Ladybug’s Paris: 12+6 must-see places in Paris for your Miraculous fan
(UPDATED 2023) A tour of Ladybug’s Paris is just the thing for any Miraculous fan. Our tour takes in some well-known sights that appear in the animated series AND 2023 FILM, as well as some key lesser-known places. Grab the list for an exciting twist to Paris sightseeing with your Ladybug and Cat Noir fans.
Is your child a fan of Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir? Are they excited about the new movie? Given that the series screens in more than 120 countries and is regularly the top program for children aged 4 to 11, it would be unusual if they had not at least heard of it. If you’re visiting Paris with kids, why not take a tour of Ladybug’s Paris?
Our list includes well-known sights from the animated series that you will want to see anyway, as well as some key lesser-known places. AND we’ve updated this list with six new sites that appear in the new movie.
Not only will you see some unusual sights in Paris, but for your Miraculous fan, the tour will be extra special.
Tikki, spots on!
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- What is Miraculous?
- Why have 5 more sites been added to this list?
- Why should you tour Ladybug's Paris?
- A tour of the Miraculous sights in Paris
- 1. The Eiffel Tower
- 2. Trocadéro
- 3. The Louvre
- 4. Jardins des Tuileries
- 5. The Luxor Obelisk
- 6. Arc de Triomphe
- 7. Grévin Museum
- 8. Tour Montparnasse
- 9. Hôtel de Ville
- 10. Lycée Carnot
- 11. Place des Vosges
- 12. Boris Lumé Boulangerie
- Ladybug’s Paris: MORE sites from the new movie
- 1. Notre Dame
- 2. The Opera
- 3. Viaduc de Passy and Pont Bir-Hakeim
- 4. The booksellers next to the Seine
- 6. The rooftops of Paris
- 6. Fête des Tuileries
- Take a tour of the Miraculous sights in Paris
- Save for later
What is Miraculous?
Miraculous is an animated television series aimed at younger viewers (though it has an active teen fan base, too).
It stars Marinette Dupain-Cheng, a regular teenage schoolgirl of French-Chinese descent who aspires to be a fashion designer. After helping Master Fu, she is gifted a pair of earrings that look like ladybugs. These are the “Ladybug Miraculous” and the kwami (magical entity) associated with the Miraculous gives her the ability to transform into her superhero alter-ego Ladybug.
Together with Cat Noir, Ladybug protects Paris from the villain Hawk Moth, who keeps gifting troubled teens an akuma. This has the opposite effect of a miraculous, turning the teenagers into super baddies, who need to be stopped.
The series is set in Paris, fusing several fictional locations with real sites that you can visit on your tour of the Miraculous sights in Paris. For example, Marinette and her family live above the fictional family bakery at 12 rue Gotlib in the (fictional) 21st arrondissement. We’ll show you which bakery inspired the fictional family bakery.
I don’t mind Miss M watching Miraculous. Marinette is a strong and fun female lead, who is authentic, kind, strong, and inventive both as Marinette and as Ladybug. I don’t know about you, but I’m all for a strong female lead who is a positive role model, especially in the way she treats others!
Why have 5 more sites been added to this list?
Our little fan is ecstatic: we finally got to see the new “Ladybug & Cat Noir: Awakening” film! The origin story is out in cinemas and apparently will be on Netflix.
Is your Miraculous fan practicing their Ladybug moves in anticipation?
We went to see the movie last weekend and identified 5 new sites to add to this list.
Why should you tour Ladybug’s Paris?
In a nutshell, with just a few exceptions, Ladybug’s Paris is everyone’s Paris. By taking a tour of the Miraculous sights in Paris you will be touring the city of love, just viewing it through red and black spotted glasses instead of rose-coloured ones.
And your Miraculous fan will love it. Even if they can’t quote the series verbatim, a tour of Ladybug’s Paris will give the city context for them. Miss M is more engaged when she has some context for the sites we’re seeing.
