Opera Garnier in Paris (France) is the thirteenth theater that hosts the French opera since King Louis XIV founded it in the late 1660s. The magnificent theater was built by order of Napoleon III as part of the great Parisian reconstruction project and was named after architect Charles Garnier.
The palace was opened on January 5, 1875, it took fifteen years to complete, and today it is known under various names, such as the Paris National Opera, Garnier Palace and Garnier Opera House. Currently, one of its main directions is ballet performances, since most of the operas are performed in the new Paris Opera House of the Bastille.
Historic Landmarks of a World Heritage Site
A true masterpiece of the Second French Empire and the Parisian Osman, Opera Garnier in Paris was commissioned by Emperor Napoleon III, who tried to satisfy the demands of high society for a great and vibrant theater. Napoleon after the attack in the old cramped street theater Le Pelletier decided that the time had come for a new theater that would not only be safer, but would also strengthen France's international authority, showing it to the whole world.
Before construction, a competition was held. To everyone’s surprise, the young and unknown Charles Garnier won it, despite the fact that such well-known modern architects as Fleury, the architect of Paris, and Viollet-le-Duc, the empress's favorite, took part in it. The construction of the Opera Garnier in Paris (France) began in 1860 and lasted 15 years.
When developing this monumental masterpiece, Charles Garnier drew his inspiration from the best achievements of the architecture of the past, and at the same time, the Palace was different from everything that existed in the world at that time. The stunning facade reflects the wide range of materials used, causing a sense of surprise. He markedly distinguished the building from the dull, typically gray monochrome city monuments. When entering inside, it is difficult to understand exactly what the main artistic plan is, there is a place for everything: bas-reliefs, candelabra, statues, numerous baroque ornaments, columns, and, of course, luxurious mineral ornaments.
Honey Roof. It is widely known that on the roof of the palace, bees collect honey. More than 300 kg of honey is produced annually; it can be bought at the outlet gift shop.
The history of the Opera Garnier in Paris is riddled with various legends. Few tourists know that there is a hidden artificial lake under the building. During the construction of the foundation, Charles Garnier faced a swampy and unstable area, in order to solve this problem, a special “reservoir” was created, filled with water, providing impermeability and stability, which could be used as a fire tank.
There is a legend associated with this pond about the famous opera ghost. It says that the young man lived for many years near the lake, eating only fish, which can be found there to this day. After his death, he began to appear in the palace in the form of a ghost. According to this legend, Gaston Leroux in 1909 wrote his famous novel “The Phantom of the Opera”.
Little-known facts about the Paris Opera
1681, The Opera Ballet first opened its doors to female dancers.
1847, Giuseppe Verdi wrote his first grandiose opera Sisal for the Royal Academy of Music. Verdi always had an ambiguous relationship with the Paris Opera, he never refused orders, but constantly complained about the requirements for what he called the “La Grande boutique”.
On January 14, 1858, when Napoleon III arrived at the Opera on his carriage, Italian anarchists employed by Felice Orsini dropped bombs on the crowd. The emperor and his wife miraculously escaped, but as a result of the explosion, eight people died and nearly five hundred were injured. The next day, the emperor decided to build a new opera house.
October 28-29, 1873 Salle Le Peletier burned out due to a fire that raged for more than twenty-four hours, its causes are still unknown. The opera was forced to relocate to Salle Ventadour until the new Opera Garnier in Paris was repaired.
1982, believing that the scale of the Palace was insufficient, President Francois Mitterrand decided to build a new modern opera house in Paris. A competition was organized in which 1,700 architects took part, presenting a total of 756 projects.
On July 13, 1989, the Grand Opening of the Opera of the Bastille took place as part of the celebration of the bicentennial of the French Revolution.
1990, The Bastille Palace and Opera combine into the Paris Opera. The first opera performance in the new building took place in March - “The Trojans” by Hector Berlioz staged by Luigi Pizzi, directed by the music director of the Paris Opera Men-Woon Chung. The first season of the Opera Bastille began in September of that year.
1994, Opera Garnier in Paris received National status. The change of name testified to his intention to expand the scope beyond the capital.
The architectural features of the Palace
After reconstruction in 2000, the historic facade of the Opera House looks as impressive as it did in the 19th century, with its original rich colors and golden statues. One of the most famous features of the palace is the main staircase, which was built of marble of different colors, and at the foot there are two bronze statues.
The main staircase is an impressive 30 meters and leads to the lobby, to various levels of the audience and the Rotonde de l'Empereur in the western pavilion, where the library and museum of the Musee de l'Opera are located. The empire fell, and Napoleon died before the Garnier Palace was completed, so the Rotunda was never finished, and you can still see the covered stone blocks, as they were in the 1870s.
The large and beautifully decorated foyer provides a place to relax during breaks between performances, while the Avant foyer is decorated with delightful mosaics in rich colors on a gold background and offers a magnificent view of the Great Staircase. Charles Garnier wanted the Big Foyer to resemble a gallery of a classical castle with its enormous dimensions of 18 m high and 54 x 13 m. The bust of Charles Garnier, made by the sculptor Carpo, stands in the center of the room near one of the windows, which offers a view down Avenue. towards the Louvre Museum.
