A stone's throw from the Bourse, a small street with cobbled pavements evokes the memory of a vanished theatre and a pre-Haussmann Paris — a detail only insiders know. Setting out from the Duc de Choiseul flat, consider a little detour via the Rue des Colonnes, before heading towards the Galerie Vivienne and the Palais Royal garden. Either way, this route is perfect for a family stroll!
A corner of the 2nd that guidebooks forget
The 2nd arrondissement is best known for the rue Montorgueil, the Grands Boulevards, the Opéra and the covered passages (also just steps from our flats). Yet, behind the Palais Brongniart – the « Bourse » metro station – a few discreet streets tell the story of a little-known Paris, far from the tourist crowds.
Rue des Colonnes, a survivor of the Revolution
The rue des Colonnes is a rare testament to revolutionary architecture (the 1790s). Another expression of this era, soon followed by the First Empire, can be found in the Passage du Caire, which owes its name to Napoleon Bonaparte's expedition to Egypt (1798). The rue des Colonnes is emblematic of this revolutionary aesthetic, marked by a certain austerity and a raw quality fashionable at the time. Even today, its Doric-columned arcades of Etruscan inspiration (a sober, massive antique style, characterised by smooth columns, pared-down forms and architecture designed to be seen from the front) and its small carved mascarons seem to have crossed the centuries unaltered.
Do you know the true purpose of the rue des Colonnes? In fact, it is part of the budding craze for Parisian passages, after Philippe Egalité, brother of the guillotined Louis XVI, had the Palais Royal garden — a few hundred metres away — surrounded by galleries housing 98 shops of fashion merchants, wigmakers, café-lemonade sellers and print dealers.
The rue des Colonnes offered a semi-covered passage towards the Feydeau theatre at the end of the street, for spectators coming from the Louvre. At the crossing of today's Rue Feydeau and the rue des Colonnes, it is hard to imagine a Feydeau theatre that was nonetheless one of the great lyric stages of 18th-century Paris! Indeed, it sadly no longer exists today, but was created by that same Philippe Egalité.
The Feydeau theatre, the neighbourhood's ghost
Inaugurated in 1791 under the name « Théâtre de Monsieur », the theatre welcomed the troupe of the Opéra-Comique, before the latter settled at the Salle Favart, only a few minutes' walk from the Duc de Choiseul flat. Our neighbourhood breathes the arts, theatre and music.
The Feydeau, however, did not have the chance to endure. Outshone by more modern venues and weakened financially, it closed its doors in 1829 and was demolished soon after. Plain residential buildings now stand on its site: not a single plaque or façade recalls that an opera once resounded here. Only the rue des Colonnes, its former open-air vestibule, still bears witness to its vanished splendour.
Around the Bourse
A stone's throw away, the majestic Palais Brongniart marks the area — the former Paris stock exchange, which belongs to the neoclassical movement and is likewise of pure antique and Roman inspiration, a temple of finance in the 19th century and today a prestigious venue for various events such as Japan Expo or professional trade fairs such as Paris. Be careful not to confuse it with the Bourse de Commerce, located over near Châtelet: the latter is now a contemporary art museum owned by François Pinault, the luxury magnate behind Kering (Gucci, Saint Laurent…).
Lunch like a neighbourhood regular – we recommend these addresses, which fill up at midday with the area's business crowd:
- L'Incontro, on the rue des Colonnes itself, a friendly, reliable Italian favourite, part of whose terrace sits in the shade of our famous columns,
- Le Rosario, on the corner of rue Saint Marc and rue de Richelieu, a refined Spanish / Basque table, which we know changed owners in 2025 and was tastefully redecorated on that occasion, making it a pleasure even to glance at as you walk by!
- Le Préaumur, located on the place de la Bourse just before the start of the rue Réaumur, a classic French restaurant also serving pizzas, with fast, efficient service and prices that are fair for the area.
Where to stay
To explore this hidden Paris without taking the metro, nothing beats an address in the neighbourhood. The Duc de Choiseul flat, just a few streets from the Opéra-Comique and the rue des Colonnes, places families at the heart of this history-rich 2nd arrondissement — between covered passages, grand boulevards and secret side streets.