I’ll admit it, I have a weakness for the covered passages of Paris. There’s something magical about that one step you take from the bustling boulevard inward, into a world frozen in time. The light filtering through the glass ceilings, the old shop windows, the faded mosaic floors: they all whisper stories from another era. I’ve wandered through Passage Jouffroy more times than I can count, and every time I discover a new hidden corner.
True, it’s not as famous or as grand as its older, more distinguished sibling, the Passage des Panoramas, which peeks out just across Boulevard Montmartre. But that relative modesty is exactly where its charm lies. It’s less commercial, more intimate, and within its walls hide stories of technological innovation, massive fraud, forbidden love, and one mysterious hotel whose door has never once been locked. Come with me on a trip through time.
History: the birth of the passage and its hidden secrets
Paris before the passages: a city of mud, darkness and revolution
To understand what a miracle the covered passages were, you first have to picture Paris in the first half of the 19th century. It was nothing like the City of Light we know today. The streets were narrow, dark, filthy and dangerous. Sidewalks, when they existed at all, were a luxury, and pedestrians had to share the road with galloping horse carriages and with the mud that had clung to Paris since Roman times, when the city was called “Lutetia”, the city of mud.
Out of that harsh urban reality, a revolutionary idea was born: creating private streets, covered, clean and well lit, meant solely for pedestrians. The passages were the perfect refuge for the rising middle class, who wanted a safe and elegant place to stroll, shop and be seen. They were, in effect, the forerunners of the modern shopping mall, and they transformed consumer culture and urban life in Paris.
The birth of a technological marvel (1846)
The founders: a nobleman, a businessman and a bold architect
Passage Jouffroy wasn’t born in a vacuum. It was the result of brilliant business planning. The founders had noticed the dazzling success of the Passage des Panoramas, and decided to build a new passage that would extend it and take advantage of the shopping traffic already flowing through the area. A private company led by two men headed the venture.
The first was Count Félix de Jouffroy-Gonsans (1791-1863), a nobleman who owned the land and gave the passage its name. His partner was a businessman named Monsieur Verdeau, after whom the next passage in the chain, Passage Verdeau, would be named. They entrusted their vision to the respected architect François-Hippolyte Destailleur (1787-1852).
Groundbreaking architecture: iron, glass and underfloor heating
When the passage opened in 1846, it was nothing short of a technological marvel. It was the first passage in Paris built entirely on a frame of metal and glass, with only the decorative elements made of wood. The stunning arched glass ceiling (verrière en ogive) flooded the space with natural light and created an airy, magical atmosphere.
But the real innovation, the one that drew crowds of Parisians, was hidden from view. Passage Jouffroy was the first in the city to be fitted with an underfloor heating system.
Imagine Parisians freezing in the winter cold, suddenly stepping into a warm, pleasant space. According to the story, visitors used to gather over the metal grates in the floor, where warm air escaped, to warm their frozen feet. It was a luxury like no other at the time.
Juicy stories and scandals behind the glass
Like any self-respecting Parisian landmark, Passage Jouffroy has its own skeletons in the closet and juicy stories that few people know.
The gold bar scam: when all of Paris dreamed of California (1851)
In 1851, at the height of the California Gold Rush, a shady company called the “Société des lingots d’or” (Gold Bar Company) set up shop in the passage. Its storefront window displayed an enormous gold bar, valued at a staggering 400,000 francs. The bar was the grand prize of a lottery that was supposedly meant to serve a noble cause: funding the journey of 5,000 unemployed Parisians to California so they could make their fortune.
Crowds flocked to the passage to see the marvel and buy lottery tickets. But the whole thing was a massive fraud. While about 3,000 people really were sent to the United States (most to an unclear fate), it turned out that the grand prize, that shiny gold bar, had never been winnable in the first place. The affair became one of the most talked-about scandals of its time, and it shows how the passage served as a stage not just for elegant commerce, but also for global dreams, the hopes of ordinary people, and cynical greed.
“Le Buffet Américain”: was Parisian fast food born here? (1853)
After the “Gold Bar Company” went bankrupt, its storefront didn’t stay empty for long. In 1853, a business opened in its place that was innovative and somewhat scandalous for its time: “Le Buffet Américain.” It was, as far as we know, a first attempt to import American “fast food” culture to Paris.
The idea was revolutionary: customers paid a fixed price, chose simple dishes laid out on a long counter, and ate them… standing up! In a city that worshipped long, leisurely meals, the concept was considered strange, if not downright barbaric. But it marks a small, amusing historical moment in the history of Parisian gastronomy, one that happened right here, in Passage Jouffroy.
