Opera Garnier in Paris: tickets, hours and what to see inside

The Palais Garnier opened on January 5, 1875. Today it is the main ballet stage in Paris, and visitors are allowed inside even without a performance.

Book your sightseeing ticket in advance: in July and August, weekend slots sell out a week ahead. We checked the schedule and prices for September 2026 and put together everything you need for a visit. Here you will find the entry procedure, directions, and the honest catches. The visit takes from forty minutes to two hours.

Ad: this article contains affiliate links, we earn a commission if you book through them, at no extra cost to you.

What the Palais Garnier is

💡 In short:

• The Palais Garnier has operated as an opera house since 1875 and stands on Place de l'Opera in the 9th arrondissement of Paris.
• A self-guided tour ticket includes the grand staircase, the Grand Foyer, the auditorium, and the library-museum.
• Book weekend slots online: getting in without a reservation in high season is nearly impossible.
• Opening hours and prices: 09/2026, check the official website.

The theater's official name today is Palais Garnier, but in everyday use it is called the Opera Garnier or the Paris Opera. The name of the architect Charles Garnier remains in the building's name.

The ballet company still performs here, while major opera productions moved to the Bastille back in 1989. If you want to see the historic auditorium specifically, get a ticket for a daytime visit.

Construction history

The theater owes its existence to Napoleon III. In 1858, the emperor was attacked at the old Theatre de Musique on Rue Le Peletier. He demanded a new building with a separate carriage ramp and a secret entrance leading directly to the imperial box.

The competition was won by the young architect Charles Garnier. The cornerstone was laid in 1861. Work stalled immediately: the ground on the square turned out to be swampy, and an underground lake was found beneath it. Draining and reinforcing the foundation took eight months.

Engineers built double walls under the building and a labyrinth of compartments and corridors. The water reservoir, which survives to this day, later came to life in Gaston Leroux's novel. If engineering interests you, take a look at the foundation: this is the layer that saved the theater from water.

The Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871 and the Paris Commune interrupted construction. The budget was cut, and work froze for almost a year. Construction resumed after stabilization, and the theater opened on January 5, 1875. The total cost rose to 36 million francs (as of 09/2026, Wikipedia).

Secrets and legends of the Opera

In 1910, Gaston Leroux's novel "The Phantom of the Opera" was published. The writer drew on rumors about the underground reservoir and a shadow seen in the corridors.

Leroux's version goes like this: an ugly but talented wandering musician secretly lived in the theater's basements and helped Garnier with engineering solutions. He fell in love with a chorus girl, wore a mask and a cloak, and when the girl left, he walled himself up in one of the niches. There are no documents that would confirm this biography. Erik remains a literary character (as of 09/2026, Wikipedia).

If someone tells you that Erik actually existed, ask for documents. There are none in the theater archive or in city collections.

A real incident happened on May 20, 1896, at a premiere. A counterweight cable snapped, and a seven-hundred-kilogram weight crashed through the ceiling. One person died, and several audience members were injured. This scene was later carried over into the novel and the musical.

Skeptics point out: the underground reservoir was built as a firefighting water supply for the stage, not as an entrance to the afterlife. The ghost story is presented on the tour as an urban legend, and that is more honest than any mystical retelling.

The theater building: what to see

Inside, the Palais Garnier looks more lavish than outside. The facade is decorated with allegorical groups "Drama," "Music," "Dance," and "Poetry," and Apollo with a golden lyre stands on the dome. The decoration uses dozens of types of marble, bronze, onyx, stucco, and gold leaf.

© Peter Rivera · CC BYPhoto: Peter Rivera, CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), Wikimedia Commons

The building is easiest to tour in a loop: staircase, library-museum, foyer, auditorium. Below we go through each room separately so you don't miss the highlights.

Grand staircase

© FR · CC BY-SAPhoto: FR, CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0), Wikimedia Commons

The grand staircase connects the vestibules, foyers, and the auditorium. Two flights of polished white marble rise above an onyx balustrade with oriental ornamentation. The steps are framed with red and green stone.

Tall floor lamps stand at the bottom: bronze female figures hold bouquets of light beams. The ceiling is painted with patterns in the antique style. In the morning there are almost no people here, and the staircase is easy to photograph without a crowd.

Library-museum

The library-museum occupies the round hall of the former Imperial Rotunda in the western part of the building. It is one of the oldest theater collections in the world: the archive began to be assembled for the theater's needs back in Garnier's time.

Today five rooms display costumes, set pieces, sketches, posters, and programs. A separate exhibition is dedicated to the history of French opera and ballet, which predates the theater itself. Admission is included in the regular ticket, no extra payment needed.

Grand Foyer

© Miguel Hermoso Cuesta · CC BY-SAPhoto: Miguel Hermoso Cuesta, CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0), Wikimedia Commons

The Grand Foyer stretches nearly sixty meters at a height of six stories. The public strolled here during intermissions, and that is what the hall was designed for. Mirrors, huge windows, and crystal chandeliers visually expand the space.

The ceiling was painted by Paul Baudry: allegories of Comedy and Tragedy, mosaics, frescoes with children and dancers. The main decorative motif, the lyre, is repeated even on door handles. A bust of Charles Garnier stands in the center.

Nearby you will find the Moon Foyer with a black firmament, a yellow moon, and figures of bats. Behind the stage is the Dance Foyer with portraits of ballerinas from past centuries.

