Tour · 6 stops · ~one evening (or one film)
Cinemas That Survived
Six historic film palaces still showing films.
Paris had over 300 cinemas in the 1930s; now around 80. These six are the ones that have kept their original interiors intact — Egyptian foyers, Art Deco palaces, Cocteau-painted bars. All still operate as working cinemas.
1Le Grand Rex
1 Boulevard Poissonnière, opened December 1932 — the largest cinema in Europe (2,800 seats), and still operating. Art Deco facade, fortress-style spire, Spanish-Mediterranean themed interior with painted starry ceiling that has its own weather (clouds drift across before the film). Classified historic monument 1981.
Worth seeing a film in the main hall (Salle Grand Rex) — the smaller side rooms are ordinary. There's a backstage tour (les coulisses du cinéma) that includes the projection booth. The starry-ceiling 'meteo' starts about 15 min before the show.
→Métro Bonne Nouvelle (lines 8/9) directly outside → Strasbourg-Saint-Denis, transfer to line 4 northbound to Château d'Eau or Gare de l'Est, then walk. Better: line 4 directly to Gare de l'Est, then bus 47 to the Louxor. Actually simplest: walk east on Bd Poissonnière → Bd de Magenta northeast, ~25 min, mostly straight.
48.87170, 2.34690
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Le Louxor
170 Boulevard de Magenta, opened 1921 — neo-Egyptian architecture inspired by Tutankhamun's then-recent discovery (the tomb was opened 1922, but Egyptomania was already in full swing). Closed 1983, abandoned for 30 years, restored and reopened 2013 with three screens. The exterior tiles are mostly original; the auditorium has the painted Egyptian frieze.
The lobby is worth seeing even without a ticket — walk in, look at the Egyptian-revival frieze and the colour-block mosaic floor. The third-floor terrace bar (open before screenings) has an unexpected view of Sacré-Cœur.
→Métro Barbès-Rochechouart (lines 2/4) → Pigalle (line 2), one stop. Walk up Rue Tholozé to no. 10 for Studio 28. ~10 min total.
48.88190, 2.35010
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Studio 28
10 Rue Tholozé, opened 1928 — the first ciné d'art-et-d'essai ("art-and-experiment cinema") in the world. Buñuel and Cocteau both consulted on the décor; the bar has Cocteau-designed light fittings and chairs. Premiered Buñuel and Dalí's L'Âge d'Or in 1930 to a riot.
The bar (open before films) is the secret — Cocteau's painted murals and original 1928 lamp shades. Have a drink in the courtyard garden behind, then sit in the velvet-seated single auditorium. Programming leans art-house and repertory; sometimes the film is in original-version English with French subtitles.
From Wikipedia›
Studio 28 was a cinema multiplex located on 28th Street in Wyoming, Michigan from 1965 to 2008. Opened by movie theater pioneer Jack Loeks, it expanded from originally having one screen to having over 20 screens, the most in the United States, and was the largest multi-screen cinema complex in the world by area. By 1996, Studio 28 had about 1.7 million annual visitors. A decline in moviegoers and competition from other cineplexes in the metro area lead to Studio 28 closing in 2008. The Loeks family's entertainment legacy continued with his other Celebration Cinema locations operating throughout Michigan following the closure of Studio 28.
Read more on Wikipedia →→Walk down Montmartre, ~15 min. Or métro Abbesses (line 12) → Saint-Germain-des-Prés (8 stops). Walk west on Rue de Rennes to no. 76 for L'Arlequin. ~25 min.
48.88550, 2.33750
4L'Arlequin
76 Rue de Rennes, opened 1934. A classic single-screen art house, with a balcony, brass fittings, and a programmer's reputation for screening films other cinemas won't touch. Saved from closure in 1992 by the comedy duo Pierre Richard and Jean-Claude Brialy, who bought it.
Programming changes weekly; the Sunday-morning ciné-club discussion screenings (in French) are a Paris institution. The balcony is the better seat. The café next door, Le Rostand, was Sartre's preferred Saint-Germain alternative to Café de Flore — mention nothing.
From Wikipedia›
The Arlequin is a cinema in Paris, noted for its spacious modernist main theatre and its former role as a showcase of Soviet film.
Read more on Wikipedia →→Walk east on Rue de Rennes, then south to Rue des Écoles. ~15 min. Or métro Saint-Sulpice (line 4) → Cluny–La Sorbonne (line 10 transfer at Odéon), then walk south. Le Champo is at 51 Rue des Écoles.
48.84790, 2.32840
5Le Champo
51 Rue des Écoles, opened 1938. A favourite of François Truffaut, who watched films here as a teenager and later credited it with his New Wave education. Two small screens, the upstairs salle Jean-Cocteau decorated with frescos. Classified historic 2000.
The upper salle (Cocteau) is a steep, narrow auditorium with vintage seating — uncomfortable but the experience. The cinema does Truffaut and Rohmer retrospectives every winter; check the program. Café Universel across the street has live jazz most evenings.
From Wikipedia›
Le Champo, in full Le Champo – Espace Jacques-Tati, is an arthouse cinema in the Latin Quarter of Paris. It is notable for being a favorite haunt of important figures in French cinema history. French director François Truffaut called it his "second university".
Read more on Wikipedia →→Métro Cluny–La Sorbonne (line 10) → Sèvres-Babylone (line 12 transfer), then south to Saint-François-Xavier or walk west. La Pagode is at 57 Rue de Babylone — easier to walk from Sèvres. ~25 min.
48.84970, 2.34710
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La Pagode
57 Rue de Babylone, built 1896 as a gift from a department-store magnate to his wife (she left him; the pagoda was sold). Converted to a cinema 1931. The actual Japanese pagoda — wood, lacquer, painted ceilings depicting battle scenes — is the auditorium. Closed 2015, currently undergoing restoration; expected reopening 2024–2026.
Currently closed; check the restoration progress. The exterior — including the Japanese garden visible from Rue Babylone — is still standing and worth seeing for the architecture alone. Listed Historic Monument 1990.
48.85280, 2.31730
About Paris
Paris maps every physical object in the city on one infinitely zoomable map. Tours are curated walks across the data — pick one and the map will draw the path, number the stops, and step you through them one by one.