Is Emily in Paris Accurate to French Culture? 9 Quirks, Fact-Checked

Is Emily in Paris accurate to French culture? Partly. The show gets the small, everyday things right (floor numbering, day/month dates, no house tours, no shop talk at dinner), but it exaggerates the stereotypes and skips unglamorous realities like visas and learning French. Here are nine quirks from the series, checked against my own life in France: I’m a Francophile who lived in France, and I am married to a Frenchman. 

Updated October 2026: Season 5 premiered on Netflix on December 18, 2025, with Emily running Agence Grateau’s new office in Rome. Season 6, the final season, is due on Netflix on December 24, 2026, with Greece among its locations. The quirks below are mostly from the early seasons, and my guide to the real filming locations covers all five seasons so far. 

I used to write a lot more about French culture when I started Misadventures with Andi. I was still in the early years of being married to a Frenchman and living in France. Cultural differences created constant tension in our multicultural relationship, and adulting in a foreign country for the first time only made it worse.

All my other experiences of living abroad were with my family as a child and teenager. In fact, that’s how Misadventures with Andi was conceived. I used to write email missives to my friends and family about all the cultural faux pas I was experiencing.

Watching Emily in Paris brought me back to all this. Yes, the series has a ton of stereotypes, but also the truth! So I went back through the quirks that stood out to me, checked them against my own years in France, and looked up the facts where my experience only goes so far. Here is the verdict on each.

Emily in Paris vs. Real French Culture: Quick Verdicts

Quirk	Does the show get it right?	Short answer
Floor “0” and the hallway light	Yes	French buildings start at the rez-de-chaussée, so the “first floor” is one flight up.
No elevator	Often	Many older Paris buildings have none. About half of my Paris rentals were walk-ups.
Day/month dates (Grand Véfour booking)	Yes	France writes the day first, so 8/11 is 8 November.
Office before 10:30	Depends	My experience was a Swiss-based European HQ. It is not a French rule. But my American friends who work in Paris agree!
Never washing the omelet pan	Not really	It is a cast-iron seasoning tradition, not a French one, and soap will not ruin a seasoned pan.
Home tours	Yes	Not something I have seen in French homes.
Women not pouring wine	Outdated	Old-school etiquette. Modern practice is more relaxed.
No work talk at social events	In my experience	True at my European colleagues’ dinners and holiday events.
Right to disconnect	Yes, but not a ban	Companies must negotiate off-hours rules. Nothing forbids a 10 p.m. email.

Why Do French Buildings Have a Floor 0? (My Hallway Light Story)

When I first arrived in France, I came alone with my cat Jessica. Mr. Misadventures had traveled ahead of time and was actually in Marseille coordinating our household goods coming by container ship. A colleague from my office picked me up at the airport, dropped me off in front of my temporary apartment, and bid me adieu (it was the weekend, and my co-worker was anxious to get back home for family dinner). It was March and already dark.

Once I figured out the door code and got into the lobby, I was in pitch black. This was 2003, before there were iPhones with flashlights!

As I hunted around for 10 minutes for a light source, a light appeared from above. It was not a divine signal from the heavens, although it felt like it, but rather a resident coming down the stairs! I instantly went into action. I grabbed Jessica’s case and headed up to the 3rd floor.

Or at least what I thought was the third floor.

Here is the quick explanation: in France, the ground floor is the rez-de-chaussée, and the premier étage is the floor above it, which Americans call the second floor. Count floors the American way, and you can end up one door off, as I did. Elevator panels often show 0 or RC for the ground floor. 

I put my key in the lock, and nothing happened.

And the light went out.

Le uh-oh.

Then the door I had been trying to get into opened. Unlike Emily, there was no gorgeous Gabriel for witty banter. No. Just an annoyed Mamie. In 2003, my French wasn’t great, but I somehow managed to explain my problem, and Mamie reached over, turned on the light for me, and directed me to the next level up.

I eventually made it to the apartment. But every time Mr. Misadventures and I rent an Airbnb, we have to do the “light search.”

Do Paris Apartments Really Not Have Elevators?

And by the way, that first apartment I described above when I was desperately searching for the light? I was moving to Europe, so besides Jessica’s cage, I had 2 massive suitcases and zero elevators! I had to carry everything up to the third (and then 4th…) floor by stairs. Curved stairs.

Le sigh.

About 50% of the time we rent an apartment in Paris, we don’t get an elevator. (That is my own experience, not a statistic.) Many Paris buildings date from before elevators were common, and not all have been retrofitted. I am no longer surprised by this. I cheer when we get one. A little bonus! Emily’s tiny walk-up in the first season is not far off the mark. 

Do the French Really Write the Date Day/Month? (Emily’s Grand Véfour Mix-Up)

Remember when Emily made reservations for the Grand Véfour (Season 1, Episode 4)? Everyone was surprised she was able to snag a high-demand table (tip: try lunch; I’ve always been able to get in, and I still had a wonderful experience!). The reason? When Emily made the reservation online, she used the American-style date system, so she thought she was making a reservation for Aug. 11th (8/11), but in reality, she made it for November 8th (8/11 in France’s day/month order) because in France (and the rest of Europe) the date is written in a day/month format.

Your birth date follows this format as well, so be careful when filling out official paperwork!

I currently live and work in Portugal, which follows the same structure, and my first health insurance card listed March 1 as my birthday, not January 3rd!

Also, while working in Europe, my work calendar uses a 24-hour clock à la military-style (1:00 pm is 13:00, 2:00 pm is 14:00, and so on). Growing up an Army brat, that isn’t a problem for me, but it might throw you off.

