From 'Magical' St. Tropez to 'Grand' Versailles: 'Emily in Paris' Stars Detail Season 2 Locations

"Our beautiful sets, it really felt like a dream," Lily Collins says in PEOPLE's exclusive Emily in Paris featurette

When season 2 of Emily in Paris premieres on Netflix, fans will still be in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thus, audiences will, once again, feel some escapism as Emily Cooper (Lily Collins) continues her year abroad in Paris. Season 1, which debuted in October 2020, featured Jardin du Palais-Royal and Palais Garnier as backdrops for the titular character's adventures, and in season 2, the show upped the grandeur by venturing to St. Tropez and Versailles.

PEOPLE has an exclusive clip of the cast and crew, including stars Ashley Park and Lucas Bravo as well as creator Darren Star, detailing the different locations that served as the sets for the 10 new episodes, which will be released on Wednesday.

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"Coming into the second season, it's exciting because we get to go to new places within the city," Collins, 32, says.

"People all over the world have a love of Paris as a place that they would fantasize about living in, that they would love to visit. They want to live and visit Paris vicariously through watching the series," Star shares.

Stéphanie Branchu/Netflix

Collins and costar Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, who portrays Emily's French boss Sylvie Grateau, both share memories from shooting on the River Seine. "There's so many different places this season. I found it to be magical to start in St. Tropez. I found it to be so incredible on the Seine on a bateaux-mouches," Collins recalls.

"We have a whole scene on a boat which is incredible," Leroy-Beaulieu adds as Collins remembers "just staring at the Eiffel Tower and seeing all these museums pass by."

While Park, who portrays Emily's best friend Mindy, says she loves "the big fancy" locations, she's also fond of filming in the real-life streets. "We're like, 'Oh my gosh, this is where they live. This is where we live,' " she shares.

"My favorite location to shoot this season was the Marché des Lices. It's just this gorgeous market that goes on and on and on," Bravo, who plays Emily's neighbor and rising chef Gabriel, says of the outdoor market. "Stables of fruits and vegetables all over the place, and the classical people yelling, 'My strawberries!' It felt like home, I really liked that set."

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Carole Bethuel/Netflix

With season 2 expanding Emily's world in France, fans will undoubtedly be craving a European getaway.

"One of the highlights for me was we were shooting in Gare de l'Est. We had an Orient Express train brought in for us, specifically. We got to move it out during the scene and then stop it, and back it in to have the actors interact with the train moving," says executive producer and director Andrew Fleming.

Production designer Anne Seibel and art director Mary Saisselin also explain how they replicated the couchette in which Emily sleeps in on her way to St. Tropez. When she wasn't styling the inside of the railroad car, Seibel says she was creating the set of Gabriel's new restaurant Chez Lavaux.

Another standout location in season 2 is the Palace of Versailles.

"We got to shoot in Versailles which is crazy in and of itself. I got to walk through The Hall of Mirrors by myself and the gardens by myself. They turned the fountains on for me so that was exciting," Fleming recalls.

Collins says she couldn't believe she got to film in the grand Baroque style gallery. "When I found out we were shooting at Versailles, my response was 'Oh great so now so next season we're going to the moon?' But no truly, to me there's nothing more opulent and grand and special — and wow — than Versailles," she explains.

"Our beautiful sets, it really felt like a dream," Collins adds.

Season 2 of Emily in Paris premieres Wednesday on Netflix.