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The covered passages of Paris
The 19th-century glass-roofed arcades of Paris, with opening hours and what to find inside each one, from Galerie Vivienne to Passage Jouffroy.
Hours come from passagesetgaleries.fr and can change. Most passages close at night, some on Sundays.
1st arrondissement 3
- Galerie Véro-Dodat Checkered floor, painted ceilings and wood-and-brass shopfronts: one of the most photogenic passages. Christian Louboutin opened his first shop here.
- Galerie du Palais Royal The stone arcades around the Palais-Royal garden: galleries Valois, Montpensier and Beaujolais, with old-school shops, medals, gloves and vintage fashion.
- Passage des Deux-Pavillons A very short passage with a staircase between rue de Beaujolais and rue des Petits-Champs, steps from the Palais-Royal.
2nd arrondissement 9
- Galerie Colbert An elegant rotunda under a glass dome, run by the national art history institute. Usually much calmer than Galerie Vivienne next door.
- Galerie Vivienne The most elegant of all: mosaic floors, a glass roof, a historic wine shop and a second-hand bookshop. Built in 1823.
- Passage Choiseul A long 19th-century arcade under a high glass roof, with cheap lunch spots and the stage door of the Bouffes-Parisiens theatre. A side branch leads to rue Sainte-Anne.
- Passage des Panoramas One of the oldest passages (1799), now a food spot with stamp dealers, old engravers' shopfronts and tiny restaurants.
- Passage des Princes The last passage of the Haussmann era (1860), rebuilt in the 1990s and now given over to toys and games.
- Passage du Bourg-l'Abbé A short 1820s gallery, quiet and a little worn, with a sculpted entrance on the rue de Palestro side.
- Passage du Caire The oldest and longest covered passage in Paris (1798), at the heart of the Sentier's wholesale trade. Closed for works at the moment.
- Passage du Grand-Cerf The tallest of the passages, with a glass roof about 12 metres high and a row of designers' and craft shops.
- Passage du Ponceau A plain, quiet passage in the Sentier, a glimpse of the neighbourhood's textile trade.
3rd arrondissement 2
- Passage Vendôme A discreet 1820s passage that opens onto place de la République.
- Passage de l'Ancre A tiny, plant-filled passage between rue Saint-Martin and rue de Turbigo, lined with bright shopfronts. It feels like a secret courtyard.
8th arrondissement 2
- Galerie de la Madeleine A short, polished gallery off place de la Madeleine, handy for a sheltered shortcut.
- Passage Puteaux A tiny, discreet passage near Saint-Lazare, one of the least known in Paris.
9th arrondissement 2
- Passage Jouffroy The first passage built entirely in iron and glass (1847). Grévin wax museum, the Hôtel Chopin, toy and walking-stick shops.
- Passage Verdeau The calmer continuation of Passage Jouffroy, with antique dealers, old books, postcards and cameras.
10th arrondissement 2
- Passage Brady Little India in Paris: the passage is packed with Indian and Pakistani restaurants, grocers and barbers. Come hungry.
- Passage du Prado An L-shaped passage with an art deco roof from the 1920s, between boulevard Saint-Denis and rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis.