Secret Passages of Paris

Updated post with photos available at: https://pristiner.com/2018/12/26/paris-secret-passageways/

A few weeks ago, one of my friends took the initiative to set up a wonderful little jaunt around Paris for us. It was a tour of the Secret Passages of Paris. These passages, many long forgotten, were once the stomping grounds of the elite, but are now mostly dusty and forgotten… and strangely prone to housing toy stores and used book shops. These passages were the precursors to the modern shopping mall, but with the advent of “les grands magasins” at the turn of the century, they began a steady rate of decline in foot traffic as they were not as convenient as the grands magasins, nor as accessible as their street-front counterparts. That said, it makes for a beautiful tour of Haussmanian architecture.

Here is our tour, along with a high-def MS Paint illustration.
(1) Passage des Princes (2e)
(2) Passage Verdeau (2e)
(3) Passage Jouffroy (2e)
(4) Passage des Panoramas (2e)
(5) Passage Choiseul (2e)
(6) Galerie Vivienne (1e)
(7) Galerie Vérot Dodat (2e)
(8) Passage du Bourg l’Abbé (2e)
(9) Passage du Grand Cerf (2e)
(10) Passage Ben Aiad (2e)
(11) Passage du Caire (2e)
(12) Passage du Ponceau (2e)
(13) Passage du Prado (10e)