To mark the release of the film 'Les Misérables', immerse yourself in the heart of Paris and follow in the footsteps of the places featured in Victor Hugo’s famous epic!
To discover in this article:
Victor Hugo (1802–1885) is one of Paris’s most iconic figures. His novels, his poems and his commitment to preserving the city’s heritage - from Notre-Dame Cathedral to the Arènes de Lutèce - make him a key figure in the capital.
His novel Les Misérables, published in 1862, has inspired more than thirty film adaptations worldwide since the early 20th century. Now it is the turn of director and screenwriter Fred Cavayé to present a new version of this historical and romantic epic, bringing together some of the biggest names in French cinema, including Vincent Lindon, Tahar Rahim, Camille Cottin, Benjamin Lavernhe and Vassili Schneider… To mark its cinema release on 14 October 2026, Paris je t’aime invites you to discover the main locations featured in the book, as well as the neighbourhoods that inspired the author. Follow the guide!
The story of Les Misérables: this historical and social epic traces the fate of Jean Valjean, a former convict who, after meeting the Bishop of Digne, chooses to turn over a new leaf and becomes a respectable man. Hunted by Inspector Javert, he takes in Cosette, a child mistreated by the Thénardiers, and raises her as his own daughter. Now a young woman, she meets Marius. Their love story unfolds in a city rife with poverty, inequality and rebellion. In June 1832, Marius joins the insurgents on the barricades. Jean Valjean rescues the wounded and unconscious young man by carrying him through the sewers of Paris. Around them, Fantine, Gavroche, the Thénardiers and the ABC students embody the many faces of a society marked by poverty and injustice.
Fictional location
The Gorbeau hovel did not actually exist, but Victor Hugo sets it on the Boulevard de l’Hôpital in the Salpêtrière district.
In ‘Les Misérables’: this ramshackle Parisian building serves as a refuge for Jean Valjean and Cosette after their escape from the ‘Petit-Picpus’ convent. Inspector Javert, still hot on their heels, forces them to leave the premises.
📍Boulevard de l’Hôpital, Paris 13th
Fictional location
The ‘Petit-Picpus’ convent, near the Picpus Cemetery, never actually existed. It is inspired by the Picpus neighbourhood in the 12th arrondissement, which stretches between Avenue Daumesnil, Place de la Nation and the Bois de Vincennes.
In ‘Les Misérables’: After escaping from Javert, Jean Valjean seeks refuge at the ‘Petit-Picpus’ convent with Cosette, who grows up there, hidden away and protected from the outside world for several years.
📍Picpus neighbourhood, Paris 12th
Situated on the Left Bank of the Seine, the Latin Quarter is the hub of student life in Paris. It is home to the Sorbonne, one of France’s largest universities, and boasts major museums, Roman ruins, exceptional monuments and splendid gardens. With its food shops, lively bars and village-like atmosphere, the picturesque Mouffetard district also attracts a large number of students.
In ‘Les Misérables’: the Latin Quarter, the streets around the Sorbonne, Rue Mouffetard and the hill of the Panthéon evoke the student life of Paris frequented by Marius and the young revolutionaries of the time.
📍Latin Quarter and Mouffetard, Paris 5th
More info on the [Latin Quarter
More info on the Mouffetard district
At the bottom of Rue Mouffetard, the Gothic-style Saint-Médard Church is built on the site of a former Merovingian chapel. The forecourt and the adjoining square come to life in fine weather with neighbourhood events and the outdoor seating areas of cafés and restaurants.
In ‘Les Misérables’: mentioned in the novel, the Church of Saint-Médard epitomises the modest neighbourhoods of Paris where several of the novel’s characters live. It is situated not far from the Gorbeau hovel, where Jean Valjean and Cosette take refuge.
📍Saint-Médard Church - 141 Rue Mouffetard, Paris 5th
On the edge of the Quartier Latin and Saint-Germain-des-Prés, the Jardin du Luxembourg, created on the initiative of Queen Marie de’ Medici, combines ‘French-style’ symmetry with the natural beauty of an English garden to offer a peaceful haven ideal for a stroll.
In ‘Les Misérables’: it is in the paths of the Luxembourg Gardens that Marius sees Cosette for the first time and their love begins.
📍Jardin du Luxembourg - 160 rue de Vaugirard, Paris 6th
Fictional location
Rue Plumet, renamed Rue Oudinot in the 19th century, is situated in the École Militaire neighbourhood, not far from the Invalides and the Rodin Museum. The unassuming house and its vast green setting are straight out of the author’s imagination.
In ‘Les Misérables’: Jean Valjean and Cosette settle into this peaceful home on Rue Plumet, hidden from prying eyes and from Javert. Marius discovers the young woman’s refuge and secretly visits the garden. The two young people can finally speak to one another and confess their love.
