Opera Garnier

Opera Garnier is one of my favorite buildings in Paris and is one of the most important monuments of the city. It was built when Paris was passing through the huge reform promoted by Napoleon III and Baron Haussmann. The building is already quite impressive on the outside, but its interior even more beautiful! The grand central staircase is famous for its layout, the marble and the paintings. The gold and red concert hall is another highlight of the site. As I watched several times the musical “Phantom of the Opera”, it’s impossible not to remember this story when we get there. So, it was very interesting to learn a little bit more about some of the myths and legends that probably served as inspiration for Gaston Leroux to write his famous book. These stories probably started due to the fact that Garnier is the thirteenth opera built in Paris and increased with a fatal accident that occurred in 1896 when the balance of the Opera hall of the huge chandelier was broken during a show reaching the person who was exactly in the chair number 13. For a while, people commented about the curse, the noises and whispers in the corridors of the dressing rooms. Opera Garnier is open to receive public visits, and you can do tours guided through its interiors. Watching a show at the Opera can also be a great idea. Normally, the cultural program is richer off the summer period (starting its schedule in early September). Tickets can be purchased online or directly at the ticket booths of the Opera Garnier an hour before the shows. Opera Garnier also has a store that sells CDs, DVDs, books about the opera universe, games for children, ballet clothes and pret-a-porter brands that have some connection with spectacles like Repetto and Bonpoint. Another good site to be visited in the building is a restaurant with a very interesting design signed by the architect Odile Decq.

France, Paris