Salon du Glacier is located at the end of the bar gallery with its light and airy rotunda, with a ceiling decorated with paintings by the artist Georges Jules-Victor Clarein, as well as tapestries illustrating various drinks - tea, coffee and champagne, as well as fishing and hunting episodes.
A large hall of impressive dimensions: height - 20 m, depth - 32 m, width - 31 m, it is decorated in the shape of a horseshoe in red and bronze colors, with more than 1900 velvet seats, and is illuminated by an extremely large crystal chandelier, weighing 8 tons. It placed under the ceiling decorated by Marc Chagall. The work was completed in 1964 by order of the Ministry of Culture.
In 2011, a modern-style restaurant was built on the territory of the opera, which, although it was placed behind the glass between the columns, many consider it to be a destroyer of the original architecture of the monument.
Quick route to l'Opéra
Opéra Garnier is located on the Place l'Opéra in Paris, which is the symbol of the Second French Empire. Baron Osman designed the square to demonstrate a breathtaking view of the magnificent opera house. It is located in the 9th arrondissement at the corner of Scribe and Rue Auber.
Before you get inside the Opera Garnier in Paris, you can use public or private transport. If you travel around Paris by metro, you need to get off at Opera stop on lines 3, 7 and 8. You can use the bus with numbers 20, 27, 29, 42, 53, 66, 81 or 95. For owners of their own cars on Place Vendome there is parking lot, but it is a bit further from the building.
Visit to the opera Palais Garnier
Opera Garnier in Paris is a fully functioning theater for opera performances, ballet and other types of shows, for example, intended for children. You can book tickets online on the official website. In addition, there are travel companies in Paris that offer special visiting packages.
There are special programs for wheelchair users. In order to use them, you must contact the public relations service two weeks before the presentation to reserve a place. The service includes individual access through a special elevator and equipped front seats.
The theater holds performances for people with hearing impairments through a special headset in real time. The service is currently only available in French and must also be ordered in advance. Ticket prices range from 15 euros to 150 euros per seat, it all depends on the review and location.
Tours at the Palais Garnier
In Paris, you can visit the Garnier Palace and admire its beauty, without even participating in viewing productions. This can be done both with the guide and individually. Favorite objects of city guests are also the Opera Museum or the Paris National Opera Library. In it you can learn more about the history of the building, see models of old stage decorations, costumes, and historical photos of the Opera Garnier Paris.
On ordinary days, the visiting time is from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., but from mid-July to the end of August they are extended to 18-00. However, there are days when visits are closed, for example, during French national holidays or when a special event is organized.
The regular price of a single ticket is 11 euros, for persons under the age of 25 years, a preferential rate of 6 euros is applicable, and children under 10 years can go for free. It is advantageous to keep the entrance ticket, because within one week after buying it you can get a ticket at a reduced rate for visiting the Gustave Moreau Museum and Musee d'Orsay.
Tours at the Paris National Opera are held in French or English, their duration is 90 minutes, which includes a general visit to the theater with a presentation of the history of the Palais Garnier and its architecture. In other languages, excursions are held on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, and during the school holidays and at the height of summer, they are held every day. The usual entrance fee, including a tour, is 13.50 euros, at reduced rates for children over 10 years old and students - 6.50 euros, but reservations for groups are made in advance.
Guided tour
For an independent visit to the Palais Garnier, it is recommended to go on an excursion with an audio guide. It will help you learn more about the building, with stories, documents and lesser-known secrets. The audio guide features features that will give you the most out of your Palais Garnier tour.
A few things you need to know before you go on an audio tour with a guide:
- An audio guide device costs an additional 5 euros, in addition to the entry fee, but much cheaper than an excursion.
- An audio guide tour takes place within 1 hour.
- First you need to make sure that there is 5-7 euros in cash for the audio guide, since the meter only accepts cash.
- You must leave an official identification card with a photo as a guarantee when buying a headset.
- The audio guide is multilingual and available in many languages.
Everything you need to know about visiting the Garnier Palace
The palace is open all days of the week:
- from September 10 to July 15 - from 10:00 to 16:30;
- from July 15 to September 10 - from 10:00 to 17:30;
- The palace remains closed on January 1 and May 1.
The cash desk closes 30 minutes before the end of the specified hour.
What to see in the palace
They begin to explore the palace from the exterior, it is recommended to go around the whole structure, having examined all the elements from a close distance. Every inch of the building is a work of art, especially the facade. To get a good overview of it, first visit the front steps, and then go further along the avenue de L'Oper. The top of the main facade is decorated with golden statues symbolizing harmony and poetry.
The grand staircase of the Opera Garnier in Paris is a real world “catwalk”, on which couples demonstrate not only the latest fashion, but also their condition. It has always been this way, both in former times and today. Upstairs there is enough room to chat, without losing sight of who is climbing the stairs and what is on them.
There are many interesting details in the design of the auditorium, but the main highlight is the famous Chagall ceiling and an 8-ton chandelier mounted on it. Chagall's masterpiece was painted only in 1965, replacing several other murals.