Auditorium and Chagall's ceiling

© Yann Caradec from Paris, France · CC BY-SAPhoto: Yann Caradec from Paris, France, CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0), Wikimedia Commons

The auditorium is built in a semicircle, with five tiers and 1,979 seats (as of 09/2026, Wikipedia). The seats are upholstered in red velvet, and the curtain is decorated with gold tassels and a pelmet.

A crystal chandelier with 340 lights hangs above the hall, and its weight is close to eight tons. Marc Chagall painted the ceiling in 1964 in five color segments, each with its own theme. The scenes include fragments of operas, ballet, the Eiffel Tower, and the Arc de Triomphe (as of 09/2026, Wikipedia).

Chagall's ceiling was not accepted right away: some Parisians felt the bright colors clashed with the Baroque hall. Today it is one of the main reasons to buy a ticket even without a performance.

Palais Garnier in numbers

Below are the building's key parameters, which will be useful before your visit. The figures are checked against an open encyclopedia reference (as of 09/2026, Wikipedia).

The official address: Place de l'Opéra, 75009 Paris. The nearest metro stations and bus lines are listed below, in the section on getting there.

Monument to Diaghilev

In front of the facade stands a monument to Sergei Diaghilev, the organizer of the Ballets Russes tours. The international competition for the best design was won by sculptor Viktor Mitroshin: the impresario stands in a top hat, with a cane in his hand.

© Andrew H · CC BYPhoto: Andrew H, CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), Wikimedia Commons

Diaghilev brought to Paris a company that filled halls for almost twenty years. Vaslav Nijinsky, Anna Pavlova, Mathilde Kschessinska, and Tamara Karsavina worked with it. The music was written by Igor Stravinsky, Maurice Ravel, Sergei Prokofiev, and Claude Debussy.

The sets and costumes were made by Léon Bakst, Alexandre Benois, Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, and Coco Chanel. The success was so great that a fashion for everything Russian emerged in Paris.

If you are waiting for companions, stand by the monument: it is a prominent landmark, and the square is fully visible from there.

Tickets and opening hours

The theater is open to visitors almost every day, but the schedule changes due to rehearsals and set installation. We check the opening hours and available time slots on the official website (as of 09/2026, visits page). Tickets for self-guided visits are also sold there.

The ticket includes the grand staircase, the Grand Foyer, the auditorium (if there is no rehearsal), the Sun and Moon salons, and the library-museum. The adult price stays in the average double-digit range, children get a reduced rate. Confirm the exact price and discounts at the time of purchase: rates are updated every season.

There is also a guided option: the tour lasts about an hour and a half and goes backstage. Book Opéra Garnier tours on GetYourGuide in advance, groups are kept small.

Keep in mind: on performance days, the building may close for visits earlier than usual. Check the calendar the day before your trip so you don't arrive for nothing.

How to get to the Opera

The theater's address: Place de l'Opéra, 75009 Paris. The easiest way to get there is by metro. The Opéra station connects lines 3, 7, and 8, and the exit leads directly to the facade.

From Charles de Gaulle Airport, the RER B train to Gare du Nord is convenient, then transfer to the metro to Opéra. The trip takes about an hour.

The RER A train stops at Auber station, a five-minute walk from the theater. This way you avoid transfers in the center.

Buses 20, 21, 22, 27, 29, 42, 52, 66, 68, 81, and 95 stop nearby (as of 09/2026, Wikipedia). Taxis drop off at the square, but parking in the neighborhood is difficult, so take the metro.

For an evening performance, arrive thirty minutes early: there is a security check at the entrance, and the line moves slowly.

Opéra Garnier on the map

The map below shows the exact location of the theater and the nearest metro exits. Zoom in to plan a route from your hotel.

⁉️🤔 Frequently asked questions

How much does a ticket to the Opéra Garnier cost?

The exact price is listed on the theater's official website and depends on the season and the visitor's age. For an adult, the ticket stays in the average double-digit range, children get a reduced rate. The audio guide is paid separately (as of 09/2026, Opera website).

How long does the visit take?

A relaxed route through the staircase, foyer, auditorium, and library-museum takes from one and a half to two hours. If you're in a hurry, you can do it in forty minutes, but you'll skip the salons and the exhibition. Take a morning slot: before noon there are few groups in the halls.

Where is the Chagall ceiling?

The Chagall ceiling hangs above the auditorium, above the crystal chandelier with 340 lights. Marc Chagall painted it in 1964 in five color segments, each devoted to its own theme. During the day, the details are easier to see than from the orchestra seats during a performance.

Can you visit the library-museum?

Yes, the library-museum is included in the regular self-guided visit ticket. It occupies five rooms of the former Imperial Rotunda in the western part of the building. It displays costumes, sketches, posters, and old photographs from the theater's archives.

How do you get from Gare du Nord station?

From Gare du Nord to the Opera, the metro takes one transfer and the trip takes no more than half an hour.

In short: what to book

The main thing at the Opéra Garnier is still the architecture: the marble, gold, and Chagall ceiling look more striking than any description. A daytime visit covers almost everything, and a performance adds the evening illumination of the facade.

• If it's your first time in Paris: get a self-guided tour ticket and arrive at opening time.
• If you want to see the auditorium and backstage areas: choose a guided tour on GetYourGuide.
• If you're attending a performance: don't buy a separate tour ticket, you'll see the auditorium from your seat.
• If you're with kids: a morning slot and an audio guide will make the visit shorter.

Time slots and tickets are sold on the official Palais Garnier website, where you can also see available times for your date.