Uncover the secrets, shops, and history tucked away in Paris’s covered passages.

Slip off the busy Parisian boulevards and you might just find yourself stepping back in time. Where else but in Paris can shopping be considered a cultural immersion experience? With the covered passages, retail therapy in quaint and quirky shops becomes a history-rich pastime and one of the capital’s best-kept secrets.

Built in the 19th century as elegant shortcuts for well-heeled flâneurs, these glass-roofed arcades were made for strolling, browsing, and people-watching — all safely sheltered from the rain (or the summer heat). Today, they’re still full of character, from old-fashioned bookshops and specialist boutiques to cosy cafés that invite you to linger. Come with us as we wander through these hidden gems and discover why the passages couverts remain one of the most delightful ways to explore Paris.

Covered Passages - What Are They ? 

First a bit of background to really get the full experience of these hidden gems that are also known as the Arcades.

Paris weather: Rain and more

One thing hasn’t changed since they became part of the Parisian landscape in the late eighteenth century: clouds above the City of Light open out more often than we’d like.

On top of it, carrying an umbrella was thought a womanly weakness back then, fearing the damp on her starched furbelows. Manly man did without such silly accouterments and bore the downpours with stoic good humor. 

Into the bargain, Paris streets were not paved until Haussman’s mid-19th century urban renewal. While cobblestones existed from the Middle Ages and in fact the Romans, granite as well as wood began to cover the capital’s busy streets only around 1850, and made for a terrible din.

So what did you do before to avoid the rain and the splattering mud—if not to be downright run over– from horses and carriages, and escape the deafening racket they made? 

Real estate and the Revolution

Then came the upheaval of who-owned-what right after the Revolution. Religious and aristocratic properties were dissolved, destroyed and the land sold off, opening the city up to speculators.

Many of them had the clever idea of cutting covered throughways from popular boulevard to popular boulevard, where you could take cleaner, quieter, pleasant shortcuts through paved, shop-lined lanes.  

Cutting edge coverings of glass and ironwork kept off the inevitable wet weather, letting you dodge the muck of the main streets. Then the most modern artificial lighting meant seeing better on grim days, as well as longer opening hours.

What's new ?

People gathered for news at cafés – you could even rent a newspaper instead of buying one, if need be. Caricaturists had shop windows with biting satire of the moment’s political scene.

Or you could gossip about happenings in other cities as stage coaches often kept their post horses here. Visitors to the city, or travelers on a lay over, would stretch their legs and be up for a bit of conversation. 

You could often find theaters there too, and be on top of all the popular shows of the moment.

By the mid 19th century, there were over 150 of these proto-malls.

Custom and customers

It was in these covered corridors that glass shop fronts ushered in pastime called lèche vitrine, or “window licking”-- otherwise known as window shopping.  

With pricetags displayed behind the protective glass of specialty shops, this was a different world from the old medieval neighborhood shopping, with its advertisers hawking wares, and the haggling that went along with it.

Here well dressed and courtly clerks waited upon the shopper as if they all could be toppled aristocrats.

How they were forgotten

Then came Baron Haussman’s overhaul of the city with the train stations and the department stores, all phenomena of the New Paris that spelled the end of these spaces. 

Long left to collect dust, these atmospheric places came to be time capsules, forgotten sleeping beauties. There are about 30 left, each with its own character and history. The following is an easily walkable cluster of them centered roughly between the Louvre and the Bourse. 

NOW LET’S SHOP !

1. Galérie Véro Dodat

Our first stop is between the métros Louvre Rivoli- Palais Royal, the eternally chic Galerie Véro-Dodat dating back to 1826, some two centuries ago.

Two enterprising butchers, Véro and Dodat, decided to buy up the terrain from rues du Bouloi et Jean-Jacques-Rousseau, creating an agreeable shortcut between the fashionable Palais Royal and what was at the time the city’s central market place, Les Halles. 

Its marble flooring in black and white diamond shapes seemed to beckon you to explore further, and offered a great leap in comfort from wooden planks and cobbles and the ever present mud, not to speak of the din of horseshoes and wheels over cobbles.

