Passages, Bibliotheque Nationale and Bourse
From Paris Hotels Reviews
Passages, Bibliotheque Nationale and Bourse
The 2° arrondissement is scattered with around twenty passages, or shopping arcades, that have survived from the early nineteenth century. In 1840 over a hundred existed, but most were later destroyed to make way for Haussmann's boulevards. After decades of decay and neglect, some have now been restored to something approaching their former glory and are being colonized by chic boutiques. Their entrances are easy to miss and where you emerge at the other end can be quite a surprise. Most are closed at night and on Sundays.
The following account takes you on a walking route around the best of the passages, including the elegant Galerie Vero-Dodat and Galerie Vivienne, the more neglected, but no less fascinating Passage Choiseul and Passage des Panoramas, and the Passages Jouffroy and Verdeau with their quirky boutiques and secondhand bookshops. En route you could make detours to the Bibliotheque Nationale, the Narional Library of France, and the Bourse, the city's stock exchange.
