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Number 14 of 20 in Paris

Palais Garnier: inside the opera house of the Phantom

You do not need a ticket to a performance to see the most extravagant building in Paris. The opera house is open by day, and the staircase alone is worth the visit.

The grand staircase of the Palais Garnier, marble steps under gilded balconies and candelabra.
Dinkum, CC0
What it is
Monument
Time to allow
1 to 1.5 hours
Cost
Ticket
Best time
Late morning

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    Why the Palais Garnier is worth it

    Napoleon III ordered a new opera house in 1861 and gave the job to an unknown architect of thirty-five, Charles Garnier. It took fourteen years. By the time it opened, on 5 January 1875, the emperor was dead and the empire gone, but the building was everything he had wanted: the grandest theatre in the world, in the ornate style that took the emperor's name.

    Going to the opera was about being seen, and the building is designed around that. The grand staircase, in white marble with balustrades of red and green, is a stage for the audience. The grand foyer is 54 metres long and 18 high, gilded from floor to ceiling. The auditorium itself, with 1,979 seats in red velvet, is almost modest by comparison.

    And then there is the Phantom. In 1896 a counterweight of the seven-ton chandelier fell into the audience. Under the stage there really is a tank of water, built to steady the foundations. Gaston Leroux put both into his novel in 1910.

    What to see

    1. The grand staircase

      A double flight of white marble under a painted vault, lit by bronze figures holding candelabra. Walk it slowly, as it was meant to be walked.

    2. The grand foyer

      A gallery of mirrors, chandeliers and gold leaf, with a painted ceiling on the history of music. From its balcony you look down the avenue de l'Opéra to the Louvre.

    3. Chagall's ceiling

      In 1964 Marc Chagall painted a new ceiling for the auditorium, in bright blues, reds and yellows, with scenes from the operas of fourteen composers. It hangs over the original.

    4. The auditorium

      Red velvet and gold in a horseshoe, under the great chandelier. It is closed to visitors when there is a rehearsal, so the morning is the safer time.

    5. The library-museum

      Models of stage sets, costumes and paintings from three centuries of the Paris Opera.

    How to do it well

    • Visit in the late morning. The auditorium is often closed in the afternoon for rehearsals, and it is the one room you cannot see any other way.
    • A self-guided visit takes about an hour. A guided tour adds the stories, and some include rooms that are otherwise closed.
    • The best way to see the building is still to see a performance. The company that performs here is mainly the ballet.
    • The visitors' entrance is on the left side of the building, on the rue Scribe, not up the front steps.
    • The roof terrace of the Galeries Lafayette, two minutes behind the opera house, is free and looks straight at its green dome.

    Where it is

    Address

    Place de l'Opéra, 9th arrondissement

    Nearest station

    Opéra, on lines 3, 7 and 8

    Museums and sights nearby

    Distances are in a straight line.

    Tickets and tours: Palais Garnier

    Palais Garnier: common questions

    Can you visit the Palais Garnier without seeing a show?
    Yes. The opera house is open to visitors by day, with a ticket, either on your own or with a guide.
    Is The Phantom of the Opera based on the Palais Garnier?
    Yes. Gaston Leroux set his novel in this building and drew on real things in it: the fall of a chandelier counterweight in 1896, and the water tank under the stage, which became the Phantom's lake.
    Who painted the ceiling of the Opéra Garnier?
    Marc Chagall, in 1964. His ceiling shows scenes from the operas of fourteen composers and was installed over the original painting.
    How much time do you need for the Palais Garnier?
    Allow 1 to 1.5 hours. That is this site's estimate for an unhurried visit.

    What visitors say about the Palais Garnier

    Rating from Google

    4.7

    61,367 ratings on Google

    Google's figures as read on 4 October 2026.

    Read every review on Google

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