Panoramas, Vivienne, Colbert, Choiseul, Grand-Cerf. The 2nd holds the finest covered arcades in Paris — and a few dozen homes that exist nowhere else.
Paris had more than a hundred and fifty covered arcades in the nineteenth century; some twenty remain, and the 2nd arrondissement holds the most remarkable of them. The passage des Panoramas (1799) is the oldest in the city. The galerie Vivienne (1823) and the galerie Colbert (1826) form the most accomplished neoclassical ensemble. The passage Choiseul (1827) is the longest, the passage du Grand-Cerf (1825) the tallest — eleven metres under glass.
People live in them, and almost nobody knows it. Only a few dozen homes open onto these galleries or occupy the floors above: former merchants' apartments, mezzanines, converted workshops. The median for the 2nd is €11,128/sqm according to DVF DGFIP data; these properties cannot be read through that grid. They sell on their singularity, and comparison is difficult.
METROREALTY has followed these addresses for 22 years. They call for a particular approach: the arcades are generally private co-ownerships open to the public, with closing hours, specific rules, and the upkeep of a glass roof that weighs on the service charges. These points are checked before the offer.
The most famous, between rue Vivienne and rue des Petits-Champs. Floor mosaics by Facchina, a rotunda, a double-revolution staircase. The few homes on the upper floors are among the most sought-after in central Paris — and change hands without ever being advertised.
Adjoining Vivienne, under its rotunda and chandelier. Owned by the national library, it now houses university institutions. Few homes, but an immediate neighbour that pulls the buildings of rue Vivienne upward.
The first covered arcade in Paris, and the first place in the city lit by gas. Stamp dealers, engravers, bistros. The arcade is lively late, which suits some and not others: worth testing on the spot on a weekday evening.
A hundred and ninety metres between rue des Petits-Champs and rue Saint-Augustin. Céline spent his childhood here and wrote about it. It holds genuine town houses — exceedingly rare properties: the independence of a house, inside a pedestrian arcade closed at night.
The tallest in Paris, on the Montorgueil side. Metal structure, high glass roof, designers' studios. The homes that open onto it enjoy overhead light that an ordinary building simply cannot offer.
Towards the Sentier, two more modest and far less frequented arcades. The Bourg-l'Abbé keeps a remarkable carved portal. Prices here are more accessible: this is the way into the market.
A home in a covered arcade cannot be valued at the going rate of the quarter. There is no basis for comparison: a handful change hands each year in the whole of Paris. Three things make the value — the real overhead light, independence of access, and the financial health of the arcade's co-ownership, which carries the upkeep of the glass roof. That last point is decisive: a roof needing restoration means a considerable call for funds, shared among few lots. It is the first thing we examine.
Go further — by address and by quarter: prices street by street on data.metrorealty.fr.
« Thousands of Parisians cross these galleries every day. Almost none imagine anyone lives there. »METROREALTY — real estate agency, 18 rue Molière, Paris 1st
The paperwork matters as much as the viewing: the arcade's co-ownership rules, closing hours, the condition and maintenance schedule of the glass roof, the split of charges between shops and homes. METROREALTY checks these points before the offer and knows the managing agents of these co-ownerships — few in number, and very different from one another.
View our propertiesThese homes sell badly on property portals, where they appear as apartments without a view. They sell well to buyers looking for exactly that. We value on the rare comparable transactions across the whole of Paris, prepare the co-ownership file in advance, and present the property to buyers drawn to heritage and to unusual places.
Value my propertyYes. A few dozen homes open onto the galleries of the 2nd or occupy the floors above: former merchants' apartments, mezzanines, converted workshops. The passage Choiseul even holds genuine town houses. These properties are rare — a handful change hands each year in the whole of Paris.
It cannot be deduced from the price of the quarter. The median for the 2nd is €11,128/sqm according to DVF DGFIP data, but these properties depart from that grid in both directions: a sought-after singularity can command a premium, while a lack of light or a glass roof needing restoration can mean a substantial discount. Each property is judged on its own terms.
Most are. They are private co-ownerships open to the public within hours set by their own rules — often from 7am to 10pm or midnight. Residents have permanent access. It is a point to check precisely, as the arrangements differ from one arcade to the next.
The arcade's co-ownership, and this is the decisive financial point. A nineteenth-century glass roof needing restoration means a considerable call for funds, shared among a often small number of lots. The condition of the roof, the works already voted and the reserve fund are among the first documents we ask for.
It depends entirely on the arcade. The Panoramas is lively late in the evening, with its bistros; the galerie Vivienne and the Grand-Cerf are quiet as soon as they close. The glass roof amplifies sound within the arcade but cuts the street out completely: the experience bears no relation to that of an ordinary apartment.
The galerie Vivienne (1823) for its mosaics and rotunda, the galerie Colbert (1826) for its colonnade, the passage des Panoramas (1799) for its age, the passage du Grand-Cerf (1825) for its eleven metres under glass, and the passage Choiseul (1827) for its length and its town houses.
Yes, and it is a market that cannot be handled by analogy. Our office is at 18 rue Molière, a few minutes from the galerie Vivienne and the passage Choiseul. We have followed these co-ownerships for 22 years, including the sales that take place between people who already know them.
Whether you are looking for a home in the galerie Vivienne or selling a town house in the passage Choiseul, METROREALTY knows these co-ownerships and their constraints. An agent replies within 24 hours.
Going further — real estate in Paris 2nd