Ruelle des Chats – Cat’s Alley

The Cats' Alley, in Troyes

The Cats' Alley is the most famous and picturesque medieval lane of Troyes. The Troyes audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this narrow and mysterious passage, where the roofs of the houses almost touch.

The lane where the roofs touch

The Cats' Alley is the most emblematic of the medieval lanes of Troyes. This narrow paved passage, lined with half-timbered houses, is so tight that the roofs and the corbelled floors of the residences almost touch above the passers-by, letting through only a thin ray of light. Its name is said to come from the ease with which the cats could jump from one roof to another. Plunged into an intact medieval atmosphere, the Cats' Alley is one of the most charming and photographed places of the old town.

What to see

Here you wander in the narrow paved passage lined with half-timbered houses, whose corbelled roofs almost touch, in an intact medieval atmosphere. The Cats' Alley is one of the most charming of Troyes. It is a must-see stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Cats' Alley lies in the heart of the old town of Troyes, reachable on foot. It is a public passage freely accessible; narrow and paved, it is explored on foot with caution. You discover it during a walk in the historic centre.

Where does the name of the Cats' Alley come from in Troyes?

It is said to come from the ease with which the cats could jump from one roof to another, so narrow is this medieval lane and so close are its houses.

Where is the Cats' Alley?

In the heart of the old town of Troyes, in France.