Passage des Panoramas — Attraction in Paris

Amazing feeling of the local’s life.

The passage des panoramas, dates from the very beginning of the 19e century. A passage means a covered street, there use to be up to 150 in Paris before the creation of huge malls like « Le bon marché » « Les Galeries Lafayette ». Designed to be a place where to have a good wether it is for shopping or in that case to enjoy : panoramas, which were painted canvases rolling over the walls to give you the sensation to travel. The design of these passages and covered streets could be inspired from the big bazaars in Cairo and Istanbul. It follows the Egyptian campaign of Napoleon and a predates a wave of orientalism.

What you should know about it : it is filled with lovely restaurant. Local tend to eat food of the world rather than French when going to the restaurant, you will find a lovely Japanese restaurant, a Argentinian one. But also, French specialty, and my favorite of the Passage : Duck and Champagne You should...

Passage des Panoramas: Like stepping into the 19th century, but with more restaurants and fewer top hats.

I wandered in expecting a cute little arcade and immediately found myself in a dimly lit wonderland of vintage shop signs, tiny bistros, and the unmistakable scent of old books and overpriced cheese. The atmosphere? A mix of historic charm and ‘Am I in a secret society now?’ vibes.

The restaurants? Cozy, slightly cramped, and so Parisian it hurts (in a good way). The people? A blend of locals who’ve been coming here for decades and tourists who ‘accidentally’ stumbled in while looking for a shortcut.

Would I return? Yes, but next time, I’ll bring a pocket watch and a mysterious letter to really commit to...

Rating based on going on a Sunday. Very few shops were open (to be expected) however there were several tables set up all along the arcade selling items. Maybe my definition of antiques is different from others but it seemed like they were all selling junk. It reminded me of an American flea market. There was only one table selling old stamps and she was nicely organized by theme which made it easy to look through. If you’re wanting to check out the arcades, definitely don’t go on a Sunday and hopefully the...