Want to see the restaurant for yourself? Le Grand Véfour is at 17 rue de Beaujolais in the 1st arrondissement and is on my Emily in Paris filming locations guide. 

Do French People Really Start Work After 10:30?

I have often said that the French aren’t very matinale (morning people). Of course, that is a generalization, but Mr. Misadventures and I spend many, many mornings out and about in Paris, and we practically have the city to ourselves! Granted, I worked in Switzerland, not France, but truth be told, I was always in the office first and usually alone for a good hour to 90 minutes before any of my Swiss, French, Spanish, or Italian (I worked in my company’s European headquarters) colleagues.

I cannot speak to 10:30 as a start time, but it isn’t hard to imagine. But I do have American expat friends who have confirmed that is how their Parisian office works. Mainly because, with client events and social media, there are a lot of late nights, so to balance that out, no one shows up to work at 8! So treat this one as my experience of a European multinational, not a French labor rule. Start times vary by industry and company.

Do the French Really Never Wash Their Omelet Pan?

In Season 1, Episode 4, Gabriel cooks Emily an omelet, then tells her the pan must not be washed: you season it, you don’t clean it. Emily, who has not cooked much, looks horrified.

Gabriel’s ritual of not washing his omelet pan is not just a French thing. It’s a cooking thing. Growing up, my grandma and mom didn’t wash their cast iron skillets. I am not sure how many Americans use cast iron these days, so maybe that’s why Emily was unfamiliar. She doesn’t really cook, so it’s probably why she doesn’t know.

The pan-care debate has two sides. Many cooks wipe a seasoned pan with a paper towel and a little oil, which is what Gabriel is doing. But the “soap will ruin it” rule is mostly a myth: the baked-on oil layer is tough, and cast iron’s real enemies are soaking, rust, and extreme heat. Either way, it is a cast-iron habit, not a French law.

Do French People Give House Tours?

When guests come to American homes, they often get a tour. That is definitely not something that is done in France. If you visit a French home, don’t expect this! You will be welcomed into the living room or at the table, and the bedrooms stay closed. 

It was years before I even saw my own mother-in-law’s bedroom! Her apartment was too small for my husband and me to stay over when we visited, so we always stayed in a hotel. When we did come over, we only saw the kitchen, bathroom, and salon!

Do French Women Really Not Pour the Wine?

Maybe a bit archaic, but women don’t generally pour wine. But more often, you aren’t supposed to pour wine for yourself. I have experienced this with tea as well from Asian friends and colleagues.

Traditional French table etiquette says the host does the pouring (historically a man) and guests don’t help themselves. The strictly gendered version is outdated and strongest in old-fashioned households, so don’t expect it everywhere. A safe rule for a French dinner: offer to fill your neighbors’ glasses first, and let someone fill yours. 

Do the French Talk About Work at Dinner?

You don’t discuss work at social events even when they are work events. This was my experience working with European colleagues in Switzerland. We did discuss work at team lunches unless it was a celebration, but not at dinners or holiday events. The only exception was when our American boss came to town. When we went to dinner with him, we discussed work!

Is It Illegal to Work or Email After Hours in France? (The “Right to Disconnect”)

Not exactly, though it is a fair question. France has a “right to disconnect” (le droit à la déconnexion), added to the labor code by a 2016 law and in force since 2017. Companies with union representation, typically those with 50 or more employees, must negotiate how employees can switch off outside working hours.

If they can’t agree, the employer has to set the rules in a charter. It is an obligation to talk about disconnecting, not a flat ban on a 10 p.m. email. (Read more here.) For the legal text, see article L2242-17 of the Code du travail on Légifrance. 

It’s all about work-life balance, and it’s not a bad thing!

Bonus: 3 More Things Emily in Paris Gets Wrong About France

These did not make my original list, but readers ask about them all the time.

Do You Really Have to Say Bonjour?

Yes. In France, you greet people when you walk into a shop, café, or office: “bonjour” first and your request second. Emily’s early boulangerie scenes skip the greeting, and that, more than her accent, is her real mistake. I see Americans make this mistake all the time. It is often the reason they think Parisians are rude; in reality, we look like the rude ones!

Where Is Emily’s Visa?

The show never really deals with the paperwork. In real life, a non-EU citizen needs the right to live and work in France, and the process takes patience and a lot of documents. Emily’s smooth start is pure fantasy. On my first stint in France in 2003, I had to wait several months for my work permit. (Trust me, it’s better than what I experienced in Portugal in 2025!)

Is There Air Conditioning in France?

Often not, especially in older Paris apartments and offices. On a heat-wave day, a stone building with shutters (and a fan) is the French solution. I have rented Airbnbs that claimed to have A/C, only to find one rolling cooler that cools one room (if that).

My Verdict: Fantasy, With a Few Real Details

Emily in Paris is a fantasy, but it is built on more real details than people give it credit for. The small things (floor numbering, dates, home tours, work talk at dinner) are mostly right. The big things (visas, the language, how fast anyone gets a seat at Grand Véfour) are glossed over. If you are moving to or visiting France, the show is a fun start, and the quirks above are what will actually trip you up.

Emily in Paris and French Culture: FAQ

More French Culture and Style

• Emily in Paris Film Locations (Seasons 1 to 5)
• Call My Agent! Film Locations in Paris
• How to Embrace Your Inner French Girl
• French Girl Beauty Guide

What other cultural differences did you notice while watching Emily in Paris? Have any questions? Do tell!

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