Visiting the Opera House in Paris: Palais Garnier

What’s it like to visit the opera house in Paris? Is it worth a visit?

I took a tour inside the stunning opera house in Paris and it was a truly unique experience; definitely worth a visit.

It’s one of the most beautiful buildings in a city that’s full of beautiful buildings.

You can take a tour of this magnificent building yourself. I’ll describe the tour options and what to expect in this guide.

Tickets to the opera house in Paris

To visit the opera house, you can take a private guided tour with a guide who will take you through the building, tell you about the history, and focus on what interests you the most. This option also gives you a skip-the-line entry.

You can also visit the opera house by getting an entry ticket and designing your own self-guided tour.

You can book an entry ticket to the opera house in combination with other famous attractions in Paris.

These packages can save you money, compared to booking each attraction separately.

Another option is to take public guided tour of Opera Garnier. These tours take place several times a day. You can buy your ticket at the opera house itself.

Another great way to see the opera house interior is by buying a ticket to a performance.

A tour of the Palais Garnier opera house in Paris

The interior of the Opera Garnier is outstanding in every way. Read on for my impressions of the tour and what to expect when you visit Palais Garnier.

The grand staircase

The Grand Escalier was designed to astonish, and it does.

It is a massive construction made of marble and decorated in gold.

Charles Garnier, the architect who designed the building and gave it its name, said “The opera is the staircase”.

Back in the 19th century, it was the place to “make an entrance” in your most elegant attire; these days it’s the place to take endless selfies.

The grand foyer

The most luxurious room in this superbly lavish building, the Grand Foyer, has the richest and most flamboyant decorations

I loved the ceiling fresco depicting the history of music, the gold decorations, the chandeliers and the sense of how unashamedly opulent and hedonistic this place is.

It felt a lot like stepping into a Royal palace and some consider this room comparable to the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles.

Similarly to the Grand Staircase, it was the place to see and be seen, used mostly during intermissions and at the end of performances.

If you like, you can step outside from this room directly onto the balcony for some views of the city, though you just might find that everything is a bit underwhelming after spending time in the Grand Foyer…

The salons

Palais Garnier Paris Opera House - Salons

The Salon du Soleil (Sun Salon) and the Salon de la Lune (Moon Salon) are the two rooms at each end of the Grand Foyer.

Their decor may be slightly more modest, compared to other parts of the building, but they are still very impressive.

The Sun Salon has warm colours and was intended to serve as a smoking room; the Moon Salon is designed in darker tones and was meant to be the room where visitors would have their sorbet.

However, the decorator confused the two themes and so the rooms’ intended uses were reversed.

Luckily for us, we can still enjoy the elegant beauty of these rooms today regardless of that historic mix-up.

The auditorium

The auditorium has all the red velvet and gold leaf you might expect to see at an opera house, but its ceiling holds a unique surprise.

If you take a self-guided tour, you won’t be able to access the auditorium itself, but you can see it through the boxes on the second level.

When you look up you’ll see the massive chandelier and the painted ceiling.

The style of this painted ceiling may look a bit out of place, a little too modern for this kind of building.

It is indeed a controversial ceiling, created by Marc Chagall in his signature, dreamy style.

The main themes of this mural are music, dancing and love, and it also includes some well-known Parisian landmarks.

The Paris opera house exterior

Viewing the Palais Garnier from the outside, you’ll appreciate the artistry, creativity and careful design of this imposing building.

Architect Charles Garnier won a competition to design this building and it was built between 1861 and 1875.

The style is eclectic, with arches supported by columns. These are decorated with statues. Some represent various arts, such as music, dance, theatre, architecture, painting and sculpture. Others are statues of great composers, including Mozart, Beethoven and Rossini.

The two golden statues at the top of the facade are Harmony and Poetry and in the centre, you’ll see a statue of Apollo with a lyre.

How to get to the opera house in Paris

Note there are two opera houses in Paris: the older one is Palais Garnier and the newer one is the Bastille Opera. This is a guide on how to visit the gorgeous Palais Garnier opera house.

The Palais Garnier is located on the Place de l’Opéra, at the intersection of the rue de la Paix and the rue Auber.

To get there by public transport, use the metro, buses or the RER train:

Metro: Lines 3, 7 and 8 to Opéra station.
RER train: Line A to Auber station.
Bus lines: 20, 21, 27, 29, 32, 45, 52, 66, 68, 95.

You can also walk to the opera house from the Louvre along the Avenue de l’Opéra.

If you prefer to stay close to the opera house, the InterContinental Paris Hotel is just across the street.

Opera Garnier entry ticket availability and time slots

Opera Garnier virtual tour

Other beautiful music halls

Tour the stunning Budapest opera
See the interior of this unmissable Barcelona concert hall
Fund out all about Vienna classical music

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