Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
other line (that you can't skip) at the entrance to the stairway up the arch. Lines disappear
after 17:00—come for sunset.
▲
Opéra Garnier
This gleaming grand theater of the belle époque was built for Napoleon III and finished
in 1875. For the best exterior view, stand in front of the Opéra Métro stop. (To better un-
derstand what you're seeing, read the “Baron Georges-Eugène Haussmann” sidebar, later
in this section.) From Avenue de l'Opéra, once lined with Paris' most fashionable haunts,
thefacade suggests“all powertothewealthy.”Andashimmering Apollo,holdinghislyre
high above the building, seems to declare, “This is a temple of the highest arts.”
But the elitism of this place prompted former President François Mitterrand to have
an opera house built for the people in the 1980s, situated symbolically on Place de la
Bastille, where the French Revolution started in 1789. This left the Opéra Garnier home
only to ballet and occasional concerts.
Cost and Hours:
€9, not covered by Museum Pass, erratic hours due to perform-
ances and rehearsals, generally daily 10:00-16:30, mid-July-Aug until 18:00, last entry 30
minutes before closing, 8 Rue Scribe, Mo: Opéra, RER: Auber.
Tours:
English tours of the building run during summer and off-season on weekends
andWed,usuallyat11:30and14:30—calltoconfirmschedule(€13.50,includesentry,1.5
hours, tel. 01 40 01 17 89 or 08 25 05 44 05).
Visiting the Theater:
You'll enter around the left side of the building—as you face
thefront,findtheredcarpetonRueScribe.Asyoupassthebustofthearchitect,Monsieur
Garnier, pay your respects and check out the bronze floor plan of the complex etched be-
low. Notice how little space is given to seating.
The building is huge—though the auditorium itself seats only 2,000. The building's
massive foundations straddle an underground lake (inspiring the mysterious world of the
Phantom of the Opera
). The real show was before and after the performance, when the
elite of Paris—out to see and be seen—strutted their elegant stuff in the extravagant lob-
bies. Think of the grand marble stairway as a theater. Is it just me, or does the upstairs
foyer feel like it belongs at Versailles? As you wander the halls and gawk at the decor,
imagine this place in its heyday, filled with beautiful people sharing gossip at the Salon du
Glacier.
From the uppermost floor open to the public, visitors can peek from two boxes into
the actual red-velvet performance hall. Admire Marc Chagall's colorful ceiling (1964)
playfully dancing around the eight-ton chandelier (guided tours take you into the perform-
ance hall; you can't enter when they're changing out the stage). Note the box seats next to
the stage—the most expensive in the house, with an obstructed view of the stage...but just
