Opéra Garnier

Nowadays, the Opéra de Paris is composed of two theaters, the historic one - The Opéra Garnier, and the modern Opéra Bastille inaugurated in 1989. This post will mainly treat of the Palais Garnier.

There are two ways to visit the Opéra Garnier; Either by succeeding in getting tickets to see one of the plays and/or by doing a guided visit during the day. Both are great to do, but for sure seeing a play in this amazing theater is a must!
You don't need to be too picky about the plays there if you are in town for a few days, as they are always at top level and it will be worth to see the show anyways. If you live in Paris, you can be more picky ;-)

As the plays are fully booked long before, you can ask your Hotel's concierge if he can get you places, as they have their own network, but it will cost you more than the normal price. You can also go to the Opéra Garnier and try to buy last minute tickets as they often propose last minute tickets. Nevertheless, you need to be there an 1h30 before the play and there is often a long queue (after the main entrance to the right). Before going there, it's better to give them a call to see if they will propose last minute tickets.

After or before the play, you can have a coffee or drink at the Café de La Paix, one of the most prestigious cafés in Paris (just next to the Opéra) and/or dine at the new restaurant of the Opéra (count 70-80 EUR/pers for a full meal).

About Opéra Garnier:

The Palais Garnier, is an elegant 1,979-seat opera house, which was built from 1860 to 1875 for the Paris Opera.
It is "probably the most famous opera house in the world, a symbol of Paris like Notre Dame cathedral, the Louvre, or the Sacré Coeur basilica. This is at least partly due to its use as the setting for Gaston Leroux's 1911 novel The Phantom of the Opera and the novel's subsequent adaptations in films and Andrew Lloyd Weber's popular 1986 musical. Another contributing factor is the perception that among the buildings constructed in Paris during the Second Empire, it is the only one that is unquestionably a masterpiece of the first rank.

For more information you can visit The Opera de Paris website as well as the Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opera_Garnier
Pictures from Wikimedia (by scarletgreen, Niabot, Benh, Jebulon, peter rivera)Less