Without a doubt, the highlight of the visit to the Opera Garnier is the Grand Foyer. This huge hall 18 meters high, 154 long and 13 meters wide was originally intended for relaxation, communication and important business meetings, specially located outside the highest paid places.
Immediately after it, you can breathe in the fresh Parisian air and enjoy the beautiful view from the balcony. One can imagine how the opera audience felt while sipping champagne here when the whole city was watching them from below. In the immediate vicinity of the Great Hall there are tanning rooms, which is interesting in them - these are “mirrors of infinity”. A bright rotunda “Glacier Salon”, in which there are many paintings and sculptures that pay tribute to celebrities, is also recommended for compulsory inspection.
Reviews about Opera Garnier in Paris
After a decision has been made to visit the Paris Opera, it is better to listen to tips reflecting various aspects, such as when to arrive, what to wear and expect in order to get the most out of your visit to this beautiful and historic place.
Once your tickets are booked, follow these tips:
- It should be borne in mind that almost all performances are performed in the original language, so very few performances will be in English and French, but mainly in Italian, but with French subtitles. Some performances have subtitles in English, which will be indicated additionally in the information on the website. If these languages ​​are not acceptable for perception, it is better to think about choosing a ballet where the language is not so important.
- Before visiting, they get acquainted with the information: “More about the performance” on the special web page of the Paris Opera to learn about the composer and performers, the history of the performance and watch its video clips.
- For people with disabilities, you should contact the theater to find out about special facilities and reserve the appropriate ticket.
- They come to the opera 30-45 minutes earlier so that you can walk around the beautiful building.
- No need to be shy to bring opera glasses or small binoculars with you. This can be very useful if the place is far from the scene.
Staging program
The production programs are not free, but they are pretty well thought out and can serve as a good souvenir; they have a full description of the Opera Garnier in Paris. As a rule, they cost about 12 euros and can be purchased in the building next to the main staircase.
Before the start of the performance, a rather loud bell rings, indicating that it is time to go to their places at the beginning of the performance or after breaks. It must be remembered that the assistants may not let the latecomers in if they feel that they will interfere with other visitors.
Before entering the hall, it is good to visit the nearest restroom, since during intermission women will have to wait a long time. After the viewer ascends the stairs, he will see signs above the entrances to the doors of the audience on each floor with a designation of seats. However, if you have trouble locating, show the ticket to your nearest assistant and he or she can help.
Sentinels to give at the Opera House in Paris Garnier is not accepted and prohibited in public institutions such as the Palais Garnier, but in private they are allowed. It is not allowed to drink, smoke or use mobile phones in the hall. For those who want a drink during the break, this can be done in a small bar, a glass of champagne costs about 12 euros. In the hall it is forbidden to take photos of the Opera Garnier Paris or video recordings during performances, the rest of the time you can.
Solemn dress code
The dress code for special occasions at the Opera is usually “black”. For men, this means a tuxedo, traditional black or navy, and for women, a cocktail or evening dress. Nevertheless, recently women come in trousers or skirts, but others perceive this without enthusiasm. People, as a rule, dress in Paris more conservatively than in Russia, you need to minimize open areas of the body, avoid bright colors and choose a hem line that falls below the knee. A simple black evening dress and black pumps are a great outfit formula to have in your arsenal.
At the performance at the Palais Garnier, dressing is somewhat simpler, there are almost no visitors in dresses and tuxedos. Even strict suits are not so common, although the viewer in this form is normally perceived in this place. For women, a dress, blouse / skirt or blouse / beautiful pants are suitable. For men, a shirt, beautiful pants and good shoes are suitable. An unacceptable style of clothing - sneakers, sneakers, tennis shoes, shorts and jeans and something like that. You need to think about shoes and hosiery, which will be needed to achieve the idyll of the dress code.
After the performance
Returning home by metro, you need to cross the road from the entrance to the Opera metro stop. The Paris metro stops at 1:15 and later on Saturdays. If you need an option for a gala dinner after an opera performance, you can visit the recently opened restaurant L'Opera, which is located in the Palais Garnier. It is open before and after most performances, and you can order online.
After visiting the Opera Garnier in Paris, according to tourists' reviews, you can visit other restaurants located within walking distance: the famous cafe La Paix (12, Boulevard of Capuchins), Grand Cafe Capucines (4, Boulevard of Capuchins), Café Drouant (18, Rue Gaillon ), La Fontaine Gaillon (1, rue Gaillon), Lucas Cardboard (9, Place de la Madeleine), New Balal (25, Rue Taitbout) and Absinthe (24, Place du Marche Saint-Honore).
Note that Paris is not Moscow, and many restaurants do not work too late. Sometimes they don’t accept reservations after 21:00 or 21:30, so it’s useful to find out when the show ends. Usually from 21:30 to 23:00, so that you can choose a restaurant and make the appropriate reservation.
Pleasant information for tourists: they can go to the Grand Opera in Paris Garnier for free on the first Sunday of every month, but you need to remember that this is the most crowded day of the month.