Passage Jouffroy is one of the most beautiful and most historic covered shopping passages in Paris. Located in the 9th Arrondissement, near the Palais Garnier opera house and the Galeries Lafayette flagship store, Passage Jouffroy fits perfectly into its elegant surroundings. Today, I’m going to take you inside this notable Paris landmark.
I spent four nights at the hotel inside Passage Jouffroy, so I had ample time to talk to the shopkeepers about the history of their building and its significance to Parisian culture. In this guide I’ll share what I learned with you, and give you a sneak peek at the shops, restaurants, hotels and museum inside Passage Jouffroy.
Passage Jouffroy Fast Facts
- Constructed: 1845
- Named After: Developer Count Felix de Jouffroy-Gonssans
- Location: The Grands-Boulevards neighborhood of the 9th Arrondissement
- Materials: Metal and glass (all the wood you see is decorative)
- Length: 140 meters (460 feet)
- Registered as a historic monument: 1987
- Entrances: 10-12 Boulevard Montmartre (south) or 9 Rue de la Grange Bateliere (north)
The History of Passage Jouffroy
Covered shopping passages were all the rage in the late 1800s in Paris. They allowed upper class Parisians to shop in relative comfort and cleanliness, away from the rain or snow and with a clean floor, rather than a dirty street, beneath their feet.
Passage Jouffroy was one of the first covered shopping arcades to open in Paris, and was part of a network with the adjacent Passage des Panoramas and Passage Verdeau. Because the ground underneath Passage Jouffroy slopes, it is one of the few covered arcades to feature an L-shape and a small interior stairway.
Passage Jouffroy was also home to the first American-style fast food restaurant in Paris, fitting called Le Buffet Americain. Illustrations from the time show that customers would select one of the meal options that changed daily, and then eat it standing at the bar. Sacrilege!
What’s Inside Passage Jouffroy
Inside Passage Jouffroy you’ll find a number of independent local boutiques, two hotels, one historic museum and several places to stop for coffee or tea. There isn’t room to list them all, so I’ll just share a few of the businesses in the passage that stood out to me.
Attractions in Passage Jouffroy
Inside Passage Jouffroy you’ll find the Musée Grévin, the oldest wax museum in Paris. Founded in 1882, the museum is home to more than 450 wax figures. Some represent key people, events and scenes from French history, while others represent contemporary pop culture figures.
The museum is also home to a kaleidoscopic Hall of Mirrors, originally designed for the 1900 Paris Exposition. It was relocated to the Musée Grévin eight years later, and then was completely redesigned by a contemporary artist to include new light and sound effects in 2018. It’s a really cool experience, especially considering the history of the space.
Hotels in Passage Jouffroy
I stayed at Hotel Chopin, nestled deep inside Passage Jouffroy. Opened in 1846, at the same time as the passage, Hotel Chopin is steeped in history and charm.
This property was recommended to me by another solo female traveler as a comfortable, affordable hotel in Paris in a unique setting. Because it’s a small, independent hotel it tends to fill quickly (often with return visitors), so if you’re interested in staying inside Passage Jouffroy book Hotel Chopin online as soon as you know your travel dates.
At the entrance to the passage you will also find the Best Western Hotel Ronceray-Opera. This chain hotel lacks the independent charm of Hotel Chopin, but it’s a good option if you want something more familiar (or if Hotel Chopin is sold out). Of note, composer Rossini wrote the opera “Guillaume Tell” while living in this hotel.
Shops in Passage Jouffroy
There are quite a few different shops in Passage Jouffroy, but they all generally share a focus on unique products with some historical, local and/or eclectic characteristics.
La Maison du Roy
La Maison du Roy is a richly-decorated boutique selling both new items and antiques, all with an opulent Baroque touch. Inside you can find textiles, home decor, jewelry, toys and more, all with a nod to the Gilded Age. Parisans flock to La Maison du Roy at Christmas, as many families have a tradition of buying one of the shop’s unique Christmas ornaments each year.
La Cure Gourmand
Fortunately, Passage Jouffroy has something even better than gingerbread. At the store La Cure Gourmande, you can find calissons, a typical sweet from the Aix-en-Provence region. In fact, I already had the photo above from my last trip to Provence! If you’re planning to head to Provence on your France trip then you can sample these when you get there, but otherwise do not miss the chance to sample these delicious candies made from almond paste and citrus fruits. It’s rare that I bring candy home from my trips, but as you can see I brought a box of La Cure Gourmande calissons back to Canada!
You’ll also find other sweets from Provence in this shop, including navettes (addictive boat-shaped butter cookies flavored with orange blossom water) and “olives en chocolate”, which are actually chocolate covered almonds decorated to look like black and green olives.
Galerie Monfort
If you’d like to return home from Paris with a historic print or photograph of the city, stop by Galerie Monfort or one of the other shops on the lower level of the passage (the stairs are just to the left of Hotel Chopin). Some are sorted by region, others by era, others by subject, but you’ll definitely find something to pique your interest!
Pain d’Épices
When I first started scoping out the shops that would share the passage with my hotel, I had expected this to be a gingerbread shop. You know what they say about assuming things, as this actually turned out to be a toy store! They carry an eclectic collection of toys, including puppets, teddy bears, miniatures and snow globes.
Galerie Fayet
A shop selling high-end walking sticks and canes has stood inside Passage Jouffroy for more than a hundred years. Initially owned by the Segas brothers, in 2015 the storefront was taken over by Cannes Fayet, another local canemaker. Their team of artisans is based in the Auvergne region, where they hand-carve canes, umbrellas, parasols and other items from exotic woods and even ivory.
Restaurants in Passage Jouffroy
There is a tea salon inside Passage Jouffroy called Le Valentin. They also have a location inside Galerie Vivienne. Personally I thought it was a bit on the pricey side for a proper meal (the lunch special of quiche with a slice of cake was €19, and weekend brunch was €34) but reasonably priced for a quick drink or or leisurely pot of tea.
Across from the tea room there is also an artisan coffee shop. At Loutsa Torrefacteur they roast their own coffee beans from specialty, fair-trade beans imported directly from small coffee plantations around the world.
If you’re open to stepping outside the passage, there are a few good restaurants around the north exit (onto Rue de la Grange Bateliere), including Miznon (a famous Mediterranean restaurant chain founded in Paris), Phayul Tibet (I recommend the vegetarian jhol momos) and La Comète for a more typical brasserie experience.
How to Visit Passage Jouffroy
Passage Jouffroy is open daily from 7:00 am to 9:00 pm, however the businesses inside the passage have their own opening hours. Of course, if you’re staying at Hotel Chopin you can ring the hotel receptionist for after-hours access!
The easiest way to reach Passage Jouffroy is via metro. Use the station Grands Boulevards and leave via Exit 2 (Boulevard Montmartre – Musee Grevin). The entrance is just a one minute walk west from here.
⭐ Love strolling through covered passages in Paris? I have a guide to EIGHTEEN different passages that you can visit on your next trip. Read it here! ⭐
You can read all of my France travel guides, or jump straight to my review of a custom perfume-making class in Paris and my recommendations for where to stay in Paris.
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