Great for getting out of the rain… and for travelling back in time; these galleries give a glimpse of what Paris must have been like at the turn of the 19th Century and are now a fascinating collection of odd shops and interesting restaurants…

All photos by jasonw


We started off at Passage Verdeau which leads off rue du Faubourg Montmartre. The sign says that the passage “leads” to the Grands Boulevards, which is technically correct I suppose, although you do have to leave it and go through another passage first. Passage Verdeau was built in 1847, and despite being the furthest from the bustle of the Grand Boulevards, has retained a certain genteel atmosphere of class, with several art bookshops and galleries. Also, nearby auction house Drouot has attracted quite a few antique dealers.




Leaving the passage Verdeau brings us to the entrance of Passage Jouffroy, perhaps the most interesting of the three we visited, for several reasons. Firstly, it has a kink in it that leads up some stairs and on to the level leading directly to the Grands Boulevards… It also houses the exit for the Musée Grevin, the French equivalent of Madame Tussaud’s.


Also, quite by chance, we came across the most incredible place called the Salon des Miroirs, a huge reception room two floors up that is bathed in light and decorated with the most ornate flowered enamel work and over 100 mirrors. It was so lovely, we’ve dedicated a special Flickr gallery to it! Check it out here. We’re sure that many people just walk by without guessing that something so spectacular is just above their heads.



The rest of the passage has other old school shops like a huge bookshop about cinema, a walking stick shop (!) and a delicious-looking tea room that I think we’ll have to try out very soon…


Leaving the passage, we finally arrive at the Grands Boulevards themselves, where all the theatres used to be; some remain, others have become cinemas or… the Virgin Megastore or Hard Rock Cafe (yawn…). Crossing over we reach the largest of the covered galleries, the Passage des Panoramas, which – unlike the other two – is not just a long corridor but a veritable maze of little alleys, some pretty run down, others extremely busy with stamp collector shops, little cafes and restaurants (like Racines, which won a Fooding award recently), and other quirky shops. We also came across a new centre that helps people to get to grips with the internet and learn about new technology in general, very interesting for a Passage that was initially constructed in 1799!



There are a lot more photos to be seen on our Flickr gallery here (we made a real effort, so do please take a look). And here’s a little film we made to give you a quick idea of the various galleries. Why not check them out some rainy day?

Bigger map here