This seemed a haven of peace, with each shopfront framed like a painting between two double columns, divided by globe lighting (originally gas) which would glitter off the plate glass separations, making the wares presented seem like something magical. 

The statue of Hermes with his winged helmet on the rue de Bouloi entrance, god of merchants, announced from the get go that this was a dedicated shopping space. His companion, a Resting Satyr, might be a wink and a nod to another kind of underground commerce going on in the rented rooms above.

The Meryl Streep of her generation, Rachel, lived at n° 23  (some lucky Parisians still lodge on the upper floor : you can see the period stairwell leading to private apartments). 

The Café de la Galerie, is where, they say, poet Gérard de Nerval and his pet lobster (leashed!) would take a glass, indeed used it as his send off from the world and his very last toast to life before his untimely demise. There are worse places to bid adieu.

Here, diligences would come in, park, and take on the next passengers. Tired travelers could amble a bit before for the next part of their journey and tell tales of whence they came and the cities they’d stopped in on their journeys

They might take a peek over into the windows of n° 31 where an engraver would post the latest lampoons of Parisian politics, especially by Daumier who famously caricatured the king as a pear and a crown falling over his eye, making him blind.

Today the passage is still home to artists’ galleries, next to musical instrument makers of mandolins and ukeleles, while Christian Louboutin’s boutique is a name known the world over for shoeing the feet of the rich and the beautiful.

We suggest a stop at n°19, Le Véro-Dodat, with its heart shaped chairs and old façade for a teatime unlike any other, where finest ingredients served up by the owner and knows his menu like the back of his hand. He’ll be happy to recommend what to drink along with either the luncheon menu or a sweet treat.

Head to the Rue de Rivoli, right opposite the Louvre, at the metro Palais Royal, the granddaddy of them all.

2. Palais Royal

Not technically a Covered Passage, but certainly not to be missed when you're exploring them! An aristocratic residence just before the Revolution, in the late 18^th century, the Palais Royal expanded into a sort of bazaar. Its covered galeries held a multitude of stores and cafés allowing you to shop, sheltered from Parisian skies. Or simply play checkers and debate politics

Its famous “ladies” – affordable by the hour --  may be gone now (Napoleon was said to have lost his viriginity here), but not the great shopping opportunities. 

Visit the perfumeries of space opera staged Serge Lutens or cute as a button Rosine perfumes and Vincent Avenches’s artisanal jewelry. 

Le Grand Véfour, back when it was the Café de Chartres fed the brains behind the Revolution like Robespierre and Marat, and later literary stars like Lamartine who loved to lunch on its mutton. It’s still there, waiting to welcome you for a fine dining experience in unforgettable old fashioned décor 

It beautifully contrasts with the famous striped columns of Buren. Photo opportunity guaranteed.

Walk up to the top of the gardens, exit via Passage du Perron and then Passage des Deux Pavillons (see below).

3. Galérie Vivienne

The prestigious Galerie Vivienne, built early1820s, came to be as the fad for all things Pompei took over the fashionable world and you can tell with its Corinthian columns, delicate pilasters, and molded cornices, corridors ornamented over with symbols of successful commerce and riches, such as scales, laurels, Mercury’s caduceus, wheat bundles, palms, beehives and flower baskets, and horns of abundance all to celebrate the triumph of shopping. 

The mosaic on the floor came a bit later, 1880, but no less glorious for that, the whole inspiring the first large scale shopping centers of the modern world, from Milan to St Petersburg 

Here you could find tailors, vintners, bootmakers, opticians, restaurateurs, notions merchants, candyshops, engravings, and even a puppet theater. Here the whole city’s pulse beat.

No wonder the chief of police (and ex-con) Vidocq had his home base here. Look for the winding staircase that once led to his apartments. The name might be known to true crime enthusiasts from the Vidocq society of cold case solvers, and those who have read their Balzac will recognize him as the unforgettable criminal Vautrin.

Sometime decades later, the tout-Paris had forgotten the Galérie Vivienne and abandoned it for fairer pastures. Yet its (temporary) demise, marked by the magnificent coupole crashing in, coincided too with the American artist Huguette Spengler’s orchestrated happenings here.

