With 1.5 million followers, Accidentally Wes Anderson has become a Mecca for aesthetes and adventurers looking to travel differently. Some will see it as a source of inspiration, others as a bucket list of places to visit. All pictures are sent in by contributors, while Wally and Amanda Kowal curate them and provide some background information, turning the original photographic project into an ever-expanding travel guide.

Throughout the pandemic, everyone’s travel fantasies have been put on hold. In this context, the account has been successful because it provides a certain escapism. What’s more, a book spanning some 300 pages was released in October 2020, featuring 200 hand-picked locations along with stories behind these unique places across all five continents: an Art Deco swimming pool in Paris, a baby-blue lifeguard tower in Deauville, Normandy, a vintage train car in New Jersey… Not exactly a handy book to travel around the world with, but definitely a must when looking for inspiration.

So what does Wes Anderson have to do with it? The Texan filmmaker did write the book’s foreword, but generally speaking he has sparked a craze for the aesthetic universe created through his ten films. Famously a Francophile, he has always managed to infuse his various projects with French elements, from clothes to soundtracks. The French Dispatch, his latest film, was shot in Angoulême. It takes place in the fictional town of Ennui-sur-Blasé and follows the adventures of American journalists in France who work for a magazine inspired by the New Yorker.

With the movie now showing in French and U.S. theaters, here is a portfolio of the best Wes Anderson-inspired locations – the perfect way to spend a little longer daydreaming in this macaron-colored universe. And on November 12 at 11 am EST, don’t miss our Instagram Live with Wally Koval and the Accidentally Wes Anderson photographers!