Covered Passages of Paris

Before pavements were reliable and before department stores existed, Paris built covered passages: private shopping streets cut through blocks, glazed overhead with iron and glass, tiled or mosaic underfoot, lit by gas and safe from mud and traffic. Around a hundred and fifty were built, mostly between 1800 and 1850, and roughly twenty survive. Galerie Vivienne of 1823 is the grandest, with mosaic floors and a rotunda; Passage des Panoramas, of 1799, is the oldest and now full of stamp dealers and small restaurants; Passage Jouffroy holds the Musee Grevin and a hotel; Galerie Vero-Dodat has black and white marble and a violin maker.

What you actually see

• Galerie Vivienne - mosaic floors, a rotunda and the grandest glazing.
• Passage des Panoramas - the oldest, with stamp dealers and bistros.
• Passage Jouffroy - the wax museum entrance and a covered hotel.
• Galerie Vero-Dodat - marble paving and old shopfronts.

When to go

Year-round; the passages exist precisely for bad weather, so rain is the ideal time. Most close at night and some on Sundays. Several can be walked as one route in an afternoon.

Honest expectations

Some passages are shabby, half-empty or closed for restoration. Opening hours vary and several shut on Sundays. The route between them involves ordinary busy streets.

Nearby

Palais-Royal lies southwest; the Grands Boulevards run north.