour the World War II figure Charles de Gaulle.
It sits on the edge of Paris, making this Christmas in Paris filming location geographically accurate – you could very well land here for a trip to the French capital.
The Eiffel Tower
Eiffel Tower. Ank Kumar, CC BY-SA 4.0
The Eiffel Tower appears in Christmas in Paris twice. First, we see a model Tour Eiffel in Montana before Robin leaves for France. Just a few scenes later, the real Eiffel Tower appears in Christmas in Paris’ French scenes as Lucas guides her around the city sites.
It was famously designed for the World’s Fair and stayed to become a Parisian icon. It stands in the Champs de Mars, and we see this filming location from a couple of different angles during the TV movie. This is actually the perfect location for a transatlantic movie, since it was made by the same sculptors who crafted the Statue of Liberty.
Le Seine
The Christmas in Paris location for the River Seine is the real Seine in Paris and the Rhone in Lyon. The real River Seine appears in establishing shots of the city, but the other shots were filmed on location in Lyon.
Look out for the bridges Lucas and Robin cross in the Parisian Christmas movie, which are slightly different in architectural style. In fact, the bridges and slopes rising on either side in the background have made Rhone a popular cruise destination.
The Riverbank
Quai du Général-Sarrail. Romainbehar, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Robin and Lucas are seen walking along the banks of the Seine – the actual location is the Quai du Général-Sarrail on the left bank of the Rhone.
This tree-lined walkway looks very similar to its Parisian counterpart, so it’s a close visual match. It runs between the Pont Lafayette and Pont Morand bridges, and like the bridges of Paris, they offer views across the city.
The Cathedral
Cathedrale St-Jean-Baptiste. Zairon, CC BY-SA 4.0
The real Christmas in Paris cathedral filming location is Cathedrale St-Jean-Baptiste in Place St-Jean, Lyon. Work on the cathedral began in the 11th Century, continuing through the eras to form the Gothic building we see today. The cathedral façade Robin and Lucas stand in front of in Christmas in Paris dates back to 1480.
The Parisian Café
Did you know the Christmas in Paris filming location used as the Parisian café is really in Lyon? Café 203 is on Rue du Garet, close to the Opera Nationale de Lyon and the famous Hotel de Ville de Lyon. While it’s not really in Paris, this chic area is a close match for the French capital’s historic centre.
The Botanical Gardens
Christmas in Paris’ garden scenes were filmed at the botanical gardens in Lyon. Known as the jardin botanique du Parc de Tete d’Or, these gardens are among the most impressive in Europe. They hold around 15,000 species of plant across greenhouses, an orangery, Mexican Garden, historic rose garden and arboretum.
The Vineyard
The French vineyard location in Christmas in Paris is Chateau des Jaques, north of Lyon. In the Hallmark movie, Lucas takes Robin to tour the vineyard his family owns, passing through several locations around Chateau des Jacques in the process. For example, they pass by the windmill or moulin-à-vent, which gives one of the local wines its name. Christmas in Paris’ wine tasting scene was also filmed at the vineyard near Lyon – look out for casks of Chardonnay Clos de Loyse in the background.