Given that Paris is riddled with covered passages, and stunningly beautiful ones at that, the Passage des Princes is admittedly not one of the prettiest. Built in 1860, but destroyed only 25 years later, it wasn’t restored to its original glory until 1995. It does have a lovely tiled floor, and a superb glass dome ceiling as well as a little courtyard for a short respite, but that’s not usually the reason visitors come here. It’s generally because the entire passage is practically one big toy store.
Speaking from personal experience, set a budget before you enter its cooridords, and then indulge in anything and everything from stuffed animals to old-fashioned marionettes, from staples such as Legos to the latest video games and everything in between. You, or should I say, your kids, will be able to spend hours in the passage, overwhelmed by all the potential “souvenirs” to bring back from Paris. Luckily there are plenty of cafés and bars nearby on Boulevard des Italiens and Boulevard Montmartre for adults to recover after the shopping spree.
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