A local’s guide to visiting the colorful Passage Molière in Paris, one of the most colorful and secret alleys in the city, and a wonderful literary location!
Passage Molière is a hidden passage in Paris that I discovered two years ago when I moved back to Paris for a few months.
It is one of those little Parisian secrets where the charm lies in its discretion and the color of its somewhat vintage storefronts.
The passage is close to Châtelet, close to rue Montorgueil and the historic Stohrer bakery, and very calm, just a stone’s throw from the hustle and bustle of the Centre Pompidou and the magnificent Stravinsky fountain.
Paris’s Literary Passage Molière, A Secret Colorful Passage
Passage Molière was opened in 1791 under the name of the Passage du Théâtre Molière.
It therefore owes its name to the playwright, but especially to the presence of the Molière theater, which is now the Maison de la Poésie.
Besides, if you wish to follow a literary itinerary of Paris, you will also find the sculpture of the bust of Molière near Châtelet, close to the famous cafe Le Chien qui Fume.
We are in one of the oldest and most secret passages in Paris, and you can access it via 82 rue Quincampoix (where you’ll also find the fake windows) or 157 rue Saint-Martin.
The atmosphere is still very 18th-century, far from the grand Haussmannian boulevards where you find places like passage Jouffroy, passage des Panoramas, passage Verdeau, or even Printemps and Galeries Lafayette.
Passage Molière is so small and short that it necessarily contrasts with the large commercial covered passages like the passage des Panoramas, and you find only a few boutiques and cafes there.
For example, in passage Molière, there is a Japanese stationery boutique and another stationery shop called L’Écritoire, where you find everything from postcards and ink to metallic watercolors or notebooks.
The Maison de la Poésie is the beating heart of the passage, a cultural venue where around 6 or 7 p.m. you find Parisians lining up to enjoy a show, a reading, or a meeting that honors contemporary literature.
The colorful storefronts of passage Molière are perhaps one of its major attractions since it is very often empty of tourists or Parisians, and you can use this passage as a photo spot if you wish.
It is just a wonderful place with a little village feel that offers cobblestones and a rare peculiarity in Paris: the numbers follow each other instead of being even on one side and odd on the other.
Its location on rue Saint-Martin makes passage Molière close to some of the most beautiful streets in Paris, like rue Montorgueil and rue Saint-Denis.
And, at the other end of rue Saint-Martin, you’ll find rue de Rivoli, one of the most popular places for shopping in Paris for mainstream brands.
Passage Molière Paris Photo Gallery
Paris’s Literary Passage Molière, A Secret Colorful Passage
If you wish to continue your visit of Paris with shopping once you are finished with passage Molière, you can notably go shopping at the Châtelet Westfield mall or in one of the small boutiques nearby.
You also have Aroma-Zone at Châtelet, one of the best natural beauty and makeup stores which also offers kits to make your own products, making for a very original Paris gift or souvenir that you can use day-to-day.
If, on the other hand, you would like to continue with your own literary itinerary, you can head to the 16th arrondissement.
There, you’ll admire the sculpture of the head of Victor Hugo on top of a seemingly unassuming door.
Or you can visit other literary spots such as Speaker’s Corner (an installation made of books), the Vénus des Arts in Saint-Germain-des-Prés (close to the floral Maison Sauvage cafe-restaurant), or the bookstores Shakespeare and Company, Taschen, and Assouline.
Closer to the Opéra, you will find Brentano’s, an incredible American bookstore filled with stationery, frames, sculptures, and other gift ideas.
Passage Molière Paris
Address: 157 Rue Saint-Martin, 75003 Paris
Website: Ville de Paris