Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert
Europe's first covered shopping arcade, glass and iron, opened in 1847.
Duration
20 min – 45 min
Best time
Early morning
Open
Every day
Entry price
Free
Opened in 1847, the Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert are the first monumental covered arcade in Europe — earlier than those of Milan and Naples. They run two hundred metres under a barrel-vaulted glass roof carried on an iron frame.
They were conceived as a complete quarter, with flats above, a theatre and cafés: the Taverne du Passage and the Neuhaus chocolate shop, where the praline was invented in 1912, are original. The arcade is public and open at all hours, including at night.
Getting there
Between rue du Marché aux Herbes and rue de l'Écuyer, two minutes from the Grand-Place.
What to bring
- Dry bag
Rules on site
The arcade is always open, but the shops close early in the evening and on Sunday. The glass roof gives very contrasty light: photograph it in the morning or at night, not at midday.