One of her highlights of our trip to Paris was seeing where Marinette lives, even though she knows that Marinette is fictitious.
And what child does not like being allowed to watch their favourite program – and now a movie – in preparation for their upcoming trip to France?
A tour of the Miraculous sights in Paris
These are in no particular order. You could make a day out of seeing them all, see a few each day or just mention a site is a part of Ladybug’s Paris when you’re visiting it anyway.
1. The Eiffel Tower
Perhaps the most famous symbol of Paris and even of France, the Eiffel Tower features heavily in Miraculous. In fact, it appears in almost every episode and is often the location of battles between Ladybug and Cat Noir, and whatever person has been akumatised and turned into a villain. It is a must-see in Paris on any tour and at 324 metres tall, it is hard to miss.
When we were visiting Paris, the Eiffel Tower was closed presumably to prepare for the fireworks display for Bastille Day. It did not matter as Miss M was happy to see it up close and did not have to go up the top. We have been before, but Miss M was too young to remember it.
If you’re planning on going up the Eiffel Tower, book your tickets in advance. I’ve done both and don’t see the point anymore of going all the way up to the top. If this is likely to be your only trip to Paris, go straight to the top. Take the lifts, not the stairs – it will cost more but you will be doing enough walking and stairs in Paris.
If you’re sightseeing with even smaller kids, ride the merry-go-round opposite the Tower.
2. Trocadéro
Across the river looking over the Eiffel Tower is Trocadéro. It boasts gardens, ponds, and the Museum of Humanity (Musée de l’Homme, part of the Museum of Natural History). When she’s not fighting the baddies and catching their akumas, Marinette likes meeting up with her friends at “Troca”. The views are lovely, too.
Miss M enjoyed eating a crepe while watching the view. And then had to take some cheesy, touristy photos (like the one at the top of this post).
3. The Louvre
Another site on almost everyone’s must-see list when visiting Paris for the first time is the Louvre. The 243,000 m2 museum displays around 35,000 works and has many more stored in the basements. In 2019 it was the most visited museum in the world (over 9.5 million visitors).
With its signature glass pyramids, it is not just the scene of a murder in the DaVinci Code. Ladybug and Cat Noir fought the Pharoah, the Mime, and Volpina there. It should naturally also form part of any tour of the Miraculous sights in Paris.
We visited the Louvre and its famed glass pyramids while we were in Paris. Miss M was a little distracted by her slush and a little blasé about the sight. To be fair, she had seen them before and we had seen the (minute) Mona Lisa, as well.
As with the Eiffel Tower and the Palace of Versailles, we recommend booking tickets and reserving a time slot online in advance.
4. Jardins des Tuileries
In front of the Louvre is the Jardins des Tuileries. It’s the site of a memorable chase through the tree-lined alleys between Ladybug and Cat Noir and Backwarder (he made up for lost time by stealing it from Parisians).
Miss M had fun gliding through the garden like a Microraptor, chasing kwamis. Until she had to have a rest.
5. The Luxor Obelisk
At the other end of the Jardin des Tuileries is Place de la Concorde, with the Luxor Obelisk. It was gifted to France in 1829 by Muhammad Ali of Egypt as thanks for the work done by French philologist, Jean-François Champollion on deciphering hieroglyphics.
The obelisk is 23 metres high, weighs 222 tonnes, and is the oldest historical monument in Paris. It used to stand together with its twin at the Luxor Temple during the reign of Rameses II. This didn’t stop Ladybug from chopping off the top to use in battle. Fortunately, the fictitious damage is quickly dealt with after Paris has been saved.
6. Arc de Triomphe
In one episode (Season 1, Episode 20), Ladybug and Cat Noir have to stop Numeric, who is terrorising the Champs Élysées. This makes it the perfect addition to Ladybug’s Paris tour. We didn’t get to the Arc de Triomphe this trip (we spent too much time with the dinosaurs in Paris to complete the tour of the Miraculous sights in Paris).