After Jean-Paul Gaultier moved some time after that, it became known for its bespoke boutiques, coiffeurs de luxe and independent perfumers. 

There is even an exclusive toyshop called Si Tu Veux, with its proud no-plastic and no-battery policy. Ecologically responsible, its wares are made of wood and other noble materials, all created within a close carbon footprint.

At n° 18 you’ll find Wolff & Descourtis founded in 1875 stoles scarves and shawls made in limited production, « indémodable » as the French says, timeless fashion that was all the rage even in Napoleon’s time. Their creator today is descendant Victoria who will be delighted to help you choose from the select offerings on hand, or will happily let you simply browse and daydream.  

The Librairie Jousseaume is the oldest shop in the gallery, taking over from the bookhandlers Petit Siroux which opened with the Vivienne and has operated continuously since. Find antique tomes as well as post cards and engravings there and treat yourself to a bit of eternal Paris.

Pop out of the front or side exits of Galerie Vivienne, and just next door you'll find:

4. Galérie Colbert

This passage, built shortly afterward in 1823, tried to capitalize on the Vivienne’s popularity. You will find no boutiques here, dedicated as it is today to the National Institute of Art History,  You can catch dissertation defenses through its wide windows at certain times of the year. 

Still, fully restored, it is open to the public who are welcome to come in and admire its many beauties, such as its magnificent glass cupola above the central rotunda where you’ll find a statue of the dying Eurydice. That statue replaces what helped illuminate the premises back in the day, a huge bronze candelabra with seven cristal globes lit by gaz, to light up the rendez-vous of Paris Galant in the Romantic Era.

In fact the Galérie Colbert tried to tempt people back from the rival Vivienne by hold musical evenings that would drift harmoniously from the upper level windows. During the Revolution of 1830 (Les Misérables’ revolution) the composer Berlioz began to hum the forbidden Marseillaise. When the crowd gathered and sang the words right back to him, he fainted.

At the entryway on rue Vivienne you’ll find the classic 1900 brasserie Le Grand Colbert, with its art nouveau decor that has delighted more than one movie director looking for an atmospheric dip into days gone by. Note you'll need to pass through a security check before entering.

Bitten badly by the Passage bug?

There are many more, some of them, like the Passage des Panoramas, Jouffroy, or Verdeau, we'll cover those in an upcoming post, but we do have a few other favorites up our sleeve.

5. Passage Choiseuil

This 1825 passage, still in the same neighborhood, owes its popularity to the surrounding theaters, the sawdust strutters and their fans having assiduously strolled these corridors since then. N° 67 is the secondary exit from the Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiennes, for example, where Offenbach presented La Vie Parisienne and so many signature hits of the Haussmanian era

Poets too had their addresses: At n° 23 stood the first editor to publish Verlaine and other poes of the Parnassien movement.

Today, while some chain store banalities have infiltrated this passage, the théatreux, as the French call them, still haunt the halls. The upper floors, just as when the passage opened, are still residential.

But not only, for you’ll find, among the bookstores and jewelry shops and art galeries, such addresses as n° 3 (just before you enter the passage). Ultramod the oldest haberdashery in Paris. Ribbons and other fancies make for a milliner’s paradise, where the patronne of the place is delighted to know what her wares are turning into for their next life.

We love the Boisnard & Stern engravers- stationer’s shop at n° 82 – why not take some of their exquisite stationery and write a letter to someone far away -- or even to yourself to open when you get home?

Keep your eyes open for some great pop-up shops at n° 27.

6. Passage du Caire

It’s 1798 and the General Bonaparte’s army has just entered Egypt – hence the original name written over the doorway, the Cairo Bazaar Passage. Look closely at the Place du Caire entrance and you’ll see three images of the Egyptian goddess Hathor, with cow’s ears. Note the frieze of Napoleon’s army above them.

Built over a former convent, its floor was once paved with the sisters’ tombstones and one of its galeries, the Saint Denis, is probably traced over the nave of their church.

