Passage Potier, thoroughfare in Paris, France

Passage Potier is a narrow pedestrian walkway measuring only 3 meters wide and about 16 meters long in the first district of Paris near the Palais-Royal. It connects Rue de Richelieu to Rue de Montpensier and is lined with older buildings featuring stone facades and several stories of windows and simple architectural details.

The passage was opened in 1785, the first to link Rue de Richelieu and Rue de Montpensier and give access to the Palais-Royal garden opposite 24 Rue Montpensier. Louis Philippe d'Orléans granted this passage through the building at 26 Rue de Richelieu, whose residents had lost direct access to the garden. It was first called Beauvillers, after the founder of France's first gastronomic restaurant, then renamed Potier after actor Charles-Gabriel Potier, who bought the building in 1823; his family kept it until 1865.

The passage takes its name from Charles-Gabriel Potier (1774-1838), an army captain turned actor who bought the building in 1823; his family kept it until 1865. Before that it was called Beauvillers, after the man credited with France's first gastronomic restaurant. Rose Bertin, Marie-Antoinette's dressmaker, bought the house and set up her workshop and shop there shortly before the Bastille was taken in 1789.

This passage is open to pedestrians during the day and serves as a practical shortcut between the two main streets without requiring a longer detour. Keep in mind that it closes in the evening and remains closed on Sundays and holidays, so plan your visit during regular weekday daytime hours.

The passage was long called Beauvillers, after Antoine Beauvillers, credited with France's first gastronomic restaurant; it only took the name Potier after actor Charles-Gabriel Potier bought the building in 1823. Look up at the carved face above the doorway on Rue de Montpensier, framed by scrollwork.