The Arc de Triomphe is the centre of one of the busiest roundabouts in the world (12 avenues radiate from the Place Charles-de-Gaulle, so make sure you use one of the underpasses to reach it). Napoleon commissioned it as a tribute to his soldiers who fought and won at the Battle of Austerlitz. He had visions of the returning soldiers marching through the arches in triumph. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is at the base.
If you have not had enough of heights already, visit the viewing platform at the top of the Arc de Triomphe. A lift to the attic gives you access to a small museum about its construction. Forty more steps take you to the terrace. Book tickets online.
7. Grévin Museum
The Grévin Museum, famous for its wax likenesses of celebrities, was suggested by readers (thanks E+M). I had actually forgotten these episodes.
In Puppeteer 2 (season 3, episode 21), Marinette tries to arrange some time with Adrien at the museum but is supposed to babysit Manon. When Manon becomes the Puppeteer again, Ladybug and Cat Noir are forced to act.
A disclosure: I have never been to the Grévin Museum. It has more than 200 “wax celebrities” and I was afraid they would be mostly French and I would not know who they were – neither would Miss M. To my surprise, the list includes celebrities that even Miss M knows, such as Ryan Gosling, King Charles III, and Lady Gaga, as well as the heroes of our tour: Ladybug and Cat Noir.
If you are looking for an inside activity for your Miraculous tour, this would fit the bill.
8. Tour Montparnasse
While the Tour Maine-Montparnasse may only be the third tallest building in Paris, it has some of the best views, including of the Eiffel Tower.
I know this, even though we did not take in the views from the Tower on this trip. In my former life, I was lucky enough to attend some client meetings on the top floors of the Tower. Effectively, I was paid to admire the views.
Take the lift and in just 38 seconds you’ll be 200 metres above Paris at the Montparnasse Tower Panoramic Observation Deck, where you can admire the view. You can view the locations on Ladybug’s Paris from above, including the sight of battles against Gorizilla and Optigami.
The Tower is at rue de l’Arrivée (15th Arrondissement) and you can book tickets online.
9. Hôtel de Ville
This is one stop on our Tour of the Miraculous sights in Paris we were not planning to see but ended up having to walk right past to reach the Louvre.
As any Miraculous fan will know, Marinette’s classmate and nemesis, Chloe Bourgeois, is the daughter of the mayor of Paris. The Hôtel de Ville, or town hall, features in numerous Miraculous scenes involving Chloe. Various battles have been fought there too, including against Rogercop, Darkblade, Reflekta, and Silencer.
The town hall is the largest municipal building in Europe. Around 230 sculptors were commissioned to produce more than 300 statues of famous Parisians on each facade, Perhaps the most famous sculptor was Auguste Rodin, who sculpted the figure of mathematician Jean le Rond d’Alembert (left side, first floor).
10. Lycée Carnot
While we’re talking about classmates, why not visit Marinette’s school while on a tour of Ladybug’s Paris?
The real school does not exist, but the Lycée Carnot (17th Arrondissement) served as a model for Marinette and Adrien’s school. It has a large courtyard and a glass and metal roof designed by Gustave Eiffel.
We didn’t go to the school during our visit: school holidays were about to start and COVID imposed rules about persons allowed around school grounds. You can find it at 145 Boulevard Malherbes.
11. Place des Vosges
The Place des Vosges serves as inspiration for the park near Marinette’s house. Of course, don’t expect to find the statue of Ladybug and Cat Noir in the real Place des Vosges.
The real square is the oldest one in Paris. It was built in 1605 on the site of a royal palace (Palais des Tournelles). It is surrounded by 34 identical buildings and two higher buildings – the King’s at the southern end and his Queen’s in the north.
12. Boris Lumé Boulangerie
One of Miss M’s highlights of our whole Paris trip – and our tour of the Miraculous sights in Paris – was our trip to Boris Lumé Boulangerie. Unfortunately, annual holidays started on the day we visited so we couldn’t try any baked goods.
