The heavy portal of the passage opens.
After 9 p.m., only people with a code can enter.
Inaugurated in 1846 by Count Félix de Jouffroy-Gonsans, it was one of the most modern in the capital at the time.
Its underfloor heating system, to allow walkers to shop, makes it the ancestor of shopping malls.
Today, this thoroughfare still smells of yesteryear, with its bound books, its walking sticks from the Galerie Fayet and its mysterious Chopin hotel, which opened when the passage was created.
"There were very few hotels in Paris then, it was even before the arrival of the railways"
, specifies Marie-Lise Bidal, whose father, Philippe, bought the establishment. in 1992.
To discover
Stays in France: weekends, hotels and tailor-made stays from our partners
As she leads us upstairs, the young woman connects the anecdotes.
Formerly known as a family hotel, it was renamed in the 1970s after the illustrious composer, resident of the district.
Rumor has it that he found George Sand there,
“but I lack some proof to confirm it
,” jokes the one who spent her childhood within these walls.
Another peculiarity of the Chopin hotel: it does not have a lock.
Since its inauguration in 1846, a receptionist has been responsible for monitoring the establishment (and the passage!), 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, including during the two world wars and the Covid.
Almost 63,000 consecutive days of opening, a hell of a record!
View over the rooftops of Paris
Room 203, one of the 35 rooms of the Chopin hotel.
Hotel Chopin / Photo press
After a maze in this labyrinth of 35 rooms, here we are in front of ours.
Clé 203. Red and white bedding, wall sconces, a somewhat kitsch chandelier… Although the decor is basic, nothing to say about comfort and cleanliness.
No vis-à-vis either, but a bird's eye view of the roofs of the passage and those of the Grévin museum which settled in the district in 1882. The noises of the city have disappeared, the calm is absolute.
At dawn, a meow breaks the silence.
That of Clarinette, the house cat, also visibly enticed by the smell of pastries.
In the room where breakfast is served, regulars and tourists mingle in joyful harmony.
Here, we are sure, Paris lives again.
Hotel Chopin.
46 passage Jouffroy, 75009 Paris.
Such.
: 01 47 70 58 10. From €120 per night, with breakfast.
Dogs and cats welcome free of charge.
