Last Updated on August 10, 2026 by Emma Fajcz | Published: August 23, 2019
Did you know that Paris’ streets are criss-crossed with hidden passageways? These covered streets offer a window into 1820s Paris, bringing you to charming shops and restaurants, and helping you experience window shopping like the locals have been doing for over a century. Here’s 5 hidden passageways in Paris you need to explore!
Table of Contents
At a Glance: Exploring Paris’ Secret Passages
- 🏤 What Are Paris’ Hidden Passages? These enclosed streets are protected from the elements, and provide a peaceful way to explore boutiques, to eat at cafes, and to get a look into Paris’ history.
- 🛍️ What You’ll Find: Paris’ historic passages are home to independent boutiques, antique shops, bookshops, cafés, restaurants, galleries, and specialty stores. Each passage has its own character!
- 📸 Bring Your Camera: The iron-and-glass roofs, façades, mosaic floors, and charming shopfronts make these passages some of Paris’s most Instagrammable places. Visit earlier in the day for better photo ops!
- ☔ Perfect for Rainy Days: The covered passages offer a sheltered way to explore Paris when the weather isn’t cooperating. It’s a perfect way to spend a rainy day in Paris!
- 🕰️ Check Hours Before You Go: Passageways and galleries are privately owned. They are generally closed on Sundays, and after 10 pm throughout the week. Hours may vary, so check before you go.
- ❌ Common Tourist Mistake to Avoid: Take your time to explore the passageways slowly and wander around!
- ✅ Local Tip: Combine several passages in the 1st, 2nd, and 9th arrondissements into one walking route. They’re close enough to explore on foot, and you can duck into a café or stop for lunch along the way. Check a map to find the entrances, which can be easy to miss from the street.
A Brief History of Paris’ Secret Passages
Welcome to the Passage du Grand Cerf! This beautiful iron-and-glass arcade lined with shops and businesses was built in 1825, and is tucked away in Paris’s second arrondissement.
It was once part of a network of more than 150 covered passageways that offered respite from the dark, dirty, and unpaved streets of post-Revolution Paris. They gave Parisians a safe way to cross the city, to shop without ruining their clothes, and to escape the rain—and incredibly, many of these passages remain almost unchanged today.
The passageways also turned window shopping into a new form of leisure, giving rise to the flâneur: the Parisian wanderer who drifts from shop window to street corner simply to take it all in. That spirit is still alive in the arcades of the first, second, and ninth arrondissements.
Come wander, do your own bit of window shopping, and stop for a drink or bite in one of the many bars and restaurants tucked into these picturesque passageways.
The Most Beautiful Hidden Paris Passageways
1. Passage du Grand Cerf
In Passage du Grand Cerf, all the shops are unique. There’s a bespoke glasses shop, still in the same spot since 1880; a boutique with rustic decorations for home and balcony (we’re in Paris, remember); a jeweler working on a handmade collection; and a savonnier, an artisanal soap shop, with soaps made in every color, scent and substance imaginable. Even the pork fat soaps smell surprisingly good.
🥐 Foodie Find: Skip over to GAG (which stands for gras—a.k.a. fat—alcohol and gluten), situated in neighboring Passage du Bourg Abbé, for a great selection of natural and biodynamic wines and great home-cooked food.
📍 Location & Entrances: The main entrance is located at 145 rue Saint-Denis in the second arrondissement. A second entrance connects to Rue Dussoubs on the other end.
2. Passage des Panoramas
Passage des Panoramas is one of Paris’s oldest passageways, which opened in 1800. It’s also arguably the busiest! The many restaurants that have made this passage home provide a bazaar of signs and smells, color and activity.
🥐 Foodie Find: Check out Coinstot Vino, one of the oldest natural wine establishments in the city. Expect an education with your glass! If you’re after something a bit different, pop into Adar, a fusion of Middle Eastern flavors cooked up by some of Paris’s most promising young chefs.
📍 Location & Entrances: There are four main entrances: No. 11 Boulevard Montmartre (the main north entrance), No. 10 rue Saint-Marc (southern entrance), No. 38 rue Vivienne, and No. 158 rue Montmartre. It is open daily from 6:00 AM to midnight.
3. Galerie Vivienne
One of the more visually impressive passageways—complete with mosaic floors, murals and a recently restored glass roof—Galerie Vivienne is home to high-end fashion brands. It’s been the location for many a Jean-Paul Gaultier fashion shoot, and even a runway show or two. This passage also boasts a couple of art galleries and antique shops—perfect for window shopping, or picking up a signature French piece of your own!
🥐 Foodie Find: Stop off at Legrand Fils et Filles, a wine bar established in the 1880s, with more than 300 references. Peruse their épicerie—a kind of general store of fine produce—and pick a bottle straight off the shelf to enjoy in their luxurious shop.