Boris Lumé’s bakery inspired the bakery owned by Marinette’s parents. If you’re familiar with the series, you’ll note that it lovingly reproduces the bakery– the shape, the pillars, the colours, the writing, and the embellishments. And it is not difficult to see why it was chosen as inspiration, even when it’s closed. The copy is so well done, you will feel like you have been beamed directly into Ladybug’s Paris.
Fortunately, we found another delicious bakery on the same street and then strolled along the streets of Montmartre.
You can find the bakery at 49 rue Caulaincourt (just a short walk from the metro Lamarck-Caulaincourt, Line 12, which appears in the film Amelie). If you want to see some of the delicious delicacies the bakery has to offer, check out their Facebook page.
Ladybug’s Paris: MORE sites from the new movie
“Ladybug & Cat Noir: Awakening” was released in July and we finally got to see it! We identified 6 more sites and an event to add to your tour of the Miraculous sites in Paris.
1. Notre Dame
The trailer shows Ladybug and Cat Noir hiding out in Notre Dame Cathedral and later engaged in a battle against an akumatised strix in and around the site.
Notre-Dame de Paris (or “Our Lady of Paris”) is a medieval Catholic cathedral that sits on Île de la Cité, an island in the Seine River. It is one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture and is known for its relics, rose windows, hunchbacked bell ringer, gargoyles, chimeras, and strix, and now, unfortunately, a fire.
Construction began in 1163 to house Jesus’ crown of thorns and was largely completed within a century. Various changes were made and, over time, it became recognised as a symbol of Paris and France.
In the early 21st century it became the most popular site in Paris, surpassing even the Louvre and doubling the number of visitors to the Eiffel Tower, with around 12 million visitors annually. Unfortunately, no one can visit the cathedral at the moment, but you can still marvel at its grandeur from afar, especially the iconic west façade with its 69-metre-high twin towers.
If you’re French, you’ll remember where you were on 15 April 2019, when you heard about the fire destroying the cathedral.
During renovation works, the roof caught fire, burning for 15 hours and destroying the spire and the lead-covered wooden roof and leaving fire, water, and lead damage to artwork, the organ, etc. It was stabilised in 2020 and reconstruction began in 2021. The Government of France hopes the reconstruction works will be finished in time for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Keep updated about the current situation here.
2. The Opera
The trailer for the movie shows Ladybug and Cat Noir on a stage, which I am assuming is Palais Garnier, better known as the Opera.
Fortunately, it’s worth a visit whether you’re a fan of Miraculous or not (though if your Ladybug fan likes the series Find Me in Paris, you’ll have another reason to go). It’s also your chance to imitate Sarah Brightman and belt out a tune from Phantom…
Palais Garnier is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., except when there is an afternoon performance. You can take a self-guided tour (Adults EUR 14, children under 12 free) with a multimedia guide if you wish. Guided tours, including after-hours and themed tours, are available too.
3. Viaduc de Passy and Pont Bir-Hakeim
If you’re looking for a magnificent view of the Eiffel Tower, take Metro line 6 from the Paris Catacombs (Denfert-Rochereau) towards Trocadero. As the tracks rise above the ground to cross the Seine, you will have some of the best views of the Eiffel Tower.
You’ll also be crossing the Pont Bir-Hakeim.
Part of the movie trailer shows Ladybug hooking her yoyo over the handle of a metro train number 6 as it thunders over Pont Bir-Hakeim. She also “picks up” Cat Noir from the Viaduc de Passy and channels her inner Spiderman under the bridge.
The metro train has two levels, the upper metro line and a lower level for motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists.
A pedestrian bridge was built in 1878, and is named after the site of an ancient Roman well in the Libyan desert. It spans the Seine between the 15th and 16 arrondissements and rests on the Île aux Cygnes (Isle of the Swans), which did not exist until 1827 and hosts France’s Statue of Liberty. The new bridge was built in 1903.
