Ruelle des Chats – Cat’s Alley

You’re now walking through the most famous alleyway in the city—so narrow that cats could leap from one rooftop to another without ever touching the ground. Look down and you’ll spot the original 13th-century cobblestones, complete with a central gutter that once carried wastewater. In those days, the more privileged you were, the farther you walked from that gutter to stay clean—and that’s actually where the French expression tenir le haut du pavé comes from, meaning to walk on the higher, cleaner part of the street. Originally named Rue Maillard, the alley took on the name Cats’ Street in 1783. A few years later, it gained quite the scandalous reputation and was considered so libertine that two iron gates were added at each end, closing the street off entirely at night by official decree. If you look closely, you can still see traces of the old city lighting system. Around 1530, during the height of the Champagne fairs, Troyes began lighting its streets using lanterns filled with tallow candles—an impressively early move, especially considering Paris didn’t have permanent street lighting until around 1660. In the 1960s, this alley was nearly destroyed, but was saved thanks to the Malraux law protecting historic sites. That’s also when it officially became known as an “alleyway.” Today, it’s beautifully enhanced by the Clos Juvénal, just to your left—a peaceful garden where three charming half-timbered houses were rebuilt from scratch using old postcards and archival photos. This little passageway is packed with history and hidden details. Have you spotted the carved cat’s head on one of the timber beams?