Galerie Vivienne
"The most elegant of Paris's surviving 19th-century shopping arcades, featuring intricate mosaic floors and a stunning glass roof."
Logistics
Free
Vibe
Quiet and Sophisticated
Duration
45 minutes
Best For
Hidden Gems
The Backstory
Built in 1823, it was the 'it' place for bourgeois shopping before the rise of department stores. It remains one of the few passages to never fall into total disrepair.
Local Secret
"Stop by the bookstore 'Librairie Jousseaume'—it has been in the passage since 1826 and still feels like a time capsule."