Spiral (Engrenages): Paris Police Procedural

Spiral (Engrenages) is set in the heart of the Paris Palais de Justice, following an investigating judge, a young prosecutor, a criminal lawyer and a police captain with her team. Creators wanted to show "l'ancien Palais de Justice de Paris": from its windows you look out over the Seine and Notre-Dame. The formal entrance is the Cour de Mai. Some historic parts of the palace were opened to the public in 1914. In the series, the building is where the judge, prosecutor and lawyer cross paths with the police captain's cases, and Judge Roban returns to the Palais de Justice in Series 4, sidelined and on the warpath.

Visitor guidance: The formal entrance is the Cour de Mai; the building is a working courthouse.

The police side of Spiral follows three officers of the 2nd DPJ, the judicial police unit covering the north and east of Paris. Their home is the famous address known simply as "the 36", the Paris regional judicial police headquarters on the Quai des Orfèvres. Since September 2017 the directorate has had new headquarters at 36 rue du Bastion.

Visitor guidance: A working police building; view it from outside only.

In Series 3 the mutilated body of a young woman is found on a disused railway track in the north of Paris, near La Villette. Captain Berthaud quickly suspects a serial killer, and press articles soon feature the so-called "Butcher of la Villette". The district is now best known for Parc de la Villette, which has become a popular attraction for Paris residents and visitors.

Location precision: The show only places the body on a disused railway track near La Villette; the pin marks the district, not the exact spot.

Visitor guidance: Parc de la Villette, a popular attraction, marks the district today.

In Series 5 the 2nd DPJ must solve the murder of a mother and her daughter, found bound in the Canal de l'Ourcq. Filming of the season began on 2 December 2013. The canal is a 108.1 km waterway in the Île-de-France region, and in Paris it belongs to the city's canal network together with the Bassin de la Villette and the Canal Saint-Martin.

Location precision: The series says only that the bodies were found in the Canal de l'Ourcq, which runs 108 km; the pin marks one point on its Paris stretch.

Visitor guidance: The canal is part of the Parisian canal network, with the Bassin de la Villette.

Series 7 opens with a double homicide in a Chinese restaurant in the 13th arrondissement. The case widens into a story of money-laundering networks and governmental corruption. Filming the twelve episodes began in January 2018, directed by Frédéric Jardin (episodes 1 to 6) and Jean-Philippe Amar (episodes 7 to 12). No exact address is given for the restaurant, so this stop marks the district rather than a place you can visit.

Location precision: The series gives only the 13th arrondissement; the pin marks the district centre, not a specific restaurant.

Series 8 moves the courtroom scenes to the new Paris courts in the Batignolles district. Designed by Renzo Piano, the Tribunal de Paris holds 90 law courts and opened in 2018. The move from the Palais de Justice was announced on 29 April 2009, and the building was officially inaugurated in April 2019. Porte de Clichy station on Line 13, Line 14, RER C and Tramway 3b serves the site.

Visitor guidance: Porte de Clichy station (Line 13, Line 14, RER C, Tramway 3b) serves the site; the courthouse is a working court.