Through fashionable Paris in the footsteps of Audrey Hepburn
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by Philippa Campsie in Paris
04 Feb 2015
80min
 2mi
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Start at the Alma-Marceau metro station
You are standing in the Place d'Alma, looking out across the Seine at the Eiffel Tower. This is a part of Paris that Audrey Hepburn knew well, as you'll find out over today's walk.
My name is Philippa Campsie, and I'm going to take you to some of the places in the city associated with Audrey Hepburn. She never lived here, but she worked here and visited often. I too am a frequent visitor in Paris, and I studied here as a student. I've long been a fan of Audrey's movies and one day I decided to hunt down some of the locations of the films she made right here in Paris.
I started with my favourite of them all, "How to Steal a Million," made in 1966, and the first thing I learned was that the mansion in that film is not in Paris at all, but in a nearby suburb called Neuilly. However, many other scenes in that movie were filmed in the centre of the city, and the same was true of her other Paris films. I put all the locations on a map and realized that a cluster of them would make a good walking tour. Et voila...here is the result.
Right now we are standing close to the centre of the Paris haute couture industry. Audrey Hepburn is known as much for her fashion leadership as for her acting career, and her relationship with the designer Hubert de Givenchy was a huge part of her role in fashion. It all began close to where you are standing now.
While you're standing here, take a look at the Eiffel Tower. Do you remember the finale of the song "Bonjour Paris" in the movie "Funny Face"? It was filmed on the lowest platform of the tower. "Funny Face," made in 1957, was the first time Audrey had worked on location in Paris.
But even before making that film, Audrey came here to plan the wardrobe for "Sabrina," filmed in the United States in 1954. The Paris scenes in that movie were fake, including the Eiffel Tower seen from the window of the cooking school, but Audrey's Paris gowns were the real thing.
Before we set off, let me explain how this works. VoiceMap uses your location to play commentary automatically. You can put your phone in your pocket, and focus on your surroundings. You’ll hear my voice again when you reach the next destination, and I'll give you directions to keep you on track.
Let's start walking now. We're making a quick stop around the corner, and then we'll head back this way. Just take the crosswalk nearest to the Metro exit, which takes you to the far side of Avenue George V.
1mi
30min
