Les Halles at a glance (October 2026)
| Place | Hours | Entry / access |
|---|---|---|
| Forum des Halles (shopping center) | Mon-Sat 10am-8:30pm, Sun 10am-8pm | Free; 101 Porte Berger |
| Châtelet-Les Halles station | Metro 1, 4, 7, 11, 14; RER A, B, D | "Les Halles" exit (line 4) leads straight into the Forum |
| Saint-Eustache church | Mon-Fri 7:45am-7:30pm, Sat-Sun 10am-7:45pm | Free; 146 rue Rambuteau |
| Bourse de Commerce | 11am-7pm, closed Tuesday | €15, €10 (ages 18-26) |
| Nelson-Mandela garden | 24 hours | Free; 32 rue Berger |
| Rue Montorgueil | Shops by day, café terraces at night | Free, mostly pedestrian |
Looking for the shopping center's hours, the lines at Châtelet-Les Halles station or the cinema? It's all in our page Forum des Halles: hours, Canopée and Châtelet station. This guide covers the neighborhood around it.
A bit of history: from the "Belly of Paris" to the Canopée
Paris's central market settled at Les Halles in the Middle Ages and remained there until the 20th century. In the 19th century, architect Victor Baltard built the great iron and glass pavilions that shaped the image of the neighborhood; Émile Zola drew on them for his novel The Belly of Paris. In 1969, the wholesale market moved to Rungis, south of Paris, and the pavilions were demolished from 1971. The Forum des Halles then opened underground, above an RER station, and the site was redeveloped from the 2010s onward: the garden was redone and the Canopée, a huge glass and metal roof, has covered the Forum since 2016.
The walk, step by step
- Saint-Eustache: start with the church, entrance at 146 rue Rambuteau, then walk around the forecourt to the sculpture L'Écoute.
- The Bourse de Commerce (2 rue de Viarmes, 75001 Paris): west of the garden, the rotunda is easy to spot from afar. See our Bourse de Commerce page for the visit.
- The Nelson-Mandela garden: cross it to the Canopée, then join rue Rambuteau to the north of the garden.
- Rue Montorgueil: walk north from rue Rambuteau to rue Réaumur, stopping at the shops along the way.
- Optional extension: to the east, the Centre Pompidou is about ten minutes on foot; to the southwest, so is the Louvre.
| Stop | Address | Hours (October 2026) | Admission |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saint-Eustache church | 146 rue Rambuteau, 75001 | Mon-Fri 7:45am-7:30pm, Sat-Sun 10am-7:45pm | Free |
| Bourse de Commerce | 2 rue de Viarmes, 75001 | 11am-7pm, closed Tuesdays | €15, €10 (ages 18-26) |
| Nelson-Mandela garden | 32 rue Berger, 75001 | 24/7 in October 2026 | Free |
Hours and prices as of October 2026.
Where to eat in Les Halles and on rue Montorgueil
- Stohrer (51 rue Montorgueil, 75002): founded in 1730 by Nicolas Stohrer, former pastry chef to Queen Marie Leszczyńska, it is the oldest pastry shop in Paris and the house that claims to have invented the baba au rhum.
- Au Pied de Cochon (6 rue Coquillière, 75001): a historic brasserie from the market era, next to Saint-Eustache, known for its pork dishes and onion soup, served until late at night.
- Rue Montorgueil: café terraces, delis and bakeries line the street; it's the right place for a quick lunch or an aperitif.
- In the Forum: fast food on the lower levels and brasseries at Canopée level, generally from 11am to 11pm.
Going further
For shopping, the center's hours and connections, see the Forum des Halles page. The neighborhood pairs well with the Marais, to the east, and with Paris at night if you stay for dinner.
