The Artisans' Courts of Faubourg Saint-Antoine, a Self-Guided Paris Walk
1h15. 0.9 miles. From Cour Damoye, place de la Bastille to Passage du Chantier.
Furniture makers have worked the courtyards off Faubourg Saint-Antoine since the 15th century, and behind the street doors the workshops are still there. A short treasure hunt through cobbled passages most visitors walk right past.
The local move
The passages hide behind ordinary street doors. If a porte is ajar, push it gently and step in; that is how the quarter has always worked, workshops in the back, street out front.
Best time to go
Weekday daytime, when the workshops and passage doors are open.
When to avoid it
Sundays, when most passages are locked and the quarter sleeps.
The stops
Cour Damoye
A long cobbled court off place de la Bastille, once home to ragpickers, now quiet townhouses and a coffee roaster's workshop.
Tip: The Bastille end is the discreet one; slip in from the square and the noise drops instantly.
Passage L'homme
Peeling storefronts, workshop windows and an antique games shop, reached off rue de Charonne past the nightlife of rue de Lappe.
Tip: Look for the vine-covered end of the passage, the most photogenic ten meters of the walk.
Passage Josset
A pocket passage with street murals, the Les Fleurs boutique and a cafe or two tucked into old workshops.
Tip: Good coffee stop at Passager if you want a pause with the locals.
Passage de la Main d'Or
A quiet cobbled lane whose name comes from an old golden-hand shop sign. Check the sculpted niche above the doorway of No 18.
Tip: Blink and you miss the niche. It is above eye level, on the left as you enter from rue de la Main d'Or.
74 rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine
A former furniture factory whose 32 meter brick chimney still rises over the courtyard, a rare survivor of the industrial faubourg.
Tip: The chimney is best seen from inside the courtyard, not the street.
Passage du Chantier
The most tunnel-like of the artisan passages, still lined with furniture workshops. Marie Antoinette's own cabinetmaker worked in this quarter.
Tip: End here and walk two minutes to the Aligre market if it is morning; the two pair perfectly.
Ways to change it up
Market extension
On a morning walk, finish at Marche d'Aligre, five minutes further east, for one of the last true neighborhood markets in Paris.
About these walks
This is one of the free self-guided Paris walks written by the Chic Trip team, locals who plan and book full Paris trips for American travelers. Get our free insider Paris guide at chic-trip.com/free-paris-guide, or have us plan your whole trip at chic-trip.com/paris-travel-planner.
