Palais Garnier

The grand foyer at Palais Garnier was designed to make the interval a spectacle of its own. Gilding, painted ceilings and long reflections turn circulation space into a room worth visiting in its own right. The same theatrical attention continues through the staircases and public areas, where the building seems to prepare its audience before the stage comes into view.

Garnier’s architecture and the auditorium

Charles Garnier's opera house opened in 1875, commissioned under Napoleon III as part of the wider remaking of Paris. Its exterior announces that role through sculpture and a strongly articulated façade, while the interior develops it through changes of height, light and decoration. The visitor moves through spaces intended for seeing and being seen as well as reaching a seat.

The auditorium brings another visual language, with its tiers, stage and ceiling painted by Marc Chagall. It remains a working performance space, however, so access during an architectural visit depends on rehearsals and theatre activity. The grand foyer and other available public areas are therefore substantial parts of the visit, rather than merely a route to a guaranteed auditorium view.

A daytime visit or an evening performance

An ordinary visitor ticket and a performance booking create different experiences. One concentrates on the building during its daytime opening; the other places the architecture within an evening at the theatre. The current programme determines the performance choices, while the visitor route determines which rooms are available for sightseeing.

Palais Garnier is especially rewarding for an interest in architecture and decorative arts. Its richness is not confined to one ceiling or staircase. The relationship between the square outside, the monumental entrance sequence and the interiors makes the building a complete expression of the kind of public theatre it was built to be.