When you imagine shopping in Paris, you might think of grands magasins or quaint corner boulangeries, but one of Paris’s best kept shopping secrets may look a little different than you can imagine.
Les passages couverts are part of a shopping arcade that was built in Paris during the early 19th century, before being (mostly) demolished by Haussmannization. Tucked away in the center of the city, primarily in the 2nd arrondissement, these secret passageways with their glass roofs and narrow hallways are filled with bookshops, bistros, and antique shops. And if you plan your journey right, you can cross from one to the other seamlessly, weaving through the city in a glass-topped maze.
This video by Watched Walker gives a full view of the Passage Jouffroy, Passage Verdeau, and the Passage des Panoramas. But if you want to hit every one, maps like this one will give you a walking path that should take you through just about every main passage couvert.
