Historic Covered Passages

The Passage du Grand Cerf rises three stories high, topped by a slender iron framework and a vast glass roof that floods the walkway with light. Built in eighteen twenty-five on the site of a former inn, the arcade replaced a dense network…

The Passage du Caire is the longest and oldest covered passage in Paris. Its three narrow, glass-roofed galleries date to seventeen ninety-nine, built to celebrate Napoleon Bonaparte’s Egyptian campaign. Above the entrance on Rue du Caire,…

The Galerie Vivienne is a covered walkway topped by a long, arched glass ceiling that lets in steady, muted light. It connects the Rue des Petits Champs to the Rue Vivienne, serving as a quiet shortcut between busy streets. In eighteen…

The Galerie Colbert stands out with a glass dome that rises over a rotunda, held together by a framework of iron. Built in eighteen twenty-six to compete with the nearby Galerie Vivienne, it served as a luxury shopping arcade. The original…

Passage Choiseul is a long, narrow gallery capped by a glass roof that runs straight as an arrow between Rue des Petits Champs and Rue Saint Augustin. Built in eighteen twenty-seven, it functions as a covered thoroughfare lined with small…

The Passage des Panoramas features an iron and glass roof that stretches above the street, shielding the shops from the weather. Built in seventeen ninety-nine, it marks the beginning of the covered passages in Paris. Before this, shoppers…

Passage Jouffroy features a glass and steel roof that runs in a zig-zag pattern above the walkway. It opened in eighteen forty-six as the first Parisian passage built primarily with metal and glass components. During its construction,…

Passage Verdeau wears a roof of slanted glass panels held up by a skeleton of spindly green ironwork. Built in eighteen forty-six, this gallery served as an extension of the nearby Passage Jouffroy, designed to keep shoppers dry and…