It also lies hard by the medieval “Court of Miracles” made famous by Victor Hugo’s Hunchback of Notre Dame, where beggars by day would let loose at nightfall, casting aside faux crutches and stumps, as if miraculously healed.

In the middle of the Sentier neighborhood, historically the capital’s garment district, you still might catch some mannequin forms on sale, and all the prêt-à-porter and wholesale shops mark that heritage. 

Less chic that its sisters listed above, for those who have fallen hard for the covered passages the Cairo is still a place of interest for its upper story that has kept its original character. 

7. Passage Brady

If the Passage du Caire lacks the historic Parisian charm of the other’s we’ve mentioned above, the Passage Brady is a whole other bag of tricks. You won’t find much of its 1828 origins, baths and reading rooms, but you will think you’ve wandered into a faraway land where the air is full of spices.

Commonly known as Paris’s Little India, shopfronts sell seasonings and specialities of the East, from garam masala to tandoori, tikka and so much more, all priced to please.

You will feel you’ve traveled much farther away than France as you try to decide which of the restaurants that line the passage, even on the strictest of budgets. For a prix fixe menu you can take a moment out of your Parisian stay for the time of a meal in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, or even the Ile Maurice or the Ile de la Réunion.

We ​love​ :

N° 58 Thulasi, an ayurvedic herbalist will advise on just what to take to chase away that bug you got on the plane over.

N° 83 and 87 Velan, where all Parisians go to get the best spices, chutneys and chais, Himalayan salts and henna. The dizzying array of incenses will make your head spin in more ways than one.

Bonus (mini!) Passages 

Want to see some real, local secret passages? The following passages, tiny and intimate, are clustered around the Palais Royal. Locals still use them as they were intended, as shortcuts - with the added bonus of course of being very photogenic ones!

Passage des Deux Pavillons 

This one was named for its two pavillions shaped shops on either side of the Palais Royal entrance, rue du Beaujolais. It is a kind of “spite passage” since it was built by the owner of the Vivienne to draw traffic from its rival, Colbert in the cut-throat competition for customers. Use it to go from the gardens of the Palais Royal up to the Galerie Vivienne - head right when you come out of Passage du Perron, and instead of taking the rue Vivienne, go up the stone stairway and through this tiny passage to come out on rue des Petits Champs just opposite the Galerie Vivienne.

Passage du Perron

This passage, from 1784, is another rare remnant of pre-Revolutionary Paris. With its starirwell into the Palais Royal and proximity to the stockmarket (La Bourse), it made for an animated throughway that attracted all kinds of speculators and brokers. Pioneering French writer, journalist and actor Colette lived at N° 9, rue de Beaujolais, just at the top end of the passage.

Passage Beaujolais

Opened in 1812, the Passage Beaujolais is a tiny, hidden arcade just off the Palais-Royal, easy to miss unless you know where to look. Today it's home to the stylish Maison Kitsuné. Opposite the passage is the Théâtre du Palais-Royal, a historic theatre that has been at the heart of the city’s artistic life for centuries - don't miss the striking rear facade. The passage itself is private however and its gates close at 9 pm sharp.

AND SO...

As you amble through these lovely old spaces for bargain trinkets or a luxury splurge, finding just the thing to remember Paris by, or simply for windowshopping, know that you’re enjoying a longstanding Parisian tradition, part and parcel of its urbanism, culture, and history. You’ll be one in a long line of savvy shoppers who recognize quality as well as the joys of mere browsing the unique wares of this city that seem to find their cosiest niche right in the historic covered passages.

Happy exploring  ! 

Merci de votre attention. Merci d'avoir pris le temps de lire notre blog ! Nous sommes une petite société de tourisme basée à Paris qui privilégie une expérience personnelle dans une boutique où nous pouvons partager notre passion pour notre patrimoine et notre communauté avec chaque personne qui se joint à nous. Si vous souhaitez participer à une visite guidée, rendez-vous sur notre site Web. site web pour un voyage inoubliable dans la ville lumière. En outre, consultez nos médias sociaux @memories.france pour tout savoir sur Paris : de l'utilisation du métro aux cafés les plus proches de chaque grand monument, il y en a pour tous les goûts !

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