Are you an opera lover visiting Paris, the City of Light? Here’s how to make the most of your passion by discovering the finest opera houses in Paris!
It’s a well-known fact, well beyond our own borders: Paris is the most beautiful city in the world. As a leading artistic and cultural center, opera is no exception, and it’s possible to enjoy the joys of opera in the very heart of the French capital.
To help you make the most of a cultural break dedicated to this grandiose art form during your visit to the world’s most romantic city, we’ve put together a short guide to help you find out where to see an opera performance in Paris with ease: some of the halls are among the most beautiful and prestigious in the world!
1. Garnier Opera House
Photo Credit : Shutterstock / Frederic Legrand – COMEO
If you’re looking for an opera venue in Paris, you’ll want to take a close look at the fantastic Palais Garnier. Located on the Place de l’Opéra in Paris’s 9th arrondissement, it forms the famous » Opéra national de Paris « , along with the Opéra Bastille: quite simply, this prestigious venue is one of the world’s epicentres of musical theater, welcoming almost 500,000 visitors every year: it’s one of the most visited monuments in the city of Paris!
The auditorium’s metal structure is embellished with rare marble and stucco, as well as the velvet and gilding typical of grand Parisian buildings; lit by 340 luminaires, the performances take place to the rhythm of the openings of a splendid stage curtain, worth a look in itself!
What’s more, it’s possible to visit this historic monument during the day without necessarily attending a chic performance in the evening, and every season some sixty performances are specially dedicated to young audiences who come to discover a fantastic opera show in Paris.
2. Opéra Bastille
Photo Credit: Facebook – Opéra national de Paris
Together with the Opéra Garnier, it forms the second face of the « Opéra national de Paris », fully anchored in modernity. It was François Mitterrand, then President of the Republic, who decided in early 1982 to build an opera house on the Place de la Bastille in the 12th arrondissement, more popular and less elitist and stuffy than the other performance spaces then available in the capital. The colossal project, designed by the talented Canadian architect Carlos Ott after an international design competition, took seven years to complete, and was finally inaugurated on July 14, 1989 – yes, on Bastille Day! – that the fabulous Opéra Bastille was inaugurated; one of the best places to see an opera performance in Paris.
In fact, it comprises two halls, the larger of which can accommodate up to… 2700 spectators! And even if you don’t want to attend a performance at this formidable opera house, you can still go and learn something new in the library, which includes a multimedia area dedicated not only to opera, but also to many other musical art forms!
3. Théâtre du Châtelet
Photo Credit: Facebook – Théâtre du Châtelet
Listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site since 1991, this historic monument features a splendid auditorium with a sparkling glass ceiling and grandiose chandelier at its center. A magnificent mural by painter Valerio Adami spans the gallery, giving visitors to the Paris Opera House the opportunity to enjoy a wide variety of performances: recitals, musicals, operas, classical music and jazz concerts.
Finally, here’s an interesting anecdote: it’s home to the prestigious César awards ceremony, where the crème de la crème of the silver screen gathers in the hope of being honored!
4. Théâtre des Champs-Élysées
Photo Credit: Facebook – Théâtre des Champs-Elysées
On chic Avenue Montaigne, in the heart of Paris’s 8th arrondissement, you’ll find the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, listed as a historic monument in 1954 and considered one of the best places to see opera in Paris. Built in 1913 in the purest Art Deco style and inaugurated on April 2 of the same year, it houses three performance halls and a restaurant at the top.
The first is the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, a large « Italian-style » hall with a capacity of 1905, designed for opera and musical concerts. The second, the 601-seat Comédie des Champs-Élysées, is ideal for theatrical performances. As for the third, the Studio, also dedicated to hosting theater troupes, it is much smaller but offers an intimate experience close to the actors with its 230 seats.
In addition to the shows on offer, visitors can also admire the theater’s splendid interior decor, featuring frescoes and bronzes by Bourdelle, a cupola decorated by Maurice Denis just before the inauguration, and numerous decorative paintings by Vuillard, Roussel and Marval.
5. The Opéra-Comique
Photo Credit: Facebook – Opéra Comique – Official Page
Created under Louis XIX in the early 18th century, it is, along with the prestigious Comédie-Française and the Académie royale de musique, one of France’s oldest theatrical institutions.
Located at 5, rue Favart, in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris, the prestigious Salle Favart – another name for the Opéra-Comique – has held the status of a public establishment of an industrial and commercial nature since 2004: this legal contract established by the French state enables the venue to host numerous performances of famous operatic works, making it one of the best places to see an opera show in Paris. What’s more, the shows in question feature both Baroque operas and contemporary works, as well as pieces from the Opéra-Comique’s historic repertoire and original French and foreign creations.
The building is quite remarkable and was refurbished over a period of almost two years: when the Salle Favart reopened its doors, it was to better enable the Théâtre national de l’Opéra Comique to once again offer creative projects, artistic innovations and major cultural events.
If you don’t know where to see an opera performance in Paris, why not take a trip?
6. La Pépinière
Photo Credit: Facebook – La Pépinière Théâtre
La Pépinière is a cultural space on a human scale: with only 350 seats, you feel like you’re part of the show! While La Pépinière’s main vocation is to host plays and theater performances, it is also possible to discover a few opera performances, particularly contemporary ones, staging both experienced and novice playwrights.
Open and accessible to all audiences, this is undoubtedly an excellent place to see an opera performance in Paris in all simplicity.
7. Théâtre national de Chaillot
Photo Credit: Facebook – Chaillot – Théâtre national de la Danse
Type of opera: Ballet/Contemporary dance
Seating capacity: 1750
One of France’s six national theaters, the Théâtre national de Chaillot is one of the most prestigious in the country, with three halls seating 1250, 420 and 80. The reason we mention it is that, in addition to the magnificence of the venue, almost all its performances focus on classical and contemporary dance, ballet and opera-ballets. The smallest hall is even devoted exclusively to studies, innovative creations and works designed to « break the codes » of opera!
As you can see, there’s something for everyone at the Théâtre national de Chaillot, so why not take a tour and enjoy a moment of pure grace?
8. Théâtre du Rond-Point
Photo credit: Facebook –
Théâtre du Rond-Point
Opera style: Comic/Ballet/Contemporary/Insolite
Seating capacity: 760
The Théâtre du Rond-Point is normally dedicated to comedies, dramas and other contemporary theatrical works, but it also hosts a few contemporary opera shows: it has to be said that the 760 seats accommodating a large and varied audience make it possible to discover many lyrical and sometimes zany wonders, but always performed by troupes with solid stage experience.
This theater is animated by a joyous wind of artistic lightness: against the current, it offers amusing, incongruous and sometimes subversive shows, not to be missed when looking for where to see an opera show in Paris.