Prince Tuffakine and his crooked neck
Sometimes the most interesting stories predate the place itself. Before the passage was built, a private mansion stood on the site, where, around 1820, a wealthy and eccentric Russian prince named Tuffakine lived. The prince suffered from severe torticollis, a condition that left his head permanently tilted at a sharp angle toward his right shoulder.
The amusing story goes that his personal secretary, from constantly tilting his own head to converse with the prince, eventually developed an identical tic, only in the opposite direction: his head was always tilted to the left. The result was comic: when the two walked together down the street, side by side, they couldn’t talk to each other. And whenever they switched sides, their heads would collide, to the laughter of passersby.
The institutions that turned the passage into a legend
Beyond the juicy stories, the true greatness of Passage Jouffroy lies in the iconic institutions that have lived, and still live, within it, becoming an inseparable part of the history of Paris.
Musée Grévin: the birth of the wax celebrity (1882)
In 1882, the passage gained a new “tenant” that secured its fame forever: the Musée Grévin. The idea for a wax museum was born in the mind of Arthur Meyer (1844-1924), a fascinating and contradictory figure. Meyer, who ran the royalist newspaper “Le Gaulois,” was the grandson of a rabbi, yet he became a fervent anti-Dreyfusard and eventually converted to Catholicism.
Meyer understood that in the 19th century, an era that came before photographs appeared in newspapers, the public was hungry to “put a face to the name” of the celebrities and politicians they read about. He teamed up with the talented caricaturist and sculptor Alfred Grévin (1827-1892), who lent the museum its name and sculpted its first wax figures. The decision to place the museum’s exit in the heart of the passage was a marketing stroke of genius, drawing a constant stream of curious visitors and turning it into one of the most visited passages in Paris.
Hôtel Chopin: the legendary hotel that never locks its door
Deep inside the passage lies a true gem: the Hôtel Chopin. This is one of the oldest hotels in Paris, opening its doors alongside the passage itself in 1846. It was originally called the “Hôtel des Familles” and its name was changed only in 1970 to Hôtel Chopin, as a tribute to the great composer.
The most amazing and charming feature of the hotel is that its entrance door has no lock, and according to the story, it has never once been shut since 1846. There’s been a receptionist on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for over 175 years now. The hotel is an oasis of calm, since none of the rooms face the busy street, they all look out onto the rooftops of Paris or onto inner courtyards.
And what about the romantic legend? The story goes that the composer Frédéric Chopin used to secretly meet his lover, the writer George Sand (1804-1876), at the hotel. Sadly, it seems this is just an urban legend that has never been confirmed. What is known is that Chopin really did frequent the passage often, on his way to the showrooms of the renowned piano maker Pleyel.
Want to stay at the Hôtel Chopin? Click this link.
A whole world in small shops: from toys to walking sticks
The magic of the passage also lies in its unique shops, many of which have kept their old-world character. You can’t help but stop in front of the window of “Pain d’Épices,” a magical toy shop that has been in the passage for over 50 years. It’s a world of dollhouses, wonderful miniatures and wooden toys that bring every adult straight back to childhood.
A bit further on is Galerie Fayet, a shop that is a small museum in its own right, entirely dedicated to the ancient craft of making walking sticks and umbrellas. The shop, originally founded by the Segas brothers in 1975, is now run by the Fayet family, master cane makers since 1909, who carry on a rare tradition that has nearly vanished from the world.
Another spot I really enjoyed was Valentin tea house, run by pastry chef Bruno Collard. All the pastries there are made on site, and I can personally attest that the croissant I had was buttery and melted in my mouth. A great place for a light bite followed by something sweet. By the way, they also have a branch in Galerie Vivienne, in case you happen to be nearby.
Passage Jouffroy today: useful visitor information
Have I convinced you? I really hope so. Here’s everything you need to know to visit this hidden gem.
Addresses and opening hours
Passage Jouffroy has two entrances, which makes visiting it a natural part of a walking route between the passages.
- South entrance: 10-12 Boulevard Montmartre
- North entrance: 9 Rue de la Grange-Batelière
The passage is open to the public every day, from 7:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Note that the opening hours of the individual shops may vary.
Getting there
Getting to the passage is simple and convenient, thanks to its central location on the Grands Boulevards.
- By metro: The easiest and fastest way. Take line 8 or line 9 and get off at Grands Boulevards station. Be sure to take exit 2 (sortie 2: Boulevard Montmartre, Musée Grévin), which will bring you almost directly to the passage’s entrance.
- By bus: If you’d rather see the city while you travel, many lines stop at the Grands Boulevards station, including: 20, 32, 39, 74, and 85. At night, you can use the Noctilien lines N15 and N16.
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