The Saint-Ouen flea market
Marché aux puces de Saint-Ouen, Rue des Rosiers, Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine, France
It's his HQ. It's where Assane hides out, dresses up and works out his plans with his best friend Benjamin. Located to the north of Paris and easily accessible by metro, the Puces de Saint-Ouen flea market is an institution, a unique gathering of second-hand and antique dealers. Officially founded in 1885 and spread over more than seven hectares, Les Puces regularly sees big names from the world of art and entertainment pass through its doors, and has always offered outstanding expertise, serving craftsmen from France and all over the world. Each shop, each stall, offers a journey back in time, with a wide range of prices. The immersion is so fascinating that you'll need a whole day to explore it all. But don't worry: some forty eateries are on hand to accompany you on your journey.
I'll go bargain hunting in Saint-Ouen
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Paris
Buttes-Chaumont Park
Parc des Buttes-Chaumont, Paris, France
- The Lupin series offers some of the most beautiful views of Paris. One of them, featured in season 2, is particularly striking. We meet Assane at the Temple de Sibylle, perched at the top of the Buttes-Chaumont. This park, which is very popular in Paris with joggers, families and groups of friends looking for a friendly atmosphere, was inaugurated at the Universal Exhibition in 1867. Visitors are particularly fond of the park's relief, which is steep in places, and its hidden and unexpected nooks and crannies.
- As well as the Temple of Sibyl and its Corinthian inspiration, we recommend taking the wooden footbridge, admiring the waterfall in the grotto, and keeping an eye out for the many exotic trees and plants that make this park such an exceptional place.
- On a summer's evening, don't hesitate to sit on one of the hillocks and enjoy a picnic as you watch the sun set.
Passage des Panoramas
Passage des Panoramas, Boulevard Montmartre, Paris, France
In the third season of Lupin, Assane can be seen taking a particularly remarkable route to rejoin Claire, his ex-wife. It's the Passage des Panorama, in the second arrondissement of Paris, just off the Grands Boulevards. Inaugurated at the dawn of the 19th century, the Passage soon became a popular haunt for traders of all kinds, particularly philatelists and lovers of curios. You'll also find a wide range of traditional cafés and restaurants, as well as establishments offering Japanese and Argentinian-inspired menus. So don't miss a short diversions to the Passage des Panoramas, and don't forget to look up to admire the timeless signs under the glass roof.
La Maison d'Éducation des Loges
Maison d'Éducation de la Légion d'Honneur SD, Route des Loges, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France
This building appears in several of Lupin's flashbacks, as it is the home for teenagers where Assane and his friend Benjamin meet. But in reality, it's a very special place: La Maison d'Éducation des Loges, located in the Yvelines. Rebuilt in the 19th century around a century-old lime tree at the request of Napoleon III, this former convent was home to the Augustinians, as well as a boarding school for young girls attached to the Grand Chancellery of the Order of the Legion of Honour. Today, this school for secondary school girls has a striking historical setting and a particularly bucolic eight-hectare park. Don't miss the opportunity to visit the Saint-Germain-en-Laye forest, which surrounds the Maison d'Éducation, or to take in the Fête des Loges during the summer.
Please note that you can only visit the Maison d'Education during the European Heritage Days on the third weekend in September.
Hoops Factory
Hoops Factory Paris-Villette, Rue Pierre Larousse, Aubervilliers, France
Another trick for Assane. Determined to stay close to his family, he disguised himself as a basketball coach to train his son. The sessions take place in a highly reputed gym: Hoops Factory. The company, which has five indoor centres in France, set up its first courts in Aubervilliers, just north of La Villette. Open to everyone, all year round, Hoops Factory provides floors and equipment worthy of NBA professionals. It has even been bought by the French Basketball Federation to promote the sport to as many people as possible. Whether you're playing on your own, with friends, children or colleagues, there's room for everyone under the baskets. Including Assane Diop disguised as a coach.
Le Carreau du Temple
Le Carreau du Temple, Rue Eugène Spuller, Paris, France
The scene is an important one. Assane Diop decides to confront Commissaire Dumont, who is partly responsible for his father's death. And to do so, he disguises himself and traps him in the area around the 3rd arrondissement town hall. Anyone paying attention will have noticed another building, with an impressive glass roof that stands out from the usual Parisian buildings. This is the Carreau du Temple, a building with an astonishing metal structure, designed in the 19th century by the architect Jules de Mérindol to become a market capable of accommodating 2,000 vendors. Despite a decline in activity, and a near destruction, the remaining building was listed as a Historic Monument in 1982. And thanks to renovations undertaken in the late 2000s, the Carreau is now a cultural and sports centre hosting over 230 events a year. If you're passing through the district, don't forget to take a stroll around the Square du Temple - Elie Wiesel, to admire its lovely ponds.
Square d’Anvers
Square d'Anvers, Avenue Trudaine, Paris, France
The shot in the Lupin series is stealthy, but there's no mistaking it: in part 1, episode 4, we discover where Assane Diop lives. He lives in the magnificent Jacques-Decour secondary school, which runs alongside the equally delightful Square d'Anvers. This green space, located on part of the former abattoirs of Montmartre, also bears the name of Jean-Claude Carrière, a writer and author who worked on a number of memorable plays and films. He regularly came to the square to get some fresh air and think about his next creations.
Take a look at the bandstand, and in spring, take the time to admire the pink flowers of the Weigélias and the butterflies that flutter around the buddleias. The icing on the cake is the unrivalled view of the Sacré-Coeur from the grassy central area.
Martin Luther King Park
Parc Clichy - Batignolles Martin Luther-King, Rue Cardinet, Paris, France
The staging is perfect. In the middle of part 2 of the Lupin series, Benjamin, in coordination with his friend Assane, steals the briefcase of an important witness. To do so, they choose the Batignolles district, in the 17th arrondissement of Paris, and more specifically the Parc Martin-Luther-King. This 10-hectare green space is impressive for several reasons. Firstly, because it took more than 15 years to design and develop. Because it is surrounded by buildings of ultra-modern design. But also because it offers several types of space, playing on the themes of the seasons, sport and water. You can enjoy sports fields, hills ranging from 1 to 4 metres in height, ponds and areas of dense vegetation. The 3,000 m² biotope pond is home to a number of water lilies and reeds, as well as a large population of ducks. There's even an orchard where apple and pear trees, as well as redcurrant, blackcurrant, raspberry and blueberry bushes, provide shelter and food for wildlife throughout the year.
Montreuil Conservatory of Music and Dance
Conservatoire de musique et de danse, Rue du Sergent Bobillot, Montreuil, France
It's hard not to notice this strange orange building. As Assane sets out to meet thugs and persuade them to help him, he arrives in the Croix de Chavaux district of Montreuil, and passes by the town's Conservatoire de Musique et de Danse. Designed by architect Claude Le Goas and inaugurated in 1976, the conservatory is distinctive for its beehive shape and bright red metal cells. It's no fluke that the architect won a prize that same year in the competition for the most beautiful metal structures in France. The centre, which includes a 300-seat auditorium and 14 classrooms, has become a key element in the cultural and artistic policy of this town in eastern Paris.
Read also:
- A day in historic Paris, revisited by Lupin
- 8 French landmarks seen in the Lupin series
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