Paris Covered Passages and Shopping Arcades

Passages are pedestrian pass-throughs beneath glass ceilings created to protect shoppers in inclement weather. Shopping today at a passage is an uncommon shopping excursion that combines architecture and pleasures of window shopping; or as the French say faire du lèche-vitrine (literally, window-licking).

Galeries Vivienne, Colbert and Véro-Dodat are among the most magnificent of the Paris passages and all are located in the first and second arrondissements.

Galerie de la Madeleine in the Paris 9th is a tinier location, just 173 feet in length, but earlier this year it served as a backdrop for haute couture runway shows. The early 19th century setting has a blend of antique shops, fashion boutiques and librairies anciennes.

The popular Passages Jouffroy and Panoramas by the Grands Boulevards retain centuries-old charm with shops for collectors of stamps, books, old postcards and vintage toys.

Some passages are devoted entirely to a theme, such as the Passage du Grand Cerf (Big Deer Passage) located in the quartier Montorgueil, Paris 2nd. Passage du Caire, built in 1798, is popular with contemporary artists, craftsmen, artisans and designers. The busy Arcades des Champs-Elysées passages in the Paris 8th offer the world’s finest in luxury shopping.

Enjoy discovering these mystical, ancient places filled with old-fashioned charm from Paris past.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION:

PARIS 1st:

Galeries du Palais Royal

2, Place Colette

Métro: 1, Palais-Royal-Musée du Louvre

Galerie Véro-Dodat

19, rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau – 2, rue du Bouloi

Métro: 1, Palais-Royal-Musée du Louvre

Passage Ben-Aïad

9, rue Léopold Bellan – 8, rue Bachaumont

Métro: 3, Sentier

Passage Choiseul

40, rue des Petits Champs – 23, rue Saint Augustin

Métro: 3, Quatre Septembre

Galerie Colbert

6, rue des Petits Champs – 6 rue Vivienne

Métro: 3, Bourse

Passage du Caire

2, passage du Caire – 16, rue du Caire – 239, rue Saint-Denis

Métro: 3 & 4, Réaumur-Sébastopol

Passage du Bourg l’Abbé

120, rue Saint-Denis – 3, rue de Palestro

Métro: 4, Étienne Marcel

Passage du Grand Cerf

145, rue Saint-Denis – 8, rue Dussoubs

Métro: 4, Etienne Marcel

Passage des Panoramas

11-13, boulevard Montmartre – 151, rue Montmartre

Métro: 8 & 9, Grands Boulevards

Passage Jouffroy

9, rue de la Grange Batelière – 29 Passage Jouffroy

Métro: 8 & 9, Grands Boulevards

Passage des Princes

5, boulevard des Italiens – 97, rue de Richelieu

Métro: 8 & 9, Richelieu-Drouot

Galerie Vivienne

4, rue des Petits Champs, 5, rue de la Banque, 6, rue Vivienne

Métro: 3, Bourse

PARIS 3rd:

Passage Vendôme

3, Republic Square – 16-18, rue Béranger

Métro: 3, 5, 8, 9 & 11, République

PARIS 8TH:

Arcades des Champs-Élysées (Arcade du Lido)

76-78 Avenue des Champs-Élysées – 59, rue de Ponthieu

Métro: 1, George V

Passage Puteaux

33, rue de l’Arcade – 18, rue Pasquier

Métro: 8, 12 & 14, Madeleine

PARIS 9^th:

Passage Jouffroy

10-12, boulevard Montmartre – 9, rue de la Grange Batelière

Métro: 8 & 9, Richelieu-Drouot or Grands Boulevards

Galerie de la Madeleine

9, place de la Madeleine – 30, rue Boissy d’Anglas

Métro: 8, 12 & 14, Madeleine

Passage Verdeau

6, rue de la Grange Batelière – 31, bis rue du Faubourg Montmartre

Métro: 7, Le Peletier;  8 & 9, Richelieu-Drouot

PARIS 10th

Passage Brady

33, boulevard de Strasbourg – 46, rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis

Métro: 4, 8 & 9 Strasbourg Saint-Denis

PHOTO CREDITS: Galerie Vivienne. ©DolceDanielle; Passage Colbert. ©couscouschocolat; Véro-Dodat. ©NOV-A-KA-IINN; Passage Jouffroy and Panoramas. ©Interzone00.

Janet deAcevedo Macdonald is a former Paris resident. Please click on her name to read more about her and to view her other stories published here.

Would you like to propose a story? Submit an article or story idea.

Subscribe for free and never miss a story. Search our library with 7,200+ stories and 50 original stories published monthly. BonjourParis has been a leading online France travel and French lifestyle site since 1995.

Thank you for using our direct link to Amazon.com every time you shop the world’s largest online retailer.

View our Top 100 Bestselling Amazon.com Items. (Wait for Amazon.com widget to load)

Featured selections (click image above for more info or to order):

Walks Through Lost Paris: A Journey Into the Heart of Historic Paris. When he discovered that the city he lived in for many years was actually entirely rebuilt during the mid-1800s, author Leonard Pitt plunged into Paris’s history and began photographing what he learned had changed. Eventually, he led tours and gave lectures on the demolition and reconstruction that changed the city forever. Walks Through Lost Paris chronicles Paris’s great periods of urban reconstruction through four walking tours.

Walks Through Napoleon & Josephine’s Paris. Napoleon and Josephine’s passionate romance played itself out on the stage of the most beautiful city in the world. Walks through Paris trace the couple’s courtship, Napoleon’s student days at the École Militaire, the coronation and reign, and  the path that Napoleon’s funeral cortège took nearly twenty years after his death. Itineraries for Malmaison and Fontainebleau are also included. This pocketable guide evokes a panoramic sweep of French history and describes the public grandeur as well as the daily intimacy of Napoleon and Josephine’s lives.

Five Hundred Buildings of Paris. The greatest buildings, monuments, and structures of Paris come to life in these inspiring, neighborhood-by-neighborhood photographic tours. Each building is featured in a rich, fine-resolution duotone photograph. Information including the building’s name, its address and location, and year of completion or renovation is included.

Want more? View our recommended France-themed books & items. Most recent listings at last pages.

Direct airport transfer service

PARIS SHUTTLE is a leading Paris airport transfer service. Book your airport transfers in advance online for direct to-your-door service and check the current discount available to BonjourParis readers who book using our link.