📍Rue Oudinot, formerly Rue Plumet, Paris 7th
Sculpture now destroyed
In 1808, Emperor Napoleon I commissioned a monumental fountain in the shape of an elephant,Place de la Bastille. A life-size plaster model was erected but remained unfinished when the Empire fell in 1815. The structure was finally demolished in 1846 to make way for the July Column, which pays tribute to the victims of the Three Glorious Days of 1830.
In ‘Les Misérables’: Gavroche, rejected by his parents, the Thénardiers, lives and sleeps on the streets. Left to fend for himself, he takes shelter inside the belly of the gigantic, abandoned sculpture.
📍Place de la Bastille, Paris 4th
Site now demolished
The Prison de la Force, a private mansion in the Marais converted into a prison in 1780, was demolished in 1845. It was situated between Rue du Roi-de-Sicile, Rue Pavée and Rue Malher. A remnant of the building remains visible on the corner of Rue Malher and Rue Pavée.
In ‘Les Misérables’: Victor Hugo describes the Force prison as the place where several characters were held during the turmoil of the Revolution. It was the scene of Thénardier’s famous escape, aided by his son Gavroche.
📍Force Prison - Rue du Roi-de-Sicile, Rue Pavée and Rue Malher, Paris 4th
Site now demolished
The Saint-Merri Cloister, a stone’s throw from the Centre Pompidou, was demolished in the 17th century. Rue du Cloître Saint-Merri runs through its former site. The Saint-Merri Church, built in the Flamboyant Gothic style and attached to the cloister, has survived to this day.
In ‘Les Misérables’: situated near the rebellious neighbourhoods, the cloister was the scene of violent clashes on 5 and 6 June 1832. Victor Hugo drew inspiration from this to depict a working-class and turbulent Paris. The last revolutionaries holed up there put up a fierce resistance.
📍Rue du Cloître Saint-Merri, Paris 4th
Site no longer in existence
The narrow Rue de la Chanvrerie in the Marais is a historic Parisian street. It ceased to exist in 1838 with the opening of Rue Rambuteau.
In ‘Les Misérables’: Marius joins the insurgents, led by Enjolras, who are fighting for freedom and social justice. They erect a makeshift barricade inspired by the republican uprising of June 1832. It is here that the tragic fate of the heroic Gavroche comes to an end, as he dies whilst retrieving cartridges under fire from the soldiers.
📍Rue de la Chanvrerie, at the junction with Rue Rambuteau, between Rue Saint-Denis and Rue Mondétour, Paris 4th
In the early 19th century, the sewers - stretching for 16 km - were poorly maintained and filled the streets of the capital with a foul stench. Engineer Eugène Belgrand, under the impetus of Prefect Haussmann, was to transform Paris’s water and sewerage network. The Paris Sewer Museum, near the Pont de l’Alma, offers an insight into the historical reality of the city’s underbelly as well as the evolution of these tunnels.
In ‘Les Misérables’: Jean Valjean carries the young man, who is injured and unconscious, and plunges into the labyrinthine depths of the Paris sewers.
📍Paris Sewer Museum - Esplanade Habib Bourguiba, Paris 7th
The banks of the Seine, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, can be explored on foot, by bike or by boat, and offer exceptional views of Paris’s finest monuments.
In ‘Les Misérables’: the quays of the Seine enable Jean Valjean and Cosette to escape Javert’s pursuit. It is also near the Notre-Dame Bridge that the inspector throws himself into the river after sparing Jean Valjean, torn between his duty and his conscience.
The Church of Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis dates from the 17th century, in the heart of the Marais district, blending French Gothic and Italian Baroque architectural styles. It has been listed as a historic monument since 1887.
In ‘Les Misérables’: it is in this church that Marius and Cosette’s wedding takes place.
📍Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis Church - 99 Rue Saint-Antoine, Paris 4th
Fictional location
The lively, dynamic and trendy Rue des Filles-du-Calvaire, in the Enfants-Rouges district in the Marais, , is popular for its shops, art galleries and trendy bars.
In ‘Les Misérables’: Victor Hugo sets Monsieur Gillenormand’s home at No. 6 Rue des Filles-du-Calvaire; he is Marius’s grandfather and embodies the royalist upper middle class. The young man is brought up there before being driven out following a violent political and family dispute. He returns there later with Cosette after their marriage.
📍6 Rue des Filles-du-Calvaire, Paris 3rd
Continue your journey into the world of 'Les Misérables' by exploring the Maison de Victor Hugo, on Place des Vosges in the Marais.
The flat in the Rohan-Guéménée mansion, now a museum run by the City of Paris, offers a glimpse into the private life of a committed genius, showcasing the author’s manuscripts and archives as well as themed temporary exhibitions.
