Opéra de Paris Garnier

By Arnie Greenberg Address:

 

 Place Garnier- Place de l’Opéra, 75009

 

                  Tel: 40 01 22 63   Fax: 40 01 25 40

 

 

Hours: 10:00 a.m.--4:30 p.m. daily (Closed May 1st.

 

             Guided tours: 12:45– 4:30 p.m.

 

                    For information call 40 01 19……

 

 

Cost: Free visit 4.6 Euros

 

              More for a guided tour

 

 

Minimum Time to Allow:

 

 

 

The Garnier is a wonderful building, easy to walk around and a neoclassical wonder. I would see it slowly. The main staircase is beyond compare, and the view of the actual theatre, with its Chagall ceiling, is wonderful. A few minutes in an empty box offers one a chance to see the main theatre without the crowds. I would reserve at least an hour to see it all.

 

 

Getting there:

 

Any bus or metro going to Place de l’Opéra will get you there.  

 

Bus No: 20,21,22,27,29,31,39,42,52,53,66,68,81,95

 

Metro: OPERA

 

You can walk up Ave de l’Opéra from the Louvre or the rue Rivoli. The ornate building faces you as you go up the street.

 

Parking:  Place Vendôme

 

 

Disability/Handicapped

 

 

 Special seating and provision can be made if required by reserving 15 days before a performance. Tel: Public Relations or look at their web site at www.opera-de-paris.fr

 

 

Offered:

 

Special youth rates (under 28 yrs). Theme rates and 10% reductions for certain specials. (Consult web)

 

 

Statuary:

 

On the outside front wall above the seven archways are busts of great composers, while on the roof are gold (by Gurnery) and copper green statues. In keeping with the Opéra’s ornate style, the lampposts are shaped like women holding the lamps.

 

 

Inside there are countless plaques, paintings and more ornate statues. In the main auditorium there is a six-ton crystal chandelier, surrounded on the ceiling by a colorful painting by Marc Chagall that was added in 1964.

 

 

Toilets:

 

Plentiful and on most levels. Ushers will point them out.

 

 

Bar and snacks:

 

These are available in the lobby. They are open one and a half hours before show time.

 

 

Caution:

 

Allow time to arrive before the performance starts and check your tickets for curtain time, as different performances start at different times.

 

         Box offices open 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.

 

         Smoking is not permitted in all areas.

 

         Turn off cell phones in the auditorium.

 

 There are often last minute seats available at a substantial reduction.

 

 

Best time to go:

 

 

 Based on the production, but most ballet companies featured here are first class. Call ahead or Email for ticket availability and prices.

 

 

 Performances end between 10 and 11 p.m.

 

 

 

Museum:

 

 

 On the west side is the entrance to the Museum de l’Opéra at 8 rue Scribe. A visit to the museum is highly recommended. For details call 47 42 07 02.  Here you can examine manuscripts, photos, instruments, sets, books and artifacts like Nijinsky’s ballet slippers and tarot cards. The entrance was originally the Emperor’s private entrance.

 

 

Boutique:

 

 

 There is a visitor-friendly boutique to the right of the main entrance in the outer lobby with an excellent selection of memorabilia, scarves, jewelry, cards, calendars and CDs on sale.

 

 

This neoclassic building was created in the 19th century by Charles Garnier, who at 37 won a competition over 171 contestants. Baron Haussmann and Napoleon III helped get the original Opera House built.

 

 

The building covers 11,000 square meters, or 118,404 square feet. It does look like a wedding cake from the distance, but it capped the theme of flamboyance much desired at that time. Construction was halted during the Franco-Prussian Warm but the theatre--with the stage big enough for 450 artists and capable of utilizing live horses running across--was and is a marvel of design. It was finally inaugurated in 1875.

 

 

It was only in 1989, when the Bastille Opera was completed, that the Garnier became a center for dancing. Such companies as Merce Cunningham, Paul Taylor, Jerome Robins, and Alvin Ailey have been seen here. Of course, the Phantom of the Opera has made the building even better known.

 

 

 

Charles Garnier had enrolled at night in the Ecole des Beaux Arts. During the day he worked for many different architects, including Viollet-Le-Duc, who had renovated the Notre-Dame Cathedral. The opera he designed was referred to at Napoleon III style.

 

 

Nearby are such places as the fashionable Boul. des Capucines, the Madeleine and Fauchon’s, as well as Harry’s Bar and American Grill, a hangout of Ernest Hemingway, at 5 rue Daunou.

 

 

 You might want to visit the Fragonard Musée de la Perfumerie at 9, Rue Scribe, facing the museum, or the Galeries Lafayette, just behind the opera.

 

 

This  business district is filled with fashion houses, shops for those who have everything, and tourists gawking at the area’s beauty. At night it transforms itself into an area of chic dance-lovers, theatre- goers, café- seekers, and other sophisticates from the nearby 4*luxe  hotels.

 

 

The Opéra Garnier emains today much as the original. It is comfortable, inviting, and a building no visitor should miss for a tour or performance. You won’t be sorry and you may soon return. Every day is a festival of color and sound near the old Paris Opéra.