The large stone viaduct arch stands over the island in the middle of the bridge. The arch and the bridge are popular spots for photos – for weddings, Eiffel Tower photos, and great architectural shots.
For the full Ladybug experience, cross the bridge on the metro, then come back and walk across – there are metro stops on each side of the Seine.
(Pssst: The bridge also appears in the film Inception and the Clace scene in Shadowhunters.)
4. The booksellers next to the Seine
In a few scenes in the movie, Marinette is seen walking past the Bouquinistes of Paris, or booksellers of the Seine on the way home from school. These green metal boxes filled to the brim with second-hand and antique books have been around for some 500 years. In 1992, the booksellers were listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The movie depicts them as located near the school, but you can really find them along the Seine on the right bank between Quai du Louvre and Pont Marie, and on the left bank between Quai de la Tournelle and Quai Voltaire.
Check out the river running “between two bookshelves” and go shopping for a unique souvenir, poster, postcard, or book.
6. The rooftops of Paris
One thing that I realised while watching the movie – more than I did when I was (half)watching the series is that Ladybug and Cat Noir spent an inordinate amount of time on the rooftops of Paris. A series of love scenes even play out against the backdrop.
Fortunately, Paris has some wonderful (and free) places to view the rooftops. Try:
- Grab a drink at Printemps du Goût (7th and 8th floor of Printemps, 64 boulevard Haussmann) – the food department of Printemps has great views from their terrace and through the large windows. Stop for a drink and an ice cream and enjoy the view, or grab something for a picnic later.
- Le 7ème Ciel: The womens’ building of Printemps Haussmann (the middle one of the three) has a gorgeous 7th floor of glass, light, and Eiffel beams which opens onto a terrace with an incredible view of the Opera, Pantheon, and Eiffel Tower.
- Galleries Lafayette offers spectacular views of the rooftops of Ladybug’s Paris from the 8th floor of its main store (40 boulevard Haussmann). This was one of the first places we visited when in Paris and Miss M had fun identifying things we would see later.
6. Fête des Tuileries
For around two months each summer between the end of June and the end of August, the Jardin des Tuileries hosts the Fête des Tuileries or Summer Fair.
The movie trailer shows scenes set at the fair and one scene where the giant ferris wheel – from the Place de la Concorde – escapes its stand and rolls through Paris. Ladybug must rescue Marinette’s nemesis Chloe from the wheel.
If you’re doing your tour of the Miraculous sites in Paris during summer, take a little time to visit the fun fair and ride the ferris wheel. If you’re visiting in winter, the garden hosts a sweet Christmas market.
(Pssst: Are you a fan of Emily in Paris? In season 3, Emily goes to the fair and rides the bumper cars with Mindy and the ferris wheel with Alfie.)
Take a tour of the Miraculous sights in Paris
If you’re visiting Paris with a Miraculous fan, don’t just see Paris, take a tour of Ladybug’s Paris. In many cases, you will be seeing everything you would have seen anyway, but the whole experience will be much more exciting and memorable for your child.
Have you done a themed tour while on holiday?
More Europe with kids
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Thank you for your very helpful and detailed guide. We will follow it. We would also like to add the Grevine museum that appears in many episodes of the series 😉
E&M
Thanks for the tip! I have added it to the list. If you visit, please let me know what you thought – I’ve never been there! Enjoy your tour!
Very much inspired by this post. Both my sons are big fans. We are heading to Paris tomorrow. Yay
Yay! I love Paris! And I love that there are so many things on this list that you will want to see anyway. Miss M’s highlight was Marinette’s bakery, so if you can, make sure it is on the list of places to visit.
Thank you for making this list. I’m taking my 6 year old daughter to Paris in two days and I used the movie to get her excited about seeing the city. I’m so glad this list exists!
I’m very glad that this list is useful and know you are going to have a wonderful time in Paris – with a little Ladybug and Cat Noir magic thrown in!