📍 Location & Entrances: There’s three main entrances: 4 rue des Petits-Champs (the main entrance), 5-7 rue de la Banque, and 6 rue Vivienne.
4. Palais Royal
The original covered shopping experience in Paris is Le Palais Royal, just next to the Louvre. At the time of its inception in the late 18th century, this gallery was a hub for artists, writers, and thinkers of the day. The ground floor was home to shops and artists’ studios, whereas the entresol (the beautiful arched windows between the ground and the first floor) was a hub for women practicing the oldest trade in the world!
These days, soaring rent prices mean that a lot of the shops are converted into offices or indeed empty. However, the space still makes for a peaceful stroll, and takes you to grandiose 18th century galleries and gardens just a stone’s throw from the Louvre. It’s worth visiting for its beautiful garden alone!
🥐 Foodie Find: Just around the corner, step into Willi’s Wine Bar, opened by Anglophone wine enthusiasts in the 1980s. Here, you’ll find an enormous selection of French classics, and food served all day.
📍 Location & Entrances: The primary passageway connected to the Palais Royal is the Passage des Deux-Pavillons (6 rue de Beaujolais, 5 Rue des Petits Champs), which is a shortcut from the northern end of the gardens to nearby arcades.
5. Galerie Vero-Dodat
Galerie Vero-Dodat is the shortest passageway on our list, but in no way the least important. Its neoclassical style, black and white tiled floor, and marble columns make it uniquely luxurious and charming.
The private art galleries, high-end fashion stores, and stamp specialist shops give this passageway a rare feeling between the dusty and forgotten, and the upmarket sleek. It’s a one-off place, with a totally unique feeling.
🥐 Foodie Find: Keeping one foot firmly in the past, step into le Café de l’Epoque, a traditional French brasserie still with its original tiled floor, zinc bar and antique mirrors. Despite its proximity to the Louvre, this brasserie manages to keep its authentic feel. The place is usually packed full of both locals and very French waiters serving tiny glasses of wine.
📍 Locations & Entrances: There’s two main entrances: one at 19 rue Jean-Jacques-Rousseau and one at 2 rue du Bouloi in the first arrondissement.
Explore Paris’ Sweet Side With Us!
Paris is a pastry lover’s dream—but with every window filled with glossy tarts, delicate macarons, and chocolate too beautiful to eat (almost), where do you even start? That’s where our Paris Pastry & Chocolate Tour comes in.
Enjoy this guided deep-dive into the pâtisseries, cafés, and crêperies feeding city’s sweetest traditions. Along the way, you’ll explore 19th-century glass-roofed arcades as you stop to taste pain au chocolat, macarons, bean-to-bar chocolate, salted butter crêpes, and more!
Featured Review: Paris Pastry & Chocolate Tour
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “The Paris Pastry Tour was wonderful! Our tour guide, Anne Lorraine, was very kind and gave us so much interesting information! We tried many delicious desserts in places we might not have discovered on our own. This tour is great for all ages and I would recommend it to anyone. You would be lucky to have Anne Lorraine as your tour guide!”
– Camper788169
Paris’ Hidden Passageways FAQs
Is Passage des Panoramas worth visiting?
Absolutely. Passage des Panoramas is one of the oldest covered passages in Paris and is worth visiting for its charming 19th-century architecture, independent shops, restaurants, and an old-fashioned atmosphere. It’s filled with shops specializing in postage stamps, postcards, and vintage items, and its location near Grands Boulevards makes it easy to combine with other sights in the 2nd arrondissement.
How many hidden passageways are there in Paris?
Paris once had more than 150 covered passages, particularly during the first half of the 19th century. Only a few dozen survive today, concentrated mainly in the 1st, 2nd, and 9th arrondissements. Exploring several of the remaining passages is a great way to see a quieter side of central Paris and discover architecture that many visitors overlook.
What is the best arrondissement for exploring Paris’s covered passages?
The 2nd arrondissement is the best place to start because several historic passages are located close together, including Passage des Panoramas, Passage Jouffroy, and Passage Verdeau. You can easily explore them on foot as part of a walking route, stopping at cafés and shops along the way.
Are Paris’s covered passages free to visit?
Yes, most historic covered passages are free to enter. You can wander through the public areas without paying an admission fee, although individual shops, museums, restaurants, and other businesses inside may charge for their services. Keep in mind that some passages have restricted access or opening hours because some areas are privately owned.
What should I look for when visiting Paris’s hidden passages?
Look beyond the obvious architecture. Pay attention to mosaic floors, glass-and-iron roofs, decorative façades, vintage shop signs, antique storefronts, and small details above eye level. The passages were designed as places to stroll and window-shop, so take your time!
