Rue Crémieux, Paris

Rue Crémieux is a one-block pedestrian street in Paris, created as workers’ housing and now known for its painted façades. Its compact terraced houses give the passage a distinctive, carefully composed appearance, with pastel fronts and occasional trompe-l’œil scenes, including lilac around an entrance and a cat pursuing birds. The development was planned in 1857, and the street took the name Rue Crémieux in 1898, honouring Adolphe Crémieux.

A more startling detail belongs to its history: during the 1910 Paris flood, water reached 1.75 metres at one house, and a commemorative plaque records that height. Since 1993, vehicles have been excluded. The street’s photogenic character has made it popular for filming, fashion shoots, and social-media images, though that attention has also troubled the residents who live behind these colourful fronts.