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Paris Opera House
Opera Garnier

The Paris Opera House called the Opera Garnier is one of the Paris pics. You shouldn't miss it.

Paris offers some of the best opera in the world.

You can also visit the opera during the day.

Address: place de l'Opera, 9th arrondissement.

Metro: Opera.

Opening hours: every day from 10:00am to 5:00pm

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Paris Opera Garnier

The Paris Opera was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV. The facade of the building includes busts, sculptures of composers, Greek Gods, friezes, columns...The top of the dome is semi-flattened with gold.

Go inside and admire this vast lobby with different colors of marble. Directly what you see it's this spectacular staircase.

The grand foyer is the largest room in the Opera where there are huge chandeliers.

The auditorium has 2 000 seats. Look at the ceiling painted by Marc Chagall in 1694.

hallway of the Palais Garnier

You can visit it without a guide but I will recommend a guided tour. There are so much to know about it.

Guided tours are available in English. It takes around one and half hour to do it on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday at 11:30am and at 2:30pm. It costs 12,50 €.

To get to the entrance for your visit walk to the corner of Scribe and Auber.

Opera School Dance

The Dance School of the Paris Opera House opened during the reign of Louis XIV. The original purpose of the school remained intact. The School mission is to train ballet dancers and to train professional dancers.

If your wish is to come to this school, there is an exam for entry.

There are two types of training, one of six months (January-June) and another one year (September to June). To be admitted to the course, must correspond to physical criteria (including size and weight) and technical criteria.

Address to submit your application: École de Danse de l'Opéra – Service des inscriptions 20, allée de la Danse - 92000 Nanterre.

Repetto 22 rue de la Paix Paris 2. Nice supplier of ballet shoes. Very nice collection.

Ceiling of the Opera Garnier by Marc Chagall

Program at the Opera Garnier

Orphée et Eurydice: Pina Bausch February 16, 2012.

The Merry Widow on March 2 to April 2, 2012.

Where to buy tickets for the Opera?

Better to plan ahead if you'd like to assist to one of the performances of the Paris Opera House or the Opera Bastille .

Research the information online at www.opera-de-paris.com or go to the Paris Tourist Office and ask for the Saison de paris booklet.

Prices of the tickets depend where you seat 5€, 15€, 20€, 40€, 75€, 95€, 115€, 135€, 155€, 180€ for the production of les Noces du Figaro (Le Nozze di Figaro) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

If you plan to visit France during the summer and you like very much the opera there is Bauge and the opera festival in the Loire 2 hours 50 minutes driving from Paris.

Also you can get more information about theater . There are so many in Paris!

Restaurants near the Opera

Cafe de la Paix: 5 place de l'Opera. www.cafedelapaix.fr President Charles de Gaulle had lunch here. Very nice place. Include a seafood counter.

Chartier: 7 rue du Faubourg-Montmartre. Ten minutes by foot from the Opera. Very stunning decor of 1896. Cheap and old fashion menu. Go to the bd des Italiens, slight right to bd Montmartre, left at rue du Faubourg-Montmartre. Open Daily 11:30am-10pm

Estaminet Gaya: 17 rue Duphot. Eight minutes from the Paris Opera House. Head west on bd des Capucines, continue on bd de la Madeleine. Left on Duphot. Specialty of seafood, fish, bouillabaisse. Opening hours: Noon - 02:00 pm, 07:30 - 10:30 pm Mon-Fri

Aux Lyonnais: 32 rue st-Marc. Seven minutes to this pretty bistro. Head east on bd des Capucines. Continue on bd des Italiens. Right at rue Favard. Left at rue St-Marc. Closed Sat for lunch, Sunday and Monday. Chic terroir cooking.